Martin aims for personal best at Michigan

BROOKLYN, Mich. (June 12, 2009) – If Mark Martin can find Victory Lane during this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Michigan International Speedway, he can set a personal record for wins. Currently, Martin’s four victories at the two-mile oval match the number he has scored at Dover (Del.) International Speedway and Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Martin’s quest for the personal record -- and his 38th overall Cup win -- starts Sunday when he’ll line up his No. 5 CARQUEST/Kellogg’s Chevrolet for the 400-mile event. Coverage of the race starts at 12:30 p.m. ET on TNT, and the green flag will drop at 2 p.m. Martin, who has earned 16 top-five finishes and 28 top-10s in 47 Cup starts at the track, most recently captured the checkered flag on June 14, 1998. Located 67-miles southwest of General Motors' headquarters, Michigan International Speedway is the apt racetrack for Martin to claim his third win for Hendrick Motorsports and another for manufacturer. “I’d love to win a race for Chevrolet this weekend,” Martin said. “I hate seeing them go through a rough time, but I think everything that's going on will make for a better, more prosperous company.” The No. 5 team will race the same No. 5 Chevrolet that secured the pole position for Martin at Atlanta Motor Speedway for this weekend’s event. The Michigan track’s wide racing surface and high banking tend to allow long green-flag runs and fuel strategy becomes a factor. “Michigan is very similar to Pocono as far as fuel mileage goes,” said Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 5 CARQUEST/Kellogg’s Chevrolet. “Any track where you have a lot of green (flag laps), it lends itself to fuel strategy. I expect to see a lot of the same this weekend.” Martin enters this weekend ranked 13th in the driver standings, just one point shy of 12th place.