Martin points out three reasons why he likes to race at Texas

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 55 Aaron’s/Best of the Best Toyota driver Mark Martin quickly points out three reasons why he likes Texas Motor Speedway. The 1998 Sprint Cup race winner and three-time Nationwide winner says Texas is one of his favorite stops on the NASCAR circuit. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver hopes to improve upon the No. 55’s ninth place in the 2012 owner standings.

Why Mark Martin likes Texas Motor Speedway:

1. WINNING
“Texas Motor Speedway is the site of a lot of great success for me. I think we’ve won a race and finished in the top five seven times. We blew up the first year leading the race and Jeff Burton went and got his first win. Then the next year (1998) we got the win. I’ve won three Nationwide races there. It’s an absolutely great place to race and man is it fast!”

Mark Martin, Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota

Photo by: Action Sports Photography

2. FAN SUPPORT
“Texas Motor Speedway is about 450 miles from my hometown of Batesville, Arkansas. I’ve had a stronger fan following there than anywhere else. Sure I listen in driver introductions when the fans cheer or boo, but I really notice the fans in general throughout the weekend. They are pretty vocal. Since it isn't that far from Batesville it’s one of the places where my fans go. Texas and Kansas are probably the two places where I see or hear from most of my fans. That’s always a great feeling.”

3. PROMOTION
“I just really salute everyone at Texas Motor Speedway for furthering our sport. It is a venue we can all be extremely proud of. They might not have hit the nail on the head coming out of the gate all those years ago but they sure have fixed it. It’s a track we need to keep going to. I’m proud of Texas Motor Speedway. That’s one thing about Bruton Smith. He puts the money into the facility. It’s not all about taking it back out. I have to respect that. Putting money in the facility makes it better to race on, race at, and a better experience for fans.”