Martinsville Practice Notes: Gordon Dominates the Day, Fastest in Both Sessions

By Micah Roberts

Gordon gave us a blast from the past on Friday (Getty)

It’s been a while since we’ve seen Jeff Gordon thoroughly dominate a weekend practice schedule the way he did Friday in preparation for Sunday’s Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. In the only two practices of the weekend, Gordon came out on top with the fastest individual lap of each.

Gordon not only had the fastest lap of 97.028 mph in the final session, but it was almost 2 mph faster than the second fastest, Kurt Busch (95.937). Brad Keselowski was third fastest (95.728) followed by Ryan Newman (95.550) and a surprising name in the mix, David Stremme (95.463).

For Keselowski, who just won two weeks ago on the half-mile track of Bristol, he ran the second most laps (113) of the session just behind Kyle Busch (116). Busch came in 29th fastest, well off his second fastest run from the early practice. Newman also showed in practice once again that his car is capable of capturing his first Martinsville win.

Jimmie Johnson, who struggled in the earlier session, improved dramatically to 13th fastest but still doesn’t have the look of past No. 48 practices at Martinsville.

What Jeff Gordon did today is close, or better, to the standard Johnson has set at over the last few seasons at Martinsville. The fact that we rarely see this type of practice out of Gordon should say something about the seven-time Martinsville winner's chances on Sunday. Gordon’s domination in speeds were reminiscent of his practice times from his early years at Sonoma.

Gordon was also fastest in average speeds among all drivers that ran at least 30 laps. Having another good show in this category was Kevin Harvick along with Keselowski, Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Clint Bowyer.

For whatever it’s worth, Harvick also had the best 10-consecutive lap average followed by Gordon, Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr, Earnhardt Jr and Johnson.

In short track racing with lots of laps being run on a single tank of fuel, I usually throw out the 10-lap averages because it’s not enough data to go off of in the grand scheme of things. 10 laps is hardly enough data to form an opinion like at the bigger tracks. But in this instance, almost all the speeds correlate with the overall averages.

I’m not a fan of any particular driver, but I must say I was excited for Jeff Gordon giving us a blast from the past on Friday. He has easily surpassed Denny Hamlin, who struggled in the final session, as the favorite to win Sunday. It's also encouraging that Junior looks like he has a car that can win and end his 134-race winless streak. Should be a good show!

Top-5 Practice 2 Speeds
1) Jeff Gordon 97.028
2) Kurt Busch 95.937
3) Brad Keselowski 95.728
4) Ryan Newman 95.550
5) David Stremme 95.463

Practice 2 (Final) Speeds



Gordon Fastest in First Session, Hamlin Best Average Speeds

Jeff Gordon looking for Martinsville win No. 8 (Getty)

With only three minutes remaining in the first Goody’s Fast Relief 500 practice session at Martinsville Speedway, Jeff Gordon laid down the fastest lap of the day at 97.048 mph. The seven-time Martinsville winner eclipsed the lap of Kyle Busch (96.595), who was second fastest, that had stood at the top of the charts for about 45 of the 90 minute session.

Denny Hamlin had the third fastest lap (96.835) at about the same juncture Gordon did in the final stages. Hamlin will be looking for his fifth Martinsville win and if average time is any indicator (it is), he’s well on his way. Hamlin had a session high average speed of 94.077 mph while running 36 laps.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished runner-up in this race last season and all indications from the first practice is that he’ll be right there contending again for his first Martinsville win. Junior ran the fourth fastest lap (96.686) and finished with a very respectable average of 93.798 mph.

Ryan Newman brought his winning New Hampshire chassis from last year in hopes of recreating some flat track magic and finished with the fifth fastest lap (96.376) of the session. Newman also raced this car in both Martinsville events last season and led a combined 44 laps.

The surprise of the entire practice may have been the absence of Jimmie Johnson among the top-10, top-20 and even top-30. Johnson ran a session high 67 laps, but was only able to muster the 38th best time, or better yet, ninth worse among the 46 drivers attempting to qualify Saturday.

Friday’s final session will surely decide the fate of the six-time Martinsville winner and something tells me they’ll be just fine. The car Johnson's using this week is the same one that was runner-up last fall at Martinsville.

A driver who didn’t place in the top-10 during individual lap times, but excelled with his average speed was last year’s winner Kevin Harvick. He was best lap of 96.111 was good enough for 12th fastest, but his average speed of 94.053 was second best to Hamlin’s. Hamlin and Harvick were the only two drivers to average over 94 mph.

The final 90 minute practice session is for 3:30 pm (ET).

Top-5 Practice 1 Speeds:
1) Jeff Gordon 97.048
2) Kyle Busch 96.959
3) Denny Hamlin 96.835
4) Dale Earnhardt, Jr 96.686
5) Ryan Newman 96.376

Practice 1 Speeds

2012 Martinsville Goody's Fast Relief 500 Preview

By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

Martinsville is now is alone with short track racing 'the way it oughta be'

In the last couple of decades, Martinsville has taken a back seat to Bristol because the higher banked Bristol produced more excitement. Although each track is essentially the same half-mile in distance, drivers at Martinsville go nearly 30 mph slower.

But over the last two seasons a massive change of opinion has shifted with fans all over the country where Martinsville has become the most attractive brand of short track racing in NASCAR.

The main culprit in the perception shift is action, with drivers getting angry with one another and Bristol doesn’t have that anymore ever since they changed the surface in 2007 making it a multi-grooved track.

At Martinsville, the fastest way around the track is on the bottom and drivers fight like hungry wolves to get there, and stay there. If a slower driver doesn’t want to do the gentlemanly thing and let the faster one pass, NASCAR justice occurs in an instant with the slower driver getting bumped out of the way against his wishes. This is where the action happens and the fun begins, and it‘s something that only Martinsville provides making it the most unique track on the circuit.

“It’s still that old short-track feel," Tony Stewart said about Martinsville. "That’s what I like. We run a lot of 1.5-mile tracks during the year and it’s the only place that races like this. We’ve got two half-mile tracks that we race on. This one’s quite a bit different than Bristol, and that’s what makes it fun. You can out-brake guys and you can run the outside if you get a shot. It’s racing the way we all grew up racing.”

Over the last decade, only a select few drivers have been able to master it. The combination of Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin have won 14 of the last 18 Martinsville races. Justs by playing the odds, it’s likely that one of them will win again this week.

However, we do have last season to account for where neither of the Martinsville Big-3 won. Kevin Harvick won for the first time in the spring and Tony Stewart won in the fall during his incredible Chase run. For Harvick, he’s on a run of finishing fourth or better in his last three starts there. For Stewart, it broke a string of poor finishes there and gave him his second career win on the track.

The driver to key on this week out of all of them has to be Denny Hamlin. It would take a lot of work for the native Virginian not to win this race because of how dialed in this team is. He’s got a Phoenix win under his belt already this season and probably could have won at California last week had it not been for rain because he had the best car on the track.

Beyond all of Hamlin’s past exploits at Martinsville that has seen him capture four wins with an average finish of 6.5, we also have to give him the nod because of new crew chief Darian Grubb. Not only did Grubb set-up cars for Jimmie Johnson’s six Martinsville wins, but he also helped Stewart get there last year. The combination of Hamlin’s natural skills here and Grubb setting up the car will be a formidable opponent for every driver on Sunday.

The one outsider who could break his winless streak of 134 races is Dale Earnhardt Jr. and he's excited about racing there this week.

“I look forward going to Martinsville," Earnhardt Jr. said earlier this week. "I always have a lot of fun there. I think everybody really enjoys running there. It’s a pretty fun track. We’ve had some good success there. I’m hoping to have a good race like we did last year and maybe have an opportunity to try to be in the battle for the win.”

Junior has finished seventh or better in seven of his last 10 Martinsville starts that includes two runner-up finishes, including this race last year. He’s never won at Martinsville, but he’s been running very well this season which should give the team some momentum coming in.

This race ultimately runs through Hamlin and if looking to play anyone else, it’s with the hope that something either happens to Hamlin’s car or the pit crew makes an error late in the race. There is just too much in Hamlin’s favor this week.

Top-5 Finish Prediction:
1) #11 Denny Hamlin (6/1)
2) #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr (14/1)
3) #24 Jeff Gordon (7/1)
4) #48 Jimmie Johnson (7/1)
5) #29 Kevin Harvick (10/1)

Driver Notes & Quotes for Martinsville Goody's Fast Relief 500

Harvick first time winner at Martinsville in '11

KEVIN HARVICK ON WINNING AT MARTINSVILLE LAST YEAR: “For us it was good to get the win out of our way and getting those solid finishes over the last couple of years has been good for us. We felt like we have always run fairly well there, we just never could put together a complete day.Really, the spring race last year, when we won, we had a tough go at it in the first half of the race, and actually wrecked and got a car tore up and were able to fix it and keep ourselves on the lead lap and make our car a lot better as we went through into the second half of the race. You know, it all worked out in the end.So it’s a race track we feel confident at. All of our cars have run well there in the past. It’s really keeping yourself out of trouble and getting to the end and hopefully by the end of the day you’re in position to do something in the top-five.”

HARVICK CHASSIS CHOICE: Kevin Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 320 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in this weekend’s Goody’s Fast Relief 500. This former No. 33 racer was transformed to a No. 29 entry during the off-season and will turn its first competitive laps as a Budweiser is Back Chevrolet during Friday’s opening practice session.

PAUL MENARD CHASSIS CHOICE: Paul Menard will pilot Chassis No. 349 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This No. 27 Chevrolet was last seen on track at Martinsville in October 2011 where Menard finished 24th after starting in the 21st position.

JEFF BURTON CHASSIS CHOICE: Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 329 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable this weekend. This No. 31 Chevrolet, originally built in 2010, has seen significant track time over the last two seasons including Texas Motor Speedway in Nov. 2010 (started-16th, finished-36th), Bristol Motor Speedway in Aug. 2011 (started-21st, finished-15th) and New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Sept. 2011 (started-18th, finished-13th). Burton also tallied a top-five finish at Phoenix International Raceway last November, finishing fourth after starting 14th.

JEFF GORDON ON MARTINSVILLE: "The one place on the schedule that has changed the least is Martinsville. I believe the track, the setups and the tires have changed the least here compared to other tracks over the course of 20 seasons. And that’s where experience can really pay off. At other tracks, sometimes you have to reinvent yourself – along with how we reinvent the setups and the aero package that we’re racing – and that’s tough to do. The longer you’re in the sport, the tougher that is to do. Somebody like me – who has a lot of experience and who has also had success at a place like Martinsville – can continue to have that success because it’s not all about aerodynamics. It’s not about a spring and shock and sway bar combination that all of the sudden makes your car fly. I feel like Martinsville is that one place that I can go to every time and give good information back to the team to keep us fast throughout the race.”

JAMIE McMURRAY CHASSIS CHOICE: Chassis #1210. Crew Chief Kevin “Bono” Manion and the No.1 Belkin team will bring Chassis #1210 to Martinsville Speedway this weekend. This is a brand new chassis.

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA CHASSIS CHOICE: Chassis #1207. Crew Chief Chris Heroy and the No.42 Target team will bring Chassis #1207 to Martinsville Speedway this weekend. This is a brand new chassis.

JIMMIE JOHNSON ON MARTINSVILLE: “I do have a lot of success at Martinsville, but it took me a few tries to get it right. And since then, it’s been a very good track for me. I certainly want to get back to my winning ways there. But at a minimum, we always end up with a real strong finish. When I think of how close we were to victory last fall; it didn’t happen, but we led a lot of laps and was a factor in the end. I’m looking forward to going back and trying to win there again. Martinsville is really rhythm-based. That’s me as a driver, and really takes place at any track, but that is one of the tracks where the rhythm is so important and so specific. And I have a very good rhythm for the race in the long run and have always struggled a little bit with qualifying in the short-run rhythm there. I feel like I get better each year. I did get a pole there at one point and I hope to find that magic once again when we go back because qualifying is so important. But it really is a rhythm race track.”

JOHNSON CHASSIS CHOICE: Will return in the same car (chassis No. 653) that he finished 11th and second with in both Martinsville races last season.

KASEY KAHNE CHASSIS CHOICE: Crew chief Kenny Francis has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-651. Built in 2011, Mark Martin drove this car in both Martinsville races last year, collecting a top-10 finish in April.

RYAN NEWMAN CHASSIS CHOICE: This will be the fifth start for Chassis No. 39-645, its first this season and its third start at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The chassis made its first start last April at Martinsville, where Newman started second and finished 20th, two laps down. Newman led three laps and was in the top-10 for much of the first 300 laps of the 500-lap race, but a broken header pipe and a flat left-rear tire caused him to lose two laps. The next start for Chassis 39-645 was in July at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, where Newman started on the pole and led 119 of 301 laps en route to his 15th career Sprint Cup Series victory. The chassis returned to Loudon in September, when Newman again started on the pole and then led the first 62 laps before finishing a disappointing 25th. A cut tire with less than five laps remaining dropped Newman from 11th to 25th.

The last on-track action for this chassis came at Martinsville last fall. Newman led 41 laps and recovered from a late-race spin and made up 10 spots in the race’s final 25 laps to finish in the top-10. The car has been updated for the 2012 season and returns to action for the first time this weekend at Martinsville.

2 SHR winning cars: Newman NHMS, Stewart Martinsville

TONY STEWART CHASSIS CHOICE: No. 14-587 - This car made its debut in March 2010 at Martinsville, where it qualified fifth and finished 26th. Prior to Martinsville, Chassis No. 14-587 never turned a wheel on the racetrack. With a new body honed in the wind tunnel, it was tested at The Milwaukee Mile June 1 in preparation for its second career start in June at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. There, Chassis No. 14-587 earned a hard-fought second-place finish, for after starting 25th, it fell to 33rd after a lap-36 pit miscue on the team’s first stop. Two late-race cautions allowed Stewart to regain his lost track position, and with a savvy two-tire pit call, Stewart wheeled Chassis No. 14-587 to pass second-place Kurt Busch on the penultimate lap.

The car returned to New Hampshire for the first event of the 10-race Chase for the Championship, where in its third career start, it qualified third before leading three times for 100 laps. But while leading with less than two laps to go, it ran out of fuel. Stewart coasted around the 1.058-mile oval for the final circuit of the 300-lap race and finished 24th, the last driver on the lead lap. Clint Bowyer, who served as Stewart’s primary competition for much of the race, wound up with the victory. Chassis No. 14-587 revisited Martinsville for round six of the Chase, where it qualified sixth and rallied back from two pitroad miscues during the race, but a flat right-front tire with less than 10 laps remaining relegated it to a 24th-place finish.

With another new body, this car made its first start of 2011 and fifth overall at Phoenix International Raceway in February. It started 18th and led four times for 59 laps before an ill-timed caution period late in the race jettisoned solid pit strategy and left it with a seventh-place finish. Chassis No. 14-587’s second start of 2011 came at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway back in April, where it qualified 31st and rallied its way to a ninth-place finish. The car sat idle until returning to Richmond in early September for it seventh career start, where it logged its third straight top-10 finish.

In its final start of 2011, Chassis No. 14-587 went out on top. The site was Martinsville in late October, where it started fourth, nearly fell off the lead lap midway through the 500-lap race, and overcame an unscheduled pit stop on lap 415 to replace a perceived flat tire. Stewart used Chassis No. 14-587 to rally his way from 20th to take the lead from five-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson on a restart with three laps to go. When the checkered flag dropped, Stewart had his third Sprint Cup win at Martinsville and was on his way to his third career Sprint Cup championship.

This weekend, Chassis No. 14-587 makes its ninth career start, its fourth at Martinsville and first of 2012 in Sunday’s Goody’s Fast Relief 500.

KURT BUSCH CHASSIS CHOICE: This weekend’s Goody’s Fast Relief 500 will be the first race of the 2012 season for this chassis. The No. 51 Phoenix Racing team competed with this chassis at a number of short-track races during the 2011 season. Prior to the 2011 season, this chassis was used by the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team and driver Jeff Gordon.

DALE EARNHARDT JR ON MARTINSVILLE: “I look forward going to Martinsville. I always have a lot of fun there. I think everybody really enjoys running there. It's a pretty fun track. We've had some good success there. I'm hoping to have a good race like we did last year and maybe have an opportunity to try to be in the battle for the win.”

EARNHARDT JR CHASSIS CHOICE: Crew chief Steve Letarte will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-654 for this weekend's race at Martinsville Speedway. This will be the third time that Earnhardt has raced this car, which he drove last season to a second-place finish at Martinsville in April and a seventh-place finish in October at Martinsville.

CARL EDWARDS ON MARTINSVILLE: “The Roush Fenway Fords were fast at Bristol and fast at California, and we’re going to Martinsville to put a Ford in victory lane. It will be a huge accomplishment for me as a race car driver to get my first victory at Martinsville. We got a top-10 finish the last time we were there and as an organization we’ve put a lot of focus on our short-track program. We’ve got the best cars we’ve ever had.”

EDWARDS CHASSIS CHOICE: RK-791 - This car debuted at Martinsville last fall where it finished ninth.

MATT KENSETH ON MARTINSVILLE: “Martinsville is a challenging track because it’s easy to get caught up in things that are beyond your control and you need to make sure that you try and remain patient. I never like getting run into or running into others during the race but most times, things like that happen at short tracks like Martinsville, I think that’s the most challenging aspect of racing there. There’s not a lot of room to maneuver for position since we don’t really have an outside groove as an option. We have a special paint scheme this weekend honoring USMC Corporal Josh ‘JB’ Kerns and I really hope that we can earn a finish that would make him proud.”

KENSETH CREW CHIEF JIMMY FENNIG ON MARTINSVILLE: “Martinsville is a challenging short track for drivers because it’s a place where there is such limited room to pass since there aren’t long straightaways so qualifying and handling are two aspects that we’ll spend a lot of time on this weekend. The last time we raced here we got beat off the corners a bit so we will also work on making sure our No. 17 Ford has good drive off the corners. My plan is to work on race trim and then switch over to qualifying trim so that we can get a good session working with that set-up as well.”

KENSETH CHASSIS CHOICE: Primary: RK-790 (Last ran at Martinsville, Oct. 2011 FINISHED 31ST)

GREG BIFFLE ON MARTINSVILLE: “Believe it or not, I’m actually looking forward to Martinsville. We have a brand new, super light, great car for this weekend. We’ve been working on brake packages and we feel like we have a great brake package. We’ve actually qualified well, for the most part, in the past at Martinsville. I’m really excited about Martinsville, but even more excited for the week off after.”

BIFFLE CHASSIS CHOICE: Primary: RK-807 Brand new chassis; Backup: RK-759 Last ran Phoenix as the No. 6 – finished 33rd.

MARCOS AMBROSE CHASSIS CHOICE: The No. 9 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 754 for the 500-lap race at Martinsville Speedway. This DEWALT Ford Fusion ran in both Martinsville races last season.

ARIC ALMIROLA CHASSIS CHOICE: The No. 43 Smithfield Ford will be chassis number 736. The chassis was last used at Phoenix last November and the team finished sixth.

KYLE BUSCH ON MARTINSVILLE: “I didn’t used to like Martinsville but, ever since I started working with Dave (Rogers, crew chief), we feel like we get better every time we go there and we’re getting close to finally winning one. I’ve had some decent runs there, where I’ve felt like we’ve had a car to win and had a shot to win. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get the track position toward the end of the race. Jeff (Gordon) is so good there, and Jimmie (Johnson) and Denny (Hamlin) are also good there. They’re probably the three most difficult guys to pass there because they know the place. They know how to get off the corner and how to roll the middle of the corner there. Everything is timing, and their stuff just works, whatever it is.” (NOTE: FOR SOME REASON, BUSCH'S PR PEOPLE HAVEN'T LISTED HIS CHASSIS THE LAST 2 WEEKS)

DENNY HAMLIN ON MARTINSVILLE: “I think we have a great chance to get back to victory lane at Martinsville. We have always been strong there and hopefully will be again this weekend. Darian (Grubb) and the FedEx guys have been giving me fast race cars each week and I think we’re close to another victory. I always enjoy going to Martinsville and being from Virginia, it’s good to get in front of the fans and run well.”

CLINT BOWYER ON MARTINSVILLE: “Martinsville is a great racetrack! I love that place as a driver and as a fan. It’s short track racing the way it should be. Track position is king at Martinsville. You talk about a place where qualifying is a big deal – Martinsville is it. You want to make sure you turn in a good lap on Saturday, because it’s hard to gain ground on race day!

BOWYER CHASSIS CHOICE: The No. 15 5-hour ENERGY team will race chassis No. 701 at Martinsville. Chassis No. 693 will serve as the backup. Both chassis are new in 2012.

BRIAN VICKERS CHASSIS CHOICE: Vickers will drive chassis 703 and chassis 694 will serve as a backup car. Neither has raced in 2012.

A.J. ALLMENDINGER CHASSIS CHOICE: and his Todd Gordon-led Penske Racing No. 22 Team will be racing their new "PRS-819" Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger this weekend at Martinsville. The "PRS-807" is the backup Dodge Charger for the "Double-Deuce" team. It was in the transporter serving as the backup at Phoenix and at Bristol, but has never seen any track time.

- From team PR releases

LVH Super Book Odds to Win 2012 Martinsville Goody's Fast Relief 500

Junior and Harvick had a nice late duel at Martinsville last year (Getty)

GOODY'S FAST RELIEF 500
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2012

JIMMIE JOHNSON 9-2
CARL EDWARDS 15
KYLE BUSCH 6
MATT KENSETH 40
JEFF GORDON 7
TONY STEWART 6
KEVIN HARVICK 10
KASEY KAHNE 20
DENNY HAMLIN 4
GREG BIFFLE 40
BRAD KESELOWSKI 20
DALE EARNHARDT JR 15
CLINT BOWYER 25
RYAN NEWMAN 25
AJ ALLMENDINGER 40
MARTIN TRUEX JR 40
BRIAN VICKERS 100
JEFF BURTON 30
JOEY LOGANO 50
JUAN MONTOYA 50
JAMIE McMURRAY 30
KURT BUSCH 100
PAUL MENARD 100
MARCOS AMBROSE 100
ARIC ALMIROLA 100
REGAN SMITH 300
DAVID GILLILAND 1000
BOBBY LABONTE 1000
DAVID RAGAN 1000
FIELD 300

GOODY'S FAST RELIEF 500 MATCHUPS
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2012

DENNY HAMLIN -130
JIMMIE JOHNSON +110

DENNY HAMLIN -150
JEFF GORDON +130

JIMMIE JOHNSON -130
JEFF GORDON +110

TONY STEWART -110
KYLE BUSCH -110

TONY STEWART -110
KEVIN HARVICK -110

KYLE BUSCH -110
KEVIN HARVICK -110

DALE EARNHARDT JR -165
BRAD KESELOWSKI +145

BRAD KESELOWSKI -110
RYAN NEWMAN -110

DALE EARNHARDT JR -165
RYAN NEWMAN +145

JEFF BURTON -120
CLINT BOWYER EVEN

JEFF BURTON -130
CARL EDWARDS +110

CLINT BOWYER -120
CARL EDWARDS EVEN

MARTIN TRUEX JR -110
JAMIE McMURRAY -110

AJ ALLMENDINGER -110
JUAN MONTOYA -110

MATT KENSETH -130
GREG BIFFLE +110

GREG BIFFLE -110
JOEY LOGANO -110

JOEY LOGANO +110
MATT KENSETH -130

2012 Martinsville Goody's Fast Relief 500 Storylines

Stewart won his second career Martinsville race last fall

None of what Tony Stewart has accomplished recently makes sense.

For one, he never wins this early in a season. Of his 46 career victories, only six came before June. And only four came prior to race No. 10. Yet, he’s 2-for-5 in this young season.

Two, with seven wins in the last 15 races, Stewart’s on a rare run. Jimmie Johnson ripped off a similar clip in 2009-10, winning four Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup races in 2009 and then three of the first five in 2010. But this has seemingly come out of nowhere for Stewart. Remember, he entered last year’s Chase winless.

Now, the three time – and defending – series champion has catapulted to fourth in the points. Impressive, especially considering Stewart has an average finish of 17.3 in his non-wins this season.

Why stop now? Martinsville Speedway’s on deck, site of Stewart’s thrilling pass – and eventual win – during last year’s Chase. Race No. 6 – the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 – is Sunday at 1 p.m. on FOX.

With much anticipation, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to action this week for its second race, the Kroger 250, on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. on SPEED.

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES – SUNDAY, APRIL 1 AT 1 P.M. ON FOX

Who’s The King Of Martinsville?

Hamlin and Johnson have won 10 of last 18 at Martisnville

Here are the contenders for the crown: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin.

Oddly, neither won a Martinsville race last year (Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart did), but that was a rarity.

Every year since 2003, at least one of those three drivers has won a Martinsville race. And even though Martinsville’s history goes all the way back to 1949, the three already reside near the top of the track’s wins list. Gordon has seven wins (tied for third-most); Johnson has six wins (tied for fifth); and Hamlin has four wins (tied for ninth).

Gordon needs the usual Martinsville success most – he currently sits 25th (the lowest points position through five races of his career), 51 points outside the top 10.

If a Gordon victory occurs (or a Johnson, Kasey Kahne or Dale Earnhardt Jr. win), it’ll be Hendrick Motorsports’ 200th win. That scene would be fitting – Martinsville was the site of Hendrick’s first win in 1984. Hendrick would also tie Petty Enterprises from most wins all time at the Virginia short track.

Junior A Fine Pick At Martinsville
Teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson will likely attract much of the "favorites" attention this weekend. But Dale Earnhardt Jr. best not be counted out.

Owning a Driver Rating of 99.0, Martinsville is Earnhardt’s top track in terms of the Loop Data statistic.

Earnhardt has finished in the top 10 in each of the last three Martinsville races, and was runner up to Kevin Harvick in this race last year.

Harvick Milestone Weekend At Track With ‘Happy’ Memories
Kevin Harvick, defending winner of this weekend’s race, will start his 400th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday.

Harvick, currently second in the points, has enjoyed a prolific first 399 races. The Bakersfield, Calif., native has 18 career wins including the 2007 Daytona 500. Harvick will also race in Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race.

This Year’s Owner Points Now Determine Guaranteed Status
Last season’s top 35 cars in owner points were locked into each of the first five races of 2012. Now, that luxury is gone.

From now until the end of the season, the 2012 owner points determine guaranteed status. That means a tougher challenge for Landon Cassill and the No. 83 BK Racing Toyota. Owner of guaranteed spot in the first five races, Cassill and his team will now have to qualify their way into this weekend’s event at Martinsville.

- NASCAR Media Services

Martinsville Odds & Ends: 2012 Goody's Fast Relief 500

At Martinsville Speedway:

Martinsville Speedway has been running strong in NASCAR since 1949

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 NASCAR Sprint 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.

Notebook
· There have been 126 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway, one in the inaugural year and two races per year since 1950.
· Curtis Turner won the pole for the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville in 1949.
· Red Byron won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
· 56 drivers have won poles, led by Darrell Waltrip with eight. Jeff Gordon, with seven poles, can tie that mark this weekend.
· Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Darrell Waltrip share the consecutive pole record, each with three.
· 46 different drivers have won, led by Richard Petty’s 15.
· Jeff Gordon leads active drivers with seven wins. Jimmie Johnson has six and Denny Hamlin has four.
· 19 races have been won from the pole, the last by Denny Hamlin in October 2010.
· Petty Enterprises has won 19 races, more than any other organization. Hendrick Motorsports, with 18 wins, can tie that mark this weekend.
· Kurt Busch won the 2002 fall race from the 36th starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started.
· Three active drivers average a top-10: Jimmie Johnson (5.4), Denny Hamlin (6.4) and Jeff Gordon (6.8).
· Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Martinsville Speedway winner: Richard Petty (4/10/1960 – 22 years, 9 months, 8 days).
· Oldest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Martinsville Speedway winner: Harry Gant (9/22/1996 – 51 years, 8 months, 12 days)

NASCAR in Virginia
· There have been 274 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Virginia.
· 162 drivers in NASCAR’s three national series (all-time) have their home state recorded as Virginia.
· There have been 18 race winners from Virginia in NASCAR’s three national series.

Stewart Holds Off Johnson, Wins at Martinsville

Sporting News Wire Service

Tony Stewart wins his third race of the Chase (Getty)

MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Tony Stewart passed Jimmie Johnson on a restart with three laps left in Sunday's Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway and held off Johnson's desperate bid for the win on the final lap.

The victory was Stewart's third in the Chase for the Sprint Cup and vaulted him into second place in the standings, eight points behind leader Carl Edwards. Stewart won for the 42nd time in his career.

"He'd better be worried," Stewart said of Edwards after the race, "that's all I can say. He's not going to have an easy three weeks."

Miraculously, after twice being lapped on the race track, Edwards salvaged a decent run and retained his lead in the Chase standings with a ninth-place finish, as his two closest pursuers entering the race, Matt Kenseth and Brad Keselowski, both experienced late trouble and finished 31st and 17th, respectively.

Jeff Gordon ran third, followed by Kevin Harvick, who climbed to third in the standings, 21 points behind Edwards. Denny Hamlin came home fifth, with Jeff Burton sixth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. seventh.

After a wild first half of the race had settled into a 97-lap green-flag run after the midpoint, Hamlin squeezed past Gordon on Lap 320 and stayed out front in traffic until Burton's spin caused the 10th caution of the race.

That started a spate of cautions that gave Harvick and Stewart a chance to move to the front with two-tire calls -- and allowed Edwards to return to the lead lap under the 12th caution with a free pass for the highest-scored car one lap down.

At the drivers' meeting before the race, NASCAR announced that any driver intentionally causing a caution by stopping on the race track will be penalized three laps. The rule is in effect for at least the rest of the season, though the number of laps could vary according to the size of the race track.

Martinsville Results

Martinsville Post-Race Notes

• Tony Stewart earned his 42nd career win in his 461st start. His third win of the season came, as the others have, in the Chase.
• This was Tony Stewart's third Martinsville victory, but his first since spring 2006.
• Tony Stewart led three times for 14 laps, including the final three laps after passing Jimmie Johnson on a restart.
• With nine Chase wins in his career, Tony Stewart is second to Jimmie Johnson (20).
• This was the 11th career victory for Stewart-Haas Racing; nine of those have come from Tony Stewart.
• Chevrolet earned its 48th victory at Martinsville, the most of any make.
• Jimmie Johnson (second) earned his 14th top-five finish at Martinsville; he's finished first or second nine times.
• Jeff Gordon (third) has finished in the top five in 13 of the past 14 races at Martinsville. He also became the fourth driver to lead more than 3,000 laps at Martinsville.
• Kevin Harvick (fourth) finished in the top five for the third consecutive race at Martinsville.
• Denny Hamlin (fifth) earned his first top-five in the 2011 Chase.
• Jeff Burton (sixth) followed a second-place run at Talladega with his third top-10 finish of 2011.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. (seventh) finished in the top 10 in both Martinsville races in 2011.
• Martin Truex Jr. (eighth) picked up his 10th top-10 finish of 2011.
• Carl Edwards (ninth) picked up two free passes in the race; his worst finish in the 2011 Chase is 11th at Talladega.

Final Driver Ratings for Martinsville Tums Relief 500

Micah Roberts Top 10 Driver Ratings
Tums Fast Relief 500
Martinsville Speedway
Sunday, October 30, 2011 - 11:16 am (PDT)

Rating    Driver     Odds         Lineup*    Practice 1   2010**   2011**

 1. Jimmie Johnson 5/1           7th            3rd             5th         11th
Six-time winner, the last coming in 2009; using same chassis from spring race.
 2. Jeff Gordon 6/1                 10th           9th             20th         5th
Seven-time winner, the last coming in 2005; has 30 top-10 finishes in 37 starts.
 3. Kevin Harvick 6/1               5th           25th             3rd         1st
Using same car this week that won in spring race; the car also won at Richmond.
 4. Clint Bowyer 18/1              13th           2nd             38th        9th
Excellent practice Saturday; using New Hampshire chassis that ran out of fuel leading late.
 5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 18/1     9th            10th             7th         2nd
Nine top-five finishes in 23 starts; using same chassis that finished runner-up in spring.
 6. Kyle Busch 7/1                    6th          15th              4th         3rd
Six top-five finishes in 13 starts; using winning Michigan chassis from August.
 7. Denny Hamlin 6/1              11th          14th             1st        12th
Five-time winner on his home state track; finished sixth or better in last 9 of 10 races.
 8. Kurt Busch 30/1                  8th           11th            16th       16th
2002 winner with only one top-five since; using Keselowski chassis from Atlanta race.
 9. Juan Montoya 40/1            20th           8th              19th        4th
Finished fourth or better in two of last four starts; using New Hampshire chassis.
10. Tony Stewart 7/1               4th            32nd            24th      34th
Two-time winner, the last coming in 2006; using chassis from both New Hampshire races.

 * The starting lineup was set by points.
** Results from the last two Sprint Cup races run at Martinsville Speedway, October 24, 2010 and April 3, 2011.
     
Odds courtesy of the Las Vegas Hilton Super Book.

Micah Roberts, a former race and sports Director, has been setting NASCAR lines in Las Vegas since 1995. For more Roberts insights and post-practice analysis on the race, go to VegasInsider.com or follow MicahRoberts7 on Twitter.

Martinsville Preview

By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

Last week's race at Talladega was every bit the wild card anticipated of the Chase and more. Only four races remain and the picture has become much clearer with some of the top names like Jimmie Johnson (-50 pts), Kevin Harvick (-26) and Kyle Busch (-40) tumbling backwards with poor finishes.

Johnson, who is attempting to expand upon his never done before five championships, was the biggest mystery of last Sunday. His tandem partner for the race was Dale Earnhardt Jr and between them, they had the fastest two cars. Add in their plate racing excellence and you should have the make-up a duo that should have finished in the top five.

But for some reason they got cute and outsmarted themselves. They thought by waiting in the back of the pack for the entire race they could avoid trouble and then make their move with five to six laps to go. What they didn’t figure out in their whole master plan is that a few cautions in the final laps would hurt their chances of getting up to speed quicker and being better than everyone.

At the end of the day Johnson finished 26th and fell 50-points behind leader Carl Edwards, who used a similar cautious tactic, but made his move earlier. The end results was an 11th-place finish for Edwards, a result he considers like a win. Matt Kenseth finished 18th, but still put a separation between he and his closest competitors, other than his teammate Edwards.

The two of them have a nice head start going into Martinsville this week and they’re going to need it because it hasn’t been their best track. Kenseth is currently 14 points behind while Brad Keselowski is 18 behind with Tony Stewart 19 back.

Jeff Gordon had his season, one that needed a top-3 finish to get back into the Chase race, smacked away by a kid a helped win the Daytona 500 for. Trevor Bayne was taught how to run the draft by Gordon in the Gatorade Duels. Gordon took the rookie under his wing and the kid goes on to win the 500 the following week using all the insights gained from Gordon.

On the Final restart, Gordon had been shuffled away from his partner, Mark Martin, and Bayne had lost his too. Bayne and Gordon formed an immediate alliance through the radio and with the way Gordon was racing on the final laps, he looked to have the car to beat with Bayne‘s help. He was as intense and daring as I’ve seen in a while and he was moving up. There’s no doubt in my mind that he would have caught and passed the leaders.

But then Bayne got team orders on the radio that he was to run with Kenseth, who had lost his partner, and not Gordon who he agreed to run with. Roush Racing helps build the Wood Brothers car that Bayne drives, cars that are both Ford’s while Gordon drives a Chevy.

With no one pushing him, Gordon fell back all the way to 27th and essentially slammed the door on his season. Bayne was distraught afterwards and tweeted several apologies, but the damage was done. The teacher got taken by the student which will probably make Gordon rethink who he shares his wealth of wisdom with in the future.

It may sound as though the Chase is down to just a few drivers, but because Edwards and Kenseth have run so poorly at Martinsville over the years, this almost becomes as big a wild card race for them as Talladega was for everyone else.

Kenseth only has two top-5 finishes in 23 starts at Martinsville, but has maintained a steady 15.2 average finish position, something he'd like to better in this race, but knows he has to stay patient.

“Probably the most challenging part for me at Martinsville is being calm, thinking through things, and not doing something because you are mad," said Kenseth who finished sixth in the April race. "I don’t like getting run into and I don’t like running into other people and it’s bound to happen there since it’s such a small track. There is no room to move and there is not an outside groove where you have another choice to pass. It is one of the tracks that takes all the patience that I have usually. The first thing is getting the car to go fast all the time, be smooth and drive it like I am supposed to there. After that, it’s being patient and using your head to get the best finish you can.”

Edwards is now the 5-to-8 (-160) favorites to win the Championship at the Las Vegas Hilton Super Book now that Johnson has slid to depths that not even a Superman like him can get out of. But if you do believe in miracles, odds on Johnson winning the title are at a never before seen price of 40-to-1 with four races to go.

Martinsville is not Edwards' best track by any means. He finished 18th in the April race and has a 16.9 average finish in 14 starts with his only top-5 being third-place in 2008. He's bringing a new chassis with him to the track, but still isn't very confident coming in.

“I am a little nervous about Martinsville," admitted Edwards. "I think if we can pick up just a tiny bit of speed there we will be good. Otherwise, that will be one of the tracks we go to and just fight and claw for a top 10 and that is how it usually is for me there. I would like to be surprised and would love to run better but I am a little nervous about that one to be honest.”

Kevin Harvick won this race in the spring and could shave off all kinds of points before heading into the final three races. He has a major edge coming into this race and there could be some value with his Championship odds at 8-to-1. Although Harvick grew up racing on these type of small flat tracks, his win in April was his first in 20 races and only his second top-5.

However, unlike Kenseth and Edwards, he is very comfortable on the track and does have other wins there in the Truck and Nationwide series.

“I think because it’s a short track and when you go back to the roots of where we all grew up racing it was on the short tracks," said Harvick earlier this week. "Over the first several years we didn’t get a lot of the finishes that we probably deserved, whether it was from a mistake on the race track or just dumb luck. The last couple of years we’ve gotten good finishes and our cars have run fast. To finally get that check mark in the win box was important for us.”

Harvick also has an edge this week because of the car he's bringing. Not only is did the chassis slated to run this week win the April Martinsville race, but it also won at Richmond.

Brad Keselowski sits strong in third-place and is 6-to-1 to win the title and knows this is a place where he can make some ground up because of Edwards and Kenseth's past history at Martinsville.

“That was exactly how we needed to leave Talladega, with a strong finish," said Keselowski who debuts a new chassis this week. "We gained points on the leader and gained points on really all the Chase cars. I’m very proud of the effort that everyone on this Miller Lite Dodge team has put forth thus far. We’re still in contention and we have a damn good shot at winning this championship. This weekend’s race at Martinsville is one that I’ve been looking forward to for a while. There is no part or piece of equipment that can substitute for just getting a bunch of laps under your belt there. I’ve learned a lot in my three races, and I know Paul (Wolfe) has as well. This is a race where I think we can really pick up some points on Carl (Edwards) and Matt (Kenseth).”

While the leaders all play the points game, it's more than likely that we see the Martinsville cream rise to the top, no matter where they're at in points. Johnson, Gordon and Denny Hamlin have combined to win 14 of the last 17 Martinsville races. Prior to April's race, Hamlin had won three straight and has four wins overall running in his home state.

“I have raced at Martinsville more than I have raced at any other track when you consider total laps," Hamlin said when asked about why he's so strong at Martinsville. "Growing up in Virginia I had the chance to race here in some other series and all that track time definitely gave me a comfort level at Martinsville. That carried over to trucks and Nationwide Series and now to the Cup Series. I feel really confident at this track and I know we bring great cars – those things together usually lead to success. It’s also a lot of pressure because this is a race we circle as one where we expect to be really competitive.”

Jeff Gordon has sevens wins on the track and Johnson has six throughout their great careers and it looks like they'll be battling it out again this week.

As for the Championship, that may be the most exciting part of the race; watching how the two Roush drivers do against Harvick and Keselowski and the urgency they place on each position -- no matter where they're at --during the late stages.

Top-5 Finish Prediction:
1) #24 Jeff Gordon (6/1)
2) #48 Jimmie Johnson (6/1)
3) #29 Kevin Harvick (6/1)
4) #11 Denny Hamlin (5/1)
5) #18 Kyle Busch (7/1)

Driver Chassis Selections for Martinsville

Note: Not all teams list their chassis in PR releases

#1-Jamie McMurray: Crew Chief Kevin "Bono" Manion and the #1 McDonald's team will be bringing chassis #1116 to the Tums Fast Relief 500. This chassis was used for the first time last month at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

#2-Brad Keselowski: will race chassis PRS-803 during Sunday's Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. This is a new chassis to the #2 fleet.

#6-David Ragan: Primary: RK-747 Last ran Martinsville - finished eighth; Backup: RK-755 Last ran Richmond - finished fourth

#5-Mark Martin: Crew chief Lance McGrew has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-651 for Sunday's race at Martinsville. This is the same chassis Martin drove to a 10th-place finish at Martinsville in April.

#9-Marcos Ambrose: The #9 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 754 for the 500-lap race at Martinsville Speedway. This Stanley Ford Fusion has been run previously this season at the Martinsville spring race and both Dover (Del.) International Speedway and Pocono (Pa.) Raceway events.

#14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-587: This car made its debut in March 2010 at Martinsville Speedway, where it qualified fifth and finished 26th. Prior to Martinsville, Chassis No. 14- 587 never turned a wheel on the racetrack. With a new body honed in the wind tunnel, it was tested at The Milwaukee Mile June 1 in preparation for its second career start in June at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. There, Chassis No. 14-587 earned a hard-fought second-place finish, for after starting 25th, it fell to 33rd after a lap 36 pit miscue on the team's first stop. Two late-race cautions allowed Stewart to regain his lost track position, and with a savvy two-tire pit call, Stewart wheeled Chassis No. 14-587 to pass second-place Kurt Busch on the penultimate lap. The car returned to New Hampshire for the first event of the 10-race Chase for the Championship, where in its third career start, it qualified third before leading three times for 100 laps. But while leading with less than two laps to go, it ran out of fuel. Stewart coasted around the 1.058-mile oval for the final circuit of the 300-lap race and finished 24th, the last driver on the lead lap. Clint Bowyer, who served as Stewart's primary competition for much of the race, wound up with the victory. Chassis No. 14-587 revisited Martinsville for round six of the Chase, where it qualified sixth and rallied back from two pit-road miscues during the race, but a flat right-front tire with less than 10 laps remaining relegated it to a 24th-place finish. With another new body, this car made its first start of 2011 and fifth overall at Phoenix International Raceway in February. It started 18th and led four times for 59 laps before an ill-timed caution period late in the race jettisoned solid pit strategy and left it with a seventh-place finish. Chassis No. 14- 587's second start of 2011 came at Richmond International Raceway back in April, where it qualified 31st and rallied its way to a ninth-place finish. The car sat idle until returning to Richmond in early September for it seventh career start where it logged its third straight top-10 finish.

#17-Matt Kenseth: RK-790 (brand new chassis)

#18-Kyle Busch: Chassis No. 315: This chassis will make its fourth-ever start in Sunday's TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. In its first outing in July's Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Busch started a distant 29th but still managed to bring home a respectable 10th-place finish. Next up, No. 315 headed to Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, where Busch started 17th and went on to score his fourth win of the season in the Pure Michigan 400. In its most recent outing, Busch started eighth and finished a respectable 11th in the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.

#20-Joey Logano: Chassis No. 309: This chassis will make its fourth-ever start in Sunday's TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. In its first outing in June's 5-Hour Energy 500 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Logano started 19th and finished 11th. Next up, No. 309 headed to Kentucky Speedway in Sparta for the inaugural Sprint Cup Series race at the 1.5-mile oval, where Logano started 15th and went on to finish 14th. In its most recent outing, Logano started 16th in the September race at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway and appeared headed for a solid top-15 finish midway through the race, but engine trouble forced him to
retire on lap 296 of 400 and he placed 35th.

#22-Kurt Busch: will be racing the "PRS-755" Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger at Martinsville Speedway this weekend. This will be the first race for the "Double-Deuce" team with this chassis. However, teammate Brad Keselowski drove this car, dressed in the Miller Lite #2 colors, to a sixth-place finish from a 14th-place start in the Sept. 4 Advocare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

#27-Paul Menard: will pilot chassis No. 349 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This #27 Chevy Impala was a brand new addition to the RCR fleet for the 2011 season and was last seen on track at Martinsville Speedway in April, where Menard started 16th and was forced to settle for a 38th-place result after on-track damages caused the motor to expire, prematurely ending the day for the team.

#29-Kevin Harvick: will race chassis No. 332 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. It is the same chassis Harvick drove to his first NSCS win at Martinsville Speedway in April. The No. 29 team has utilized this Chevrolet a total of six times so far in 2011 earning two wins (Martinsville and Richmond International Raceway) and three top-five finishes. Harvick finished 12th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the team's most recent race with this car.

#31-Jeff Burton: will race chassis No. 317 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This #31 Chevy has seen on-track action on three previous occasions this season. The first competitive laps came at Bristol Motor Speedway in March where Burton started 20th and finished in the 17th position. The South Boston, Va., native drove this RCR entry to an 11th-place finish at Dover International Speedway in May and a 33rd-place finish at Pocono Raceway in June.

#33-Clint Bowyer: will pilot chassis No. 324 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This Chevy, built new in 2010, accumulated two top-10 finishes during the in 2010 NSCS season at Auto Club Speedway (started-13th, finished-second) and Texas Motor Speedway (started-7th, finished-7th). The five-time Sprint Cup Series race winner also drove this racer twice in 2011 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (started-28th, finished-15th) and most recently at New Hampshire Motor Speedway when Bowyer ran out of gas while leading with two laps remaining, settling for a 26th-place finish.

#36-Dave Blaney: will pilot the No. 910 chassis this weekend at the Virginia track. He most recently piloted the chassis at Dover International Speedway. He also drove the chassis in California, Texas, Darlington, both races at Pocono and Bristol in August.

#39-Ryan Newman: This will be the fourth start for Chassis No. 39-645 this season and the second start for the chassis at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The chassis made its first start in April at Martinsville, where Newman started second and finished 20th, two laps down. Newman led three laps and was in the top-10 for much of the first 300 laps of the 500-lap race, but a broken header pipe and a flat left-rear tire caused him to lose two laps. The next start for Chassis 39-645 was in July at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, where Newman started on the pole and led 118 of 301 laps en route to his 15th career Sprint Cup Series victory. The last on-track appearance for this chassis came in September at Loudon, where Newman started on the pole and led the first 62 laps before finishing a disappointing 25th. A cut tire with less than five laps remaining dropped Newman from 11th to 25th.

#42-Juan Pablo Montoya: Crew Chief Jim Pohlman and the #42 Target team are bringing chassis #1110 to Martinsville Speedway this weekend. This chassis was last run in September at New Hampshire, where Montoya started 31st and finished ninth. The chassis was also used in the first race at Loudon in July, and the first Martinsville event where Montoya finished fourth, overcoming a 27th-place qualifying effort.

#43-A.J. Allmendinger: The #43 Richard Petty Motorsports team has prepared chassis No. 729 for this weekend's event at Martinsville Speedway. This AdvoCare Ford Fusion was run previously this season at Phoenix Raceway, Martinsville, Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Pocono (Pa.) Raceway and in New Hampshire.

#48-Jimmie Johnson: will drive chassis No. 653 in Sunday's race. He finished 11th in that chassis at Martinsville in April. Johnson finished 31st in backup chassis No. 590 at Richmond International raceway in September.

#88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Crew chief Steve Letarte will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-654 for this weekend's race at Martinsville Speedway. This will be the second time that Earnhardt has raced the car, which he drove earlier this season to a second-place finish at Martinsville.

#99-Carl Edwards: RK-791 This is a new car

- compiled by Jayski.com

Harvick Using Two-Time Winning Chassis This Week at Martinsville

Harvick is using same car from April win (Getty)

Kevin Harvick
No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet Impala
Event Preview Fact Sheet


This Week’s Budweiser Chevrolet at Martinsville Speedway … Kevin Harvick will race chassis No. 332 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. It is the same chassis Harvick drove to his first NSCS win at Martinsville Speedway in April. The No. 29 team has utilized this Chevrolet a total of six times so far in 2011 earning two wins (Martinsville and Richmond International Raceway) and three top-five finishes. Harvick finished 12th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the team’s most recent race with this car.

Chase Update … With four races remaining in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Harvick is ranked fifth in the driver point standings, 26 points behind the leader. He fell three spots in the standings after getting caught up in a multi-car accident at Talladega Superspeedway last weekend. In the first six races of the 2011 Chase, Harvick has scored one top-five and four top-10 finishes.

Harvick at Martinsville Speedway … In 20 starts at the Virginia short track, Harvick has earned a total of two top-fives and nine top-10 finishes at Martinsville and has led 307 laps, and scored his first NSCS win at the short track in April..The Bakersfield, Calif. native has also completed 97.3 percent (9,750 of 10,019) laps run in the 20 races he’s competed in at Martinsville and holds an average starting position of 14.4 and an average finishing position of 16.5.

Last Time Around … In the last NSCS race at Martinsville Speedway, Harvick was caught one lap down to the leaders during green-flag pit stops, elected to take the wave around and worked his way to the front in the final laps to score his first win at the 0.526-mile track. Last October, Harvick started 36th at Martinsville and went on to lead 97 laps before finishing third.

In the Loop … Harvick holds several impressive Loop Data statistics at Martinsville (Speedway) heading into Sunday’s race, including: seventh in closers; seventh in driver rating (93.1); seventh in laps run in the top-15 (4,091); eighth in average running position (14.6); eighth in fastest laps run (169); eighth in laps led (160); ninth in fastest driver early in a run; and ninth in green-flag speed.

Truck Racing at Martinsville … Harvick will return to NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competition this weekend at Martinsville Speedway, piloting the No. 2 Kroger/Tide Chevrolet Silverado for Kevin Harvick Inc., in Saturday’s Kroger 200. SPEED will broadcast the race at 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time and MRN Radio affiliates and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio will provide live radio coverage beginning at 1:45 p.m.

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:

First career Martinsville win came in April

Coming into Martinsville Speedway, you’ve won there in NASCAR Camping World Truck, Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series competition. What is it about Martinsville that works for you? “I think because it’s a short track and when you go back to the roots of where we all grew up racing it was on the short tracks. Over the first several years we didn’t get a lot of the finishes that we probably deserved, whether it was from a mistake on the race track or just dumb luck. The last couple of years we’ve gotten good finishes and our cars have run fast. To finally get that check mark in the win box was important for us.”

It seems like we’ve had a number of long green-flag runs the last couple years at Martinsville (Speedway). Does that change how you attack a 500-lap race there? “You can’t depend on it for sure. I guess you could say it’s dumb luck as to how it’s going to go. You can guess all you want, but it’s never going to be right. It seems as you go through the years we’ve been there and just had a ton of cautions and lately we’ve had some long stretches where we’ve pitted under green. A lot of it depends on what tire they bring as to what kind of racing you see.”

What is it that you had to learn about Martinsville (Speedway) to run in the top 10 as you have so many times? “Martinsville is just one of those places where we could not put a whole day together for a long time. The first couple of years I just crashed. Actually I think the first year, I got black flagged for spinning Bobby Hamilton out with about 10 laps to go, but I think Martinsville is just one of those places on the Sprint Cup Series circuit that just takes some time to figure out exactly why you do not need to charge the corners so hard and let the car roll and work on your car up off the corner. After the first couple of years I felt like we were able to, I don’t know, just kind of figure out what we needed to do set-up wise but we never could put the whole day together to get the finishes. Over the last couple of years I’ve felt like we are finally running fairly well.”

Is there a difference in mentality coming into Martinsville (Speedway) this weekend after winning the spring race at the track? “I think any time after you finally do something that you’ve been trying to do for a while and you finally accomplish that, it definitely eases your mind and you remember those situations and you remember the things you did to make it happen that day. In my opinion, that’s what’s great about our team. I feel like even when the cards are stacked against us or even when people count us out, I feel like we can always rebound and we can always do things that surprise people, whether it’s lead one lap or half a lap or 500 laps. Martinsville has been one of those places where we had never had all the circumstances work out for us on a whole day. I feel like we’ve run well enough to race for wins there, but just never made it happen until the spring.”

Martinsville (Speedway) is the only short track in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Having grown up racing on short tracks, do you think there needs to be more short tracks on the schedule? “With the schedule, NASCAR is really in control of that. I enjoy the short tracks and I enjoy going to Martinsville. I think it’s a great addition to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. This sport was built on the short tracks though, so more short tracks definitely wouldn’t hurt things.”

Why do you think Martinsville (Speedway) is a track that’s kept a foothold in our sport while NASCAR has branched out to other tracks across the country? “You have to remember where your roots come from and Martinsville is a good example of that. We all grew up on short tracks and Martinsville keeps that in our sport. All of us drivers like the short-track feel that we grew up racing on, so we’re looking forward to it. It’s kind of a hometown race for us. I live about 35 minutes from the track and it’s always a fun weekend for us.”

- Richard Childress Racing, Press Release

Crunch-Time for Edwards, Time to Tame Martinsville

Edwards best Martinsville finish was runner-up in Truck Series (Getty)

Carl Edwards
Team: No. 99 Scotts Winterguard Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Bob Osborne
Chassis: RK-791 This is a new car


QUOTES


Carl Edwards on racing at Martinsville Speedway: “I am a little nervous about Martinsville. I think if we can pick up just a tiny bit of speed there we will be good. Otherwise, that will be one of the tracks we go to and just fight and claw for a top 10 and that is how it usually is for me there. I would like to be surprised and would love to run better but I am a little nervous about that one to be honest.”

Crew chief Bob Osborne on racing at Martinsville Speedway: “Martinsville is definitely a race track that we are looking at to be probably the most difficult for us in the Chase. We’ve run well there. We’ve run poorly there. I think we have enough notes and package going back that is going to be competitive. We will just have to wait and see what we get when we unload there and start practice.”

FAST FACTS

* THE CHASE IS ON… Carl Edwards enters Martinsville leading the NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings, by 14 points over teammate Matt Kenseth. He has earned one win, 16 top-five, 22 top-10 finishes and two poles this season.

* FOR THE RECORD… In 14 starts at the 0.526-mile track, Edwards has one top-five and four top-10 finishes. His average start is 18.2, and his average finish is 16.9. Edwards has completed 97.4 percent (6836 of 7019) of laps in Cup competition attempted at Martinsville Speedway.

* Edwards’ best career finish at Martinsville came back in 2003, when he finished second in the Camping World Truck Series race. He started that race from the pole. His best Cup finish was third in the fall of 2008.

* ON THE TRACK… The No. 99 crew will unload RK-791 for the weekend. This is a brand new car with the Scotts Winterguard paint scheme.

* REWIND, MARTINSVILLE, OCTOBER 2010… With 15 cautions for 90 laps of the race, Carl Edwards took advantage of other drivers’ impatience and a smart pit strategy to finish in eighth place.

- Roush Fenway Racing, Press Release

Keselowski Has Series Best 6.5 Average Finish in Last 13 Heading into Martinsville

Keselowski just might win this Title if Roush drivers let up (Getty)is

Brad Keselowski
No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger
Tums Fast Relief 500
October 30, 2011Martinsville Speedway
TV: ESPN at 1:30 PM ET Radio: MRN/Sirius Channel 90 at 12:00 PM ET
No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger News and Notes

* · This Week’s Charger… The No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team will race chassis PRS-803 during Sunday’s Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. This is a new chassis to the No. 2 fleet.

* · No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge in 2011… After 32 points-paying events, Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team are ranked third in the 2011 Chase for the Championship standings. Keselowski is just 18 points behind leader Carl Edwards following a fourth-place finish in the Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega Superspeedway last Sunday afternoon.

* · Top-Five Leader… With four top-five finishes, Keselowski is tied for the most top-five results in the six races run in the 2011 Chase for the Championship.

* · Nothing “Average” About 6.5… Over the last 13 races, Keselowski has scored a series-best average finishing position of 6.5. During that stretch he has produced two wins, eight top-five finishes and he has led the field for a total of 142 laps.

* · Cheers To Chasing Greatness… The featured tag line on the rear bumper of the “Blue Deuce” this weekend in Martinsville will be “Cheers To Chasing Greatness.” Keselowski sits just 18 points out of the lead in the Chase for the Championship, which would be a “great” accomplishment in his first with driving the iconic car.

* · Deuces Wild… When Brad wins a race during the 2011 Chase for the Championship, two lucky fans will win their own “man cave,” compliments of Miller Lite. The man cave gear includes a “kegerator,” a dart board, Miller Lite neon sign, a basketball game and pub furniture. Visit MillerLite.com/Brad to enter.

* · The Rest is History… Martinsville Speedway is a track where Penske Racing has enjoyed its share of success over the years. In 86 starts, the organization has picked up six wins (all by Rusty Wallace), five poles, 19 top-five and 33 top-10 finishes at Martinsville. Wallace made Martinsville his personal playground in the Miller Lite car as he did not finish outside of the top-three in eight consecutive races from September of 1992 through April of 1996.

Brad Keselowski on his position in the Chase with four races remaining: “That was exactly how we needed to leave Talladega, with a strong finish. We gained points on the leader and gained points on really all the Chase cars. I’m very proud of the effort that everyone on this Miller Lite Dodge team has put forth thus far. We’re still in contention and we have a damn good shot at winning this championship. This weekend’s race at Martinsville is one that I’ve been looking forward to for a while. There is no part or piece of equipment that can substitute for just getting a bunch of laps under your belt there. I’ve learned a lot in my three races, and I know Paul (Wolfe) has as well. This is a race where I think we can really pick up some points on Carl (Edwards) and Matt (Kenseth).”

Brad Keselowski on racing at Martinsville Speedway: “Martinsville will always be a track that is hard on brakes. Yes, the braking systems have come a long way over the last 10 years or so. But if you give us more brakes or better brakes, we are going to use more brakes to the point that we will damage the sidewall of the tire. Overheating the brakes is something that is easy to do because you are going so hard every lap as passing is difficult at Martinsville. Managing your brakes is part of being a successful short-track racer.”

Crew chief Paul Wolfe on racing at Talladega Superspeedway: “Everyone on this team feels really good about going to Martinsville this weekend, especially since we were able to take part in the Goodyear tire test there last month. The good thing about Martinsville is that you don’t have to worry about aerodynamics. It’s the shortest track we visit and it’s all about mechanical grip. In the short time Brad has been at Martinsville, he has shown a great ability to get around the place. Hopefully we can get qualifying in – which is never a guarantee during this weekend – so that we can get a good starting spot. Then, if we can maintain forward bite off the corners, I believe we can gain more points on the Chase leaders to really make this thing interesting heading into the final three weeks.”

- Penske Racing, Press Release

Martinsville Odds & Ends

At 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 NASCAR Sprint 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.

Notebook

·         There have been 125 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway, one in the inaugural year and two races per year since 1950.

·         Curtis Turner won the pole for the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville in 1949.

·         Red Byron won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

·         56 drivers have won poles, led by Darrell Waltrip with eight. Jeff Gordon, with seven poles, can tie that mark this weekend.

·         Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Darrell Waltrip share the consecutive pole record, each with three.

·         46 different drivers have won, led by Richard Petty’s 15.

·         Jeff Gordon leads active drivers with seven wins. Jimmie Johnson has six and Denny Hamlin has four.

·         19 races have been won from the pole, the last by Denny Hamlin in October 2010.

·         Petty Enterprises has won 19 races, more than any other organization. Hendrick Motorsports, with 18 wins, can tie that mark this weekend. If HMS does win this weekend, it will also be the team’s 200th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory.

·         Kurt Busch won the 2002 fall race from the 36th starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started.

·         Three active drivers average a top-10 finish: Jimmie Johnson (5.6), Denny Hamlin (6.6) and Jeff Gordon (7.0).

·         There were 31 lead changes in the April Martinsville race this season, a track record.

 

Martinsville Speedway Data

Race #: 33 of 36 (10-30-11)

Track Size: .526 mile

Race Length: 500 laps/263 miles

·     Banking/Corners: 12 degrees

·     Banking/Straights: 0 degrees

·     Frontstretch: 800 feet

·     Backstretch: 800 feet

 

Driver Rating at Martinsville
Jimmie Johnson	121.9
Jeff Gordon	119.7
Denny Hamlin	113.0
Tony Stewart	102.4
Dale Earnhardt Jr.	98.9
Kyle Busch	94.3
Kevin Harvick	93.1
Jeff Burton	89.3
Mark Martin	89.3
Ryan Newman	88.8

Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2011 races (13 total) at Martinsville Speedway.

 

Qualifying/Race Data

2010 pole winner: Denny Hamlin (97.318 mph)

2010 race winner: Denny Hamlin, 71.619 mph, 10-24-10)

Track qualifying record: Tony Stewart (98.083 mph, 19.306 seconds, 10-21-05)

Race record: Jeff Gordon (82.223 mph, 09-22-96)

 

NASCAR in Virginia

• There have been 273 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Virginia.
• 162 drivers in NASCAR’s three national series (all-time) have their home state recorded as Virginia.
• There have been 18 race winners from Virginia in NASCAR’s three national series:

Driver	NSCS	NNS	NCWTS
Joe Weatherly	25	0	0
Ricky Rudd	23	1	0
Jeff Burton	21	27	0
Curtis Turner	17	0	0
Denny Hamlin	17	11	0
Ward Burton	5	4	0
Glen Wood	4	0	0
Elliott Sadler	3	5	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