A 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 Speedway (in order of points):
DRIVER: Jimmie Johnson
CHASE POINTS: First, 5,923
CAR: No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet
TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports
POSITION CHANGE: None
CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 15
AVERAGE MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 5.3 (six wins)
LAST WEEK: Johnson is doing his best to take all the drama out of the Chase. Again. He had a perfect weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway, winning from the pole to extend his points lead and move closer to a record fourth straight title.
CHASE CHATTER: ``I'm not trying to downplay where we're at,'' Johnson said. ``I'm very, very, very happy where we're at. But there's five races left. There's a lot of racing left.''
DRIVER: Mark Martin
CHASE POINTS: Second, -90
CAR: No. 5 Carquest/Kellogg's Chevrolet
TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports
POSITION CHANGE: None
CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 43
AVERAGE MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 13.3 (two wins)
LAST WEEK: Is the glass slipper starting to get a little too snug? Martin finished 17th at Lowe's, the first real crack in the pursuit of his first points title.
CHASE CHATTER: ``We had a lot of issues and we could have given up and (nobody) did,'' Martin said. ``We had a really good effort. I got really tight at the end.''
DRIVER: Jeff Gordon
CHASE POINTS: Third, -135
CAR: No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet
TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports
POSITION CHANGE: +2
CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 33
AVERAGE MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 6.8 (seven wins)
LAST WEEK: Gordon has been nearly the equal of Johnson the last two weeks. He finished fourth at Lowe's and led late for the second straight week. Good, just not good enough.
CHASE CHATTER: ``All you really want to do is get maximum points and finish ahead of the guys you're racing in points,'' Gordon said. ``Other than Jimmie, we're doing that.''
DRIVER: Tony Stewart
CHASE POINTS: Fourth, -155
CAR: No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet
TEAM: Stewart/Haas Racing
POSITION CHANGE: None.
CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 21
AVERAGE MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 12.1 (two wins)
LAST WEEK: Couldn't quite find the right combination at Lowe's, finishing 13th to slip a little further back of Johnson in the standings.
CHASE CHATTER: ``It was just one of those nights where we couldn't really hit the balance of it,'' Stewart said. ``Where we got hurt the most was on starts and restarts when we were all packed up there.''
DRIVER: Kurt Busch
CHASE POINTS: Fifth, -177
CAR: No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge
TEAM: Penske Racing
POSITION CHANGE: +1
CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 18
AVERAGE MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 21.8 (one win)
LAST WEEK: Busch is very quietly hanging around while finishing 10th last week. He's been steady and hardly seems bothered by crew chief Pat Tryson's imminent departure.
CHASE CHATTER: ``We just can't finish races off like we need to in the Chase,'' Busch said. ``We led a lap and got some bonus points, but that 48 team was awful tough tonight.''
DRIVER: Juan Pablo Montoya
CHASE POINTS: Sixth, -195
CAR: No. 42
Target Chevrolet
TEAM: Earnhardt Ganassi Racing
POSITION CHANGE: -3
CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 5
AVERAGE MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 12.6 (8th in 2007)
LAST WEEK: Montoya's surprising run through the Chase came to a screeching halt at Charlotte, where a bump with Mark Martin and serious handling problems dropped him to 35th, his worst finish of the year.
CHASE CHATTER: ``It's racing,'' Montoya said. ``If you're expecting to have 10 clean races (in the Chase), you're dreaming. We knew it could happen.''
DRIVER: Greg Biffle
CHASE POINTS: Seventh, -268
CAR: No. 16 3M Scotch Brand Ford
TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing
POSITION CHANGE: None.
CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 13
AVERAGE MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 23.1 (7th in 2007)
LAST WEEK: Biffle a good night spoiled when he bumped into Ryan Newman, eventually finishing 16th in Charlotte.
CHASE CHATTER: ``We're just fighting for the highest spot in points we can finish, which isn't looking bad for us right now,'' Biffle said.
DRIVER: Ryan Newman
CHASE POINTS: Eighth, -288
CAR: No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet
TEAM: Stewart/Haas Racing
POSITION CHANGE: +2
CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 15
AVERAGE MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 14.4 (2nd in 2007)
LAST WEEK: Newman ended up 11th last week, a finish that could have been better if he didn't lose track position while his pit crew had problems.
CHASE CHATTER: ``We really struggled in the pits,'' Newman said. ``It's just disappointing. I thought we should've finished better than that. We had a better car than that.''
DRIVER: Kasey Kahne
CHASE POINTS: Ninth, -331
CAR: No. 9 Budweiser Dodge
TEAM: Richard Petty Motorsports
POSITION CHANGE: +2
CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 11
AVERAGE MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 18.5 (2nd in 2005)
LAST WEEK: Kahne put together his strongest race of the Chase, leading twice late in the race at Charlotte before ending up third.
CHASE CHATTER: ``We just weren't good enough that final run,'' Kahne said. ``We were one of the best, but the final run when it counted, we weren't and Jimmie showed up and beat us all.''
DRIVER: Carl Edwards
CHASE POINTS: 10th, -341
CAR: No. 99 Aflac Ford
TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing
POSITION CHANGE: -2
CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 10
AVERAGE MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 18.2 (3rd in 2008)
LAST WEEK: Edwards battled to stay on the track all night before his engine gave out shortly before the finish. He ended up 39th.
CHASE CHATTER: ``It was bad,'' Edwards said. ``We had everything kind of go bad all in one night, which, in a way I guess, you can say that's fortunate. The engine was probably going to blow whether or not we were running bad.''
DRIVER: Denny Hamlin
CHASE POINTS: 11th, -372
CAR: No. 11 FedEx Toyota
TEAM: Joe Gibbs Racing
POSITION CHANGE: -2
CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 8
AVERAGE MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 8.0 (one win)
LAST WEEK: Hamlin's luck went from bad to worse at Lowe's. A valve broke while he was running with the leaders, sending him to a 42nd-place finish.
CHASE CHATTER: ``We're definitely done as far as the championship is concerned,'' Hamlin said. ``We're going to just keep fighting to stay in that top 10. That's what's important to us now.''
DRIVER: Brian Vickers
CHASE POINTS: 12th, -485
CAR: No. 83 Red Bull Toyota
TEAM: Red Bull Racing
POSITION CHANGE: None
CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 9
AVERAGE MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 22.6 (8th in 2006)
LAST WEEK: Vickers continued his free-fall during the Chase with a 34th-place finish last week, when he got caught up in a restart.
CHASE CHATTER: ``I don't know how the car got so messed up,'' Vickers said. ``I saw them checking up in front of me, but it seemed like they almost came to a stop.''
Tums Fast Relief 500 preview
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com
How in the world does anyone stop Jimmie Johnson? There are only five races left in the Chase and Johnson has himself a hefty 90-point lead in his quest to win an unprecedented four straight NASCAR Cup Championships.
As if winning three races in five of the Chase races thus far wasn’t bad enough, Johnson goes to a track this week where he’s won six times, including this year in March. The only active driver with more Martinsville wins than Johnson is his teammate and owner Jeff Gordon with seven wins.
One of the pillars of strength for Johnson during his three straight Championships has been Martinsville where he has won the last three years in Chase races. The flat half-mile paper-clip layout has been to Johnson’s liking and despite his standing in points, he’s always let it all hang out with disregard for points.
Johnson has won five of the last six races at Martinsville and every since his debut of 35th in his rookie season, he’s never finished outside of the top-10. In 15 starts, Johnson has 11 top-4 finishes. That is just ridiculous, but a sign of just how great he is on this track.
Johnson realizes that this is his best track record wise, but still has his eye on Talladega as the track that could make or break his fourth straight title.
"Sure, that's the track that you don't have any control at,” Johnson said, “But at the same time, I mean, we're only halfway through this thing. So much can happen. Somebody at Martinsville can lose their brakes and clean you out. With the double file restart there's going to be a lot of bumping and banging. Someone can get into you and knock a valve stem out or cut a tire. I mean, it's a nice points lead, but there's no need for anybody to get too excited yet. We've got good tracks ahead for us, so from a team standpoint we're excited and optimistic, but at the same time there's a lot of danger out there and we've just got to be smart."
Can this week be any different than the last three seasons?
If there is anyone to say that Johnson won’t win this week it may the Virginian himself, Denny Hamlin. He won this race in the spring last season and led the most laps while finishing second to Johnson in the first race this year. In his last six races at Martinsville, Hamlin has finished no worse than sixth.
If the Virginian can’t get there, then it will be up to Jeff Gordon who hasn’t finished outside the top-4 in his last nine Martinsville races. Gordon last won on the track in 2005 when swept the season, but since then Johnson has taken over.
Martinsville has been a place where Hamlin has been phenomenal at statistically speaking, The question is, why exactly?
“It’s probably a combination of all those - knowing the track and feeling comfortable with that type of racing,” Hamlin said. “In terms of places where I have a lot of laps, certainly Martinsville is the place I have the most. Between the Late Model races here and then Cup, trucks and Nationwide this is a place I know well. On top of that, it’s a track that reminds me of the kind of short flat tracks that I grew up on. While I know I have become a much better intermediate and superspeedway driver, those are still my best tracks.”
Of the three, Johnson, Gordon, and Hamlin, they have all hit the top-6 in the last six races at Martinsville. If thinking of betting against anyone of them, it likely is to be worse than betting on UNLV Football on the road.
For Gordon, all his success at Martinsville and looking afar since he hasn’t there in the Jimmie era, he feels working out to manage those continuous shortt turns is essential to getting back in the winners circle there.
"It's extremely important to work out,” Gordon said. “I've not always been the best one at it, and I'm obviously a lot more focused on it now with my back and strengthening that area. I think mentally and physically it's a good thing to put in your regimen, whether you're a race car driver or not a race car driver."
The one wild card is Tony Stewart who finished third this year with his new team. Over his 21 career starts he has two wins and is fourth among active drivers in average finish position. Stewart also has led the third most laps among the active drivers behind Gordon and Johnson.
Of the Chase racers, Mark Martin may have a nice shot at competing with the heavyweights above. While he was on his part-timer farewell tour for two seasons he didn’t race at Martinsville. In his first outing this year he finished seventh under the Hendrick umbrella. He’s got two career wins on the track with the last coming in 2000.
Of the non-Chasers, Dale Earnhardt Jr. may have the best chance of finishing well. He finished second in this race last year and was eighth earlier this year while driving Tony Eury Jr garbage. Despite his whining last week about how the season has gone, he should be primed and focused to have a good run at a track he’s always ran well at.
"We've had some pretty good runs at Martinsville, and I like racing on the short tracks,” said Earnhardt Jr, “Jimmie (Johnson) and Jeff (Gordon) have always run really well there and can give good advice and feedback. Lance (McGrew, crew chief) has built some good race cars for me, and he is bringing a brand new car. I think we've got a good shot."
Top 5 Finish Prediction:
1) #11 Denny Hamlin (8/1)
2) #24 Jeff Gordon (7/1)
3) #48 Jimmie Johnson (4/1)
4) #14 Tony Stewart (8/1)
5) #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr (25/1)
Driver Highlights - Martinsville
By VI News
1 - Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet)
# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 114.2
2009 Rundown
# Six wins, 13 top fives, 20 top 10s; three poles
# Average finish of 11.2
# Led 26 races for 1,808 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
# Six wins, 11 top fives, 14 top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 5.3 in 15 races
# Average Running Position of 6.6, second-best
# Series-best Driver Rating of 124.3
# 482 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 91.403 mph, second-fastest
# 4,001 Laps in the Top 15 (88.7%), second-most
# Series-high 242 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green)
2 - Mark Martin (No. 5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST Chevrolet)
# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 100.1
2009 Rundown
# Five wins, 12 top fives, 18 top 10s; seven poles
# Average finish of 14.1
# Led 21 races for 797 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
# Two wins, 11 top fives, 22 top 10s; three poles
# Average finish of 13.3 in 43 races
# Average Running Position of 15.6, ninth-best
# Driver Rating of 82.3, 11th-best
# Average Green Flag Speed of 90.734 mph, 11th-fastest
3 - Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 102.0
2009 Rundown
# One win, 15 top fives, 22 top 10s
# Average finish of 10.1
# Led 16 races for 768 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
# Seven wins, 21 top fives, 27 top 10s; seven poles
# Average finish of 6.8 in 33 races
# Series-best Average Running Position of 6.3
# Driver Rating of 124.3, second-best
# Series-high 539 Fastest Laps Run
# Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 91.463 mph
# Series-high 4,039 Laps in the Top 15 (89.6%)
4 - Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet)
# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 101.5
2009 Rundown
# Four wins, 15 top fives, 21 top 10s
# Average finish of 9.0
# Led 17 races for 370 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
# Two wins, eight top fives, 12 top 10s; three poles
# Average finish of 12.1 in 21 races
# Average Running Position of 7.0, third-best
# Driver Rating of 114.1, third-best
# 338 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 91.305 mph, third-fastest
# 3,971 Laps in the Top 15 (88.0%), third-most
5 - Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)
# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 100.8
2009 Rundown
# One win, eight top fives, 18 top 10s
# Average finish of 13.0
# Led 18 races for 530 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
# One win, two top fives, four top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 21.8 in 18 races
# Average Running Position of 17.7, 16th-best
# Driver Rating of 81.1, 14th-best
# 83 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most
# 2,500 Laps in the Top 15 (55.4%), ninth-most
6 - Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 Target Chevrolet)
# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 93.1
2009 Rundown
# Six top fives, 16 top 10s; two poles
# Average finish of 13.2
# Led 9 races for 348 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
# One top 10
# Average finish of 12.6 in five races
# Average Running Position of 16.8, 13th-best
# Driver Rating of 80.4, 15th-best
7 - Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)
# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.0
2009 Rundown
# Nine top fives, 14 top 10s
# Average finish of 14.1
# Led 12 races for 545 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
# One top 10
# Average finish of 23.1 in 13 races
# Average Running Position of 23.7, 28th-best
# Driver Rating of 65.5, 26th-best
# 306 Green Flag Passes, 13th-most
8 - Ryan Newman (No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet)
# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 82.2
2009 Rundown
# Five top fives, 14 top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 13.9
# Led 13 races for 187 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
# Five top fives, seven top 10s; two poles
# Average finish of 14.4 in 15 races
# Average Running Position of 16.2, 12th-best
# Driver Rating of 84.4, 10th-best
# 391 Green Flag Passes, second-most
# 2,207 Laps in the Top 15 (48.9%), 12th-most
# 149 Quality Passes, 10th-most
9 - Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge)
# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 89.9
2009 Rundown
# Two wins, six top fives, 13 top 10s
# Average finish of 14.5
# Led 7 races for 247 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
# One top five, two top 10s
# Average finish of 18.5 in 11 races
# Average Running Position of 20.2, 19th-best
# Driver Rating of 76.1, 18th-best
# 102 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
10 - Carl Edwards (No. 99 Aflac Ford)
# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 89.0
2009 Rundown
# Seven top fives, 13 top 10s
# Average finish of 14.4
# Led 11 races for 162 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
# One top five, two top 10s
# Average finish of 18.2 in 10 races
# Average Running Position of 17.3, 15th-best
# Driver Rating of 80.0, 16th-best
# 96 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
# 341 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most
11 - Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota)
# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 101.0
2009 Rundown
# Two wins, 11 top fives, 16 top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 13.8
# Led 16 races for 1,090 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
# One win, five top fives, seven top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 8.0 in eight races
# Average Running Position of 10.7, fifth-best
# Driver Rating of 106.3, fourth-best
# 194 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
# 321 Green Flag Passes, 10th-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 91.110 mph, fifth-fastest
# 3,012 Laps in the Top 15 (75.1%), fifth-most
# 190 Quality Passes, sixth-most
12 - Brian Vickers (No. 83 Red Bull Toyota)
# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 83.9
2009 Rundown
# One win, four top fives, 13 top 10s; six poles
# Average finish of 16.6
# Led 10 races for 101 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
# One top 10
# Average finish of 22.6 in nine races
# Average Running Position of 19.7, 18th-best
# Driver Rating of 73.5, 19th-best
# 114 Quality Passes, 13th-most
Odds and Ends - Martinsville
By VI News
Martinsville Speedway Data
Race #: 32 of 36 (10-25-09)
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 124.3
Jeff Gordon 124.3
Tony Stewart 114.1
Denny Hamlin 106.3
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 102.4
Kevin Harvick 89.6
Kyle Busch 89.1
Jamie McMurray 87.7
Jeff Burton 84.6
Ryan Newman 84.4
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2008 races (7 total) at Martinsville Speedway.
Qualifying/Race Data
2008 pole winner: None (inclement weather)
2008 race winner: Jimmie Johnson, 75.931 mph, 10-19-08)
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.
Newman rockets past Gordon for Martinsville pole
Martinsville, VA (Sports Network) - Ryan Newman edged Jeff Gordon in Friday's qualifying at Martinsville Speedway to claim the pole for the Tums Fast Relief 500 -- the sixth race in the "Chase for the Sprint Cup" championship.
Newman lapped the flat 0.526-mile track at 96.795 m.p.h. (19.563 seconds) for his second pole of the season and the 45th of his Sprint Cup Series career.
"It was a really good lap," Newman said. "It kind of helped to go out a little bit later to see Mark [Martin] and Jeff and see where there might have some gains to be made."
Newman also grabbed his third pole at Martinsville. His best finish here is second, which came in the 2007 fall race.
Gordon, who leads all active drivers with seven poles at Martinsville, turned a lap at 96.519 m.p.h. for the outside pole.
"This is the kind of qualifying session that we were certainly hoping for, so nice to see things going our way so far this weekend," Gordon said.
Martin Truex Jr. qualified third, while Mark Martin and David Reutimann rounded out the top-five.
Casey Mears, rookie Joey Logano, Bobby Labonte, Reed Sorenson and Kevin Harvick qualified sixth through 10th, respectively.
Newman, Gordon and Martin were the only Chase contenders to qualify in the top-10.
Jimmie Johnson, the current points leader, starts 15th. Johnson has won five of the last six races at Martinsville. His lead is now 90 points over Martin and 135 ahead of Gordon.
Other Chase drivers and their starting positions include: Tony Stewart (13th), Denny Hamlin (17th), Greg Biffle (20th), Juan Pablo Montoya (21st), Brian Vickers (24th), Kasey Kahne (26th), Carl Edwards (29th) and Kurt Busch (37th).
Josh Wise was the only driver who failed to qualify.
Sunday's 500-lap race is scheduled to start just after 1:30 p.m. (et).
Double-file restarts: Dicey at Martinsville?
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) -NASCAR'S move to double-file restarts has already lead to some charged emotions during the Chase for the championship, and that could continue Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.
The smallest track on the circuit has always been one of the trickiest, and with cars bunched up during the waning laps the coveted space on the inside could be hard to get.
Under the restart rules, the driver leading the race gets to choose whether he wants to be on the inside or the outside when the cars line up side by side to go back to green flag racing. At some of the roomier tracks, several drivers have opted for the outside lane.
That's not likely on Martinsville's 0.526-mile oval.
If you're out there and you're hung out and you're getting freight-trained, there's not much you can do other than find a teammate or find a hole that will help you get back to the bottom,'' Kurt Busch said. ``It's definitely going to be a learn-as-you-go process.''
Martin Truex Jr. said patience will be key for those on the outside.
You really just have to wait until you can get back in line,'' he said. ``There's nothing you can do. You can't force your way in if there's no hole. You'll just get yourself spun out. You just have to be patient and hope the next time around you'll get the proper lane.''
RISKY BUSINESS: Sitting at 10th in points with five races to go, Carl Edwards needs a miracle, or maybe a few, to close a 341-point deficit to leader Jimmie Johnson and get back in the hunt.
So while Johnson, No. 2 Mark Martin and No. 3 Jeff Gordon will be among the drivers sure to be careful in Sunday's race, Edwards said those further back can afford to take risks.
If I were tied for the points lead right now, I would probably race a little bit differently than I'm going to race because of my 10th-place points position,'' Edwards said.
The disparity in approaches, he said, could cause a shuffling of the standings.
It's cutthroat out there right now. It's competitive,'' he said. ``If people start taking it easy and people start being aggressive, there could be some things shaken up.''
Driver Handicaps: Martinsville
By 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, RacingOne brings you our weekly detailed look at some of the field for the 500-lap event.
Who's HOT at Martinsville
• Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in wins (7), top fives (21) and laps led (2,760).
• Six-time winner Jimmie Johnson leads all drivers with a 5.3 average finish.
• Denny Hamlin has one win and a 3.2 average finish in his last six starts.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. has led 307 laps en route to four top 10s in the last five races.
• Clint Bowyer has finished in the top 10 in his last four starts.
• Tony Stewart has finished seventh or better in six of his last eight starts, including a win in the 2006 spring race.
Keep an Eye on at Martinsville
• Jeff Burton has a 10.6 average finish with the COT at Martinsville.
• Matt Kenseth has three top 10s with the COT at Martinsville.
• Two-time Martinsville winner Mark Martin finished seventh in the spring.
• Ryan Newman's finishing average in the five short track races this season is 6.6, including a sixth-place result at the Martinsville.
• Juan Pablo Montoya is coming off his best Martinsville finish in 12th.
• Kevin Harvick and AJ Allmendinger have posted respective average finishes of 9.0 and 12.0 in their last two starts at Martinsville.
RacingOne Staff Picks
Jeff Wackerlin: Jeff Gordon
Pete Pistone: Jimmie Johnson
Rachael West: Tony Stewart
Top 30 Driver Notes - Ordered by Current Standings
(All stats/notes are in regards to Martinsville Speedway unless noted)
1. Jimmie Johnson: Six-time winner; Has won five of the last six races; 5.3 average finish leads all drivers; Has led 1,387 laps in 15 starts; Will race the same car (chassis No. 540) that finished fourth at New Hampshire last month.
2. Mark Martin: Started 31st and finished seventh in track debut with Hendrick Motorsports in April; Won the spring race in 1992 and 2000 with Roush Racing; 13.3 average finish in 43 starts; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 561) in the TUMS Fast Relief 500. This car was tested last week at New Smyrna Speedway.
3. Jeff Gordon: Leads active drivers in wins (7), top fives (21), top 10s (27), laps led (2,760) and poles (7); Has finished ninth or better in last 13 starts; Finished fourth in last two races; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 524) that races at Martinsville in March.
4. Tony Stewart: Started seventh and finished third in track debut with Stewart-Haas Racing in March; Posted 11 top 10s and two wins in previous 20 starts with Joe Gibbs Racing; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 530) that finished second and fifth at Richmond and New Hampshire, respectively, earlier this season.
5. Kurt Busch: Has posted a 24.0 average finish in seven 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. 621) in the TUMS Fast Relief 500. This car was tested at the short track at Rockingham Speedway last week.
6. Juan Pablo Montoya: Finished 12th in first track start driving a Chevrolet in March; Lone top 10 (eighth) in five starts came in this event in 2007; Will be back in the same car (chassis No. 907) that won the pole, led 105 laps, and finished third at New Hampshire last month.
7. Greg Biffle: Only top 10 (seventh) in 13 starts came in this event in 2007; Will race the same car (chassis No. 608) that finished 21st after being involved in an accident in the All-Star race. The car was recently tested at the short-track at Rockingham Speedway.
8. Ryan Newman: Finished sixth in track debut with Stewart-Haas Racing; Scored six top 10s in previous 14 starts with Penske Racing; Has a 6.6 average finish on short tracks in 2009.
9. Kasey Kahne: Has an 18.5 average finish in 11 starts; Last of two top 10s came in this event in 2006; Finished second in the spring of 2005.
10. Carl Edwards: Only top 10s came in both races in 2008; Third-place finish in this event last year was best in 10 starts; Has yet to lead a lap; Will race the same car (chassis No. 570) that last raced at Atlanta last fall where it finished first.
11. Denny Hamlin: Winner of the 2008 spring race; Has finished sixth or better in last six starts; Will race the same car (chassis No. 248) that won at Pocono in August.
12. Brian Vickers: Only top 10 in nine starts came in the 2006 spring race with Hendrick Motorsports; Has posted a 22.3 average finish with Team Red Bull in three starts.
13. Matt Kenseth: Last of six top 10s came in this event last year; Best finish (second) came in the Spring race of 2002; Finished 23rd in the Spring after getting involved in a late accident.
14. Kyle Busch: Has yet to post a top-20 finish in three starts with Joe Gibbs Racing; Four top 10s came with Hendrick Motorsports; Led 106 laps in this event in 2007; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 251) that finished fifth at New Hampshire last month.
15. Clint Bowyer: Has finished in the top 10 in last four starts; Coming off first top five (fifth); Has yet to lead a lap in seven starts; Will drive the same car (chassis No. 265) that finished 10th last month at New Hampshire.
16. David Reutimann: Has yet to post a top-15 finish in five starts; Finished 20th in March.
17. Marcos Ambrose: Finished 14th in first track start in March.
18. Casey Mears: Finished 21st in first track start with Richard Childress Racing in March; Best finish in 13 starts is a pair of sixth-place finishes, most recently in this event last year; Has yet to lead a lap; Doug Randolph will be new crew chief starting this weekend; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 258) that raced at Martinsville in April.
19. Jeff Burton: Has posted three top 10s in 10 starts with Richard Childress Racing; Scored one win and 11 top 10s with Roush Racing; Todd Berrier will be new crew chief starting this weekend; Will race the same car (chassis No. 271) that most recently finished 21st at Pocono in August.
20. Joey Logano: Finished 32nd in track debut in March; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 252) that finished 14th at Richmond last month.
21. Kevin Harvick: Last of six top 10s came in this event last year; Will race the same car (chassis No. 285) that last finished 32nd at New Hampshire in September.
22. Dale Earnhardt Jr: Fourth best track on the circuit based on 13.3 average finish; Has posted a 5.3 average finish in three starts with Hendrick Motorsports; Best finish came in this event last year in second; Will debut a new chassis (No. 562) in the TUMS Fast Relief 500.
23. Martin Truex Jr: Only top 10 (10th) in seven starts came in this event last year; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 908) in the TUMS Fast Relief 500.
24. AJ Allmendinger: Coming off first top 10 in four starts; Ninth-place finish in March dropped finishing average to 24.2.
25. Jamie McMurray: Coming off eighth top 10 in 13 starts; 10th-place finish in March lowered average finish to 16.4; Led 37 laps in this event last year; Will race the same car (chassis No. 635) that finished 33rd at New Hampshire in June.
26. Elliott Sadler: Has yet to post a top 10 in six starts with Richard Petty Motorsports (Gillett Evernham); Last of three top 10s came with Yates Racing in the spring of 2006.
27. Sam Hornish Jr: Has yet to post a top-25 finish in three starts; Tested at the short-track at Rockingham Speedway in preparation for this weekend.
28. David Ragan: Has yet to post a top 10 in six starts; Will race the same car (chassis No. 568) that finished 14th at Bristol.
29. Reed Sorenson: Finished 17th in first track start with Richard Petty Motorsports in March; Best finish in seven starts came in the 2006 spring race in 12th.
30. David Stremme: Finished 22nd in first track start with Penske Racing in March; Best finish (15th) came in this event in 2006 with Ganassi racing; Will race the same car (chassis No. 620) that finished 20th at Bristol; He tested at the short-track at Rockingham Speedway in preparation for Sunday.