Is this Martin’s year to win 500?
DAYTONA – Martin Truex Jr. is on the pole, but it’s another Martin, Mark Martin, who’s getting most of the attention going into Sunday’s Daytona 500.
Martin, who turned 50 last month, has returned to full-time racing in the Sprint Cup Series after two years of running part time. Not only that, but Martin has joined powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports.
Martin qualified second and will start beside Truex on the front row Sunday. Martin also was strong in Thursday’s second Gator-ade Duel 150 qualifying race, finishing second to Kyle Busch.
Five to watch:
1. Mark Martin, No. 5. Because our list is five drivers who have never won the Daytona 500, you can’t leave Martin off that list. Not only has Martin never won the 500, he’s 0-for-Daytona. He has 17 top 10s in 47 starts. His best finish is second in the 2007 500 when he lost to Kevin Harvick by .02 seconds.
2. Tony Stewart, No. 14. Stewart has won the July race twice, and his 105.4 driving rating at Daytona is tops in the series. He finished third in the 500 last year, and twice he has led the most laps, but come up short: 97 laps in 2004 (fifth place) and 107 laps in 2005 (seventh). This also is his first points race as owner/driver of Stewart-Haas Racing.
3. Kyle Busch, No. 18. Busch led a race-high 86 laps in last year’s 500 and finished fourth. He has four top fives in his past five races at Daytona, including a win last July. He won the second Duel 150 Thursday.
4. Kurt Busch, No. 2. Busch has an interesting record at Daytona: 16 starts, eight top fives. He has finished second in the 500 three times, including last year when he pushed Penske teammate Ryan Newman to victory. When Busch isn’t finishing in the top five, he’s a nonfactor. He has one 16th-place finish (2004 Daytona 500) and seven finishes 30th or worse.
5. Joey Logano, No. 20. Yes, Logano is winless at Daytona because he has yet to race there. At 18, he becomes the youngest driver to start a Daytona 500, and this is his first race in Stewart’s old car, the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota. He also is starting in the top 10.