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| Mark Martin on the pole at Phoenix, again. (Getty) |
AVONDALE, Ariz.—Mark Martin proved Friday that no matter the body on the car, what’s underneath it is what makes the difference.
Martin used the same Michael Waltrip Racing chassis that he used to win the pole last year at Phoenix International Raceway to win the pole again Friday for the Subway Fresh Fit 500 on Sunday.
Turning a lap of 138.074 mph, Martin won the 56th pole of his career, seventh all-time on the Sprint Cup history charts.
The bodies of the cars were changed during the offseason so they can have more manufacturer identity. NASCAR also changed rules as far as weight in the car and eliminated the rear swaybar.
Despite all the changes, the main frame and pieces underneath the body are the same. Martin didn’t even know it was the same chassis as a year ago until right before qualifying. He lets crew chief Rodney Childers make those decisions, and he didn’t want to know all the changes made prior to qualifying after a good-but-not-great practice session.
“I just hit the corner and I measure what I think I have,” Martin said. “I have an extremely little bit of time to put it right on the edge and not step over it.
“I was pretty nervous about it. You can’t step over with the way the cars are so close now, and choke. I don’t accept choking very well and I expect a lot of myself. So I was relieved when the lap was over.”
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