Sony HD 500
California Speedway
September 3, 2006
Started 38th   – Finished 12th                    

MARTIN BATTLES BACK TO 12th-PLACE FINISH AT CALIFORNIA

Martin set the pace early, but had to battle back from a damaged fender

“I can tell you this, we’ll go down swinging all the way to the end…We’ll go to Richmond and do everything possible to make this chase…”
- Mark Martin after Sunday night’s race at California

FONTANA, CALIF. – Mark Martin and the No. 6 AAA crew found themselves battling back from adversity for much of the weekend at California Speedway. Martin got loose in qualifying and was forced to start in the back of the field for Sunday’s race. He then powered his way all the way from the back to seventh place, before sustaining severe fender damage to his AAA Ford Fusion. The damage, combined with the sun going down, made the car difficult to drive and Martin fell back to as far as 28th position, before recovering and battling his way back to a 12th-place finish.

"It was a great race and a great effort by this AAA team,” said Martin. I thought we had a car to win with when the sun was out, but in the night time it didn't work as well. I'm proud of finishing 12th tonight with the way our car went.  It was a winner in the sun and lost its mind when it got dark.  Those guys fought hard and pulled out a 12th-place finish.  Kasey (Kahne) and those guys did what they needed to do and the race is on for all of us.  We're in ninth, not tenth.  I hoped to come out of here ahead of tenth and we did that, but we lost some ground to be comfortable.  All you can do is fight hard and that's what we've been doing."

Martin started the race in 38th, but his No. 6 Fusion was a rocket ship early, with Martin picking up seven positions on the first lap alone. By lap 23 he had broken into the field’s top 20. He passed teammate and Nextel Cup point leader Matt Kenseth on lap 52 to break into the top 10 for the first time of the race. Martin proceeded to drive up to as high as sixth place, where he was running when the team came down pit road under green on lap 78 to take four tires, fuel and make a wedge adjustment to loosen up the car’s handling.

Caution came out just three laps later and Martin stayed out and restarted in seventh position. He got caught up with the lapped car of Michael Waltrip on the restart and sustained severe fender damage. The damage would cause Martin’s car to push and he fell back all the way to 25th position before the team had a chance to come down pit road under the race’s fourth caution of the night. The AAA Crew worked to repair the damage in a series of pit stops under caution and Martin returned to the field in 28th position when green-flag racing resumed on lap 115.

The car’s handling became really loose, but Martin was still able to pick up nine positions to 19th by the time the race’s fifth caution was called on lap 154. Martin’s car remained loose over the next two runs, and he was running in 17th position when caution number seven was issued on lap 190. Martin and crew chief Pat Tryson opted for a two-tire stop and Martin resumed the race lead on lap 193, thus gaining Martin five valuable points in the Nextel Race for the Chase.

Martin restarted in the lead on lap 195 with 55 laps remaining. He settled back into third position by lap 198. Eventually the cars on four fresh tires began to creep up on Martin and by lap 224 he had dropped to 10th position. Martin came into the pits for the final time of the race on lap 239, taking two tires and fuel and he returned in 19th position and on the lead lap. The veteran was able to pick up seven more positions in the final 10 laps, passing two cars on the final lap for the 12th-place finish.

With the finish, Martin picked up one spot to ninth in the Nextel Cup points race. With only one race remaining before the 26-race cutoff, Martin is currently two points ahead of 10th and 32 points ahead of 11th. He trails sixth by only 45 points and fourth by 70 points.

“My team fought as hard as they can fight,” added Martin. “I still think we're in (the Chase), but the battle is on and one thing that everybody can count on is that I'll go down fighting all the way.  At Richmond, even if we don't make the chase, I'm going to go down swinging all the way to the end.  It's been 19 years in that No. 6 car and I appreciate all the support of the fans and Jack Roush and these guys who work their heart out.” 

Martin and the team will finish out the Race for the Chase next week at Richmond, where Martin boasts one win, 12 top fives, 22 top 10’s and three poles in 43 starts.