In the Pits- GINN

Martin announces first half schedule with Ginn Racing

Ginn Racing announced the first 14 races of Mark Martin’s limited 2007 schedule, with highlights including a 19th consecutive start in the Budweiser Shootout, his 23rd running of the Daytona 500 and his 18th consecutive start in the Nextel All-Star Challenge, an event he won in 1998 and 2005.

When Martin is not in the No. 01 U.S. Army Chevrolet, rookie Regan Smith will pilot the Ginn Racing entry. The remainder of Martin’s Nextel Cup schedule will be announced later .

“I can’t tell you how excited I am about what we have going on in 2007,” said Martin. “It’s a dream come true to pick the races that we want to run in and to be able to do it with a full-time Cup team like the No. 01 Army team.

“We were able to sit down and work on a schedule that worked for everyone,” added Martin. “I just wasn’t ready to step completely back from Nextel Cup racing and I felt I had a little more to give out there. At the same time, I was ready to be done with the grind of the 38-race Cup schedule, and I was able to move to Ginn Racing and do what I wanted to do.

“We open the schedule in the Budweiser Shootout and then the Daytona 500, and I’m excited to take the Army Chevy out on the track at Daytona. We run the next three races, then take off Bristol and Martinsville.”

Martin will pilot the No. 01 Army Chevrolet for Ginn Racing in the season’s first four point events and in the All-Star Shootout in February. After starts in the Daytona 500 and at California, Las Vegas and Atlanta, Martin will take off races at Bristol and Martinsville. The break will put an end to Martin’s string of 617 consecutive starts dating back to Feb. 14, 1988.

Martin has a combined 20 wins and 17 poles at the 12 tracks that make up the first half schedule. In addition he has won once in the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona (1999) and twice in the Nextel All-Star Challenge.

Mark Martin’s first-half 2007 Nextel Cup schedule

Feb. 10 Daytona Int’l Speedway

Feb. 18 Daytona 500

Feb. 25 California Speedway

March 1 Las Vegas Motor Speedway

March 18 Atlanta Motor Speedway

April 15 Texas Motor Speedway

April 21 Phoenix Int’l Raceway

May 5 Richmond Int’l Raceway

May 12 Darlington Raceway

May 19 Nextel All-Star Challenge

May 27 Cola-Cola 600

June 3 Dover Int’l Speedway

June 10 Pocono Raceway

June 17 Michigan Int’l Speedway