Saturday, March 29, 2014

Martinsville Driver Chassis Selections: 2014 STP 500

Jeff Gordon using chassis from last year that finished 3rd and 1st

#2-Brad Keselowski: Primary Chassis - PRS-901. Last Raced: New Chassis. Backup Chassis: PRS-853. Last Raced: Texas 2013 (finished 3rd as No. 22 car)

#3-Austin Dillon: will pilot chassis No. 420 in the Martinsville 500 at Martinsville Speedway. This Chevrolet SS was utilized five times during the 2013 season by the Gil Martin-led team with driver Kevin Harvick posting a sixth-place finish at Martinsville Speedway in October, an 11th-place finish at Richmond International Raceway (September), a seventh-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (July), a first-place finish at Richmond International Raceway (April) and a 13th-place finish at Martinsville Speedway (April).

#5-Kasey Kahne: Crew chief Kenny Francis has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-787 for Sunday's race at Martinsville. Kahne drove this chassis twice at Martinsville last year, notably recording a fourth-place result at the paper-clip oval in April 2013

#10-Danica Patrick: Chassis No. 10-865: is a new car that has not been used previously. Backup Racecar - Chassis No. 10-811: Chassis No. 10-811 was first used during a test Aug. 26-27, 2013 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. Danica Patrick tested the car on Aug. 26, while teammate Mark Martin tested it Aug. 27. Patrick then drove the car in the September 2013 race at Richmond, where she started 36th and finished 30th, four laps down. Chassis No. 10-811 then served as a backup at Phoenix in November 2013 and March 2014.

#14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-742: This car first turned its wheels on a racetrack in 2012 during a test session Sept. 4-5 at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wis., which prepared Chassis No. 14-742 for its debut in the Sept. 23 Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. There, the car qualified third and led 38 laps before finishing seventh. Chassis No. 14-742 returned to another relatively flat, 1-mile oval when it made its second career start in the penultimate race of the 2012 season at Phoenix International Raceway. After qualifying ninth, a pit road miscue and a lap-282 spin conspired for a 19th-place finish. With a new 2013 Chevrolet SS body, Chassis No. 14-742 returned to Phoenix in February for its third career start, where it had a solid outing, qualifying sixth and finishing eighth. With the exception of a test June 25-26 at New Hampshire, the car sat idle for the remainder of the 2013 season. Chassis No. 14-742 reprised its testing regimen in 2014, with tests Jan. 30-31 at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway and Feb. 6 at Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Ga. The STP 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway marks Chassis No. 14-742's first start in more than a year and its fourth overall.

#15-Clint Bowyer: Chassis No. 806 serves as the primary chassis for Bowyer at Martinsville Speedway. It's a new Chassis for the 2014 season. Chassis No. 787 serves as the back-up chassis. Martin Truex Jr. drove this Chassis to a 16th-place finish last October in Martinsville.

#16-Greg Biffle: Primary Chassis: RK-856 Last ran Martinsville - finished 9th. Backup Chassis: RK-867 Last ran Phoenix - finished 17th.

#17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: Chassis RK-858 is a chassis that the No. 17 team ran various times in 2013, but most recently at Martinsville where Stenhouse finished 31st after being involved in a wreck early on in the 500-mile race. Backup Chassis: RK-815 - last raced at Dover - finished 17th

#22-Joey Logano: Primary Chassis: PRS-902. Last Raced: New chassis. Bacckup Chassis: PRS-858. Last Raced: Backup at Bristol.

#24-Jeff Gordon: #24 crew chief Alan Gustafson has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 24-788 for this Sunday's race. This chassis has been used in competition twice with both occurring at Martinsville in 2013. Last October, Gordon qualified the car ninth and won the event, while he started sixth and finished third in the April race.

#27-Paul Menard: will pilot chassis No. 419 in the 500-lap race at Martinsville Speedway. This No. 27 Chevrolet SS was utilized five times in 2013 having raced both Martinsville races finishing 19th and 22nd, and Richmond International Raceway events finishing 13th and fifth, and the July race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway where it took the checkered flag in 17th place.

#31-Ryan Newman: will drive chassis No. 435 in Sunday's Martinsville 500 at Martinsville Speedway. This No. 31 Chevrolet SS is brand new in competition and will make its debut for the first time during Friday's practice and qualifying activities.

#41-Kurt Busch: will pilot Chassis No. 867 in Sunday's STP 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Built new for 2014, Chassis 867 will see its first laps of racing competition this weekend.

#48-Jimmie Johnson: Crew chief Chad Knaus has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 48-749 which Johnson drove to Victory Lane last April at Martinsville. Johnson also raced this chassis to a fifth-place finish at the paper-clip shaped oval in October 2013. The backup car is Chassis No. 48-806 which Johnson raced last season at both events in New Hampshire.

#55-Brian Vickers: Primary 807- Never raced. Backup 785 - Elliott Sadler finished 25th subbing for Vickers at Martinsville in October.

#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Crew chief Steve Letarte will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-789 for this weekend's race at Martinsville Speedway. Earnhardt most recently raced this chassis to an eighth-place finish at Martinsville last October.

#95-Michael McDowell: will pilot Chassis No. PRS-838 in the STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway. McDowell drove this LFR-prepared Ford Fusion to a 33rd-place finish at Phoenix International Raceway on March 2, as well as driving it at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 16 with a qualifying effort of 24th and finishing 37th.

#99-Carl Edwards: Primary chassis: RK-866 was last run in November 2013 at Phoenix, finishing 21st. Backup chassis: RK-831 was last used in 2014 as a primary at Phoenix, finishing 8th

- compiled by Jayski.com

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