News and Media Releases

Martin Wins In Phoenix

20/04/2009

Quaker State driver wins after claiming third pole of the season to make it three in a row for Hendrick Motorsports.

After 97 races without a victory, Mark Martin took the checkered flag on Saturday night to win the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. Martin started from the pole, his third of the 2009 season and led a total of 157 laps over five different times before taking the win. Fellow Quaker State driver Jimmie Johnson also earned a top-five run finishing fourth to earn his fourth top-five finish of the season.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. had an up and down event at Phoenix leading twice for a total of 63 laps before getting a bad set of tires that dropped him in the running order. In addition the Hendrick Motorsports driver had a late race incident that sent him into the wall on lap 302 causing him to lose a couple of laps and finish 31st for the evening.

Fellow HMS teammate Jeff Gordon started the event in the fourth position and ran in the top-10 for the first 140 laps of the race. Handling issues dropped the four-time champion out of the top-10 and then a pit road mistake during a green-flag pit cycle brought the No. 24 Quaker State driver back down the pit lane for a missing lug nut. Gordon lost a lap during the penalty and finished 25th one lap down to the leaders.

Gordon remains the point leader and sits 85 markers ahead of Quaker State teammate Jimmie Johnson who remains in the second spot. Martin's win moved him up five more positions and he now sits 13th in the standings just nine points out of the top-12. Dale Earnhardt Jr. lost three positions falling to the 19th spot after his 31st-place finish.

Mark Martin took the win at Phoenix on Saturday night with Tony Stewart finishing second. Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle rounded out the top-five.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will return to action next weekend for the running of the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. Live television coverage begins on Sunday, April 26, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on FOX.  The event will also be broadcast live on MRN (Motor Racing Network) and Sirius Satellite Radio with coverage beginning at 1:15 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).