Fontana: Mark Martin race report

Martin Finishes 16th in Milestone 700th Career Cup Start
Team misses setup, rebounds for 16th-place finish

FONTANA, Calif. (Feb. 25, 2008) -- Mark Martin and the No. 8 Principal Financial Group team fought to a 16th-place finish in Monday's rain delayed Auto Club 500 at California Speedway. Martin's milestone 700th-start occurred Sunday, but rain wreaked havoc on the event, causing several delays and finally resulting in the race being red flagged and postponed after 87 laps.

"The car just wasn't as good in the race as we had hoped," said Martin. "I have to take the blame for that. We just missed the setup and that falls on my shoulders. We had a great test out here and were strong in practice with this Principal Financial Group Chevy, but I must have misjudged somewhere along the way. I'm not sure where we were off, but the car just didn't handle like we needed it to out there."

"We definitely have our work cut out for us heading into Vegas next weekend, but I like what I see in this team," added Martin. "I would have liked for a little more with the 700th start, but you don't pick the races you want to run well in. I do want to thank all the fans and everyone out there who have made it possible for us to do this all these years, and I want to thank the Principal Financial Group for riding on the car with us this weekend."

Martin ran around 20th position for much of the event, and the veteran was running in 19th when the race's 11th caution was called on Lap 220 of 250. With just 30 laps remaining, crew chief Tony Gibson opted for a two-tire stop and track position. When green flag racing resumed, Martin was in fifth place. Battling cars on four fresh tires, Martin was able hold on for a 16th-place result.

"We finished a lot better than we ran most of the day," said Martin. "Sometimes that's all you can do out there. We'll keep working with it and get a lot better."

All of Friday's track activity -- including qualifying - was canceled and Martin started the race 16th based on last year's owner points. Despite being a top-five car in Saturday's practice session, Martin struggled with the car's handling from the drop of the green flag. He fell back to 20th by just the fourth lap, and battled an ill-handling car and seeping track conditions for the onset.

Eventually the race was red-flagged for rain fall after 87 laps with Martin running in 17th position. NASCAR attempted to restart the race late in the evening, but eventually had to give way to wet track conditions and postpone the race until Monday morning.

The highlight of the day was the quick work of the No. 8 crew in the pits. The team helped Martin pick up valuable positions during several stops.

"The pit crew had a great day, and nobody on this team gave up," said Gibson. "We needed a better car for the race, but everyone dug in and we were at our best at the end. Mark had a handful out there, but he never gave up. I'm looking forward to getting out to Vegas and continuing to build on what we have going here."

-credit: dei