No. 32 Dollar General Chevrolet News and Notes
· Never Forget the First Time –Mark Martin will make his first start for both Turner Motorsports and Dollar General this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Martin will make three other starts for the No. 32 team in 2011 including races at Auto Club Speedway, Michigan International Speedway and Kentucky Speedway. This is also Martin’s first competitive laps in the Nationwide Series “new car”. · Last Time In Las Vegas –While Martin hasn’t been behind the wheel of a Nationwide Series car since 2008, his last two starts at the track have resulted in wins. His 2008 victory came while working with current Cup Series crew chief Lance McGrew, and the attempt before that was in 2005.
· Setting the Standard at Las Vegas –Martin’s stats are beyond comparison at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In five starts, the veteran has finished no worse than sixth with three wins, four top-fives, five top-10s and two pole awards with 332 of 1002 laps led. Martin’s average starting position is 9.2 with an average finishing spot of 2.2.
· Just Look at the Record Books –Even though a recent challenger has come on strong, Martin is still the record-holder of wins in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. With 48 victories throughout his 21-year career in NASCAR’s second-tier series, the only competitor within striking distance is Kyle Busch, who has 44 wins.
· Dollar General Leading the Way –After last weekend’s top-five finish in the No. 32 Dollar General Chevy, Reed Sorenson is currently atop the driver’s point standings with a five-point lead over second-place Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Sorenson will continue his quest for a Nationwide Series title this weekend in the No. 30 Rexall Chevrolet.
· Start of a new era for Turner Motorsports – The 2011 season marks the start of a new era for Turner Motorsports. The team has expanded in 2011 from a two-truck operation in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) to become the largest stand-alone multi-series team in NASCAR’s top-tier touring series, fielding three entries in the NCWTS and four entries in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS). Three of the team’s regular NNS drivers (Jason Leffler, Reed Sorenson and Justin Allgaier) have been pegged as viable contenders to win the 2011 NNS driver championship.
· This Week’s Impala – Martin will pilot TMS-118 in this weekend’s Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This is a brand new chassis and has yet to see any competitive laps.
. Martin on racing at Las Vegas and for Turner Motorsports this weekend: “I’ve been looking forward to this weekend since I signed up for these races with Turner Motorsports and Dollar General. Running this race at Las Vegas was a given, really, when we were making the schedule. My last Nationwide win was at Las Vegas with Lance (Sprint Cup crew chief) and the last one before that was at Vegas too, so I’m really, really hoping for everyone involved that we get three in a row this weekend. With Hendrick Motorsports horsepower under the hood we should definitely have something for them.
“Plus, I’ve got to get my wins total up before Kyle (Busch) gets up there and takes it away from me. That’s a record that I’m really proud of and would love to keep for as long as I can. “I’m very impressed with what Turner Motorsports has already accomplished in such a short time. To see Reed (Sorenson) on top of the standings is a big accomplishment for this team. We’ll do what we can to keep them on top and keep those guys motivated.”
Follow the No. 32 team on Twitter!@No32TurnerNNS Follow Dollar General on Twitter!@myDollarGeneral Follow Turner Motorsports on Facebook!Facebook.com/TurnerMotorsports
