Charlotte: Mark Martin preview

HONORING OUR SOLDIERS: Martin's No. 5 Chevrolet will feature a patriotic theme this weekend in tribute to the United States military. Diecast and apparel featuring the No. 5 paint scheme will be available for purchase, and a portion of the proceeds benefits the Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund. Martin's Hendrick Motorsports teammates also will sport special patriotic paint schemes for the 600-mile event.

POINT STANDINGS: Martin and the No. 5 GoDaddy.com team rank 11th in the Sprint Cup championship standings, 12 points behind 10th place.

600 FOR 600: Gustafson has chosen Chassis No. 5-600 for Sunday's race at Charlotte. This is the same chassis that Martin drove to qualify third two weeks ago at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. He finished the race 15th.

MARK MARTIN, DRIVER, NO. 5 CARQUEST AUTO PARTS/GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET (ON HOW THE ALL-STAR RACE PREPARED HIM FOR THE 600.): "The All-Star Race can't prepare you for all 600 miles. There's just a completely different strategy and outlook for 600 miles compared to 100. But, the All-Star Race definitely gave us a chance to try out a few things as far as setup, where to run on the track, lane choices and those kind of things. We had a great All-Star Race. Not necessarily the finish, but the car was fast. The pit stops were great. We were in contention to win that thing, and that's what we wanted. So, we're all pretty optimistic heading into this weekend."

MARTIN (ON HOW PHYSICALLY DEMANDING 600 MILES CAN BE.): "Every race is demanding on your body. And, really, the weather outside plays a bigger role than the length of the race. If it's real hot and humid, that's a rough day on the body. So, this Sunday will really depend on what the weather is like. But I'll tell you, being in good shape physically is really important. It does help for sure. I'll give everything I possibly have to this race on Sunday, just like I do for every race. I don't really think about how I feel physically during a race. There's just too much going on and I'm too focused on all of that. It's when you get out of the car that you really feel anything. It's a long race, but it won't take anything away from what I'm doing inside that car."

-source: hm