Mark Martin takes the checkered flag in the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix last month. Through 11 races this season, the 50-year-old Martin is 11th in points, with two wins, the latest coming in Saturday night's Southern 500. (Photo courtesy of ABC News)
Hendrick Motorsports has four wins in the first eleven races of 2009. Not surprisingly, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson each have one. Dale Earnhardt Jr., you ask? Junior is still looking for victory lane for the first time in 2009. That leaves just one other name, who wouldn't normally be a surprise winner, but given his age in relation to other drivers on the track, he is.
Mark Martin took his second checkered flag Saturday night at Darlington Raceway, holding off Johnson to win the Southern 500. After starting out the season with a front-row start at Daytona, the 50-year-old suffered several engine failures early in the year before rebounding with wins at Phoenix and Darlington to move up to 11th in points, just ten markers behind Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth; but more importantly, enough to get him into the Chase for the Sprint Cup if the season ended today.
"It's absolutely unbelievable," said an ecstatic Martin after a call by crew chief Alan Gustafson to stay out during the last caution of the race with 46 laps to go helped Martin hold off Johnson and Tony Stewart. "This is a big surprise. We had a strong car, but I never expected to win."
Ironically, the last time car No. 5 was in victory lane at Darlington was also due to the same circumstances, when Terry Labonte stayed out with 33 laps to go in the 2003 Southern 500.
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