TUMS Fast Relief 500 News and Notes

Driver Highlights - Martinsville

1 - Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 108.5

2010 Rundown:

# Six wins, 14 top fives, 18 top 10s; two poles
# Average finish of 13.2
# Led 21 races for 1,311 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook:

# Six wins, 12 top fives, 16 top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 5.4 in 17 races
# Average Running Position of 6.3, second-best
# Series-best Driver Rating of 123.8
# 583 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 91.472 mph, second-fastest
# 4,996 Laps in the Top 15 (90.5%), second-most
# Series-high 347 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green)

2 - Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.9

2010 Rundown:

# Six wins, 12 top fives, 15 top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 13.8
# Led 16 races for 919 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook:

# Three wins, seven top fives, nine top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 6.6 in 10 races
# Average Running Position of 9.8, fourth-best
# Driver Rating of 111.4, third-best
# 335 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
# 450 Green Flag Passes, 10th-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 91.247 mph, fourth-fastest
# 3,909 Laps in the Top 15 (77.9%), fifth-most
# 284 Quality Passes, sixth-most

3 - Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 96.1

2010 Rundown:

# Three wins, 13 top fives, 21 top 10s
# Average finish of 9.4
# Led 13 races for 247 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook:

# Seven top 10s
# Average finish of 18.1 in 18 races
# Average Running Position of 15.2, 10th-best
# Driver Rating of 90.1, sixth-best
# 3,491 Laps in the Top 15 (63.3%), seventh-most
# 220 Quality Passes, 10th-most

4 - Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 102.4

2010 Rundown:

# 11 top fives, 16 top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 11.9
# Led 18 races for 862 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook:

# Seven wins, 23 top fives, 29 top 10s; seven poles
# Average finish of 6.7 in 35 races
# Series-best Average Running Position of 6.3
# Driver Rating of 123.0, second-best
# Series-high 618 Fastest Laps Run
# Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 91.498 mph
# Series-high 5,012 Laps in the Top 15 (90.8%)
# 329 Quality Passes, second-most

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

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 99.0

2010 Rundown:

# Three wins, nine top fives, 17 top 10s; two poles
# Average finish of 12.8
# Led 17 races for 1,245 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook:

# Four top fives, five top 10s
# Average finish of 17.8 in 11 races
# Average Running Position of 15.3, 11th-best
# Driver Rating of 89.9, seventh-best
# 161 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
# 537 Green Flag Passes, second-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 90.999 mph, sixth-fastest
# 3,501 Laps in the Top 15 (63.4%), sixth-most
# 321 Quality Passes, third-most

6 - Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 93.2

2010 Rundown:

# Two wins, nine top fives, 16 top 10s; two poles
# Average finish of 13.2
# Led 18 races for 535 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook:

# Two wins, eight top fives, 13 top 10s; three poles
# Average finish of 12.6 in 23 races
# Average Running Position of 8.7, third-best
# Driver Rating of 108.4, fourth-best
# 353 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
# 441 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 91.250 mph, third-fastest
# 4,454 Laps in the Top 15 (80.7%), third-most
# 270 Quality Passes, seventh-most

7 - Carl Edwards (No. 99 Aflac Ford)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 89.6

2010 Rundown:

# Seven top fives, 16 top 10s; two poles
# Average finish of 12.2
# Led 10 races for 143 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook:

# One top five, three top 10s
# Average finish of 17.5 in 12 races
# Average Running Position of 16.5, 14th-best
# Driver Rating of 81.0, 16th-best
# 99 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most
# 506 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
# 3,026 Laps in the Top 15 (54.8%), 12th-most
# 302 Quality Passes, fifth-most

8 - Greg Biffle (No. 16 Scotch Blue Ford)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 87.5

2010 Rundown:

# Two wins, seven top fives, 16 top 10s
# Average finish of 15.5
# Led 11 races for 319 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook:

# Two top 10s
# Average finish of 22.3 in 15 races
# Average Running Position of 23.7, 32nd-best
# Driver Rating of 64.6, 28th-best
# 479 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most

9 - Kurt Busch (No. 2 Operation Home Front/Miller Lite Dodge)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 93.3

2010 Rundown:

# Two wins, nine top fives, 16 top 10s; two poles
# Average finish of 14.7
# Led 15 races for 820 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook:

# One win, two top fives, four top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 21.6 in 20 races
# Average Running Position of 17.2, 15th-best
# Driver Rating of 81.8, 15th-best
# 108 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
# 3,048 Laps in the Top 15 (55.2%), 11th-most
# 189 Quality Passes, 13th-most

10 - Jeff Burton (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 97.2

2010 Rundown:

# Six top fives, 14 top 10s
# Average finish of 13.1
# Led 14 races for 393 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook:

# One win, 10 top fives, 14 top 10s
# Average finish of 14.8 in 32 races
# Average Running Position of 15.5, 13th-best
# Driver Rating of 87.8, 10th-best
# 175 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
# 456 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 90.920 mph, eighth-fastest
# 3,240 Laps in the Top 15 (58.7%), eighth-most
# 249 Quality Passes, eighth-most

11 - Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 84.7

2010 Rundown:

# Five top fives, 12 top 10s
# Average finish of 13.3
# Led 9 races for 91 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook:

# Two top fives, six top 10s
# Average finish of 16.3 in 21 races
# Average Running Position of 18.6, 18th-best
# Driver Rating of 75.7, 19th-best
# 509 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most

12 - Clint Bowyer (No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 92.2

2010 Rundown:

# One win, six top fives, 16 top 10s
# Average finish of 14.2
# Led 14 races for 381 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook:

# One top five, five top 10s
# Average finish of 12.8 in nine races
# Average Running Position of 14.0, eighth-best
# Driver Rating of 85.8, 13th-best
# Average Green Flag Speed of 90.864 mph, 11th-fastest
# 3,010 Laps in the Top 15 (66.6%), 13th-most
# 220 Quality Passes, 10th-most

TUMS Fast Relief 500 Preview
By Micah Roberts

After five races of NASCAR’s Chase for the Championship, Jimmie Johnson’s consistency is looking too tough to overcome which is why the Las Vegas Hilton Super Book has adjusted Johnson’s odds to win to a 1 to 3 (-300) favorite. The odds are the equivalence of C.C. Sabathia and the Yankees playing the Royals who are pitching a Triple-A call-up.

Johnson has a 41 point lead over Denny Hamlin (5/2), 77 point lead over Kevin Harvick (7/1), 156 point over Jeff Gordon (25/1), and 177 point lead over both Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart (25/1). If looking for the point deficits to shrink this week at Martinsville, you’re likely to be disappointed because the half-mile flat track of Martinsville is one place where Johnson does not falter.

Johnson hasn’t finished outside the Top 10 at Martinsville since his first race ever during his rookie year of 2002 when he finished 35th. Since then he’s accumulated six wins and six other top-five finishes, a resume that stands alone among all others.

However, there is some window of hope with the likes of Gordon and Hamlin. Gordon hasn’t finished outside the top-five at Martinsville since his ninth-place run in 2004. Hamlin has won the last two in a row and three of the last five at Martinsville. Each will have to mimic their regular ways this week and hope that Johnson experiences some issues in order to gain some ground.

Because Hamlin is the top contender and closest in points, he has to make this race his to close the gap. This is a one track, along with Talladega, where Hamlin has to make the most of his opportunities. While Johnson is the best overall at Martinsville over the long haul, Hamlin is the best right now. He’ll also need the monster of Talladega to help the cause and engulf Johnson into a poor finish, something that is quite possible because not even the cool machine-like Johnson can deflect against the nature of that beast.

Gordon’s in the same boat as Hamlin for the next two races. Gordon was in position to win earlier this year at Martinsville, but got beat on the restart by Hamlin during the final green-white-checker finish. At this stage, it’s all or nothing for Gordon as the races slip away.

Harvick’s strategy this week will be to get a top-10 finish and attempt to make his giant leap next week at Talladega where he won earlier this year. Despite growing up on short tracks, Martinsville has always been a thorn in Harvick’s side. He’s raced twice a year there since 2001 and doesn’t have one top-five finish to his credit. His 35th-place finish there earlier this season was his worst finish of the year.

Stewart has always been quite accomplished at Martinsville, but most of his success -- including two wins -- came with Joe Gibbs. With his new team he has a third-place finish to his credit, but hasn’t been at the level of Johnson, Hamlin and Gordon. Same thing goes for Kyle Busch who had most of his Martinsville success with Hendrick Motorsports. In his last five Martinsville starts he’s finished better than 22nd only once.

Martinsville used to be a place that long shots won regularly, but that was before Johnson and Hamlin came onto the scene where the two drivers have combined to win the last eight races in a row. Stewart was the last other than them to win in 2006 with Gordon sweeping the 2005 season.

The only long shot I could feel good about betting on would be Ryan Newman in the 20 to 1 range. He has actually competed very well with the same goods that Stewart has over the last two seasons. Jeff Burton, another Virginian like Hamlin, ran very well in the March race and could be considered a candidate as well.

Top-5 Finish Prediction:

1) #11 Denny Hamlin (4/1)
2) #24 Jeff Gordon (8/1)
3) #48 Jimmie Johnson (4/1)
4) #39 Ryan Newman (20/1)
5) #31 Jeff Burton (16/1)

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, 5,843 points

CAR: No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet

TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports

POSITION CHANGE: None.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 17

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 1st (six times)

LAST WEEK: Let's see, spun out early in the race at Charlotte, then wheeled his way all the way up to third and extended his lead over Denny Hamlin. So much for a chink in the armor.

CHASE CHATTER: ``It's amazing what goes through your mind when you're sliding sideways on the back straightaway,'' Johnson said. ``I saw my hard work for the year and dreams of being a five-time champion go away.''

DRIVER: Denny Hamlin

CHASE POINTS: second, 5,802 points (-41)

CAR: No. 11 FedEx Toyota

TEAM: Joe Gibbs Racing

POSITION CHANGE: None.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 10

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 1st (three times)

LAST WEEK: Posted a career-best fourth at Charlotte to keep Johnson well within sight heading to a track that's been a second home to him.

CHASE CHATTER: ``We have three race tracks that we've won at in these last six races or so,'' Hamlin said. ``I'm pretty confident that we should be looking good here soon.''

DRIVER: Kevin Harvick

CHASE POINTS: third, 5,766 points (-77)

CAR: No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet

TEAM: Richard Childress Racing

POSITION CHANGE: None.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 18

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 7th (three times)

LAST WEEK: Lost a little bit of ground to Johnson and Hamlin in Charlotte, finishing eighth. Still, as the most consistent driver all season, isn't quite out of it yet.

CHASE CHATTER: ``For me, this place is just a struggle,'' Harvick said. ``I struggle getting the feel that I want. To come out of here with an eighth-place finish feels like a victory.''

DRIVER: Jeff Gordon

CHASE POINTS: fourth, 5,687 points (-156)

CAR: No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet

TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports

POSITION CHANGE: None.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 35

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 1st (seven times)

LAST WEEK: Started from the pole at Charlotte but an ignition problem had him fighting his car all night. He came in 23rd and will likely need a miracle to seriously threaten his teammate down the stretch.

CHASE CHATTER: ``It was not a lot of fun,'' he said. ``We had about everything go wrong that could go wrong.''

DRIVER: Kyle Busch

CHASE POINTS: fifth, 5,666 points (-177)

CAR: No. 18 M&Ms Toyota

TEAM: Joe Gibbs Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 4.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 11

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 4th (three times)

LAST WEEK: Bounced back from a debacle in California to end up second in Charlotte and vault three spots in the standings. Of course, that wasn't good enough to satisfy him after he led 217 laps before being passed by Jamie McMurray late.

CHASE CHATTER: ``It's real, real frustrating to not come out of here with a win at a track that I have yet to win at and have been so fast at,'' Busch said.

DRIVER: Tony Stewart

CHASE POINTS: sixth, 5,666 points (-177)

CAR: No. 14 Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet

TEAM: Stewart/Haas Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 1.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 23

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 1st (twice)

LAST WEEK: Couldn't capitalize on his win in California the week before, limping to a 21st-place in Charlotte.

CHASE CHATTER: ``It was just a comedy of errors,'' said crew chief Darian Grubb. ``We evidently just missed it on the setup. Not really sure what happened.''

DRIVER: Carl Edwards

CHASE POINTS: seventh, 5,643 points (-200)

CAR: No. 99 Aflac Ford

TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing

POSITION CHANGE: None.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 12

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 3rd (Fall, 2008)

LAST WEEK: Started up front but quickly slipped toward the middle of the pack in Charlotte, eventually finishing 12th.

CHASE CHATTER: ``Fundamentally there's something wrong with the way we set our Fusion up for (Charlotte),'' Edwards said. ``It's frustrating because I know we can run better than that.''

DRIVER: Greg Biffle

CHASE POINTS: eighth, 5,618 points (-225)

CAR: No. 16 3M Ford

TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 2.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 15

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 7th (Fall, 2007)

LAST WEEK: Grinded out a fifth-place finish in Charlotte, using a midrace adjustment to climb his way from the back of the field.

CHASE CHATTER: ``It was a really good night,'' Biffle said. ``The Scotch Blue 3M Ford Fusion ran really good. We didn't qualify very well, so we had to work our way to the front.''

DRIVER: Kurt Busch

CHASE POINTS: ninth, 5,606 points (-237)

CAR: No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge

TEAM: Penske Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 3.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 20

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 1st (Fall, 2002)

LAST WEEK: Here's the difference between being Johnson and everybody else. While Johnson avoided disaster while spinning out, Busch didn't. Struggled all night before brushing the wall and finished 30th.

CHASE CHATTER: ``It's really tough to explain,'' Busch said. ``We started with decent track position (15th), we ran third fastest in final practice in nearly the same conditions and yet our car just reacted completely opposite.''

DRIVER: Jeff Burton

CHASE POINTS: 10th, 5,604 points (-239)

CAR: No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet

TEAM: Richard Childress Racing

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 2.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 32

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 1st (Fall, 1997)

LAST WEEK: Ended up 20th at Charlotte thanks to a car that had problems when the temperature dropped and an unfortunate spin going into Turn 1 while trying to pass teammate Clint Bowyer.

CHASE CHATTER: ``I tried to make something happen when I spun and it, obviously, didn't work out well for us,'' Burton said.

DRIVER: Matt Kenseth

CHASE POINTS: 11th, 5,587 points (-256)

CAR: No. 17 Crown Royal Ford

TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing

POSITION CHANGE: None.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 21

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 2nd (Spring, 2002)

LAST WEEK: Ran sixth in Charlotte to post his 12th top-10 of the season.

CHASE CHATTER: ``Lately we've had cars that could run in the top 10, which is encouraging, we just haven't gotten those finishes and that's disappointing, so it was nice to get the finish tonight.''

DRIVER: Clint Bowyer

CHASE POINTS: 12th, 5,543 points (-300)

CAR: No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet

TEAM: Richard Childress Racing

POSITION CHANGE: None.

CAREER MARTINSVILLE STARTS: 9

BEST MARTINSVILLE FINISH: 5th (Spring, 2009)

LAST WEEK: His horrific Chase continued with a 17th-place in Charlotte that included a couple of on-track run-ins and some shoddy work in the pits.

CHASE CHATTER: ``Man, that was rough,'' Bowyer said. ``It was pretty much a nightmare. This was just a bad weekend all together.''

Driver Handicaps: Martinsville
By: Jeff Wackerlin

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, 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 5.4 average finish.
• Denny Hamlin has two wins, an average finish of 1.3 and 674 laps led in last three races..
• Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in wins (7), top fives (23) and laps led (2,888).
• Ryan Newman has finished in the top 10 in the last three races..
• Tony Stewart has the fourth-best driver rating in the last 11 races.
• Clint Bowyer has finished in the top 10 in five of the last six races.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. has led 307 laps and posted four top 10s in the races with the COT.

Keep an Eye on at Martinsville
• Roush Fenway Racing placed two cars in the top 10 in the spring at Martinsville with Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle. Matt Kenseth also had a top-10 run going before contact with Jeff Gordon in the final laps.
• Jeff Burton led 140 laps at Martinsville in the spring before a cut right-front tire in the closing laps.
• Joey Logano finished third in the spring and has an 8.7 average finish in his last three races on the season.
• Mark Martin has a 12.0 average finish in three starts with the COT at Martinsville.
• Last week's Charlotte winner has finished in the top 10 nine times at Martinsville.
• Kurt Busch tested a new car at Gresham Motorsports Park in hopes of turning his Martinsville record with Penske Racing around.
• Brad Keselowski finished 12th in his first Sprint Cup start at Martinsville in the spring.
• Juan Pablo Montoya led 37 laps in this event last year en route to a third-place finish.
• Kevin Harvick, who finished 10th in this event last year, led 57 laps at Martinsville in the spring before brake problems.
• Kyle Busch, who posted his only top five with Joe Gibbs Racing at Martinsville in this event last year, will return in the same car that had an impressive run at Richmond last month.

Top 20 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 eight races; 5.4 average finish leads all drivers; Tied with Denny Hamlin for the best average finish (2.7) in the seven races with the COT; Has led 1,551 laps in 17 starts; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 540) that finished first and 25th, respectively, with this season at New Hampshire.

2. Denny Hamlin: Winner of the last two races; 1.3 average finish and 674 laps led in last three races; Three wins and a 2.7 average finish in the seven races with the COT.

3. Kevin Harvick: Scored seventh top 10 in 18 starts last year in this event; Led 57 laps in the spring before brake problems relegated him to a 35th-place finish; 18.0 average finish in the seven races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 322) that he finished fifth with at New Hampshire last month.

4. Jeff Gordon: Leads active drivers in wins (7), top fives (23), top 10s (29), laps led (2,888) and poles (7); Has finished ninth or better in last 15 starts; Led 92 laps and finished third in the spring; 3.3 average finish in the seven races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 616) that he finished sixth with at New Hampshire last month; This car was also tested at Rockingham.

5. Kyle Busch: Fourth-place finish in this event last year is only top 20 in five starts with Joe Gibbs Racing; Previous four top 10s came with Hendrick Motorsports; Led 106 laps in the 2007 fall race; 17.9 average finish in the seven races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 277) that he most recently finished second with at Richmond.

6. Tony Stewart: Two top 10s and a 12.7 average finish in three starts with Stewart-Haas; Posted 11 top 10s and two wins in previous 20 starts with Joe Gibbs Racing; 12.7 average finish in seven starts with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 587) that he most recently finished 24th with at New Hampshire last month.

7. Carl Edwards: Coming off third top 10 in 12 starts; Best finish came in this event in 2008 in third; Has yet to lead a lap; 13.4 average finish in the seven races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 647) that he finished 11th with at New Hampshire last month.

8. Greg Biffle: Coming off second top 10 in 15 starts; 15 of 21 laps led have come in the last two fall events; 19.1 average finish in the seven races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 700) that he finished 17th with at New Hampshire last month.

9. Kurt Busch: 23.1 average finish in nine starts with Penske Racing; Four top 10s, including one win, came in previous 11 starts with Roush Racing; 24.3 average finish and 19 laps led in the seven races with the COT; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 740) in the TUMS Fast Relief 500; This car was tested at Gresham Motorsports Park.

10. Jeff Burton: Three top 10s in 12 starts with Richard Childress Racing; Scored one win and 11 top 10s with Roush Racing; 12.6 average finish and 232 laps led in the seven races with the COT; Led 140 laps in the spring before a cut right-front tire in the closing laps relegated him to a 20th-place finish; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 293) that he finished 10th with at Bristol in March.

11. Matt Kenseth: Last of six top 10s came in the 2008 fall race; Finished 18th in the spring; 15.4 average finish in the seven races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 704) that he finished 23rd with at New Hampshire.

12. Clint Bowyer: Coming off fifth top 10 in nine starts; 19th-place finish in this event last year ended a streak of four consecutive top 10s; Fourth-best average finish (10.0) in the seven races with the COT; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 327) in the TUMS Fast Relief 500.

13. Jamie McMurray: Finished 30th in the spring in first track start in an Earnhardt-Ganassi Chevrolet; Posted nine top 10s in previous 14 starts; 19.0 average finish in the seven races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 1007) that he most recently finished 17th with at Richmond last month.

14. Ryan Newman: Has finished in the top 10 in his three starts with Stewart-Haas; Scored six top 10s in previous 14 starts with Penske Racing; 7.7 average finish in 11 combined starts on the short-tracks with Stewart-Haas; Fifth-best average finish (10.7) in the seven races with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 492) that he's posted an average finish of 5.7 with in three starts at Martinsville.

15. Mark Martin: 12.0 average finish in three starts with Hendrick Motorsports; Starts with HMS are his only in a COT; Won the spring race in 1992 and 2000 with Roush Racing; 13.3 average finish in 45 starts; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 561) that he posted respective finishes of eighth and 21st in his last two trips to Martinsville.

16. Juan Pablo Montoya: Best oval on the schedule based on his 14.6 average finish; 13.0 average finish in three track starts in an Earnhardt-Ganassi Chevrolet; Led 37 laps in this event last year en route to first top five; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 1005) that he most recently finished seventh with at Richmond last month.

17. David Reutimann: Has yet to finish in the top 10 in seven starts; Best finish came in this event last year in 16th; 25.3 average finish in the seven races with the COT.

18. Joey Logano: Coming off best finish in three starts in second; 15.3 average finish; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 275) that he most recently finished third with at Dover last month.

19. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: 12.0 average finish in five starts with Hendrick Motorsports; Posted seven top 10s in previous 16 starts with Dale Earnhardt, Inc.; Best finish came in the 2008 fall race in second; Best track on the circuit based on laps led with 758; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 562) that he finished 15th with at Martinsville in March.

20. AJ Allmendinger: Only top 10 in six starts came in the 2009 spring race; Finished 38th in the spring after a crash took him out of contention; 28.2 average finish in six starts with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 289) that he most recently finished eighth with at Richmond last month.

Hamlin has home-field advantage at Martinsville
By Greg Engle

The short track in Martinsville Virginia takes center stage this week. As one of NASCAR’s oldest and the shortest runs on the circuit, winning at the .526-mile track affectionately called “The Paperclip” is one of the most difficult challenges in all of racing.

A few drivers have proven they can step up to that challenge - chief among them this week’s favorite, Denny Hamlin. Hamlin has three wins here. In fact, he’s won the last two and three out of the last five races at Virginia. He heads to Martinsville second in the points.

I talked to Hamlin this week and he told me wasn’t nervous and heads to his home state with a ton of confidence when it comes to his pursuit of Jimmie Johnson

“I would be more nervous if I was the 48 car going into Martinsville than I would if I was myself because we won the last two races there,” Hamlin said. “We are going out there to be on the offense. He's going to try to go out there and win the race as well. But for me, he's going to have to beat us to do it. I feel like we're going to be strong when we get there. It's going to take a lot to beat us there.”

Johnson and the No. 48 team admitted that they were experimenting during the spring race at Martinsville. It turned out to be an experiment that didn’t quite work out, with Johnson finishing ninth.

But now, as the series heads into the sixth of 10 Chase races, Johnson, with six wins here, certainly can’t be counted out. While Hamlin has won the last three of five, the other two races were won by Johnson.

Expect Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle to stage this week’s prime-time matchup. Neither driver has won at Martinsville but both are quick to say they have something to prove. And with this being more of a driver’s track, look for both to be able to shake off the equipment woes that have plagued all of Roush-Fenway Racing and try hard to get to the front. Give the edge to Edwards, though, as he tends to be less afraid to push his way forward.

Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch are another duo that have something to prove. Harvick wants to prove he’s still in it and can be a factor in the Chase, while Busch wants to show that last week’s second-place showing wasn’t a fluke. Neither have won here, but Busch has a better record. Expect Busch to finish ahead of Harvick when the dust settles.

The spoiler

Could this be the week Jeff Gordon steals the show? The way the team has been running, one could easily dismiss Gordon. But as Hamlin pointed out to me, Martinsville is more of a driver’s track than courses that require a fast car. With seven wins here, the most among active drivers, if Gordon is going to win a race in 2010 this week may be his best chance to do so.

Picks

Denny Hamlin (+300)
Jimmie Johnson (+300)
Jeff Gordon (+600)

Practice Notes - Martinsville
By Micah Roberts

Top 8 Driver Ratings Following all Practice Sessions

Rating Driver Odds Practice 1 Qualifying Practice 2 Practice 3

1. Denny Hamlin 3/1 2nd 1st 17th 8th
Native Virginian has won last two Martinsville races and three overall; 6.6 average finish.

2. Jimmie Johnson 3/1 13th 19th 10th 6th
Six-time winner with track best 5.4 average finish in 17 starts; using winning Loudon chassis.

3. Jeff Gordon 6/1 8th 11th 13th 7th
Seven time winner on track with last coming in 2005 sweep, 11 straight top-five finishes.

4. Jeff Burton 20/1 19th 18th 6th 2nd
Native Virginian claimed 1997 win; led five times for 140 laps in the spring race.

5. Tony Stewart 10/1 1st 6th 18th 35th
Two-time winner with the last coming in spring of 2006; using Loudon chassis this week.

6. Clint Bowyer 15/1 6th 17th 2nd 3rd
One of the better flat track drivers. 12.8 average finish in nine starts; debuts new car this week..

7. Ryan Newman 30/1 25th 4th 12th 15th
Using same chassis that has averaged a finish of 5.7 in last three Martinsville starts.

8. Kevin Harvick 12/1 28th 36th 3rd 5th
No top five finishes in 18 starts, but had fastest average speeds during happy hour; using Loudon chassis.

Note: Martinsville’s flat 0.526-mile layout is unlike any other track on the circuit, but some crew chiefs do use notes from their Loudon, New Hampshire set-ups.