Concluding his occupancy of the No. 8 U.S. Army Chevrolet, Mark Martin ended the Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway in the 14th position.

Martin ran in the top-10 for the opening 99 laps when a blunder on pit road put him a lap down from the leaders. For practically the remainder of the event, Martin was battling his way back up front.

“First of all I want to say just how proud I am to have worked with the guys on this U.S. Army team,” stated Martin. “We had a really strong car today. We might not have had the car to win it, but we had a top-five car for sure. We didn’t get the finish that we wanted, but like they have done all year these guys hung in there and fought hard. I’m very proud to have driven their car this season. It’s been a pleasure to work with (crew chief) Tony Gibson and everyone on this No. 8 team."

Running part time with Dale Earnhardt Inc. for the past two seasons, Martin has managed to keep the No. 8 team fighting. With 4 top-5 and 11 top-10 finishes this season, Martin - along with Aric Almirola – have placed the No. 8 Chevrolet in the 14th position in the owner’s points.

The series veteran will pilot the No. 5 Chevrolet of Hendrick Motorsports in hopes of collecting a championship in NASCAR’s top echelon.

“This really has been the most fun that I’ve had in my career,” added Martin. “To be able to run a part-time schedule with a championship caliber team has been a great privilege. I just have to thank everyone at Dale Earnhardt Inc. for everything. I also want to thank the U.S. Army for all the support of the past two years. It has been a real honor to represent our brave Soldiers who protect our freedom.”