Denton, Texas — Perhaps today’s Texas 500-mile event didn’t bring the Ford Oval the result sought, but it did show that the Ford crews are working diligently for every point possible as they drive towards the season-ending Ford 400.
On display were the tenacious efforts of the Ford teams as they overcame obstacles to improve what might have been a very dismal day.
Mark Martin improved his 32nd place starting position to best in class fifth for Ford. Martin, with the combination of keen pre-race work by crew chief Ben Leslie and Martin’s own hard driving, got the Pfizer Ford more than what some might have expected. He found himself in a bit of a hole during the lap 226 caution, when the yellow slowed the field just after Martin brought his Ford to pit road for a green flag stop. But several laps later another caution came out, this time playing to Martin’s favor, allowing him to get into position to make up some ground.
"We had a terrible starting spot and then fought our way up to the Top-10 only to get caught out on a caution,” he said after climbing from his No. 6 car. “That green flag stop got us a lap down, but this Viagra Taurus was a piece of junk yesterday. Ben Leslie and the guys all sat together and changed everything on it.
“It was pretty awesome,” said the excited driver. “We got lucky and got a caution to get our lap back and we were just short some track position at the end. We couldn't have beaten the [No.] 12 car, but I know there wasn't anybody else in the field that we couldn't handle because we were catching all the guys in front of us big time. It was an awesome run.
“I thought I was gonna run 30th yesterday, so I'm really proud of the Viagra team here and this Taurus."
Matt Kenseth followed Martin’s lead, and fought the good fight.
“[The lap 226 caution] definitely got us behind, but, still, I think we could have overcame that,” said Kenseth, who also commented about an aero-push stealing his thunder. “We ran right by [Jeff] Gordon. We ran with him all day and he still finished third, so I think if we could have gotten out good there [in clean air] at the end we still could have got a Top-5 out of it."
Showing his best run since joining the Robert Yates organization — Elliott Sadler, who started on the outside of row one, led the first lap of the event and looked as if he’d be the one to win today’s race. However, trouble struck Sadler and his No. 38 M&M’s Ford on lap 170 and brought the day to an early end with a car crumpled against the backstraight wall.
“I don't know,” said the disappointed Sadler after returning from the infield medical center “It was just a real, real bad set of tires or I had a right-rear [tire] going down. It actually felt like I had a right-rear going down and I was letting some of the guys go by. It was flat after the crash, but I spun so much that I don't know what happened.
“I just want to apologize to all the M&M's fans and Robert Yates fans out there. We had a car to beat again today, we just got a little loose there and spun out and tore it all to pieces. I'm a little sore. I'd like to tell my mom and dad I'm OK at home, but the guys did a great job building me a safe car at the shop."
Sadler’s consolation to the horrible end of the day was the five point bonus after he led the most laps of the event.
