---

NASCAR: Martin Prefers 'Race' Tracks

24 April 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

Mark Martin took the Winston Cup lead by running in front for 98 laps and finishing sixth in the Valvoline Ford Taurus April 16 at Talladega. That, of course, was a restrictor-plate event -- not Martin's favorite. This Sunday's (April 30) NAPA Auto Parts 500 at the two-mile California Speedway -- where Martin won in 1998 -- puts Martin back on the kind of track he prefers, because he feels the driver makes more of a difference.

"You can't take a 30th-place car and run it in the top 10 because you found a better line, but you might take a fifth-place car and run second with it, or you might take a second-place car and win with it," explains Martin. "You can move around on some racetracks and make a difference. You can't make all the difference in the world, but you do have some leeway. If there's enough room and enough lane choices, you might be able to find something that your car might be happy doing when it's not happy running the conventional line. That's racing to me. All the mile and two-mile racetracks fit that category."

DID YOU KNOW? Mark Martin's victory April 9 at Martinsville was the 32d of his Winston Cup career, tying him with the legendary Fireball Roberts on the all-time winners list.

Text provided by Michael Knight

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit The Racing Photo Museum and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.