Mark Martin’s Luck Has Got To Change

Mark Martin had a great weekend going for him, in the top with practice speeds, winning the pole, and running up front during most of the race. Then, the unexpected happened, hurtling his car into turn one at the Atlanta Motor Speedway during the Kobalt Tools 500 race, his car took a slide into the outside retaining wall that left his car crippled from the damage sustained when he backed his car hard into it at top speed.

Martin, who drives the Number 5 Kellogg’s/Carquest Hendrick owned Chevrolet, qualified in the pole position around the 1.54 mile track with a speed of 187.045 mph for the first time in almost eight years. The veteran driver ran in the top ten all day until on lap 216, said he hit debris on the track that punctured his tire and sent his car hard into the wall. His crew worked feverishly to make repairs but they were not enough for Martin to overcome the major damage the car received.

“This kind of luck cannot continue. It just can’t,” Martin told his team on the radio. “You guys gave me an incredible race car. We were great today. And that’s all any of us can ask for. You did a great job of fixing it, too, on pit road. You were fast and thorough. Thank you.”

Martin’s season has gotten off to a rough start with his best finish of the year a 16th place finish at Dayton, two 40th place finishes at California and Las Vegas, and now his 31st final spot at Atlanta leaving him 34^th in the NASCAR point standings. In two weeks, when the series goes to Bristol, Martin must make a good showing to stay in the top 35 in points or he’ll be in jeopardy of falling out and having to qualify on his time, risking the possibility of not making future races.

Mark Martin’s quest for a NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship is not looking good at this point. It goes to prove, it’s not always the best equipment to get you to the top, you got to have a little luck on you side as well.

All photographs taken by and the property of Steve Langley, MotorSportsNews Network Photographer, and can not be used without permission.