1) #18 Kyle Busch
2) #2 Brad Keselowski
3) #78 Martin Truex Jr
4) #14 Clint Bowyer
5) #31 Ryan Newman
6) #11 Denny Hamlin
7) #3 Austin Dillon
8) #4 Kevin Harvick
9) #22 Joey Logano
Saturday, March 24, 2018
Final Martinsville Driver Ratings...light
1) #18 Kyle Busch
2) #2 Brad Keselowski
3) #78 Martin Truex Jr
4) #14 Clint Bowyer
5) #31 Ryan Newman
6) #11 Denny Hamlin
7) #3 Austin Dillon
8) #4 Kevin Harvick
9) #22 Joey Logano
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Aric Almirola 13th or better in all five 2018 Cup races
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| Aric Almirola is 60/1 to win Sunday at Martinsville. |
How much are you looking forward to going to Martinsville, the first real short track of the season?
“I really look forward to going to Martinsville. Every time we go there, it’s just fun racing. It’s a love-hate relationship with Martinsville Speedway because it’s tight quarters and it’s easy to get frustrated. You kind of beat and bang with all of your competitors but it’s so cool. It’s one of the coolest places to watch a race, as well. I’m excited, it’s my 250th Cup start. Who would’ve ever thought I’d actually be in the series that long? I know I didn’t. It’s going to be a fun weekend.”
What do you have to get right at Martinsville to be successful?
“Martinsville is no different than any other racetrack. You’ve got to have a good car, good brakes, good pit stops, you’ve got to have everything. You can’t win at this level in the Cup Series and have a weak link. Martinsville just really exposes a few of those areas more than others. You’ve got to have a good-turning car and good mechanical grip because the tires wear out so fast. Aerodynamics is not overly important, but aerodynamics are still important. We show up to Martinsville and guys still get tight behind other cars and, if your spoiler falls off, you’ll still spin out and wreck.”
Can you describe how difficult pit road is at Martinsville, especially coming off of pit road when drivers are playing games with each other?
“Martinsville’s pit road is probably the most treacherous pit road of any track we go to. It’s very, very tight quarters. You don’t have a lot of room to work and the pit crews don’t have a lot of room to work. Then, leaving pit road is very narrow, so you run into issues with guys pulling out of their box and you’re already two-wide and you either have to give way to them, or you run the risk of getting your left-front fender cleaned off. You see wrecks on pit road a lot at Martinsville Speedway, and then the games everyone plays at the end of pit road. They’re checking up to try and make sure that they’re going to restart on the inside lane, because the inside lane is usually – nine out of 10 times – the preferred lane at Martinsville.”
When you were growing up, did you ever think you’d be at this point in your career with 250 Cup Series starts?
“I wanted to be dirty and work on racecars. I didn’t care if I made $200 a week, or $200,000 a week. It honestly made no difference to me, I didn’t care. I just wanted to make a living, to be able to wake up in the morning and be a racer. To be able to do it at this level, and to have stayed in the Cup Series for this amount of time and have this opportunity in front of me, it’s incredible to think about my 250th start. I now realize when I look in the mirror and I see the gray hair in my sideburns and in my beard, it all makes sense.”
Martinsville Top-20 Predictions: 2018 STP 500
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| Martinsville provides best racing of season. |
Last month at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Roberts told SportsLine readers to jump on Kevin Harvick, who had the same 9/2 odds as Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Larson. Harvick dominated, leading for 181 of 325 laps and cruising to victory by 2.69 seconds. Roberts again was all over Harvick two weeks ago at Las Vegas as Harvick delivered another lopsided win.
Roberts' uncanny picks come as no surprise. In the 2017 NASCAR playoffs, Roberts picked nine of the 10 winners. In 2016, Roberts told readers to back Denny Hamlin at 15/1 in the Daytona 500. The result? Hamlin edged Martin Truex Jr. for the checkered flag. This is the same Roberts who nailed Hamlin at 40/1 to win at Watkins Glen later that year.
With the STP 500 set for 2 p.m. ET Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, Roberts has analyzed the entire field and released his Top 20 finishers in order. We can tell you he's not high on Chase Elliott (7/1) despite Elliott having the fifth-lowest odds, saying he barely cracks the Top 15. But Roberts loves a 60/1 underdog whose car is tailor-made for this short track... Join SportsLine now to see Micah Roberts' STP 500 leaderboard, and see which long shot stuns the racing world, all from the nation's premier NASCAR betting expert!
Here is Roberts' writeup:
READ MORE HERE......PRE-PRACTICE TOP-20 PREDICTION ON SPORTSLINE.COM
Kevin Harvick using two-time winning chassis at Martinsville
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| Kevin Harvick is 12/1 to win at Martinsville Sunday. |
KEVIN HARVICK, Driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:
Where do you want to be at Martinsville to help you avoid trouble on the racetrack?
“I think the best position to be in at any racetrack is in the lead. You want to be in control of the race and try to get yourself in a position to where you can have a good, clean restart and have as much clear track – especially at Martinsville – just for the fact that there is so much pushing and shoving on the restarts to get to the bottom lane that you want to try to be as far forward as possible.”
When you think of Martinsville, what comes to mind?
“Some guys just have a knack for Martinsville. There are some weekends when I show up and I feel good about where I’m at and some weekends I just feel like I’ve never been there before. You look at this little bitty racetrack and you think it would be so simple, and you go out there and it becomes so hard. We had a decent finish there last time. We finished fifth and ended up on a flatbed – we couldn’t get it on the truck. We were backwards crossing the start-finish line with the tires smoking. There’s nothing better than that, though. At least you finish the race.”
Martinsville Betting Preview: 2018 STP 500
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| Martinsville provides action packed racing every NASCAR visit. |
It's obvious we have an imbalance in the series on the down-force tracks and it's produced some runaway races. But it's hard to runaway at Martinsville's flat, half-mile paperclip layout. It's a level playing field with the car and driver being an equal component to success.
Besides close races, what also stands out at Martinsville is the slow speeds (pole 96 mph last fall) that make it easier for drivers to administer NASCAR justice. Drivers don't want to wreck others mostly for fear of injury and at 200 mph, injuries can happen easily at bigger tracks. But a punt here or there at Martinsville to send a message is a regular occurrence.
“This type of racing is what put this sport on the map, and it’s been a while since we’ve been that, and it’s a breath of fresh air to get back to a short track where it can breed some of that and put on a show for the fans,” said Clint Bowyer who finished seventh and third last season at Martinsville.
Part of the show we all love is the fireworks after the race when the drivers get out of their car to hunt down whoever did them wrong. Is it wrong to root for fights? I don't care. I love it. I want more of it and I haven't had any of it this season. I need some action, man. Entertain me, please.
“I know I was entertained by the racing last year and I expect we’ll see the same thing again this weekend,” Bowyer said.
Bowyer is going to be one of those drivers that goes from being a driver with odds to win usually in the 25/1 range down to 12/1, which is the same odds his Stewart Haas Racing teammate Kevin Harvick has posted at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook.
Harvick has been dominating the down force tracks winning three straight races following Daytona and probably would have won Sunday if he didn't wreck himself so early at Fontana. In 35 Martinsville starts, he has just one win (2011) and a 15.8 average finish.
The driver chasing Harvick the most the past four weeks has been Kyle Busch. Twice runner-up to Harvick and third last week. He wants a win bad and he's at the right place to get it winning two of the past four races there which is why he's the 7/2 favorite.
“We’ve run well the last two years especially at Martinsville and we’re definitely pumped about getting back there," said Kyle Busch. "I’m hoping we can have a really good car there again this time around, like we did the last two years, especially. We led a lot of laps and we were really fast. Hoping that some of those things we were able to push through there last fall at Martinsville we’ll be able to do this time around with our M&M’s Caramel Camry.”
Busch is on a run of five straight top-five finishes at Martinsville. A lot of his success there can be attributed to Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin, a native Virginian, who has five Cup wins and two Truck wins at Martinsville. Hamlin knows how his car should be set-up and how to enter and exit the turns best and he's shared the knowledge.
Martinsville Cup Series Notes: 2018 STP 500
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| Kyle Busch is the favorite this week at Martinsville. |
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: STP 500
The Place: Martinsville Speedway
The Date: Sunday, March 25
The Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 2 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 263 miles (500 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 130),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 260), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 500)
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Next Race: Alpha Energy Solutions 250
The Place: Martinsville Speedway
The Date: Saturday, March 24
The Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 1:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 131.5 miles (250 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 70),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 140), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 250)
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Looking Up
Jimmie Johnson was ranked fourth this week by ESPN The Magazine on their list of sports’ “Dominant 20” athletes of the last two decades, which also included names like golf’s Tiger Woods, basketball’s Lebron James and the football’s Peyton Manning. And when it comes to this week’s Martinsville (Va.) Speedway NASCAR venue Johnson has shown himself to be as absolutely dominant as it comes.
With nine previous wins – including five in a six-race stretch – NASCAR’s “paperclip” track, Johnson has led an amazing 20.6 percent of all laps run at the historic property. His 7.7 average finish and 115.8 driver rating are easily tops among his competition this weekend and he leads in six of the seven traditional statistical categories at the track.
Rebounding from an uncharacteristically slow start to the season, Johnson had his first top-10 showing of the year last weekend at Auto Club Speedway – ninth place in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – and no doubt has Martinsville circled on his calendar.
A win this weekend would make Johnson only the third driver in Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series history to have 10 or more wins at multiple tracks (he has 11 at Dover) – joining NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Darrell Waltrip. If Johnson can lead 138 laps of Sunday’s scheduled 500-lapper, he would top the 3,000 laps led mark at Martinsville – one of only five drivers to have led 3,000 laps or more at multiple tracks. He also has 3,000 laps out front at Dover International Speedway.
New Ground
Reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup champion and current points leader Martin Truex Jr. dominated the competition to collect his first trophy of the season Sunday in California, snapping an 18-race winless streak at the track. But he faces a similar winless barrier this weekend at tiny Martinsville Speedway (Sunday, March 25 at 2 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Truex is still looking for his first victory in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota after 24 races at Martinsville, where he has only three top-five and eight top-10 finishes. He started on the outside pole and finished runner-up in his last race there in November and has four total top-seven finishes in his last six starts there.
Among the top 10 in the standings, only Kyle Larson (73.4) and Aric Almirola (66.1) have lower driver ratings than Truex (76.6) at Martinsville.
Kyle Busch Looking for First Win of 2018
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Kyle Busch has been oh-so-close to a win in 2018 – finishing runner-up in consecutive races at Las Vegas and ISM Raceway and finishing third last week at California’s Auto Club Speedway. This week’s season-opening short track race may well be just what the doctor ordered.
The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota has two wins and five consecutive top-five showings in the last five races at Martinsville Speedway, including a victory the last time the Monster Energy Series raced there in November, 2017. He has top-10 finishes in seven of the last 10 races.
Denny Hopes to Deliver at Home
Denny Hamlin, who grew up in Chesterfield, Virginia, has certainly turned his good home state vibes into a success story in Martinsville. His driver rating of 105.8 is second only to the track’s winningest active driver, Jimmie Johnson. Five of Hamlin’s 31 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins have come there, including four in a seven-race span between 2008-2010. His mark of 18 top-10 finishes in second only to Johnson’s 24 top 10s.
Hamlin, who drives the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, has had mixed success on the track since his last win in 2015, however. He has alternated between a top 10 and 30th-place or worse in the last fives races here – finishing 30th in the spring race in 2017 and seventh in the fall race.
Hamlin arrives in his home state boasting one of the best overall 2018 season efforts – with four top-six finishes in five races.
On the Verge
Penske Racing hasn’t hoisted a trophy yet in 2018, but its three Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers have certainly made strong cases that a win is imminent. They are ranked third (Joey Logano), fourth (Brad Keselowski) and fifth (Ryan Blaney) in the points standings coming to Martinsville, a venue that offers a lot of promise for the team.
Keselowski is the defending winner of the STP 500 and boasts four consecutive top-five finishes at Martinsville – five in the last six races. He’s fourth in the points standings, despite crashing out of the Daytona 500, by virtue of three top-six runs through the season’s opening five races.
Logano, who led the Monster Energy Series driver standings for two weeks following Atlanta and Las Vegas, is looking for his first Martinsville victory. His No. 22 Team Penske Ford has certainly shown speed at the track. He was on the pole for the Fall Martinsville race and has won the Busch Pole Award for four of the last six races at the half-miler.
The team’s newest addition, popular 24-year old Blaney, is hoping to turn his strong season start into some Martinsville success. His 2018 season includes three top-10 finishes and he won the pole position at Las Vegas. His only top 10 (eighth-place) in four Martinsville races came in his last start there.
Strength in Numbers for Stewart-Haas Racing
Stewart-Haas Racing celebrated its first ever placement of all four drivers in the top 10 two weeks ago in Phoenix and the organization also has a historic mark in the points standings heading to Martinsville Speedway this weekend (Sunday, March 25 at 2 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
All four of its drivers are firmly ranked consecutively in the top-12 portion of the championship standings – a first for SHR at this point in the season. Three-time race winner and 2014 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick leads his teammates in eighth place.
Second-year SHR driver Clint Bowyer is ninth, followed by the team’s newest addition, Aric Almirola, and 2004 Monster Energy Series champ Kurt Busch.
It’s Go Time for Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson’s runner-up finish at Auto Club Speedway last week was a firm reminder that the 25-year old Chip Ganassi Racing driver is championship-caliber.
He has three top-10 finishes since a rough Daytona 500 season opener, including a third-place at Las Vegas along with his second-place in California. And he sits seventh in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points standings, 42 behind the leader Martin Truex Jr.
Larson is hoping to turn the early season success story into a Martinsville break-through. The popular Californian won the pole position for the STP 500 last year but has only one top-10 (third-place in 2016) in eight races here.
Daniel Hemric to Make Monster Energy Series Debut at Richmond
Daniel Hemric has earned the NASCAR start of his lifetime.
Richard Childress Racing announced Tuesday that the 27-year-old will make his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut, driving the No. 8 Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff Chevrolet in the April 21 race at Richmond Raceway. He will then race on the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course on Sept. 30.
Hemric, who drives for RCR fulltime in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, has put in time helping the organization’s Monster Energy Series teams from testing the cars to filling in during practice sessions.
"You only get one chance to make your Cup Series debut, and it is pretty incredible to know that I am able to do it with Richard Childress Racing and with a partner such as Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff," Hemric said. "RCR and Smokey Mountain Herbal Snuff have been so influential in so many drivers' careers - a lot of my heroes growing up. To know they will play a large role in the next step of my career and my initial Cup Series debut is very special."
“The 8 is coming back. Good luck with it @DanielHemric.’’ Dale Earnhardt Jr. tweeted, ending his message with a thumbs-up emoji. Earnhardt drove the No. 8 in the Monster Energy Series ranks from 2002-2007.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Etc.
Martinsville Speedway Quick Stats: Kurt Busch has the best rating for Fastest Laps at Martinsville (179) – the only statistic that Johnson isn’t tops. …Ryan Newman has won here, has eight top-five finishes and three pole positions at Martinsville, making him a driver to watch Sunday. …Johnson is the last driver to win consecutive races (Fall, 2012- Spring, 2013) and both times it was from the pole position. …The last manufacturer to score back-to-back wins at Martinsville was Chevrolet. Kurt Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. swept the 2014 races. … Kurt Busch’s two wins at the track came from starting positions closer to the rear of the starting grid. He won in 2002 from the 36th position (a track record) and his win in 2014 was 22nd. Earnhardt won in 2014 from the 23rd starting spot on the grid. … Six drivers have won three races-in-a-row here: Richard Petty (1968-69), Cale Yarborough (1976-77), Darrell Waltrip (1988-89), Rusty Wallace (1994-95) and Jimmie Johnson (2006-07). Fred Lorenzen won four straight Martinsville races between 1963-65.
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Clint Bowyer looking for first Martinsville grandfather clock
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| Clint Bowyer is 12/1 to win at Martinsville. |
Right now, Bowyer is in love with Martinsville. That’s probably because he battled for victory last October before finishing third. In last year’s spring race, Bowyer drove the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) Ford to a seventh-place finish. But, he hasn’t always been a fan of the place.
“When I first raced there, I was terrible, I hated it – every aspect of it,” Bowyer said with a laugh. “Now, we feel pretty good about our Martinsville program. We had two pretty good runs last year and we’re pretty pumped about going there this weekend. We aren’t going to be happy until we bring home a grandfather clock.”
Bowyer has come close at Martinsville, but he’s yet to add a clock to his trophy case. He owns five top-five finishes and 14 top-10s and has led 356 laps on Martinsville’s concrete surface. He led 154 laps during the fall 2012 race amid a string of five consecutive top-10s there.
Sunday at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, Bowyer ran in the top-10 most of the race until a tire problem in the final laps left him with an 11th-place finish. Bowyer is ninth in points heading to the Cup Series’ first short-track race of the season. SHR arrives at Martinsville on a historic roll with all four drivers in the top-11 in the standings.
Martinsville is a historically good track for the Kannapolis, North Carolina-based organization. SHR owns three victories – Ryan Newman in April 2012, Tony Stewart in October 2011 and Kurt Busch in March 2014 – eight top-five finishes and 20 top-10s in 54 starts at Martinsville, and SHR cars have led 504 laps there.
While he’s feeling good heading into this weekend, Bowyer knows there’s always the fickle nature of Martinsville that could turn him back toward not liking the place. But, he said that’s part of the track’s allure to fans and television viewers and a welcome relief from the high-speed, aerodynamic-dependent tracks the series has visited thus far in 2018.
“This type of racing is what put this sport on the map, and it’s been a while since we’ve been that, and it’s a breath of fresh air to get back to a short track where it can breed some of that and put on a show for the fans,” said Bowyer, who makes his 439th career start Sunday.
“I know I was entertained by the racing last year and I expect we’ll see the same thing again this weekend.”
Bowyer’s No. 14 Ford will sport a bit of a different look at Martinsville as Haas Automation, the largest CNC (computer numerically controlled) machine-tool builder in North America, will highlight Demo Day 2018 that will be held May 9 at local Haas Factory Outlets (HFOs) nationwide.
The annual event provides HFOs an opportunity to feature the latest CNC machines, innovations, and technology from Haas Automation. Showcased will be machine-cutting demonstrations and educational seminars to explain how the latest Haas machines and options can help make current Haas users, potential customers, and anyone in the manufacturing industry learn how the latest Haas machines can help a business be more productive, efficient, and profitable.
The 2018 Demo Day celebrates the 30th anniversary of Haas Automation’s very first vertical machining center – the industry-leading VF-1. The “V” in the model name stands for vertical – an industry-standard designation for a vertical mill – and company founder Gene Haas added “F1” to unofficially designate it as the company’s “Very First One.” -
Introduced in 1988 in Chicago, the Haas VF-1 established an industry milestone by being the very first American-built vertical machining center to sell for less than $50,000, an unheard-of price at that time. With a published price of $49,900 – another industry first – the Haas VF-1 quickly became the industry benchmark for affordable CNC technology. Today, the Haas VF-1 still sells for less than $50,000 – in fact, it’s only $46,995 – and Haas Automation is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of CNC machine tools, with an extensive lineup of more than 100 high-value, high-performance products.
CLINT BOWYER, Driver of the No. 14 Haas Automation for Stewart-Haas Racing:
What are your thoughts on Martinsville?
“I’ve run really well at Martinsville and there have been several times when I thought we were the fastest car, especially in 2012 and 2013. I look forward to it every year and it’s one track I feel like I can win at, especially if the equipment is underneath me and we make good calls and I make good decisions and take care of the car on the racetrack. I want to bring one of those clocks home. I love going to Martinsville. It’s a great racetrack with a lot of history. Martinsville has been hosting races for half a century and all the greats have raced there over the years. It really is a throwback in a lot of ways. It’s a flat short track like most of us grew up racing on. It’s tight, flat and fenders definitely get used. It always puts on an exciting show for the fans and there isn’t a bad seat in the house. As a fan of the sport, I don’t know how you can’t like Martinsville. And, in a lot of ways, it’s almost turned into the new go-to track for action and excitement. It doesn’t have the high banks like Bristol, but the racing, bumping, banging and all the fun stuff the fans look for has been every bit as good as anywhere we’ve gone the past few years.”
Martinsville seems to be the most difficult track for drivers to figure out. Why is that?
“It’s a short track, but it’s not like any other short track you’ve ever been to. It goes against everything your tendencies tell you to do. You have to back the corner up and let the car roll way around the corner before you get back on the gas. Your tendencies are to get in the corner as deep as you can and get back on the throttle as fast as possible. Those are two things that are catastrophic there, so you’ve got to discipline yourself and stay disciplined throughout the race.”
Is there anything you would change about Martinsville?
“Why we don’t race there at night is beyond me. We should definitely utilize those lights for something other than a green-white-checkered finish like we had last year. It was pretty damned cool under the lights last fall.”
Kyle Busch has won two of the past four races at Martinsville
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| Kyle Busch is the 7/2 favorite to win at Martinsville. |
The previous day in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, Busch has captured the first grandfather clock trophy of his career, then looked to bring home his first Sunday Cup Series win to complete his first weekend sweep at Martinsville. That day, not only did the M&M’S Caramel driver capture the long sought-after grandfather clock trophy in Cup Series competition, but he did it in dominant fashion by leading a race-high 352 of 500 laps.
Since that April 2016 race weekend, Busch has shown his strength at NASCAR’s shortest track. He’s led a total of 810 laps in his past four Martinsville starts and has finished fifth or better in his last five races there. That includes a pair of Cup Series victories in the last four races contested at the Southern Virginia short track, where NASCAR began racing back in 1948.
Busch’s second career Martinsville Cup Series win was the most recent race there last October, when he led 184 laps en route to locking himself into the Championship Four playoff finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Martinsville was a much bigger challenge for Busch earlier in his career, especially during his early years racing under the JGR banner.
In fact, Busch finished outside the top-10 in three of his first four races there with JGR in 2008 and 2009. By contrast, Busch has scored seven top-five finishes in his last 10 Martinsville starts with his worst finish being 15th . Since his disappointing start to the season with a 25th -place finish at the Daytona 500, Busch has been a model of consistency, posting four top-10 finishes, including three consecutive top-threes in which he has come so very close to victory.
While he currently sits second in the standings, Busch hopes to keep the momentum rolling from not only his last four outings this season, but from his last four visits to Martinsville as he aims to turn those strong finishes into victories. So as Busch heads back to Martinsville for Sunday’s Cup Series STP 500, he hopes to collect another grandfather clock at the Southern Virginia short track that is quickly becoming one of his best.
KYLE BUSCH, Driver of the No. 18 M&M’S Caramel Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:
How do you feel about the race this week at Martinsville?
“We’ve run well the last two years especially at Martinsville and we’re definitely pumped about getting back there. I’m hoping we can have a really good car there again this time around, like we did the last two years, especially. We led a lot of laps and we were really fast. Hoping that some of those things we were able to push through there last fall at Martinsville we’ll be able to do this time around with our M&M’s Caramel Camry.”
What is the key to you getting a win at Martinsville?
“It’s a tough racetrack and, any time you come in the pits and make an adjustment on your car, you certainly hope it goes the right way, or you make enough of it, or you don’t make too much of an adjustment. The last run can be tricky, too, because you can be coming off a 50- lap run on right-side tires and take four and you’ve only got 30 (laps) to go, or you could have 80 to go and you know you have to manage that run all the way to the end.”
What do you feel is the biggest key to performing well in the longer races like this weekend at Martinsville?
“I think just being able to get comfortable, get settled, and make sure that you’re good to go for those long hauls. Don’t worry about what lap it is, ever, during a race. That’s the worst thing that could happen to you. You just try to not ever worry about what lap you’re on or what’s going on around you. You just keep battling, keep driving, keep your focus forward on what you’re doing. That’s the best way to go about those long, long races.”
Where did you put the Martinsville Speedway grandfather clocks?
“One’s at home in the foyer and I had to turn off the buzzer because it’s close to (son) Brexton’s room, so we don’t get to hear it. We heard it a couple of times while it went off, but then I turned it off. And then, the other ones, we have at KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports).”
Denny Hamlin is 6-to-1 to win sixth race at Martinsville
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| Denny Hamlin is 6/1 to win at Martinsville. |
#11 FedEx Ground Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
Race Info:
Race: STP 500
Date/Time: March 25/2p.m. ET
Distance: 500 laps/263 miles
Track Length: .526-mile
Track Shape: Oval
Banking: 12 degrees
2017 Winner: Brad Keselowski
Express Notes:
Press Kit: Download the 2018 FedEx Racing press materials at www.fedexracing.com/presskit, including bios for Denny Hamlin, Mike Wheeler and Joe Gibbs Racing leadership, program highlights and statistics.
Auto Club Recap: Denny Hamlin finished sixth in Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway, rebounding from an early error on pit road to score his fourth top-10 finish of the season. The first yellow flag of the day waved on lap 39 for a single-car incident with Hamlin running 11th in the #11 FedEx Express Toyota. The caution allowed Hamlin to make his way to pit road for his second stop of the day for four tires and fuel, however upon entering his stall, he slightly overshot his marks and was forced to correct his mistake, costing the #11 FedEx team 10 positions in the race off pit road. Despite the setback, Hamlin worked to remedy the error, and he capitalized on his long-run speed throughout the remainder of the 400-mile race to find his spot amongst the field’s top 10, earning bonus points in each of the race’s first two Stages (finishing 10th and fourth respectively). Hamlin remains sixth in the overall points standings after his sixth-place finish at Auto Club, trailing 40 points behind new points leader Martin Truex Jr. after five races this season.
Martinsville Preview: After a three-week stint out West, the Series makes its way back to the East Coast for a 500-lap short track race at Martinsville Speedway. Hamlin is no stranger to the flat, half-mile oval, and after 24 Cup Series starts at the ‘paperclip’, the Chesterfield, Va., native has collected a career-best five wins and three pole positions, as well as 12 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes. He was forced to a 30th-place finish at last year’s spring event after sustaining damage from a multi-car wreck late in the race.
Delivering Laps for FedEx Cares: This season, FedEx is tying the performance of the #11 FedEx Toyota on the track to its efforts to improve road safety through a new program, Delivering Laps for FedEx Cares, by donating $111 for each lap Hamlin leads and $11,000 for each race victory to Safe Kids Worldwide, a nonprofit working to protect kids on the road, at home and at play. FedEx will also contribute $111,000 to Safe Kids if the #11 team wins the 2018 NASCAR championship. New for the 2018 season, the Denny Hamlin Foundation will also match the total donation to Safe Kids Worldwide.
After five regular season races, Hamlin has led 82 laps resulting in an $9,102 donation to Safe Kids Worldwide which will be matched by the Denny Hamlin Foundation. Fans can track the total amount donated to date from the Delivering Laps for FedEx Cares program on the homepage of FedExRacing.com.
Hamlin Statistics:
Track: Martinsville Speedway
Races: 24
Wins: 5 (career-best)
Poles: 3 (tied for career-best)
Top-5: 12 (career-best)
Top-10: 18 (career-best)
Laps Led: 1,394
Avg. Start: 9.6
Avg. Finish 10
Hamlin Conversation:
What are your expectations for this weekend at Martinsville?
“We’ve had a strong start to the season, we’re just still searching for that little bit of speed we need to really contend for a win. Obviously, Martinsville is a place where I know I can be successful, so I’m looking forward to getting back there.”
Allmendinger becomes contender with Martinsville
 |
| A.J. Allmendinger is 100/1 to win at Martinsville. |
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY ADVANCE
Event: STP 500
Date/Time: Sunday, March 25 at 2:00 PM ET
TV Network/Radio: FS1 / MRN Radio / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 KROGER CLICKLIST CAMARO ZL1
MENTAL ASPECTS OF MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY: “Martinsville Speedway is one of those racetracks where until you cross the finish line, anything can happen,” Allmendinger said. “Whether you have a great racecar or you’re struggling, if you’re in it at the end of the race you have a shot at the win. I love Martinsville Speedway, but it’s definitely an exhausting place both mentally and physically. It is one of those racetracks where mentally, you know up until the last lap anything can happen. I’ve had races where I’ve felt like I’ve run 490 perfect laps there, and on the final restart you can get taken out and feel like you’ve wasted a whole day. It’s a challenge but a place where I feel like if we get our stuff right, we’ve got a chance to go win.”
STRATEGIES TO PREPARE FOR MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY: “Getting prepared for Martinsville Speedway is similar to preparing for a superspeedway race,” Allmendinger said. “If you do everything right, and you get caught in a wreck or someone gets into you the wrong way, then it’s something you can’t control. It’s when you force yourself into those mistakes or early in the race you start bouncing off a guy and eventually they come back and pay you back. Those are things that you can control. For me, that’s what I do. If I can run my own race and everything goes right, then it’s not meant to be, then it’s not. It’s the times where you force something too early or you make a mistake and it causes your own issues, then that’s when I’m mad at myself.”
CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 37 BUSH’S BEANS CAMARO ZL1
BUSH’S BEANS CAMARO ZL1: “BUSH’S Beans is one of the partners that have been with JTG Daugherty Racing the longest, and I’m proud to have them on our Camaro ZL1 again this season,” Buescher said. “We’ve got a new paint scheme this weekend, showcasing the copper color of their original BUSH’S Beans packaging on their cans. Nothing goes better than BUSH’S Beans and NASCAR barbecues.”
RACING AT MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY: “You can definitely say there are mentally draining aspects of Martinsville (Speedway),” Buescher said. “It’s probably a little bit more physically than mentally draining. I love short track racing in general. Martinsville was a rocky start for me in my Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career, but I’m starting to come around to that place a little bit. I enjoy it more now every time we go a little bit more than the previous time. We had a really good run there last season, it was probably our first good finish of the year last season so we feel like going back should be something that we can build on and try to be a little bit better.”
LEANING ON TEAMMATE AJ ALLMENDINGER: “AJ runs extremely well there,” Buescher said. “It’s always nice to have a teammate to lean on that does as well as he does there. We try to get some information from the No. 47 team and look at data to try and learn as we go. We’re going to go out there and put on a good show. It’s a cool racetrack, it’s one of the places where I think fans really get into it a lot more than some of these others. I’m really looking forward to getting there.”
________________________________
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY FAST FACTS
AJ ALLMENDINGER
Career Starts: 19
Career Wins: 0
Top-5 Finishes: 2
Top-10 Finishes: 6
Laps Led: 50
Average Start: 18.8
Average Finish: 19.4
CHRIS BUESCHER
Career Starts: 5
Career Wins: 0
Top-5 Finishes: 0
Top-10 Finishes: 0
Laps Led: 0
Average Start: 32.4
Average Finish: 23.2
________________________________
FAST FACTS – AJ ALLMENDINGER
Career Starts: 340
Wins: 1- 8/10/2014 Watkins Glen International
Top-fives: 10
Top-10s: 53
Pole Awards: 4
First Pole: 4/10/2010 ISM Raceway
Last Pole: 8/9/2015 Watkins Glen International
First Start: 3/25/2007 Bristol Motor Speedway
Best Start: 1st – 8/9/2015 Watkins Glen International (most recent)
Best Finish: 1st – 8/10/2014 Watkins Glen International
Driver DOB: 12/16/1981
Hometown: Los Gatos, CA
Crew Chief: Tristan Smith
FAST FACTS – CHRIS BUESCHER
Career Starts: 83
Wins: 1 – 8/1/2016 Pocono Raceway
Top-fives: 3
Top-10s: 7
Pole Awards: 0
First Start: 3/22/2015 Auto Club Speedway
Best Start: 9th – 6/25/2017 Sonoma Raceway
Best Finish: 1st – 8/1/2016 Pocono Raceway
Driver DOB: 10/29/1992
Hometown: Prosper, TX
Crew Chief: Trent Owens
________________________________
AJ ALLMENDINGER MARTINSVILLE KROGER STORE APPEARANCE
WHERE: 240 Commonwealth Blvd, Martinsville, VA 24112
WHEN: Friday, March 23 at 5:30 p.m. ET
Odds to win 2018 STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway
 |
| Kyle Busch has won two fo the past four races at Martinsville. |
ODDS TO WIN 2018 STP 500
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
SUNDAY, MARCH 25, 2018 - 2:13 PM ET
Kyle BUSCH 7/2
Brad KESELOWSKI 9/2
Denny HAMLIN 6/1
Joey LOGANO 6/1
Chase ELLIOTT 7/1
Martin TRUEX JR 7/1
Jimmie JOHNSON 10/1
Clint BOWYER 12/1
Kevin HARVICK 12/1
Kyle LARSON 25/1
Ryan BLANEY 35/1
Erik JONES 35/1
Aric ALMIROLA 40/1
Jamie McMURRAY 60/1
Kurt BUSCH 60/1
Ryan NEWMAN 60/1
Austin DILLON 100/1
Alex BOWMAN 100/1
AJ ALLMENDINGER 100/1
Daniel SUAREZ 200/1
Ricky STENHOUSE JR 200/1
Paul MENARD 300/1
William BYRON 300/1
Kasey KAHNE 500/1
Darrell WALLACE JR 500/1
Chris BUESCHER 1000/1
Trevor BAYNE 1000/1
Ty DILLON 1000/1
Michael McDOWELL 2000/1
FIELD (all others) 1000/1
DRIVER VS DRIVER MATCH-UPS
Kyle BUSCH - 130
Brad KESELOWSKI +110
Kyle BUSCH - 155
Denny HAMLIN +135
Kyle BUSCH - 155
Joey LOGANO +135
Kyle BUSCH - 180
Chase ELLIOTT +150
Kyle BUSCH - 180
Martin TRUEX JR +150
Brad KESELOWSKI - 130
Denny HAMLIN +110
Brad KESELOWSKI - 130
Joey LOGANO +110
Brad KESELOWSKI - 155
Chase ELLIOTT +135
Brad KESELOWSKI - 155
Martin TRUEX JR +135
Denny HAMLIN - 110
Joey LOGANO - 110
Denny HAMLIN - 130
Chase ELLIOTT +110
Denny HAMLIN - 130
Martin TRUEX JR +110
Joey LOGANO - 130
Chase ELLIOTT +110
Joey LOGANO - 130
Martin TRUEX JR +110
Chase ELLIOTT - 110
Martin TRUEX JR - 110
Jimmie JOHNSON - 110
Clint BOWYER - 110
Jimmie JOHNSON - 130
Kevin HARVICK +110
Clint BOWYER - 130
Kevin HARVICK +110
Ryan BLANEY - 110
Erik JONES - 110
Ryan BLANEY - 110
Aric ALMIROLA - 110
Martinsville Speedway Track Facts: 2018 STP 500
 |
| Martinsville Speedway just might produce the best type of racing in NASCAR. |
Driver
|
Races
|
Poles
|
Wins
|
Top Fives
|
Top 10s
|
DNFs
|
Average Finish
|
Driver Rating
| ||
1
|
Martin Truex Jr
|
24
|
1
|
0
|
3
|
8
|
2
|
19.6
|
76.6
| |
2
|
Kyle Busch
|
25
|
1
|
2
|
13
|
14
|
1
|
13.1
|
102.6
| |
3
|
Joey Logano
|
18
|
4
|
0
|
5
|
7
|
0
|
14.2
|
92.0
| |
4
|
Brad Keselowski
|
16
|
0
|
1
|
6
|
10
|
0
|
12.4
|
96.0
| |
5
|
Ryan Blaney
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
17.8
|
81.2
| |
6
|
Denny Hamlin
|
24
|
3
|
5
|
12
|
18
|
2
|
10.0
|
106.2
| |
7
|
Kyle Larson
|
8
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
23.6
|
73.4
| |
8
|
Kevin Harvick
|
33
|
0
|
1
|
4
|
15
|
1
|
15.8
|
93.7
| |
9
|
Clint Bowyer
|
24
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
14
|
2
|
14.0
|
89.4
| |
10
|
Aric Almirola
|
18
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
3
|
4
|
22.4
|
66.1
| |
11
|
Kurt Busch
|
35
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
5
|
3
|
21.7
|
78.9
| |
12
|
Austin Dillon
|
8
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
1
|
15.6
|
73.4
| |
13
|
Erik Jones
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
19.0
|
71.9
| |
14
|
Ryan Newman
|
32
|
3
|
1
|
8
|
15
|
2
|
14.8
|
85.8
| |
15
|
Paul Menard
|
21
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
1
|
19.9
|
64.5
| |
16
|
Alex Bowman
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
31.0
|
44.8
|
* – Based on last 25 races at Martinsville Speedway (2005 – 2017).
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 2018 Top Loop Data Leaders
Martinsville Speedway
Statistical Categories:
|
Leaders
|
Loop Data
|
Driver Rating
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
115.8
|
Average Running Position
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
8.185
|
Laps Led
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
2,691 laps (20.6%)
|
Laps in the Top 15
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
84.8% (11,059 laps)
|
Fastest Laps Run
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
1,124 laps (8.6%)
|
Green Flag Passes
|
Kurt Busch
|
1,315
|
Quality Passes
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
888
|
Green Flag Speed
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
91.394 mph
|
* The above stats are based on Loop Data from 2005 - 2017
| ||
Martinsville Speedway Data
Season Race #: 06 of 36 (03-25-18)
Track Size: 0.526-mile
Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 12 degrees
Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 12 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 0 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 0 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 800 feet
Backstretch Length: 800 feet
Race Length: 500 laps / 263 miles
Stage 1 & 2 Length: 130 laps (each)
Final Stage Length: 240 laps
Top 10 Driver Ratings at Martinsville
Jimmie Johnson........................ 115.8
Denny Hamlin........................... 106.2
Kyle Busch............................... 102.6
Brad Keselowski......................... 96.0
Kevin Harvick............................. 93.7
Joey Logano............................... 92.0
Clint Bowyer............................... 89.4
Ryan Newman............................ 85.8
Jamie McMurray......................... 84.7
Chase Elliott............................... 83.7
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2017 races (25 total) among active drivers at Martinsville Speedway.
Qualifying/Race Data
2017 pole winner:
None – Due To Weather
2017 race winner:
Brad Keselowski, Ford
70.139 mph, (03:44:59), 04-02-17
Track qualifying record:
Joey Logano, Ford
100.201 mph, 18.898 secs. 03-28-14
Track race record:
Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet
82.223 mph, (3:11:55), 09-22-96
|
Martinsville Speedway:
History
· Opened in September 1947 by H. Clay Earles, Martinsville, originally a dirt track, is one of the oldest continuously-operating race tracks in the United States.
· The first NASCAR-sanctioned race at Martinsville was on July 4, 1948.
· The first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup race was Sept. 25, 1949.
· The track was paved in 1955.
· The first 500-lap event at Martinsville was in 1956.
· Concrete corners were added atop asphalt in 1976.
· There have been 138 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway, one in the inaugural year and two races per year since 1950.
Starts
· 621 drivers have competed in at least one Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville; 397 in more than one.
· NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in starts at Martinsville with 67.
· Kurt Busch leads the series in starts among active drivers at Martinsville with 35.
· Fonty Flock (8 starts) leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Martinsville Speedway with a 3.125.
· Joey Logano (18 starts) leads all active drivers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Martinsville Speedway with a 8.667.
· Joey Logano (8.7), Chase Elliott (9.4), Ryan Blaney (9.5), Ryan Newman (9.6), and Denny Hamlin (9.6) each have an average starting position at Martinsville inside the top 10.
· In total, 62 drivers have made their first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start at Martinsville.
· Gray Gaulding (10/30/2016), Chase Elliott (03/29/2015) and Michael McDowell (3/30/2008) are the active drivers who have made their first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career start at Martinsville Speedway.
Poles
· Curtis Turner won the inaugural MENCS Busch Pole Award at Martinsville Speedway in 1949.
· 61 different drivers have won poles at Martinsville, led by NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip with eight Busch Pole Awards.
· Joey Logano leads the series among active drivers with the most poles at Martinsville with four – 2015 sweep, Spring 2016 and Fall 2017.
· 27 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers have multiple poles at Martinsville.
· 13 drivers have won two or more consecutive poles at Martinsville Speedway; the most recent was Joey Logano who won three consecutive poles at Martinsville from 2015-2016.
· Five drivers have won three consecutive poles at Martinsville: Glen Wood (fall of 1959 and 1960 sweep); Darrell Waltrip (1979 sweep and spring 1980); Mark Martin (fall of 1990 and 1991 sweep); Jeff Gordon (2003 sweep and spring 2004) and Joey Logano (2015 sweep, 2016 spring).
· Youngest Martinsville pole winner: Ricky Rudd (4/26/1981 – 24 years, 7 months, 14 days).
· Oldest Martinsville pole winner: Morgan Shepherd (4/26/1987 – 45 years, 6 months, 14 days).
· 12 drivers have posted their first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series pole at Martinsville Speedway; the two most recent are Scott Riggs (4/10/2005) and Tony Stewart (4/18/1999).
Wins
· 50 different Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Martinsville Speedway, led by Richard Petty with 15 victories.
· Jimmie Johnson leads the series among active drivers with nine wins at Martinsville; followed by Denny Hamlin with five. Only seven active drivers have won at Martinsville.
· Jimmie Johnson can become the third driver in series history to record 10 or more wins at more than one track with a win this weekend; joining NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Darrell Waltrip.
Driver
|
Tracks With 10 Or More Wins
|
Richard Petty
|
Martinsville (15), North Wilkesboro (15), Richmond (13), Rockingham (11), Daytona (10)
|
Darrell Waltrip
|
Bristol (12), Martinsville (10), North Wilkesboro (10)
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
Dover (11)
|
David Pearson
|
Darlington (10)
|
Dale Earnhardt
|
Talladega (10)
|
· 25 drivers have multiple wins at Martinsville Speedway; nine drivers have won five or more times; two are active: Jimmie Johnson (nine) and Denny Hamlin (five).
· Hendrick Motorsports leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Martinsville Speedway with 24 wins – Jeff Gordon (nine), Jimmie Johnson (nine), Darrell Waltrip (four), Geoffrey Bodine (one) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (one).
· 20 of 138 races (14.5%) at Martinsville Speedway have been won from the Busch pole; three of those 20 wins came from active drivers: Jimmie Johnson (2012, spring 2013) and Denny Hamlin (2010) – Note: Johnson won from the first starting position in 2008, but qualifying was not held due to weather. A total of 21 wins have come from the first starting position.
· The first starting position is the most proficient starting spot in the field at Martinsville, producing more wins (21) than any other starting position.
· 36 of the 138 (26.1%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway have been won from the front row: 21 from the first starting position and 15 from the second starting position.
· 72 of the 138 (52.2%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup races at Martinsville Speedway have been won from a top-five starting position.
· 99 of the 138 (71.7%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup races at Martinsville Speedway have been won from a top-10 starting position.
· Seven of the 138 (5.1%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway have been won from a starting position outside the top 20 – including both races in 2014.
· The deepest in the field that a race winner has started is 36th, by Kurt Busch in the fall of 2002.
· Youngest Martinsville winner: Richard Petty (04/10/1960 – 22 years, 9 months, 8 days).
· Oldest Martinsville winner: Harry Gant (09/22/1991 – 51 years, 8 months, 12 days).
· 12 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers have posted consecutive wins at Martinsville Speedway.
- Fred Lorenzen won four MENCS races straight (the most) from the fall of 1963 through the spring of 1965.
- Jimmie Johnson is the most recent driver to win consecutive races (2012 Playoff race / spring of 2013) at Martinsville.
· Kyle Busch competed at Martinsville Speedway 21 times before winning in 2016; the longest span of any the seven active Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series winners.
· Four active winners have made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Martinsville Speedway: Kevin Harvick (19), Ryan Newman (20), Kyle Busch (21) Brad Keselowski (14).
· 11 drivers posted their first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win at Martinsville Speedway; the most recent was Ricky Craven (10/15/2001).
· A total of 11 manufacturers have won in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville; led by Chevrolet with 56 victories. Ford has 27 wins and Toyota has seven wins at Martinsville.
Additional Finishing Positions
· NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the series in runner-up finishes at Martinsville Speedway with seven; Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers with four.
· Richard Petty leads the series in top-five finishes at Martinsville Speedway with 30; Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers with 19, followed by Kyle Busch with 13.
· Jeff Gordon lead the series in top-10 finishes at Martinsville Speedway with 38; Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in top 10s at Martinsville with 24; followed by Denny Hamlin with 18.
· Dick Hutcherson (five starts) leads the series in average finish at Martinsville Speedway with a 3.800.
· Jimmie Johnson (32 starts) leads the series among active drivers in average finish at Martinsville Speedway with a 7.687; followed by Denny Hamlin 10.0 (24 starts).
Track Event Specific Stats
· Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions 11-times in the Monster Energy NASCAR Series at Martinsville Speedway: 1953, 1954, 1955, 1970, 1989, 1995, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2017.
· Eight Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway have been shortened due to weather:
Date
|
Scheduled No. of Laps
|
Actual No. of Laps
|
No. of Fewer Laps
|
Race Winner
|
Runner-up
|
4/23/1995
|
500
|
356
|
144
|
Rusty Wallace
|
Ted Musgrave
|
4/24/1977
|
500
|
384
|
116
|
Cale Yarborough
|
Benny Parsons
|
9/26/1976
|
500
|
340
|
160
|
Cale Yarborough
|
Darrell Waltrip
|
9/30/1973
|
500
|
480
|
20
|
Richard Petty
|
Cale Yarborough
|
5/31/1970
|
500
|
377
|
123
|
Bobby Isaac
|
Bobby Allison
|
4/9/1961
|
500
|
149
|
351
|
Fred Lorenzen
|
Rex White
|
10/12/1958
|
500
|
350
|
150
|
Fireball Roberts
|
Speedy Thompson
|
10/17/1954
|
200
|
165
|
35
|
Lee Petty
|
Hershel McGriff
|
· There have been six Monster Energy Series races that have ended in NASCAR Overtime at Martinsville Speedway:
Date
|
Scheduled No. of Laps
|
Actual No. of Laps
|
NASCAR Overtime
|
Race Winner
|
Runner-up
|
10/29/2017
|
500
|
505
|
5
|
Kyle Busch
|
Martin Truex Jr.
|
4/1/2012
|
500
|
515
|
15
|
Ryan Newman
|
AJ Allmendinger
|
3/29/2010
|
500
|
508
|
8
|
Denny Hamlin
|
Joey Logano
|
10/25/2009
|
500
|
501
|
1
|
Denny Hamlin
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
10/19/2008
|
500
|
504
|
4
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
Dale Earnhardt Jr
|
10/21/2007
|
500
|
506
|
6
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
Ryan Newman
|
Track Event Specific Stats
· Since the advent of electronic scoring, the closest margin of victory in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway is the April 1, 2007 race won by Jimmie Johnson with a MOV of 0.065 second over second-place Jeff Gordon.
· NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough leads the series in laps led at Martinsville Speedway with 3,851 laps led.
· Jimmie Johnson currently leads all active drivers in laps led at Martinsville Speedway with 2,862. Johnson needs to lead 138 laps or more to become just the fifth driver in series history to lead 3,000 or more laps at multiple tracks joining NASCAR Hall of Famers Cale Yarbrough (five tracks with 3,000 or more laps led), Richard Petty (four tracks), Rusty Wallace (three tracks) and Darrell Waltrip (two tracks). Below are the seven drivers in series history to lead 3,000 or more laps at a single track:
Driver
|
Tracks With 3,000 Or More Laps Led
|
Cale Yarborough
|
Bristol (4,305), Martinsville (3,851), Rockingham (3,732), Nashville Fgds (3,632), Atlanta (3,283)
|
Richard Petty
|
North Wilkesboro (5,308), Richmond (5,136), Nashville Fgds (3,957), Rockingham (3,130)
|
Rusty Wallace
|
Bristol (3,743), Martinsville (3,632), Richmond (3,024)
|
Darrell Waltrip
|
Martinsville (3,617), Bristol (3,436)
|
Jeff Gordon
|
Martinsville (3,779)
|
Dale Earnhardt
|
Bristol (3,751)
|
Jimmie Johnson
|
Dover (3,105)
|
Female Competitor Stats
· Danica Patrick is the only female driver to compete at Martinsville Speedway in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Below are Patrick’s stats at Martinsville.
Driver
|
Starting Position
|
Finishing Position
|
Date
|
Driver Rating
|
Danica Patrick
|
23
|
17
|
10/29/2017
|
61.7
|
Danica Patrick
|
29
|
23
|
4/2/2017
|
54.2
|
Danica Patrick
|
24
|
24
|
10/30/2016
|
53.2
|
Danica Patrick
|
28
|
16
|
4/3/2016
|
69.2
|
Danica Patrick
|
16
|
40
|
11/1/2015
|
49.8
|
Danica Patrick
|
16
|
7
|
3/29/2015
|
86.9
|
Danica Patrick
|
30
|
34
|
10/26/2014
|
61.3
|
Danica Patrick
|
10
|
32
|
3/30/2014
|
52.4
|
Danica Patrick
|
41
|
17
|
10/27/2013
|
64.7
|
Danica Patrick
|
32
|
12
|
4/7/2013
|
72.6
|
Averages
|
24.9
|
22.2
|
62.6
|
NASCAR In Virginia
· There have been 505 NASCAR national series races among 10 tracks in the state of Virginia.
· Martinsville Speedway hosted the very first NASCAR national series race in the state of Virginia on Sept. 25, 1949 – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event was won by Red Byron (Oldsmobile).
Track Name
|
City
|
Monster Energy
|
Xfinity
|
Camping World
|
Total Races
|
Martinsville Speedway
|
Martinsville
|
138
|
34
|
38
|
210
|
Richmond Raceway
|
Richmond
|
123
|
68
|
11
|
202
|
South Boston Speedway
|
South Boston
|
10
|
35
|
3
|
48
|
Langley Field Speedway
|
Hampton
|
9
|
14
|
0
|
23
|
Old Dominion Speedway
|
Manassas
|
7
|
0
|
0
|
7
|
New River Valley Speedway
|
Dublin
|
0
|
4
|
0
|
4
|
Southside Speedway
|
Richmond
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
4
|
Starkey Speedway
|
Roanoke
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
4
|
Norfolk Speedway
|
Norfolk
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
Princess Anne Speedway
|
Norfolk
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Totals
|
298
|
155
|
52
|
505
|
Virginia in NASCAR
· 180 drivers that have made at least one start in a NASCAR national series race have their home state recorded as Virginia.
· 19 drivers from Virginia have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series. 11 of the 19 Virginia native NASCAR winners have won in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
Driver
|
Monster Energy
|
Xfinity
|
Camping World
|
Denny Hamlin
|
31
|
17
|
2
|
Joe Weatherly
|
25
|
0
|
0
|
Ricky Rudd
|
23
|
1
|
0
|
Jeff Burton
|
21
|
27
|
0
|
Curtis Turner
|
17
|
0
|
0
|
Ward Burton
|
5
|
4
|
0
|
Glen Wood
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
Elliott Sadler
|
3
|
13
|
1
|
Emanuel Zervakis
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
Lennie Pond
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
Wendell Scott
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
Tommy Ellis
|
0
|
22
|
0
|
Jimmy Hensley
|
0
|
9
|
2
|
Rick Mast
|
0
|
9
|
0
|
Hermie Sadler
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
Elton Sawyer
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
Stacy Compton
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
Jon Wood
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
Jeb Burton
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series - Milestones
| |||
STARTS
| |||
Driver: Aric Almirola
|
Has
|
Needs
| |
Milestone:
|
249
|
1
| |
Almirola will become the 107th driver to make 250 Monster Energy Series starts.
| |||
WINS
| |||
Driver: Jimmie Johnson
|
Has
|
Needs
| |
Milestone:
|
83
|
1
| |
Tie Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip for fourth on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins list.
| |||
Driver: Kyle Busch
|
Has
|
Needs
| |
Milestone:
|
43
|
1
| |
Tie Bill Elliott for 16th on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins list.
| |||
Driver: Kevin Harvick
|
Has
|
Needs
| |
Milestone:
|
40
|
3
| |
Tie Kyle Busch for 17th on the all-time MENCS wins list.
| |||
Driver: Denny Hamlin
|
Has
|
Needs
| |
Milestone:
|
31
|
1
| |
To tie Dale Jarrett for 24th on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins list.
| |||
Driver: Kurt Busch
|
Has
|
Needs
| |
Milestone:
|
29
|
1
| |
Tie Denny Hamlin for 25th on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins list.
| |||
POLES
| |||
Driver: Ryan Newman
|
Has
|
Needs
| |
Milestone:
|
51
|
3
| |
Tie Bill Elliott for eighth on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series poles list.
| |||
Driver: Jimmie Johnson
|
Has
|
Needs
| |
Milestone:
|
35
|
1
| |
To tie Rusty Wallace for 18th on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series poles list.
| |||
Driver: Kasey Kahne
|
Has
|
Needs
| |
Milestone:
|
27
|
2
| |
To tie Ricky Rudd for 24th on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series poles list.
| |||
Driver: Kyle Busch
|
Has
|
Needs
| |
Milestone:
|
28
|
1
| |
To tie Ricky Rudd for 24th on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series poles list.
| |||
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series - Milestones
| ||
Top Fives
| ||
Driver: Kevin Harvick
|
Has
|
Needs
|
Milestone:
|
171
|
4
|
Tie Bill Elliott for 20th on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series top fives list.
| ||
Top 10s
| ||
Driver: Kevin Harvick
|
Has
|
Needs
|
Milestone:
|
310
|
1
|
To tie Buddy Baker for 16th on the all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series top 10s list.
| ||
Laps Led
| ||
Driver: Jimmie Johnson
|
Has
|
Needs
|
Milestone:
|
18,663
|
337
|
Needs 337 laps led to become the ninth driver in the MENCS all-time to lead 19,000 laps.
| ||
Driver: Kyle Busch
|
Has
|
Needs
|
Milestone:
|
14,589
|
411
|
Needs 411 laps led to become the 10th driver in the MENCS all-time to lead 15,000 laps.
| ||
Driver: Kevin Harvick
|
Has
|
Needs
|
Milestone:
|
11,524
|
476
|
Needs 476 laps led to become the 15th driver all-time in the MENCS to lead 12,000 laps.
| ||
Driver: Kurt Busch
|
Has
|
Needs
|
Milestone:
|
8,951
|
49
|
Needs 49 laps led to become the 20th driver all-time in the MENCS to lead 9,000 laps.
| ||
Driver: Denny Hamlin
|
Has
|
Needs
|
Milestone:
|
8,925
|
75
|
Needs 75 laps led to become the 20th driver all-time in the MENCS to lead 9,000 laps.
| ||
Driver: Martin Truex Jr.
|
Has
|
Needs
|
Milestone:
|
6,658
|
342
|
Needs 342 laps led to become the 29th driver all-time in the MENCS to lead 7,000 laps.
| ||
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