Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500
By Micah Roberts
Last week Jimmie Johnson went into the short track racing season on the high banks of Bristol, a place he had never won at, and won. This week, Johnson visits another short track at the much flatter Martinsville Speedway, a track that he has thoroughly dominated like no other.
Quick trivia time: When was the last time Johnson didn’t finish in the top-5 of a Martinsville race? How about the last time he finished out of the top-10?
In this race back in 2005, Johnson finished eighth and in his rookie year of 2002, his very first race on the track, Johnson finished 35th.
It seems hard to comprehend that someone could be so consistently good for such a long period of time at one particular track, especially when he ran so mediocre -- by his lofty standards -- at Bristol over the same span.
Johnson has six career wins at Martinsville including a stretch from the fall of 2006 to this race last year where he won five of the six races run. That is a pretty remarkable feat for any type of racing in all classes, but to do it in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series which has some of the largest starting fields and bank rolls to make great competitive cars really shows just how good Johnson is.
He may not give us the banter we all want to hear. He doesn’t have a lot of choice words for any other drivers. He hasn’t got caught up in any rivalry or payback threats. No, all Johnson does is win Championships and there is no better evidence of his machine-like performance that display all his perceived vanilla traits than at Martinsville.
We could also look at the beginning of 2010 if further evidence is needed to just how great Johnson is. He’s generally a slow starter, but he’s already got three wins in five races giving him 50 for his career. Only three drivers in NASCAR history -- Jeff Gordon, Darrell Waltrip, and David Pearson -- have gotten to 50 wins faster than Johnson.
From every aspect of NASCAR racing, Johnson and his crew chief Chad Knaus have it all covered. The driver usually gets most of the credit, but it starts with the team who always has his chassis set up ideally for each race right when it comes off the truck.
The question this week is who may be the top contender to give Johnson a run for the money on his most successful track? The two races that Johnson hasn’t won over the last races there have been won by Virginia native Denny Hamlin. Over those last seven races, Hamlin has finished out of the top-5 only once, and that was a sixth-place run.
Martinsville could be the perfect place to get Hamlin out of his current funk that has seen him go the first five races without a top-10 finish, numbers that are well below expectations for a driver many picked to be the one to topple Johnson’s quest for a fifth straight Championship.
Jeff Gordon is the current active leader in wins at Martinsville with seven. He hasn’t there since 2005 when he swept the season, but has been competitive at the highest level while Hamlin and Johnson have pigged all the wins. Since sweeping in 2005, Gordon has eight straight top-5 finishes that include three second-place runs. Overall Gordon has 22 top-5 finishes in his 34 career starts on the track.
Tony Stewart showed some signs of life last week at Bristol and its about the same time last year that he showed the NASCAR world that he would be able to contend at a high level with his new team. The same turnaround occurred for his teammate Ryan Newman.
Last week Stewart got his first top-5 of the season by finishing second. Both his cars should be primed for good runs this week. Newman finished sixth and seventh in last years Martinsville races while Stewart was third and ninth.
Two other candidates who could run well are Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya. Both cars looked terrific in their first run on the short last week as teammates. Both had great practice sessions that translated well in the race with Montoya leading laps on four separate occasions and McMurray finishing eighth. Montoya had a career best third-place finish in the fall Martinsville race last season.
Kurt Busch had a great run last week leading the most laps and finishing third, but Martinsville always seems to get the best of him. He does have one career win on the track -- back in 2002 -- but only has one top-5 finish on the track since. His brother Kyle has been just a little better, but the short track excellence they show at Bristol hasn’t translated over to Martinsville as pronounced, almost an opposite to what Johnson has shown between the two short tracks.
Kyle Busch has three fourth-place finishes mixed in with four finishes of 24th or worse.
TOP 5 Finish Prediction:
1) #14 Tony Stewart (12/1)
2) #11 Denny Hamlin (8/1)
3) #48 Jimmie Johnson (6/1)
4) #24 Jeff Gordon (8/1)
5) #42 Juan Pablo Montoya (18/1)
Driver Highlights - Martinsville
Clint Bowyer (No. 33 BB&T Chevrolet)
# One top five, four top 10s
# Average finish of 13.5
# Average Running Position of 14.8, eighth-best
# Driver Rating of 83.5, 13th-best
# Average Green Flag Speed of 90.816 mph, 10th
# 2,506 Laps in the Top 15 (62.5%), 13th-most
# 171 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), 11th-most
Jeff Burton (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet)
# One win, 10 top fives, 14 top 10s
# Average finish of 14.6
# Average Running Position of 16.7, 13th-best
# Driver Rating of 84.5, 12th-best
# 96 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
# 409 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 90.839 mph, ninth
# 2,748 Laps in the Top 15 (54.8%), ninth-most
# 203 Quality Passes, ninth-most
Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M's Toyota)
# Four top fives, five top 10s
# Average finish of 17.4
# Average Running Position of 15.8, 12th-best
# Driver Rating of 89.7, seventh-best
# 132 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
# 457 Green Flag Passes, third-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 90.959 mph, sixth
# 3,108 Laps in the Top 15 (62.0%), seventh-most
# 273 Quality Passes, third-most
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy Drink/National Guard Chevrolet)
# Eight top fives, 10 top 10s
# Average finish of 14.1
# Average Running Position of 11.8, fifth-best
# Driver Rating of 98.8, fifth-best
# 358 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
# Series-high 495 Green Flag Passes
# Average Green Flag Speed of 91.120 mph, fifth-fastest
# 3,585 Laps in the Top 15 (71.5%), fourth-most
# 246 Quality Passes, fifth-most
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
# Seven wins, 22 top fives, 28 top 10s; seven poles
# Average finish of 6.8
# Average Running Position of 6.4, second-best
# Driver Rating of 123.0, second-best
# Series-high 574 Fastest Laps Run
# Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 91.489 mph
# Series-high 4,507 Laps in the Top 15 (89.9%)
# 285 Quality Passes, second-most
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota)
# Two wins, six top fives, eight top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 7.2
# Average Running Position of 10.1, fourth-best
# Driver Rating of 109.1, fourth-best
# 246 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 91.197 mph, fourth-fastest
# 3,486 Laps in the Top 15 (77.3%), fifth-most
# 232 Quality Passes, seventh-most
Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet)
# Seven top 10s
# Average finish of 17.1
# Average Running Position of 13.8, seventh-best
# Driver Rating of 90.8, sixth-best
# 68 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 90.881 mph, eighth-fastest
# 3,386 Laps in the Top 15 (67.6%), sixth-most
# 215 Quality Passes, eighth-most
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet)
# Six wins, 12 top fives, 15 top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 5.1
# Series-best Average Running Position of 6.2
# Series-best Driver Rating of 125.5
# Series-high 574 Fastest Laps Run
# Average Green Flag Speed of 91.473 mph, second-fastest
# 4,491 Laps in the Top 15 (89.6%), second-most
# Series-high 292 Quality Passes
Mark Martin (No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet)
# Two wins, 11 top fives, 23 top 10s; three poles
# Average finish of 13.2
# Average Running Position of 13.8, sixth-best
# Driver Rating of 87.5, eighth-best
# Average Green Flag Speed of 90.886 mph, seventh-fastest
Jamie McMurray (No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Chevrolet)
# One top five, nine top 10s
# Average finish of 15.6
# Average Running Position of 15.0, 10th-best
# Driver Rating of 87.5, ninth-best
# 79 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 90.800 mph, 12th-fastest
# 2,957 Laps in the Top 15 (59.0%), eighth-most
Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 Target Chevrolet)
# One top five, two top 10s
# Average finish of 11.0
# Average Running Position of 14.9, ninth-best
# Driver Rating of 87.4, 10th-best
# 72 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-most
# 375 Green Flag Passes, 13th-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 90.804 mph, 11th-fastest
# 165 Quality Passes, 13th-most
Ryan Newman (No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet)
# Five top fives, eight top 10s; three poles
# Average finish of 13.9
# Average Running Position of 15.2, 11th-best
# Driver Rating of 86.9, 11th-best
# 450 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 90.758 mph, 13th-fastest
# 2,689 Laps in the Top 15 (53.7%), 10th-most
# 199 Quality Passes, 10th-most
Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet)
# Two wins, eight top fives, 13 top 10s; three poles
# Average finish of 12.0
# Average Running Position of 7.6, third-best
# Driver Rating of 112.5, third-best
# 346 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
# 384 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 91.319 mph, third-fastest
# 4,384 Laps in the Top 15 (87.5%), third-most
# 261 Quality Passes, fourth-most
Odds & Ends - Martinsville
Martinsville Speedway Data
Race #: 6 of 36 (3-28-10)
Track Size: .526 mile
Race Length: 500 laps/263 miles
# Banking/Corners: 12 degrees
# Banking/Straights: 0 degrees
# Frontstretch: 800 feet
# Backstretch: 800 feet
Driver Rating at Martinsville
Jimmie Johnson 125.5
Jeff Gordon 123.0
Tony Stewart 112.5
Denny Hamlin 109.1
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 98.8
Kevin Harvick 90.8
Kyle Busch 89.7
Mark Martin 87.5
Jamie McMurray 87.5
Juan Pablo Montoya 87.4
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2009 races (10 total) at Martinsville Speedway.
Qualifying/Race Data
2009 pole winner: None (inclement weather)
2009 race winner: Jimmie Johnson, 75.938 mph, 3-29-09)
Track qualifying record: Tony Stewart (98.083 mph, 19.306 secs., 10-21-05)
Race record: Jeff Gordon (82.223 mph, 9-22-96)
Estimated Pit Window: Every 140-150 laps, based on fuel mileage.
Driver to win the Goodys 500 Jimmie Johnson 5/2 😮
Driver Handicaps: Martinsville
Racingone.com
This weekend the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Martinsville Speedway for Sunday's Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500. To help you make your fantasy racing picks, Motor Racing Network brings you our weekly detailed look at some of the field for the 500-lap event.
Who's HOT at Martinsville
• Six-time winner Jimmie Johnson leads all drivers with a 5.1 average finish.
• Denny Hamlin has two wins and a 3.0 average finish in his last six starts.
• Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in wins (7), top fives (22) and laps led (2,760).
• Tony Stewart has the third-best driver rating in the last 10 races.
• Mark Martin, Ryan Newman and Jamie McMurray all finished in the top 10 in both races in 2009.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. has led 307 laps and has posted four top 10s with the COT.
Keep an Eye on at Martinsville
• Clint Bowyer has finished in the top 10 in four of his last five starts at Martinsville.
• Jeff Burton has a 12.7 average finish with the COT at Martinsville.
• Juan Pablo Montoya finished third in his last start at Martinsville.
• Kevin Harvick has a 10.0 average finish in his last four starts at Martinsville.
• Kyle Busch is coming off his fourth top five at Martinsville.
COT Performers
Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin have dominated at Martinsville Speedway with the new car combining to win all six races. Johnson, who has four wins, has led the most laps with 940. Hamlin is second with 709 laps led and Jeff Gordon is third with 590. Johnson, Hamlin, Gordon and Mark Martin (two races) are the only drivers with average finishes of 10.0 or better.
MotorRacingNetwork.com Staff Picks
Jeff Wackerlin: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Pete Pistone: Jimmie Johnson
Rachael West: Denny Hamlin
Top 30 Driver Notes - Ordered by current standings
(All stats/notes are in regards to Martinsville Speedway unless noted)
1. Kevin Harvick: Coming off seventh top 10 in 17 starts; Has not led a lap since the 2004 fall race when he was up front for 104 laps; 15.2 average finish in the six races with the new car; Will race the same chassis (No. 212) that his teammate Clint Bowyer drove to victories at New Hampshire (Sept. 2007) and Richmond (May 2008).
2. Matt Kenseth: Last of six top 10s came in the 2008 fall race; Best finish (second) came in the Spring race of 2002; Finished 23rd in this event last year after getting involved in a late accident; 15.0 average finish in the six races with the new car.
3. Jimmie Johnson: Six-time winner; Has won five of the last seven races; 5.1 average finish leads all drivers; Has led 1,551 laps in 16 starts; Will debut a new chassis (No. 590) in the Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500.
4. Greg Biffle: Only top 10 (seventh) in 14 starts came in the 2007 fall race; 20.7 average finish in the six races with the new car; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 667) in the Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500.
5. Tony Stewart: Finished third and ninth, respectively, in first two track starts with Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009; Posted 11 top 10s and two wins in previous 20 starts with Joe Gibbs Racing; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 587) in the Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500.
6. Kurt Busch: 23.1 average finish in eight starts with Penske Racing; Four top 10s, including one win, came in previous 11 starts with Roush Racing; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 722) in the Goody’s Fast pain Relief 500.
7. Jeff Burton: Has posted three top 10s in 11 starts with Richard Childress Racing; Scored one win and 11 top 10s with Roush Racing; Chassis No. 283 will be the car of choice for the No. 31 team this weekend; This car was converted to a short-track car after its most recent finish, of 14th, last October at Charlotte.
8. Dale Earnhardt Jr: Fifth best track on the circuit based on 14.1 average finish; Has posted an 11.3 average finish in four starts with Hendrick Motorsports; Best finish came in the 2008 fall race in second; Will debut a new chassis (No. 562) that was tested at Rockingham.
9. Paul Menard: Has yet to finish in the top 15 in five starts; Best finish came in this event in 2006 in 16th; Will debut a new chassis (No. 619) that was tested at Rockingham last week.
10. Kyle Busch: Coming off first top-20 finish (fourth) in four starts with Joe Gibbs Racing; Previous four top 10s came with Hendrick Motorsports; Led 106 laps in the 2007 fall race; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 249) that most recently finished eighth at Charlotte last October.
11. Jeff Gordon: Leads active drivers in wins (7), top fives (22), top 10s (28), laps led (2,796) and poles (7); Has finished ninth or better in last 14 starts; Led 147 laps in this event last year en route to a fourth-place finish.
12. Clint Bowyer: Ended a streak of four consecutive top 10s last fall with a 19th-place finish; Fifth-best average finish (10.5) among drivers that have raced in all six events with the new car; Has yet to lead a lap in eight starts; Will be back behind the wheel of the same car (chassis No. 267) that he tested at Darlington (Goodyear Test) and Rockingham.
13. Carl Edwards: Only top 10s came in both races in 2008; Third-place finish in the 2009 fall race was best in 11 starts; Has yet to lead a lap.
14. Brian Vickers: Only top 10 in 10 starts came in the 2006 spring race with Hendrick Motorsports; Has posted a 19.5 average finish with Team Red Bull in four starts; Best finish with Red Bull is 11th, which he accomplished in the last two fall events.
15. Jamie McMurray: Third best track on the circuit based on 15.6 average finish; Coming off eighth and ninth top 10s in 14 starts; Will make his first track start in a Chevrolet.
16. Mark Martin: Finished seventh and eighth, respectively in first two track starts with Hendrick Motorsports in 2009; Won the spring race in 1992 and 2000 with Roush Racing; 13.2 average finish in 44 starts; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 561) that he raced at Martinsville last fall.
17. Joey Logano: Making third Cup start; Finished a best 12th in last fall's race.
18. Scott Speed: Has finished 30th or worse in three starts.
19. Denny Hamlin: Coming off second victory and has finished sixth or better in last seven starts; Combined to lead 502 laps last season; Second-best average finish (3.0) in the six starts with the new car; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 267) in the Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500.
20. Martin Truex Jr: Only top 10 in eight starts was 10th-place finish in fall of 2008; Average finish is 23.9.
21. AJ Allmendinger: Scored first top-10 finish in five starts (ninth) in this event last year; 26.2 average finish; Piloting chassis No. 276 which was last raced at Phoenix last fall to a 13th-place finish.
22. Juan Pablo Montoya: Best oval on the schedule based on his 11.0 average finish; Posted a 7.5 average finish in 2009 in first two track starts in an Earnhardt-Ganassi Chevrolet; Led 37 laps last fall en route to first top five.
23. Kasey Kahne: Has a 19.7 average finish in 12 starts; Last of two top 10s came in the 2006 fall event; Finished second in the spring of 2005.
24. David Reutimann: Yet to finish in the top 10 in six starts; Best finish was 16th in last fall's race; 24.8 average finish.
25. Elliott Sadler: Returns to hometown track where he's made 22 starts; One top five and three top 10s with an average finish of 24.8; Driving brand new chassis No. 270.
26. Ryan Newman: Finished sixth and seventh, respectively, in first two track starts with Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009; Scored six top 10s in previous 14 starts with Penske Racing; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 492) that raced in both Martinsville races last season.
27. David Ragan: Best finish in seven starts was 11th-place finish in this event in 2008; 19.9 average finish; Primary chassis RK-635 was last run at Loudon in June of 2009 to a 33rd-place finish.
28. Regan Smith: Last of three races was in October of 2008 with a 42nd-place result; Scored a best 14th-place result in this event in 2008.
29. Bobby Labonte: Winner of this event in 2002 with Joe Gibbs Racing; 17.0 average finish after 34 starts; Six top fives and 13 top 10s.
30. Brad Keselowski: Making first Cup Series start; Has made four Truck Series starts with a best finish of 18th in 2005; Driving a brand-new chassis PRS-723.
Rain Spoils Spoiler Debut
Racingone.com
MARTINSVILLE, Va. - Rain washed out qualifying Friday for the Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway and the line-up for Sunday's first race of the new Sprint Cup car spoiler era will be set by points.
A band of showers hit the track early Friday afternoon and never left forcing officials to pull the plug on the session. It was the first time qualifying has been rained out this season.
By virtue of the rule book Sunday's race will be set by owner points which puts Kevin Harvick on the pole. He'll be flanked by Matt Kenseth.
“It is good to take advantage of that and this place, I’ve started in the back many times and been lapped many times, and you struggle all day trying to stay on the lead lap, so, hopefully, if you start up front and don’t make mistakes and keep the track position, it can be an advantage here to get a decent finish," Kenseth said."
Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart will round out the first five starters.
Kurt Busch, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Paul Menard and Kyle Busch complete the first ten.
Casey Mears, Terry Cook, Johnny Sauter and Aric Almirola failed to make the starting field.
Sunday's Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 is slated for a 1:15 p.m. ET green flag,
Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500: NASCAR Betting Preview
By Greg Engle
NASCAR heads to the smallest track on the circuit, Martinsville Speedway in Virginia this weekend. A week after Bristol, we've barely had chance to catch our breath and this Sunday comes another chance for mayhem to break out on any lap.
Favorites
Jimmie Johnson (+250)
Johnson stole the lead from Kurt Busch late in the race at Bristol last week to score his first win in Thunder Valley. Fast forward a week and now comes Martinsville, a track where he's won six times and scored 12 Top 5s, 15 Top 10s and one pole. Johnson is the hottest thing going in NASCAR right now and there appears to be no reason he'll cool off this week.
Jeff Gordon (+600)
Gordon desperately wants to beat his teammate. Last week at Bristol, Gordon was caught up in an accident and finished 14th. This week, Gordon can say he has one thing up on Johnson - seven wins here along with 22 Top 5s, 28 Top 10s and seven poles. If he can keep his nose clean, Gordon is a definite threat.
Tony Stewart (+1000)
Stewart nearly stole the show last week at Bristol and came home second. At Martinsville, Stewart has two wins along with eight Top 5s, 13 Top 10s and three poles. One of Stewart's Top-5 finishes was a third in this race last year and he will look to improve on that Sunday.
Others to watch
Kurt Busch (+1800)
Busch was bitterly disappointed after getting beat by Johnson last week at Bristol. Busch came home third showing that the Penske team's early season strength is no fluke. At Martinsville he has one win two Top 5s and four Top-10 finishes. Busch could be looking to make a statement by doing whatever it takes to beat Johnson Sunday.
Jeff Burton (+1500)
Since his third place finish in Fontana, Burton and his Richard Childress Racing team struggled at Vegas and Atlanta, but finished a respectable 10th last week. Burton has won here, although that was back in 1997.He also has 10 Top 5s and 14 Top 10s here. However, Burton is gunning for a turnaround and Martinsville may be the launching point.
Mark Martin (+1500)
Martin started the year off well, but suffered crashes in the last two races that left him with finishes outside the Top 30. Martin has two wins here along with 11 Top 5s, 23 Top 10s and three poles. Two of his Top 10 finishes came here last year and like Burton, Martin is desperately seeking some redemption.
Head to head
Kyle Busch vs. Denny Hamlin
Up until last week Kyle Busch was out of the picture. At Bristol, he scored his best finish of 2010 coming home ninth. He has four Top-5 and five Top-10 finishes here and will look to continue an upward trend. Although Hamlin has looked strong at times, he has yet to finish inside the Top 15. But Martinsville is in Hamlin's home state hence the reason he has two wins, six Top 5s, eight Top 10s and one pole here. Hamlin will come out on top in this battle.
Clint Bowyer vs. Kevin Harvick
The Richard Childress Racing teammates are having good seasons. Bowyer had Top-10 finishes in the first three races, was involved in a crash in Atlanta and suffered a rare engine failure at Bristol and finished 40th. Harvick leads the points but finished 11th last week, his first finish outside the Top 10 all season. Bowyer has one Top five and four Top 10s at Martinsville. Harvick has seven Top 10s. Bowyer, however, seems to be heading up. Harvick down. Edge to Bowyer.
David Reutimann vs. Paul Menard
Both Reutimann and Menard have shown themselves to be dark horses in the field. Reutimann has run among the Top 10 in several races this season, but hasn't been able to maintain the momentum and seal the deal. Menard has shown flashes of speed and has a Top 5 to show for it. Both drivers best finish at Martinsville is 16th. While it will be an interesting matchup to keep an eye on, Menard should be able to finish in front of Reutimann.
Rain postpones Martinsville race
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) -NASCAR has postponed its race at Martinsville Speedway to Monday afternoon because of rain.
Showers lingered over the track in southwest Virginia on Sunday, and the absence of lights for night racing meant the window for racing was closing quickly.
NASCAR does not allow a race to start unless it's feasible for the entire event to be run, and races on the shortest, oldest track in the Sprint Cup Series can take up to 4 hours.
The call to postpone was made about 90 minutes after the scheduled 1 p.m. start.
What a way to pull a Rabbit out the hat. ;D