 | | Mark Martin will start 15th on Saturday night. Credit: Autostock |
By Mark Spoor, NASCAR.COM
August 25, 2006
11:06 PM EDT (03:06 GMT)
BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Mark Martin entered Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway in a rare position -- with a win already under his belt this weekend. And he may be in line for a second. Martin, a two-time Cup Series winner at Bristol in 39 previous starts and the winner of Wednesday night's Truck Series race at the Tennessee bullring, posted the third-fastest time in Friday's final practice for Saturday's Sharpie 500.  |
| Sharpie 500 |
| Happy Hour |
| Pos. |
Driver |
Speed |
Time |
| 1. |
Ku. Busch |
122.835 |
15.621 |
| 2. |
J. Burton |
122.795 |
15.626 |
| 3. |
M. Martin |
122.631 |
15.647 |
| 4. |
D. Hamlin |
122.318 |
15.687 |
| 5. |
Ky. Busch |
121.937 |
15.736 |
| 6. |
K. Harvick |
121.914 |
15.739 |
| 7. |
T. Stewart |
121.867 |
15.745 |
| 8. |
C. Bowyer |
121.720 |
15.764 |
| 9. |
G. Biffle |
121.713 |
15.765 |
| 10. |
M. Kenseth |
121.620 |
15.777 |
|
 |
Pole-sitter Kurt Busch led the session at 122.835 mph, a time of 15.621 seconds. Jeff Burton, who will share the front row with Busch on Saturday, was second in Happy Hour at 122.795/15.626 seconds. Meanwhile, Martin clocked in at 122.631/15.647. Still, despite the quickness of his No. 6 Ford, Martin isn't leaving room on his mantle for another trophy just yet, especially after a hiccup in qualifying that left him with a 15th-place starting spot. "We got a bad draw there. I hate that," he said. "We've got a great racecar and I thought for once we weren't gonna start in the back, but that track was just way slick right there. "I'm sure it will get better here because our car was capable of doing a lot better than that, but it was awful slick. It looks like it's gonna be the same old, same old for us. We'll just battle our way from the middle of the pack." "I'll do everything I can [to win], but I do every time I come here and I've been in wrecks a lot as of late. You're really powerless here to a bigger extent than anywhere else." However, Martin, one of the most respected men in the Nextel Cup garage area, knows that he might have a little bit easier road Saturday night than most thanks to his history. "I get a break almost everywhere based on my history," Martin said. "That's how I view it, but, certainly, you can't give many breaks here. If I earn a break here, I typically always get it and where someone might not that doesn't have the same history that I have. That's how I feel about it. "I race everyone. If someone earns a break with me on the racetrack, they get it -- here or anywhere else." Breaks have been tough to come by for Martin in a season where he wasn't even supposed to be running full time. Despite a backbreaking schedule of Cup, Busch and Truck Series events, Martin still has managed to keep himself fourth in the Nextel Cup Series standings with 11 top-10 finishes in 23 starts. Still, Martin says the schedule is tough to maintain. "I'm stretched pretty thin this year, but I seem to be holding up pretty well," he said. "I'm driving a lot of stuff --- 67 races --- so it's a lot, but it's all going good. "You caught me on a day when I've got a smile on my face, so I guess that's a good thing," he said. "I feel like I'm on top of the world. I'm driving for a great team with a great sponsor and have a shot at the Chase. I don't know what else a guy could ask for." Perhaps another Bristol victory? "At this stage of the game a win anywhere would be a big deal," Martin said. "I've said a lot that you don't get to choose where you win, you're just lucky if you get the win, so I'll take it wherever it comes." Denny Hamlin, who'll start sixth on Saturday night, was fourth in the session at 122.318/15.687. Kyle Busch rounded out the top five at 15.736/121.937. | 
