Martin seeking Daytona revenge

Martin returns to the No. 01 US Army Chevrolet this weekend after sitting out the last two events and is hoping to be able to get a shot at victory on Saturday night at the restrictor-plate race.

"We came so close and you can't ask for any more than a solid shot to win the Daytona 500," said Martin about his photo finish at Daytona back in February. "We were right there, but in the end I came up just a little short.

"The outpouring from the fans and all the attention was amazing. But this time I'd settle for a little less hype and some hardware in the form of a trophy."

Martin has never won a NASCAR Nextel Cup points event at Daytona. However, he won the Budweiser Shootout in 1999, a Craftsman Truck Series race in 2006, and has also claimed victory there twice in IROC.

"Daytona has been a tough track for me over the years," added Martin. "I've had a lot of heartache there, but I don't really count last February as one of those. It was a tough pill to swallow, but that was a moment that I think most of us will always remember.

"We really wanted to win that race and we weren't happy with second, but it was a great effort and a great way to start my tenure with Ginn Racing. Maybe I can get it done for them this weekend."

After being second in Daytona, Martin went on to lead the points standings, enjoying his best start to a season ever, up until he sat out the fifth race of the year at Bristol, where rookie Regan Smith took over from him.

He is now 20th in the NASCAR Nextel Cup standings, having already missed five races as he planned to before the season started.