Martin and Stewart look for Pocono pick me up

Mark Martin already had two wins at this time last season and Tony Stewart picked up his first points paying win as a driver-owner at Pocono last June. This season Martin is tenth in points and just hasn’t had the speed he had last year. Stewart is 16th in the Sprint Cup standings, and hasn’t really competed for much either.

However, Stewart broke into the ’09 winning column at the 2.5-mile triangle in Pennsylvania, where he led 39 laps. “I knew it was big when we were there in victory lane, obviously,” he said. “Getting the first one at Charlotte (the non-points Sprint All-Star Race) was a huge accomplishment for the organization, but that first official points win was big, too.”

Martin has yet to capture a checkered flag at Pocono. He is at the very top of both the all-time top five and top 10 lists at Pocono, with 19 top fives and 32 top ten finishes. His six runner-up finishes at Pocono are tied for most at one track without a victory (Bobby Allison at Martinsville is the other).

Pocono is one of only four tracks Martin has never won at, including Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Daytona and Homestead-Miami. “I’ve had the fastest car there about five times. I just couldn’t get to the start-finish line first!” he said with a laugh. “So many elements have to go right to win a race. I just haven’t been able to put the whole package together there.”

Maybe Stewart can give Martin advice on how to win at Pocono. But Pocono’s challenging shape is a headache to drivers and crew chiefs. “All three corners are different – that’s the most challenging part,” Stewart said. “It seems like you can always get your car good in two of the three corners, but the guys who are contending for the win are the guys who can get their car good for all three corners, which is very hard to do.”

Yet Martin is confident the No. 5 team will be able to put him in a position to win this weekend. “It’s about putting your best foot forward and making your best effort. There’s no doubt that this team will do that this weekend,” he said.

And maybe he’ll get his first win at Pocono on Sunday. Then it’s off to Michigan where he’s the defending race champion. More on NASCAR as the weekend wears on and of course there’s high school baseball coverage on FOX19.com too. Check it out, you’ll be glad you did.