Short Track Showmen

Since the first NASCAR Cup Series season in 1949, short tracks – a track less than a mile in length – have graced the competitive schedule and been part of the fabric that makes up the sport.

NASCAR Hall of Famer aptly nicknamed ‘The King,’ Richard Petty scored 138 of his record 200 NASCAR Cup Series victories on short tracks – the series-most short-track wins all-time. He also holds the record for the most wins at a single NASCAR Cup Series track posting 15 victories at this weekend’s venue – Martinsville Speedway and North Wilkesboro.

Among the active drivers this weekend, 10 have posted wins on short tracks in the NASCAR Cup Series, led by Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch with 16 short-track Cup victories. Team Penske’s Joey Logano is the only driver to win at all four of the currently active short tracks on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule with his victory last season at Bristol Dirt.

 

Active Short Track Winners	Total	Martinsville	Richmond	Bristol	Bristol Dirt
Kyle Busch	16	2	6	8	0
Denny Hamlin	11	5	4	2	0
Kurt Busch	10	2	2	6	0
Brad Keselowski	7	2	2	3	0
Kevin Harvick	7	1	3	3	0
Joey Logano	6	1	2	2	1
Martin Truex Jr	6	3	3	0	0
Alex Bowman	2	1	1	0	0
Kyle Larson	2	0	1	1	0
Chase Elliott	1	1	0	0	0

 

Seven of the 10 active NASCAR Cup Series short track winners entered this weekend are looking for their first victory of 2022, and all seven are former winners at Martinsville – Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott and the track’s defending spring race winner Martin Truex Jr.

Additionally, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick is the only NASCAR Cup Series driver to win in all three NASCAR national series at Martinsville Speedway (NCS: 2011, NXS: 2006, NCWTS: 2009, 2010, 2012) and the only active driver with an Xfinity win at the track. Five other drivers entered this weekend have won in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Martinsville Speedway - 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace has two wins (2013, 2014), Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin (2011, 2012) and Kyle Busch (2016, 2019) each have two wins, Hendrick Motorsport’s driver Chase Elliott has one Truck win (2017) and Team Penske’s Joey Logano also has one win (2015).

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. has won the last two consecutive Martinsville Speedway NACAR Cup Series spring races. In total, Truex has made 32 series starts at Martinsville posting one pole, three wins (2019, 2020, 2021), nine top fives and 15 top 10s. He has also led 1,016 laps at the Paperclip shaped track.