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Then & Now

NASCAR.COM pays tribute to two outgoing vets
and welcomes two rookies to the Cup fold.

Each week will preview one year in the career of the retiring drivers,
as well as a pop-culture look at what's going on in the world today.
Mark Martin

Mark Martin

Rusty Wallace

Rusty Wallace

Sunday will mark the 35th time that Mark Martin and Rusty Wallace have been in the same field for a race at Pocono.

They first raced against each other at Pocono in the Miller High Life 500 on June 19, 1988. Wallace finished third, Martin fourth behind winner Geoffrey Bodine.

Sunday's Pocono 500 will be Martin's 37th start at the track. He has six runner-up finishes -- three under caution, including July 21, 1991, to Wallace -- 18 top-fives and 25 top-10 finishes (both tops among active drivers). Martin's average finish is 10.8, and he has six DNFs.

Wallace will be making his 43rd start at Pocono. He has four wins, nine top-five finishes and 16 top-10s. Wallace's average finish is 17.3, and he has 11 DNFs.

Kyle Busch

Kyle Busch

Travis Kvapil

Travis Kvapil

Kyle Busch and Travis Kvapil will make their first starts at Pocono Raceway in Sunday's Pocono 500.

Though not conducive to the speeds at Daytona or Talladega, Pocono is a 2.5-mile trioval. Neither driver has posted a top-10 finish at a track greater than 2 miles in length: Busch 0-for-4; Kvapil 0-for-3.

Busch enters Sunday with a 32-point lead over Kvapil in the rookie of the year standings.

Through 13 races, Busch has three top-five finishes -- twice as the runner-up, including last week at Dover -- four top-10s and two DNFs.

Kvapil has only one top-10 finish, a seventh at Bristol in April, and four DNFs.

Also in 1991 ...

  • News
  • Jan. 12 -- The U.S. Congress passes a resolution authorizing the use of military force to liberate Kuwait. Operation Desert Storm -- the Gulf War -- begins Jan. 16. A ceasefire is declared Feb. 27, calling for Iraq to disarm.
  • Entertainment
  • March 20 -- Eric Clapton's 4-year-old son, Conor, dies after falling 53 stories from a New York apartment window. The death of his son would inspire Clapton to write Tears in Heaven, which was featured in the movie Rush.
  • Sports
  • Nov. 7 -- L.A. Lakers star Magic Johnson announces he tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS.
  • Deaths
  • Singer Danny Thomas ... Dancer and instructor Arthur Murray ... actor Michael Landon ... football coach Paul Brown ... director Frank Capra ... author Dr. Seuss ... jazz trumpeter Miles Davis

Also in 2005 ...

  • News
  • June 7 -- In Aruba, two hotel security guards are detained in the disappearance of vacationing Alabama teen Natalee Holloway, based on "reasonable suspicion" they were involved in "criminal acts" related to the case.
  • Entertainment
  • June 8 -- Anne Bancroft dies at 73. She won the 1962 best actress Oscar as young Helen Keller's teacher in The Miracle Worker but achieved greater fame as the seductive Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate.
  • Sports
  • June 1 - NBA Hall of Famer George Mikan, 80, dies. At 6-foot-10, Mikan was the first big man to dominate the sport.
  • Still to come in 2005 ...
  • Oct. 1 -- Connecticut will begin banning use of hand-held cell phones while driving. New York, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. already have such bans.
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