(By Greg Engle)
Posted: Monday,November 2nd, 2009
(By Reid Spencer, Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service)
TALLADEGA, AL - Mark Martin declared on several occasions before Sunday’s race that he felt lucky. As it turned out, Martin wasn’t completely wrong.
Martin, who has a history of misfortune at Talladega, made it though the scheduled distance of 188 laps unscathed. Unfortunately, because of the caution for Newman’s wreck, the race went three laps past its posted distance, and Lap 190 proved Martin’s undoing.
TALLADEGA, AL - NOVEMBER 01: Mark Martin, driver of the #5 Pop-Tarts / CARQUEST Chevrolet, crosses the finish line after being involved in an incident on track during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AMP Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on November 1, 2009 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
A victim of the 13-car pileup in Turn 4 as the field approached the white flag, Martin spun, flipped and caromed off the outside frontstretch wall. The accident dropped him to 28th at the finish and left him second in points, 184 behind Johnson.
After climbing from his wrecked car, Martin was at a loss to explain what had happened.
“It was just a wreck,” Martin said. “I hope everybody enjoyed the show there. I don’t know what it looked like. It looked pretty exciting from my viewpoint. I don’t have a clue. I don’t know what happened out there. So, I don’t know.
“Congratulations to (race winner) Jamie McMurray, and that’s about all I know about the whole race. I’ll find out later I guess—I don’t know.”
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