Catchfence

50 YEARS YOUNG: Mark Martin and Lowe’s Motor Speedway’s annual 600-mile race are both 50 years old this year. Martin, who celebrated his birthday in January, first competed in the season’s longest Sprint Cup event on May 30, 1982. Neil Bonnett won that day, and Martin, just 23 years old at the time, finished 27th. Martin has raced in 25 of the 49 May events at LMS.

PREVIOUS WINNER: Martin has won four times in Sprint Cup competition at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, but only once in the Memorial Day weekend event. On May 26, 2002, Martin started 25th and led 44 laps en route to Victory Lane. That win also was his most recent at the 1.5-mile track.

MARTIN AT LOWE’S: In 48 career Cup starts at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Martin has earned four victories, 17 top-five finishes and 22 top-10s. Martin has led a total of 1,168 laps at his favorite track, which ranks as the second-highest for him at any one venue. He has led the most laps — 1,722 — at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.

MILE MAN: Martin has logged more miles — 23,205 total — at Lowe’s Motor Speedway than any other track on the Sprint Cup circuit. If Martin circled the globe on the equator in his No. 5 CARQUEST/Kellogg’s Chevrolet, he would be just 1,795 miles shy of completing his mission. Martin almost could make up the remaining distance with just one round-trip from his home in Batesville, Ark., to the Hendrick Motorsports complex in Concord, N.C.

LOOP STATS STAR: Martin holds an average running position of 14.8 during the past eight races at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, which ranks him second only to Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson. In the driver rating, Martin is fourth with a score of 92.1. He has spent 2,255 laps inside the top 15 during those eight races, second again to Johnson, who has raced 2,640 laps inside the top 15 there.

THE NO. 5 TEAM: Under the direction of crew chief Alan Gustafson, the No. 5 team has competed in four Memorial Day weekend 600-mile races at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. While the team has yet to break the top 10 in that race, it has earned one top-five finish and two top-10s in four October events at Lowe’s.

IN THE TOP-12: Martin’s win at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway two weeks ago, propelled the once 34th-ranked driver to 11th in the Sprint Cup standings. With 15 races remaining until the Chase for the Sprint Cup, Martin has a 52-point cushion over 13th place.

CHASSIS CHOICE: Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-523, Martin’s favorite car in the stable, for Sunday’s race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Martin drove this car to the pole position at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March and to a sixth-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway in April.

ONE MORE: Hendrick Motorsports’ next win will mark the 180th for the organization. Rick Hendrick leads all car owners in the modern era and ranks second all-time with his 179 Sprint Cup wins.

CHEVY WEEK: The 2010 Daytona 500 pace car is one of four Chevrolets that will be on display May 19-24 during Chevy Week at Hendrick Motorsports. Additionally, fans can check out the 2010 Camaro LS7 Concept, the 2010 Camaro Black Concept and the 2010 Camaro GMPP Accessories car. They will be on display in front of the Hendrick Motorsports team shops and museum, which will have extended hours during this time. Visit www.HendrickMotorsports.com for more information.

HENDRICK AT LOWE’S: Hendrick Motorsports, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this season, has 15 Cup wins and 13 pole positions at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Both figures rank as the second highest in each category for the organization. Nine of Hendrick’s wins at Lowe’s were recorded in the 600-mile event.

HIGH MILEAGE: Hendrick Motorsports teams have logged more mileage at Lowe’s Motor Speedway than any other track. In 49 races, Hendrick drivers have tallied 79,656 miles there. For perspective, you could drive the roughly 2,500-mile length of Interstate 40, from Barstow, Calif., to Wilmington, N.C., 32 times.

HENDRICK ON TWITTER: Hendrick Motorsports has launched its official Twitter page: www.twitter.com/HendrickInfo. Check out the page for updates on Martin, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the rest of Hendrick Motorsports.

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SPEED STREET: Martin will be signing autographs at the Kellogg’s display at “Speed Street” in uptown Charlotte, N.C., on Friday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. local time.

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MARK MARTIN, DRIVER, NO. 5 CARQUEST/KELLOGG’S CHEVROLET (ON WHAT HE LEARNED FROM LAST WEEKEND’S ALL-STAR RACE.): “The all-star race allowed us to confirm the setup ideas that we already had. We learned some things about the car and refined our ideas on what we really need to look at for Sunday’s race. We’ll focus on keeping the car turning well throughout long runs. I expect Sunday’s race to have a lot of long green-flag runs in it. Our car last Saturday was good for the short run, which is what you need for the all-star race format. We’ll work this weekend on tailoring our car more for long runs and shift our focus to that.”

MARTIN (ON HIS MEMORIES FROM HIS 2002 MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND WIN.): “That race was just so special to me. At my museum, in Batesville, Ark., I have that picture blown up pretty big from Victory Lane that night. My family is in there with me, and the team and everyone is just so happy. That’s what winning means to me — seeing the faces of all the crew guys and watching them celebrate their hard work. That win just really stands out to me. It was an important one, and I’m reminded of it every time I see that picture.”

MARTIN (ON HIS PHYSICAL FITNESS AND HOW IT WILL COME INTO PLAY IN SUNDAY’S RACE.): “Well, being physically fit doesn’t hurt. A lot of how I feel this weekend will depend on the temperature and humidity. That is a huge factor to a driver’s health every race weekend. Every race is demanding. As a driver, I will always spend as much as I have. I will put into each race as much as I have to give, as much as I can possibly spend. It’s a long race on Sunday, and it will be demanding, but, as I do in every race, I will give everything I have.”

MARTIN (ON HIS MEMORIES OF THE FIRST TIME HE SAW LOWE’S MOTOR SPEEDWAY.): “I love this racetrack. The first time I raced at Lowe’s, in 1982, I thought that it was just like the track I was used to running on at home. Just like the quarter-mile banked track I ran on all the time — except a lot bigger. I was really comfortable on the track instantly. It had every characteristic that the quarter- and half-mile tracks did that I was used to running on in the Midwest. It was just an instant level of comfort for me. And I’ve liked it ever since.”

ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 CARQUEST/KELLOGG’S CHEVROLET (ON WHAT THE TEAM LEARNED FROM LAST WEEKEND’S ALL-STAR RACE.): “I think that everyone in the all-star race uses it as a quick test session for the 600. The main thing we were studying was the new tire and how it reacted throughout the race. We experimented with a few setups to see which one the tire meshed with the best to maintain a good balance throughout the run. I think that could be tricky for Sunday’s race.”

GUSTAFSON (ON MARK MARTIN’S HEALTH BEING AN ADVANTAGE IN A 600-MILE RACE.): “Mark’s physical condition is definitely going to help him on Sunday. This race is grueling. A normal race can take a lot out of a driver, but add another 100 miles onto it and it gets even more intense. It doesn’t look like it’s going to be too hot or humid, so that will definitely help all of the drivers. But Mark’s mental toughness, as well as his physical health and endurance, gives him an advantage over the guys out there who don’t necessarily have the same physical commitment that he does. When a driver gets physically exhausted, he’s prone to make some mental mistakes that he wouldn’t have otherwise. I don’t anticipate that being an issue at all with Mark this weekend.”

GUSTAFSON (ON THE TEAM’S PAST TROUBLES IN THE 600-MILE RACE.): “If you look at statistics, the fall race looks much better for us as a team. But the truth is, we’ve run really well in both races. We’ve just found more bad circumstances in the May race. In 2005, we were leading and broke a valve spring, which is so rare for Hendrick Motorsports. We ended up finishing 25th on seven cylinders. The following year, we were running second, and about midway through the race we were spun by another car. In 2007, we suffered an alternator issue that forced us to change batteries. If the statistics told the whole story of a race, there’s really not much difference between how the CARQUEST/Kellogg’s Chevrolet runs in either race. The finishes are just better in the fall.”

- Hendrick Motorsports, Press Release