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NASCAR Winston Cup CMT 300 Preview: #6, Mark Martin

10 September 1997

 #6 Mark Martin, Valvoline/Cummins Ford Thunderbird 
 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
 CMT 300 Advance
 New Hampshire International Speedway
 
                  MARK MARTIN NOTES & QUOTES: CMT 300
 
 
LOUDON, NH - With only eight races remaining in the Winston Cup season, every 
race counts for Mark Martin and the Valvoline/Cummins team. Martin is in 
second place in the point standings, 97 points behind Jeff Gordon. Martin 
also feels the pressure coming from behind, as Dale Jarrett has closed within 
56 points of second place. The addition of the CMT 300 at New Hampshire is a 
welcome addition to the fall schedule. 

"I'm lucky NASCAR decided to add New Hampshire in the fall since it is a 
pretty good track for us," Martin said. "Dover and Martinsville are tough 
tracks for us, so it will be nice to throw in an extra good track. We've come 
too far this season to let anything stand in the way of our chance for our 
first Winston Cup championship."

In five starts at NHIS, Martin has finished in the top-five all but one time. 
He has yet to celebrate in victory lane at Loudon, but he is sure he won't 
have to wait much longer. 

"Everything is going so well for us," Martin said, "We had a setback at 
Richmond, but that was out of our control. This team is working hard and 
everybody is working together to make this championship happen. It's just 
like the T-shirts Valvoline printed for the team to wear - the right car, the 
right team, the right driver, the right year. I hope this is our year, and 
if it is meant to be, it will happen."

Martin has finished second (1993), third (1995), fourth (1994) and fifth 
(1997) already at NHIS. The CMT 300 could be his race to finish first. 

    MARK MARTIN'S CAREER RECORD - NEW HAMPSHIRE INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

Date       Event                   S   F    Laps   Reason        Money Won
7/13/97    Jiffy Lube 300         16   5     300   Running         44,650
7/14/96    Jiffy Lube 300         22  33     284   Running         29,575
7/9/95     Slick 50 300            1   3     300   Running         54,650
7/10/94    Slick 50 300           10   4     300   Running         33,625
7/11/93    Slick 50 300            1   2     300   Running         74,800

          Races  WINS    TOP-5   Top-10   Poles      Money Won
            5      0       4       4        2         237,300

By Roush Racing Public Relations