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NASCAR Winston Cup Pennsylvania 500 Preview -- #6, Mark Martin

16 July 1997

 #6 Mark Martin, Valvoline Ford Thunderbird 
 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
 Pennsylvania 500 Advance
 Pocono Raceway
 
            MARK MARTIN NOTES & QUOTES: PENNSYLVANIA 500


 
LONG POND, PA -

DRIVER: Mark Martin

1996 EVENT: Started:   1st
            Finished:  9th

PENNSYLVANIA 500: (Year - Start/Finish): 1996 - 1/9; 1995 - 2/7; 1994 - 
12/31; 1993 - 5/13; 1992 3/6; 1991 - 3/2; 1990 - 1/6; 1989 - 7/3; 1988 - 6/7; 
1982 - 15/10

NOTES AND QUOTES

Mark Martin and the Valvoline/Cummins team collected another top-five finish 
last weekend at New Hampshire International Speedway, bring their total to 
nine for the season. Now only 52 points out of first place in the Winston Cup 
point standings, Martin is trying to focus on one race at a time, but can't 
help but thing about his chances of winning his first Winston Cup 
championship.

"I don't want to get caught up in thinking about a championship right now," 
Martin said. "There are too many races to go and a lot can happen between now 
and then. Our team needs to focus on each race individually and do the best 
we can. I want to win more races this season and keep up our strong 
performance from the first half of the season. We need to stay competitive 
every weekend. As Dick Trickle once told me, 'To finish first, first you must 
finish.' What he said makes sense, and that is the way our race team works. 
We will race just as hard at Pocono this weekend as we will at Indianapolis 
and Martinsville."

Last year's July race at Pocono looked as though it would be Martin's first 
win of 1996, but it was not to be. He started from the pole and led 121 of 
200 laps. The final pit stop of the day was scheduled for lap 161. Leading 
the race, Martin came in for four tires and fuel when a lug nut jammed in the 
air gun on the right rear tire. The miscue in the pits resulted in a ninth 
place finish.

This weekend, Martin, will be running the same Valvoline/Cummins Ford that 
they brought in June. He finished fourth last month, and is looking to 
improve that finish by three positions.

By Roush Racing Public Relations