After Rough Start To Season, Martin Changes Focus

After four races, Hendrick Motorsports driver Mark Martin has to be the biggest shock of the 2009 Sprint Cup season. He sits 35th in points, nine points ahead of Aric Almirola and having to qualify for races on speed.

Martin has experienced a ton of misfortune to start this season. He was running fourth in the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway when he ran over a piece of debris, cutting a tire and severly damaging his No. 5 Kelloggs/Carquest Chevy. He finished 31st.

During the previous two races, the Shelby 427 from Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the Auto Club 500 from Auto Club Speedway (Fontana), he experienced engine failures that gave him a pair of 40th place finishes. 

His 16th-place finish in the Daytona 500 looks pretty good right now, compared to his finishes in the last three races.

Crew cheif Alan Gustafson was expected to meet with Martin to discuss how the team can save its season. The problem is, it hasn’t been mistakes as much as it has been bad luck.

The Daytona 500 was called early due to rain. If it hadn’t been, Martin may have finished better than 16th. He won the pole at Atlanta and was running in the top 5 when his tire blew.

He didn’t have winning cars at Las Vegas or Fontana, but he certainly could have finished better than 40th.

As a result of the misfortune, Martin is changing his focus from the Chase and championship to winning races. He is mathematically still in contention, but he knows that making up points on one person is easier than making up points on 34 people.

So, for now, Martin is concentrating on winning his first race since 2005.

Crewman Who Caused Caution Suspended Four Races

During last weekend’s Kobalt Tools 500 from Atlanta Motor Speedway, Jimmy Watts, gasman for JTG Daugherty Racing’s No. 47 Toyota, driven by Marcos Ambrose, ran after a tire that rolled onto the infield grass. He got about 70 feet from the track, forcing NASCAR to throw a caution.

As a result, several cars were pinned one or two laps down because the field was in the middle of green flag pit stops.

Watts was suspended for the remainder of the race.

On Tuesday, NASCAR added four races to the penatly under the rule that crewmembers must not go on the track for any reason while the cars are running under green, or red flag conditions unless directed by a NASCAR official.

Watts also received probation for the rest of the year.

Crew chief Frank Kerr has also been placed on probation until the end of the year under the NASCAR rule that states that a crew cheif assumes responsibility for actions of the team.

JTG Daughtery indicated that it will not appeal the suspension, and is looking to put the whole incident behind it.

Stewart Haas Racing: So Far, So Good

Four races into the 2009 Sprint Cup season, Stewart Haas Racing owner Tony Stewart has to be pretty pleased with his results.

The Old spice/Office Depot driver has finished on the lead lap in all four races, posting three top 10 finishes. In the one race he didn’t finish in the top 10, he was running in the top 5 most of the day, before a problem caused him to finish 26th.

He sits sixth in points, comfortably in a guaranteed starting spot for each race. Not that he really needed to worry, considering that he has a few championship provisionals to fall back on.

Following the third race of the season, Stewart was quoted as saying:

I think from the physical pieces and parts standpoint, we knew we had what we needed. It was just a matter of how long was it going to take for the package to gel. I think we’re all pleasantly surprised at how quick that’s come.

Now that Stewart has established that he is consistently competitive, the focus must be on improving his teammate, Ryan Newman’s performance.

Newman has yet to finish on the lead lap this season. His best finish came in the Kobalt Tools 500 from Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he finished 22nd.

Newman sits 32nd in points, 48 points out of 36th place, where he would have to qualify based on time. Not that qualifying on time would really be a problem considering that Newman has 43 poles to his credit.

While it is still early in the season, Stewart’s got to be pleased with his team’s performance thus far.

Crewman Causes Caution During Kobalt Tools 500

During Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 from Atlanta Motor Speedway, Jimmy Watts, gasman for JTG Daughtery Racing’s No. 47 Toyota, driven by Marcos Ambrose, ran onto the infield grass during the race to retrieve a tire that rolled away during a pit stop.

The infield grass is a prohibited area, thus NASCAR threw the caution, pinning all but six cars a lap down because the incident came during green flag pit stops. The caution would have been thrown had Watts not run onto the grass, as the tire was approaching the racing surface, but NASCAR may have waited until grenn flag stops had cycled through.

Watts was suspended for the remainder of the event. He said:

I saw the tire going away and it was a reaction — the wrong one.

Watts hopes to be back at the Food City 500 from Bristol Motor Speedway, but he is waiting for word from NASCAR of whether or not they will assess any more penalties.

Other Busch Brother Wins Kobalt Tools 500

Kurt Busch had a dominant car all day and held off a late charge from Jeff Gordon to win the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Top 10: Busch, Gordon, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick,  Brian Vickers, Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, and Martin Truex Jr.

Notables: Dale Earnhardt Jr (11th), Matt Kenseth (12th), Denny Hamlin (13th), Jeff Burton (14th), Kyle Busch (18th), Michael Waltrip (25th), Juan Pablo Montoya (27th), Mark Martin (31st), David Reutimann (32nd), and Greg Biffle (34th).