TUMS Fast Relief 500 Betting News and Notes

Driver Highlights - Martinsville

1 - Carl Edwards (No. 99 Scotts Winterguard Ford)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 99.1

2011 Rundown

# One win, 16 top fives, 22 top 10s; two poles
# Average finish of 10.0
# Led 21 races for 715 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook

# One top five, four top 10s
# Average finish of 16.9 in 14 races
# Average Running Position of 16.0, 13th-best
# Driver Rating of 81.1, 14th-best
# 647 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
# 3,721 Laps in the Top 15 (57.1%), 10th-most
# 390 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), fourth-most

2 - Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Crown Royal Ford)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 98.2

2011 Rundown

# Three wins, 10 top fives, 18 top 10s; two poles
# Average finish of 11.4
# Led 19 races for 721 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook

# Two top fives, seven top 10s
# Average finish of 15.8 in 23 races
# Average Running Position of 18.7, 18th-best
# Driver Rating of 76.8, 17th-best
# 667 Green Flag Passes, second-most

3 - Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 86.9

2011 Rundown

# Three wins, 10 top fives, 14 top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 14.2
# Led 17 races for 281 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook

# One top 10
# Average finish of 13.7 in three races
# Average Running Position of 19.4, 19th-best
# Driver Rating of 72.4, 20th-best

4 - Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 92.2

2011 Rundown

# Two wins, five top fives, 15 top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 13.3
# Led 17 races for 501 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook

# Two wins, eight top fives, 13 top 10s; three poles
# Average finish of 13.9 in 25 races
# Average Running Position of 10.1, fourth-best
# Driver Rating of 102.4, fourth-best
# 361 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
# 544 Green Flag Passes, 13th-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 91.127 mph, fourth-fastest
# 4,905 Laps in the Top 15 (75.2%), third-most
# 299 Quality Passes, 10th-most

5 - Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 91.7

2011 Rundown

# Four wins, eight top fives, 17 top 10s
# Average finish of 11.6
# Led 15 races for 356 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook

# One win, two top fives, nine top 10s
# Average finish of 16.5 in 20 races
# Average Running Position of 14.7, eighth-best
# Driver Rating of 93.1, seventh-best
# 169 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 90.912 mph, ninth-fastest
# 4,091 Laps in the Top 15 (62.8%), seventh-most
# 300 Quality Passes, ninth-most

6 - Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M's - Halloween Toyota)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 105.8

2011 Rundown

# Four wins, 14 top fives, 18 top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 11.5
# Led 24 races for 1,313 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook

# Six top fives, seven top 10s
# Average finish of 15.6 in 13 races
# Average Running Position of 13.9, sixth-best
# Driver Rating of 94.3, sixth-best
# 217 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
# 655 Green Flag Passes, third-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 91.038 mph, sixth-fastest
# 4,384 Laps in the Top 15 (67.2%), sixth-most
# 406 Quality Passes, third-most

7 - Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 MyLowes Chevrolet)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 99.8

2011 Rundown

# Two wins, 13 top fives, 20 top 10s
# Average finish of 11.5
# Led 20 races for 1,051 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook

# Six wins, 13 top fives, 17 top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 5.6 in 19 races
# Series-best Average Running Position of 6.4
# Series-best Driver Rating of 121.9
# 635 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
# Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 91.435 mph
# Series-high 5,950 Laps in the Top 15 (91.3%)
# Series-high 468 Quality Passes

8 - Kurt Busch (No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Dodge)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 96.6

2011 Rundown

# Two wins, eight top fives, 16 top 10s; three poles
# Average finish of 13.3
# Led 19 races for 713 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook

# One win, two top fives, four top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 21.1 in 22 races
# Average Running Position of 17.8, 16th-best
# Driver Rating of 79.4, 16th-best
# 570 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most
# 3,281 Laps in the Top 15 (50.3%), 13th-most

9 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew Paint the 88/National Guard Chevrolet)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 82.8

2011 Rundown

# Four top fives, 10 top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 14.8
# Led 9 races for 52 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook

# Nine top fives, 12 top 10s
# Average finish of 13.3 in 23 races
# Average Running Position of 11.6, fifth-best
# Driver Rating of 98.9, fifth-best
# 400 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
# Series-high 712 Green Flag Passes
# Average Green Flag Speed of 91.114 mph, fifth-fastest
# 4,785 Laps in the Top 15 (73.4%), fifth-most

10 - Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 96.0

2011 Rundown

# Three wins, 11 top fives, 15 top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 13.2
# Led 20 races for 802 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook

# Seven wins, 24 top fives, 30 top 10s; seven poles
# Average finish of 7.0 in 37 races
# Average Running Position of 6.6, second-best
# Driver Rating of 119.7, second-best
# Series-high 678 Fastest Laps Run
# Average Green Flag Speed of 91.420 mph, second-fastest
# 5,851 Laps in the Top 15 (89.8%), second-most
# 428 Quality Passes, second-most

11 - Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 88.2

2011 Rundown

# One win, four top fives, 12 top 10s
# Average finish of 16.6
# Led 14 races for 392 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook

# Four wins, eight top fives, 10 top 10s; two poles
# Average finish of 6.6 in 12 races
# Average Running Position of 9.1, third-best
# Driver Rating of 113.0, third-best
# 414 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 91.259 mph, third-fastest
# 4,853 Laps in the Top 15 (80.6%), fourth-most

12 - Ryan Newman (No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 88.1

2011 Rundown

# One win, eight top fives, 15 top 10s; three poles
# Average finish of 14.4
# Led 16 races for 358 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook

# Six top fives, nine top 10s; three poles
# Average finish of 14.6 in 19 races
# Average Running Position of 14.8, 10th-best
# Driver Rating of 88.8, 10th-best
# 621 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most
# 306 Quality Passes, eighth-most

Glance at the 12 drivers in the Chase

A glance at the 12 drivers competing in NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup championship heading into this weekend's race at Martinsville (in order of points):

DRIVER: Carl Edwards

CHASE POINTS: First, 2,237 points

POSITION CHANGE: None

CAR: No. 99 Aflac Ford

TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Was pushed by teammate Greg Biffle and said he was grateful to finish 11th.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 14

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 3rd (2008)

DRIVER: Matt Kenseth

CHASE POINTS: Second, -14

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 1

CAR: No. 17 Crown Royal Ford

TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Lost drafting partner David Ragan at the end of race and dropped to 18th-place finish.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 23

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 2nd (2002)

DRIVER: Brad Keselowski

CHASE POINTS: Third, -18

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 3

CAR: No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge

TEAM: Penske Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Grabbed a fourth-place finish on a day other contenders had problems to stay in title hunt.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 3

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 10th (2010)

DRIVER: Tony Stewart

CHASE POINTS: Fourth, -19

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 1

CAR: No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet

TEAM: Stewart-Haas Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Was in position to race for the win until Paul Menard didn't push him on the final restart. Finished seventh.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 25

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 1st (2000, 2006)

DRIVER: Kevin Harvick

CHASE POINTS: Fifth, -26

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 3

CAR: No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet

TEAM: Richard Childress Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Was caught in an early wreck, finished 32nd and took a huge hit in the standings.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 20

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 1st (2011)

DRIVER: Kyle Busch

CHASE POINTS: Sixth, -40

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 2

CAR: No. 18 M&Ms Toyota

TEAM: Joe Gibbs Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Was in the same wreck that claimed Harvick and finished 33rd.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 13

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 3rd (2011)

DRIVER: Jimmie Johnson

CHASE POINTS: Seventh, -50

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 1

CAR: No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet

TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Waited too late to make his move to the front and finished 26th

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 19

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 1st (2004, 2006, 2007-twice, 2008, 2009)

DRIVER: Kurt Busch

CHASE POINTS: Eighth, -52

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 1

CAR: No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge

TEAM: Penske Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Said his title hopes were ``done'' after an accident caused him to finish 36th.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 22

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 1st (2002)

DRIVER: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

CHASE POINTS: Ninth, -74

POSITION CHANGE: None

CAR: No. 88 AMP Chevrolet

TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Waited with Johnson too long to try to move to the front, finished 25th.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 23

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 2nd (2011)

DRIVER: Jeff Gordon

CHASE POINTS: 10th, -82

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 1

CAR: No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet

TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Thought he had Trevor Bayne pushing him at the end, but Bayne ditched him and Gordon finished 27th.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 37

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 1st (1996, 1997, 1999, 2003-twice, 2005-twice)

DRIVER: Denny Hamlin

CHASE POINTS: 11th, -84

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 1

CAR: No. 11 FedEx Toyota

TEAM: Joe Gibbs Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Had no drafting partner for the longest time, finally found one and finished eighth - his best finish of the Chase.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 12

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 1st (2008, 2009, 2010-twice)

DRIVER: Ryan Newman

CHASE POINTS: 12th, -88

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 2

CAR: No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet

TEAM: Stewart-Haas Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Was in an accident and finished 38th, dropping him to the bottom of the Chase standings for first time this season.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 19

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 2nd (2007)

Tums Fast Relief 500 Preview
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

Last week’s race at Talladega was every bit the wild card anticipated of the Chase and more. Only four races remain and the picture has become much clearer with some of the top names like Jimmie Johnson (-50 pts), Kevin Harvick (-26) and Kyle Busch (-40) tumbling backwards with poor finishes.

Johnson, who is attempting to expand upon his never done before five championships, was the biggest mystery of last Sunday. His tandem partner for the race was Dale Earnhardt Jr. and between them, they had the fastest two cars. When you add in their plate racing excellence, we should’ve witnessed a finish in the top five.

But for some reason they got cute and outsmarted themselves. They thought by waiting in the back of the pack for the entire race they could avoid trouble and then make their move with five to six laps to go. What they didn’t figure out in their whole master plan is that a few cautions in the final laps would hurt their chances of getting up to speed quicker and being better than everyone.

At the end of the day Johnson finished 26th and fell 50-points behind leader Carl Edwards, who used a similar cautious tactic, but made his move earlier. The end results were an 11th-place finish for Edwards, a result he considers like a win. Matt Kenseth finished 18th, but he still put a separation between himself and his closest competitors, other than his teammate Edwards.

The two of them have a nice head start going into Martinsville this week and they’re going to need it because it hasn’t been their best track. Kenseth is currently 14 points behind while Brad Keselowski is 18 behind with Tony Stewart 19 back.

Jeff Gordon had his season, one that needed a top-3 finish to get back into the Chase race, smacked away by a kid that he helped win the Daytona 500. Trevor Bayne was taught how to run the draft by Gordon in the Gatorade Duels. Gordon took the rookie under his wing and the kid goes on to win the 500 the following week, using all the insights gained from Gordon.

On the final restart, Gordon had been shuffled away from his partner, Mark Martin, and Bayne had lost his too. Bayne and Gordon formed an immediate alliance through the radio and with the way Gordon was racing on the final laps, he looked to have the car to beat with Bayne‘s help. He was as intense and daring as I’ve seen in a while and he was moving up. There’s no doubt in my mind that he would have caught and passed the leaders.

But then Bayne got team orders on the radio that he was to run with Kenseth, who had lost his partner, and not Gordon who he agreed to run with. Roush Racing helps build the Wood Brothers car that Bayne drives, cars that are both Ford’s while Gordon drives a Chevy.

With no one pushing him, Gordon fell back all the way to 27th and essentially slammed the door on his season. Bayne was distraught afterwards and tweeted several apologies, but the damage was done. The teacher got taken by the student which will probably make Gordon rethink who he shares his wealth of wisdom with in the future.

It may sound as though the Chase is down to just a few drivers, but because Edwards and Kenseth have run so poorly at Martinsville over the years, this almost becomes as big a wild card race for them as Talladega was for everyone else.

Kenseth only has two top-5 finishes in 23 starts at Martinsville, but has maintained a steady 15.2 average finish position, something he'd like to better in this race, but knows he has to stay patient.

“Probably the most challenging part for me at Martinsville is being calm, thinking through things, and not doing something because you are mad," said Kenseth who finished sixth in the April race. "I don’t like getting run into and I don’t like running into other people and it’s bound to happen there since it’s such a small track. There is no room to move and there is not an outside groove where you have another choice to pass. It is one of the tracks that takes all the patience that I have usually. The first thing is getting the car to go fast all the time, be smooth and drive it like I am supposed to there. After that, it’s being patient and using your head to get the best finish you can.”

Edwards is now the 5/8 (Bet $160 to win $100) favorite to win the Championship at the Las Vegas Hilton Super Book now that Johnson has slid to depths that not even a Superman like him can get out of. But if you do believe in miracles, odds on Johnson winning the title are at a never before seen price of 40/1 (Bet $100 to win $4,000) with four races to go.

Martinsville is not Edwards' best track by any means. He finished 18th in the April race and has a 16.9 average finish in 14 starts with his only top-5 being third-place in 2008. He's bringing a new chassis with him to the track, but still isn't very confident coming in.

“I am a little nervous about Martinsville," admitted Edwards. "I think if we can pick up just a tiny bit of speed there we will be good. Otherwise, that will be one of the tracks we go to and just fight and claw for a top 10 and that is how it usually is for me there. I would like to be surprised and would love to run better but I am a little nervous about that one to be honest.”

Kevin Harvick won this race in the spring and could shave off all kinds of points before heading into the final three races. He has a major edge coming into this race and there could be some value with his Championship odds at 8/1. Although Harvick grew up racing on these types of small flat tracks, his win in April was his first in 20 races and only his second top-5.

However, unlike Kenseth and Edwards, he is very comfortable on the track and does have other wins there in the Truck and Nationwide series.

“I think because it’s a short track and when you go back to the roots of where we all grew up racing it was on the short tracks," said Harvick earlier this week. "Over the first several years we didn’t get a lot of the finishes that we probably deserved, whether it was from a mistake on the race track or just dumb luck. The last couple of years we’ve gotten good finishes and our cars have run fast. To finally get that check mark in the win box was important for us.”

Harvick also has an edge this week because of the car he's bringing. Not only is did the chassis slated to run this week win the April Martinsville race, but it also won at Richmond.

Brad Keselowski sits strong in third-place and is 6/1 to win the title and knows this is a place where he can make some ground up because of Edwards and Kenseth's past history at Martinsville.

“That was exactly how we needed to leave Talladega, with a strong finish," said Keselowski who debuts a new chassis this week. "We gained points on the leader and gained points on really all the Chase cars. I’m very proud of the effort that everyone on this Miller Lite Dodge team has put forth thus far. We’re still in contention and we have a damn good shot at winning this championship. This weekend’s race at Martinsville is one that I’ve been looking forward to for a while. There is no part or piece of equipment that can substitute for just getting a bunch of laps under your belt there. I’ve learned a lot in my three races, and I know Paul (Wolfe) has as well. This is a race where I think we can really pick up some points on Carl (Edwards) and Matt (Kenseth).”

While the leaders all play the points game, it's more than likely that we see the Martinsville cream rise to the top, no matter where they're at in points. Johnson, Gordon and Denny Hamlin have combined to win 14 of the last 17 Martinsville races. Prior to April's race, Hamlin had won three straight and has four wins overall running in his home state.

“I have raced at Martinsville more than I have raced at any other track when you consider total laps," Hamlin said when asked about why he's so strong at Martinsville. "Growing up in Virginia I had the chance to race here in some other series and all that track time definitely gave me a comfort level at Martinsville. That carried over to trucks and Nationwide Series and now to the Cup Series. I feel really confident at this track and I know we bring great cars – those things together usually lead to success. It’s also a lot of pressure because this is a race we circle as one where we expect to be really competitive.”

Jeff Gordon has seven wins on the track and Johnson has six throughout their great careers and it looks like they'll be battling it out again this week.

As for the Championship, that may be the most exciting part of the race; watching how the two Roush drivers do against Harvick and Keselowski and the urgency they place on each position -- no matter where they're at --during the late stages.

Top-5 Finish Prediction:

1) #24 Jeff Gordon (6/1)
2) #48 Jimmie Johnson (6/1)
3) #29 Kevin Harvick (6/1)
4) #11 Denny Hamlin (5/1)
5) #18 Kyle Busch (7/1)

Driver Handicaps: Martinsville
By: Jeff Wackerlin
Racingone.com

This weekend the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Martinsville Speedway for Sunday's TUMS Fast Relief 500. To help you make your fantasy racing picks, MotorRacingNetwork.com 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 5.6 average finish.
• Denny Hamlin has four wins and an average finish of 3.4 in his last 10 starts.
• Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in wins (7), top fives (24) and laps led (2,981).
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. has led 414 laps and posted six top 10s in the nine races with the COT.
• Kevin Harvick scored his second consecutive top five with a win in April.
• Kyle Busch has a 3.5 average finish in his last two starts.
• Mark Martin has finished in the top 10 in four of his last five starts.

Keep an Eye on at Martinsville
• Series points leader Carl Edwards finished in the top 10 in both Martinsville races in 2010.
• Clint Bowyer (13.0) and Jeff Burton (13.4) each rank in the top 10 in average finish among all drivers that have competed in all nine races wih the COT at Martinsville.
• Joey Logano has posted a 7.0 average finish in his last three Martinsville starts.
• Tony Stewart has the fourth-best driver rating in the last 13 races.
• Ryan Newman has finished in the top 10 in three of his five Martinsville starts with Stewart-Haas Racing.
• Matt Kenseth is coming off his first top 10 (sixth) at Martinsville since this event in 2008.
• Juan Pablo Montoya is coming off his second top five in his last four Martinsville starts.

MotorRacingNetwork.com Staff Picks

Jeff Wackerlin: Denny Hamlin
Pete Pistone: Kevin Harvick
Craig Moore: Kevin Harvick
Steve Blevins: Jeff Burton
John Singler: Jimmie Johnson
Ricky Hamber: Jimmie Johnson

Top 20 Driver Notes - Ordered by current standings

(All stats/notes are in regards to Martinsville unless noted)

1. Carl Edwards: 18th-place finish in the spring snapped streak of two consecutive top 10s; Led first laps (3) in 14 starts in April; 13.3 average finish in the nine races with the COT; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 791) in the Tums Fast Relief 500.

2. Matt Kenseth: Coming off first top 10 (sixth) since this event in 2008; 15.8 average finish in 23 starts; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 790) in the Tums Fast Relief 500.

3. Brad Keselowski: Best finish came in this event last year in 10th; 13.7 average finish in three starts; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 803) in the Tums Fast Relief 500.

4. Tony Stewart: Posted finishes outside the top 20 in last three starts; Two top 10s and a 15.5 average finish in five starts with Stewart-Haas; Posted 11 top 10s and two wins in previous 20 starts with Joe Gibbs Racing; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 587) that he last finished seventh with at Richmond International Raceway.

5. Kevin Harvick: Coming off first win in 20 starts; Win was third top 10 in last four starts; 16.5 average finish; Seventh in laps led (160) in the nine races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 332) that he scored wins at Martinsville and Richmond International Raceway with.

6. Kyle Busch: Coming off third top five in seven starts with Joe Gibbs Racing; Previous four top 10s came with Hendrick Motorsports; Led 151 laps in the spring; Sixth in laps led (271) in the nine races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 315) that he won with at Michigan International Speedway in August and last finished 11th with at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

7. Jimmie Johnson: Six-time winner; Has won five of the last 10 races; 5.6 average finish leads all drivers; Second among all drivers in average finish (3.9) and laps led (1005) in the nine races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 653) that he finished 11th with at Martinsville in the spring.

8. Kurt Busch: 21.8 average finish in 11 starts with Penske Racing; Four top 10s, including one win, came in previous 11 starts with Roush Racing; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 755) that teammate Brad Keselowski scored a sixth-place finish with at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

9. Dale Earnhardt Jr: Coming off second runner-up finish and fifth top 10 in seven starts with Hendrick Motorsports; Has combined to lead 117 laps in last two races; Posted seven top 10s in previous 16 starts with Dale Earnhardt, Inc; Fourth among all drivers in average finish (10.8) and laps led (414) in the nine races with the COT.

10. Jeff Gordon: Leads active full-time drivers in wins (7), top fives (24), top 10s (30), laps led (2,981) and poles (7); 20th-place finish in this event last year is only outside the top 10 in last 17 races; Third among all drivers in average finish (5.3) and laps led (775) in the nine races with the COT.

11. Denny Hamlin: Winner of three of the last four races; Leads all drivers with a 3.6 average finish and 1010 laps led in the nine races with the COT.

12. Ryan Newman: Three top 10s in five starts with Stewart-Haas Racing; Scored six top 10s in previous 14 starts with Penske Racing; Finished 20th in April; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 645) that he finished first and 25th, respectively, with at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

13. Clint Bowyer: Coming off sixth top 10 (ninth) in 11 starts; Fifth among all drivers in average finish (13.0) in the nine races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 324) that he last finished 26th with at New Hampshire Motor Speedway after running out of gas with two laps-to-go.

14. Kasey Kahne: 26.5 average finish in two starts with Team Red Bull; Finished 39th in April after a crash; Two top 10s in 15 starts; 20.4 average finish.

15. Greg Biffle: Last of two top 10s in 17 starts came in the 2010 spring race; 20.9 average finish in the nine races with the COT.

16. AJ Allmendinger: Only top 10 in eight starts came in the 2009 spring race; Led six laps and finished 14th in April; Will return in the same car that he last finished 21st with at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last month.

17. Marcos Ambrose: Has yet to finish in the top 10 in five starts; Best finish came in the 2010 spring race in 11th; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 754) that he last finished ninth with at Dover International Speedway.

18. David Ragan: Coming off first top 10 (eighth) in 10 starts; Has yet to lead a lap; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 747) that he finished eighth with at Martinsville in the spring.

19. Mark Martin: 9.6 average finish in five starts with Hendrick Motorsports; Finished second in this event last year; Won the spring race in 1992 and 2000 with Roush Racing; 13.0 average finish in 47 starts; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 651) that he finished 10th with at Martinsville in the spring.

20. Juan Pablo Montoya: Coming off second top five in nine starts; 13.9 average finish; Led 37 laps en route to a third-place finish in this event last fall; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 1116) that he finished ninth with at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last month.

Blade,

Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch 😉

K2

I took the same two drivers, might add something if they get in practice today.

Practice Notes - Martinsville
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

This Week's Race: Tums Fast Relief 500 from Martinsville Speedway

Rating Driver Odds Lineup* Practice 1 2010** 2011**
1 Jimmie Johnson 5/1 7th 3rd 5th 11th
Notes: Six-time winner, the last coming in 2009; using same chassis from spring race.

2 Jeff Gordon 6/1 10th 9th 20th 5th
Notes: Seven-time winner, the last coming in 2005; has 30 top-10 finishes in 37 starts.

3 Kevin Harvick 6/1 5th 25th 3rd 1st
Notes: Using same car this week that won in spring race; the car also won at Richmond.

4 Clint Bowyer 18/1 13th 2nd 38th 9th
Notes: Excellent practice Saturday; using New Hampshire chassis that ran out of fuel leading late.

5 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 18/1 9th 10th 7th 2nd
Notes: Nine top-five finishes in 23 starts; using same chassis that finished runner-up in spring.

6 Kyle Busch 7/1 6th 15th 4th 3rd
Notes: Six top-five finishes in 13 starts; using winning Michigan chassis from August.

7 Denny Hamlin 6/1 11th 14th 1st 12th
Notes: Five-time winner on his home state track; finished sixth or better in last 9 of 10 races.

8 Kurt Busch 30/1 8th 11th 16th 16th
Notes: 2002 winner with only one top-five since; using Keselowski chassis from Atlanta race.

9 Juan Montoya 40/1 20th 8th 19th 4th
Notes: Finished fourth or better in two of last four starts; using New Hampshire chassis.

10 Tony Stewart 7/1 4th 32nd 24th 34th
Notes: Two-time winner, the last coming in 2006; using chassis from both New Hampshire races.

Note: * The starting lineup was set by points. ** Results from the last two Sprint Cup races run at Martinsville Speedway, October 24, 2010 and April 3, 2011.

NASCAR Betting Preview and Picks
By Greg Engle

The Chase for the Sprint Cup goes from the largest track on the circuit to the shortest, when NASCAR heads to Martinsville Raceway for Sunday’s TUMS Fast Relief 500.

Looking at the history of those drivers contending for the title, Sunday could mark a defining moment - good or bad - in the 2011 Chase.

Carl Edwards has the biggest lead in the standings he’s had all Chase. His Roush-Fenway Racing teammate Matt Kenseth is right behind him.

Meanwhile, Kevin Harvick, who won here in April, has slipped to fifth in the standings, dropping three spots after getting spun at Talladega last week.

Tony Stewart is hovering in fourth. He has two wins at Martinsville but mechanical woes in the spring left him buried in the pack at the end of the day.

Here’s the interesting twist that could make for a wild race Sunday: Edwards and Kenseth have been up-and-down at Martinsville. Edwards has an average finish of 16.9 with just three laps led in 14 starts at Martinsville. Kenseth has just two Top 5s in 23 starts here.

With Harvick lurking and with the spring win still fresh in his mind, he’s the favorite this week. Harvick has four wins this season and has been a contender during this year’s Chase. He could definitely improve his position with a win Sunday. He also finished third in this race last season.

“Over the last couple of years I’ve felt like we are finally running fairly well,” Harvick said of Martinsville. “I think any time after you finally do something that you’ve been trying to do for a while and you finally accomplish that, it definitely eases your mind and you remember those situations and you remember the things you did to make it happen that day. In my opinion, that’s what’s great about our team. I feel like even when the cards are stacked against us or even when people count us out, I feel like we can always rebound and we can always do things that surprise people, whether it’s lead one lap or half a lap or 500 laps.”

Stewart, meanwhile, wants to have his presence felt in the Chase. Despite his woeful finish in the spring, Stewart has won two Chase races and could easily add No. 3 this weekend.

Never, ever count out Jimmie Johnson. Sunday marks Johnson’s last desperate gasp to get back into contention for the Chase. After a bad strategy call at Talladega left him with a poor finish, Johnson now finds himself 50 points out of first. He’s down, but not yet out.

Johnson is always a dominant force at Martinsville. He has six wins and a series-high Driver Rating of 121.9. Combine that with the desperation of a final shot at the title, Johnson could easily steal the show Sunday.

Head to Head

Jeff Gordon vs. Denny Hamlin: Gordon leads the series with seven wins here, although, the last time he visited Victory Lane was in 2005. Hamlin has four wins including three in a row from 2009-2010. While neither driver has had a Chase worthy enough to consider them favorites Sunday, they should be able to finish in the Top 10, with Gordon finishing ahead of Hamlin.

Kurt Bush vs. Ryan Newman: Kurt Busch has won here, while Ryan Newman hasn’t. Both drivers have been factors during the Chase but have struggled at times, as well. This matchup pits Busch’s all-or-nothing strategy against the methodical survive-for-another-day thinking of Newman. Look for Newman to be the survivor in this battle and finish in front of Kurt.

All in

Looking for a long shot? Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second here in the spring and his Driver Rating of 98.9 makes the short track his best in terms of the loop data statistic.

Bottom Line

Kurt Busch won the 2002 fall race from the 36th starting position - the furthest back a race winner has started. There were 31 lead changes in the April race this season, a track record.

Favorites

Kevin Harvick (+600)
Tony Stewart (+700)
Jimmie Johnson (+500)

Blade,

I took Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Faith in Field 😉 Do you blog or post anywhere else???

K2

No I just post here and don't have a blog.

I added a little on Jeff Gordon +750, really liked his practice session yesterday.