Whose Title Is it? Gordon, Johnson Battle For “Mr. Martinsville”

Together, they own seven NASCAR Sprint Cup Series titles, but for Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet) and Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet) only one matters this weekend:

Mr Martinsville.

Johnson, the reigning and three-time series champion, and Gordon, the four-time series champion, both excel at the famed .526-mile short track. But even the word “excel” may be too bland.

They ace the place.

As such, Sunday’s Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 could be a duel for dominance.

Gordon and Johnson have combined to win nine of the last 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup events at Martinsville — the highlight their bumper-banging, one-two finish (Johnson first, Gordon second) in the spring 2007 event.
Johnson has won five of those nine races, Gordon four. They also rank one-two (Johnson first, Gordon second) in a crucial pre-race NASCAR Loop Data category, Driver Rating. Johnson leads at 124.7. Gordon is next at 124.0.

More crazy-good numbers for Johnson: He averages a top-10 finish at 10 of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ 22 tracks. Martinsville ranks second on that list, with Johnson’s average finish there at 5.6. His best (5.5) is at Phoenix International Raceway. He also leads two other pre-race Loop Data categories for Martinsville — Average Running Position (6.4) and Laps in the Top 15 (3,579, or 89.3%).

Gordon leads all active drivers with seven wins and seven poles at Martinsville. He also has 20 top fives and 26 top 10s in 32 starts there. He’s finished in the top five in the last eight Martinsville events. His average finish there — 6.9 — is nearly two positions better than his second-best track, Indianapolis Motor Speedway (8.6).

Kyle Busch Seeks To Master Martinsville

After winning last week at Bristol Motor Speedway and climbing to fourth place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings, Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota) faces down one of his racing challenges this week at Martinsville Speedway.

The historic half-mile has held one of the series’ hottest drivers at bay, with Busch posting three top fives and four top 10s in eight series starts there. According to pre-race NASCAR Loop Data statistics for Martinsville, Busch has an Average Running Position of 14.9, with his best finishes a pair of fourths in 2007.

He finished 38th there last spring and 29th last fall, both due to brake problems.

“The first race locking up rear brakes and eventually breaking the rear gear, and then the second race overheating the front brakes and popping right-front beads,” Busch said. “We went and tested at Little Rock to try and get our brakes squared away and we found out how to pop right-front beads over and over.We fixed that problem.We used to pop them in 46 to 50 laps and now we can go 80 laps straight and not see a darn issue.”

Busch heads into this weekend at Martinsville with momentum, having won a national series race in each of the last four weeks. Last Sunday, it was the NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Bristol. Two weeks ago, he won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at Atlanta. Three weeks ago, he won the NASCAR Sprint Cup event at his hometown track, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and a month ago, he swept both the NASCAR Nationwide and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events at Auto Club Speedway.

Don’t Forget Denny: Defending Martinsville Winner On A Quiet Roll

With much focus given to the Jeff Gordon-Jimmie Johnson dominance at Martinsville Speedway, and Kyle Busch’s recent hot streak, Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota) has crept up the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings largely unnoticed.

He finished second to Busch, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, last Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway, an effort that propelled him into the top 12 for the first time this season.

Now comes Martinsville, which wears a big bulls-eye on Hamlin’s schedule.

“This is a great track, with a ton of history and special style of racing,” he said.“I think it’s where I am at my best and I know the entire No. 11 FedEx team circles the Martinsville races on the calendar.”

Hamlin’s quiet climb has been a season-long effort.

Starting with a 26th-place in the Daytona 500, he moved to 15th after a sixth-place finish at Auto Club Speedway. A 22nd-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and a 13th at Atlanta Motor Speedway moved him to 14th in the standings, before last week’s runner-up effort.

The Bristol finish vaulted Hamlin six spots, to eighth in the series standings. And now he anticipates Sunday’s Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500, of which he — a Virginia native — is the defending winner.

“The experience of winning a Cup race here, at a Virginia track where I raced Late Models a few years ago, and in front of great racing fans and in front of my family, was something I will never forget,” Hamlin said. “And to have a Martinsville clock sitting in my home that I see everyday – it reminds me of that day and also how much went into getting to that point.”

Hamlin ranks fifth in pre-race Driver Rating for Martinsville (101.3), per NASCAR Loop Data statistics.
His average finish of 8.9 ranks third best behind Johnson (5.6) and Gordon (6.9), respectively.

Gilliland, No. 71 Chevrolet In 35th As 2009 Car Owner Standings Take Effect At Martinsville

Sunday’s Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 marks the season’s first event where competitors who are not in the top 35 of the 2009 car owner standings must qualify for a starting position.

Prior to this week, the final 2008 car owner standings were used to “lock in” the top 35.

For the rest of the season, the top 35 in each week’s owner standings are guaranteed a starting spot. Everyone else must qualify on time.

Top-35 positioning is crucial to those teams hovering just above or below the “bubble”. The team occupying the 35th position this week is the No. 71 TRG Motorsports Chevrolet, driven by David Gilliland and owned by Kevin Buckler.

The No. 71 was 34th in owner points heading into last week’s event at Bristol. Gilliland managed to stay in the top 35 with a 36th-place finish there.

“Being 35th in owner points is like having the last seat in the last life boat on the Titanic,” Buckler said. “You breathe a sigh of relief, but you are still out in the freezing ocean waiting for a life line.”

Now comes Martinsville, with its tight confines and little room for error.

“We will be able to go to Martinsville and unload the car in race trim and run,” said Gilliland of the advantage for his team and crew chief Slugger Labbe. “Slugger and the guys will be able to work on it and get it a little closer to what we need in the race. It will definitely help us in our situation to be better on Sunday. I am excited to be able to work on the race setup when we unload.”

The No. 82 Team Red Bull Toyota driven by Raybestos Rookie of the Year contender Scott Speed and owned by Dietrich Mateschitz, is 36th, 21 points out of 35th.

The No. 8 Guitar Hero Chevrolet driven by Aric Almirola and owned by Chip Ganassi is 37th, also 21 points out of 35th; the No. 82 earns the 36th spot due to a tiebreaker. Both drivers have a season-best finish of 21st; Speed won the tiebreaker with a higher second-best finish to date, a 28th compared to Almirola’s 30th.

Close behind — by one point — is the No. 98 Energizer/Menards Ford driven by Paul Menard and owned by Max Jones. The 96 is 26 points out of 35th.

Above the “bubble,” the No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet driven by another Raybestos Rookie contender, Joey Logano, and owned by Joe Gibbs, is 34th, 14 points ahead of Gilliland.

Further ahead, in 33rd, is the No. 34 Taco Bell Chevrolet driven by John Andretti and owned by Teresa Earnhardt. The No. 34 is 41 points ahead of the 35th-place No. 71 driven by Gilliland.

Loop Data Suggests Earnhardt Jr., Martin And Stewart Could Challenge At Martinsville

Statistically, the Jimmie Johnson-Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports tandem is the clear favorite this weekend at Martinsville Speedway.

But Rick Hendrick’s other two drivers – Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin – are no slouches at the Virginia short track either.

Of the two, Earnhardt owns the better recent statistics. He has scored top-10 finishes in three of the last four races there, and since the inception of Loop Data, ranks high in a number of key statistics.

Earnhardt has a Driver Rating of 102.4 (fourth-best), an Average Running Position of 10.4 (fourth), 311 Fastest Laps Run (fourth), a series-high 396 Green Flag Passes, a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 76% (fourth) and 219 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), which is second-most.

Earnhardt has never won a Martinsville race, but has eight top fives in 18 career starts.

Martin, on the other hand, has two Martinsville wins, but has struggled there recently. His last win came in 2000. He also took the last four Martinsville races off when he switched to a partial schedule after the 2006 season.

Martin has finished out of the top 10 in his last three Martinsville races, with his last top five finish coming in the spring race of 2005.

Since 2005, he has a Driver Rating of 78.2, an Average Running Position of 17.0, 22 Fastest Laps Run, a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 44.7% and a Pass Differential (passes minus times passed) of 13.

Though not a Hendrick Motorsports driver, Tony Stewart’s No. 14 Chevrolet does use Hendrick engines. The statistics suggest Stewart may be a factor on Sunday.

He has a Driver Rating of 113.7 (third), an Average Running Position of 7.4 (third), 312 Fastest Laps Run (third) and a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 86.6% (third).

Stewart won there in 2006, breaking a staggering streak laid down by Gordon and Johnson. The two have paired for nine of the last 12 Martinsville wins. Stewart, Denny Hamlin and Rusty Wallace are the only other drivers to win since 2003.

Martinsville Milestone: 25th Anniversary Of Hendrick Motorsports’ First NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win

With 25 years, 175 wins and eight NASCAR Sprint Cup titles in his rearview mirror, Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick knows how to mark special occasions in the sport.

So how did he celebrate his first series win on April 29, 1984 at Martinsville Speedway?

Armed with toilet paper, Hendrick and some friends road-tripped that Sunday night to Pleasant Grove, N.C., where they redecorated driver Geoff Bodine’s front yard.

“He did that?” Bodine said. “I thought the neighbors did that. Now I know. They could have done anything that night — painted my house pink — and it wouldn’t have bothered me. We were so happy.”

While victory celebrations have evolved, Hendrick Motorsports’ transformation from fledging All-Star Racing, as it was known then, to its current powerhouse status began at one of NASCAR’s most historic tracks. On that April day in 1984, Bodine led 55 laps, passing then-defending series champion Bobby Allison with 48 laps remaining to take the lead and the win.

Hendrick, a Palmer Springs, Va., native, wasn’t even there. At church with his wife, Linda, he got the winning news via phone, delivered by then-general manager Jimmy Johnson.

“We missed Rick, but, you know, no one thought we were ready to win,” Bodine said. “It was only our eighth race together with a brand new race team. How do you do that? How do you win your eighth race out?”

Native Virginians In The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Garage

From the No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet: Car chief David Bryant (Farmville), mechanic Jim Jenkins (Hampton) and engineer Tom Stewart (Hampton).

From the No. 19 Stanley Tools Dodge: Driver Elliott Sadler (Emporia), engineer Kevin Kidd (Tazewell) and gas man Rodney Rhodes (Hickory).

From the No. 14 Old Spice Chevrolet: Crew chief Darian Grubb (Floyd), mechanic Darrell Haskins (Danville) and shock specialist Adam Gravitt (South Boston).

From the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota: Front tire carrier Brad Donaghy (Orange County) and tire specialist Keith Eads (Arlington).

From the No. 07 Jack Daniel’s Chevrolet: Tire specialist Charles Moles (Floyd) and transporter drivers Barry Sheppard (Stuart) and Mark Williams (Stuart).

From the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet: Driver Jeff Burton (South Boston), tire specialist Tracy Ramsey (Fredericksburg), mechanic Greg Meredith (Fancy Gap), engineer Jeff Curtis (Fairfax), gas man Curt Bowman (Meadows of Dan) and transporter drivers Franky Nester (Ridgeway) and James Nunn (Ararat).

From the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet: Gas man Caleb Hurd (Pulaski) and transporter driver Kirk George (Ararat).

From the No. 5 CARQUEST/Kellogg’s Chevrolet: Nos. 5 & 88 team manager Brian Whitesell (Stuarts Draft), front tire changer Kyle Turner (Yorktown) and spotter Jeremy Brickhouse (Chesapeake).

From the No. 8 Guitar Hero Chevrolet: Car chief Jefferson Hodges (Williamsburg), catch can man Mark Schmuck (Virginia Beach) and gas man Benjy Grubbs (Richmond).

Also: Ed Watkins (Dover) – No. 43 jack man; Anthony Cardamone (Bristol) – No. 55 jack man; Pete Wright (Martinsville) – No. 82 mechanic and No. 11 driver Denny Hamlin (Chesterfield).

What To Know: A Guide to Off-Track NASCAR Happenings

Small Track, Big Impact

Martinsville Speedway officials, plus local and state leaders, announced Tuesday that the historic track, which hosted the first official NASCAR Sprint Cup event in 1949, has an annual impact of $170 million on the local economy.

A study conducted by the Washington Economics Group produced the result. The study also determined that 2,824 permanent jobs for Virginia residents can be tied directly or indirectly to the track.

Martinsville Speedway president W. Clay Campbell was joined at Tuesday’s announcement by Chuck Yaros, associate economist for the Washington Economics Group, which did the study; Deborah Buchanan, Chairman, Henry County Board of Supervisors; Gene Teague, Martinsville City Councilman; Ward Armstrong, who represents the 10th district in the Virginia House of Delegates; Roscoe Reynolds, who represents the 20th district in the Virginia State Senate and Mark Heath, President and CEO of the Martinsville and Henry County Economic Development Corporation.

Sunday’s Honorary Officials

Country music superstar Trace Adkins will be busy during pre-race ceremonies for Sunday’s Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville.

He’ll serve as both Grand Marshal and Honorary Starter for the event, leading 500 local men, women and their families as honorary Grand Marshals. Goody’s Headache Powders and Martinsville officials selected 500 people from the Martinsville and Henry County, Va., area for the honor, and to salute hard workers everywhere.

Adkins, however, won’t sing the National Anthem. He and the rest of the crowd will enjoy the effort of the 29th Army Band from the Virginia National Guard.

Ambrose To Auction Off Special Helmet

Tasmania native Marcos Ambrose (No. 47 Little Debbie/Kingsford/Clorox Toyota) is doing a good deed during Sunday’s Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville, and he’d like NASCAR fans to help him out.

Recent deadly wildfires devastated southern Australia, and Sunday, he’ll wear a specially-painted helmet that will be auctioned off to benefit wildfire survivors and rescue workers.

The Martinsville event marks the second consecutive week Ambrose will wear the helmet painted by Nick Pastura, an American artist.

He wore it last week to an 11th-place finish at Bristol, and will wear it again next week at Texas Motor Speedway. The helmet will be auctioned off Monday, April 6, online at www.marcosambrose.com.

All proceeds will go the Yarra Glen Volunteer Fire Brigade, a unit of the Victorian Country Fire Authority in southern Australia. One of the Brigade’s members, Steve Teear, is an Ambrose fan who worked around the clock for nearly two weeks battling wildfires. He also visited Charlotte, N.C., last year on a tour of Australian race fans.

Ambrose hopes to raise $230,000, which would help Teear’s Brigade purchase a new 3,000-liter, four-wheel-drive water tanker.

For more information on the auction, please visit www.marcosambrose.com.

Up Next: Texas Motor Speedway

After consecutive short-track events, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stretches out a bit, traveling to Fort Worth, Texas for the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, April 5.

Carl Edwards (No. 99 Aflac Ford) won both 2008 events at Texas, beating second-place finishers Jimmie Johnson in the spring event and Jeff Gordon in the fall.

Edwards also led the most laps in both events, 123 in the spring and 212 in the fall.

Next Sunday’s race will air on FOX starting at 1:30 p.m. ET. The green flag will drop at approximately 2 p.m.

Fast Facts

The Race: Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500
The Place: Martinsville Speedway (.526-mile concrete oval)
The Date: Sunday, March 29
The Time: 2 p.m. ET
Race Distance: 500 laps/263 miles
TV: FOX , 1:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN (Locally WZBB-FM 99.9) and Sirius Satellite.
2008 Polesitter: Jeff Gordon
2008 Winner: Denny Hamlin
Schedule: (All times local ET) Friday – Practice, 12-1:30 p.m., Qualifying, 3:40 p.m. Saturday – Practice, 10:30-11:15 a.m., 11:50 a.m.-12:50 p.m.

2009 Top 12 Drivers

Rank	Driver	Points
1	Jeff Gordon	794
2	Kurt Busch	718
3	Clint Bowyer	715
4	Kyle Busch	709
5	Carl Edwards	665
6	Kasey Kahne	639
7	Tony Stewart	633
8	Denny Hamlin	631
9	Jimmie Johnson	627
10	Matt Kenseth	610
11	David Reutimann	607
12	Kevin Harvick	584

The OBW Experts will get together the day after the Sprint Cup race to discuss the hot topics of the week.

This week we chat about Bristol, the scoring system, Danica and debate how good Kyle Busch really is. We will also take a look ahead to this Sunday at Martinsville.

F1 is debating a new scoring system that will crown its champion based solely upon wins, do you think NASCAR gives enough points for checkered flags?

Eric Brewer: I think they already give enough points to winners by giving 10 bonus points at the start of the Chase. If they gave any more Kyle Busch might not have blown his lead last year.

James Jones: When I saw the proposed F1 scoring system, I thought the same thing as Kevin Harvick, “the most ridiculous idea I have ever heard.” I think NASCAR’s points break down is very good. They recently started giving the winner more points and I’m good with the spread between first and second place points. If I ran NASCAR, I would award points for the pole.

Ryan Rantz: I don’t think the Cup series awards enough points to race winners. I think the winner should earn a nice solid 200 points for the win. The 200 points shouldn’t be dependent upon any other variables, like laps led, and be the guaranteed value.

Eric McClung: I like the idea of bonus points for winning poles and the flat 200 points for a victory. If I could make any adjustments, perhaps winners of the Chase events should get some extra points to give them an edge on the competition or get closer to the leader. By the way, if NASCAR had awarded championships by wins alone, Dale Earnhardt would go from seven titles to two.

Kyle Busch has now won a race in at least one of NASCAR’s top three series every weekend this season. In your opinion, when it comes to pure talent, where does Busch rank among the best in motorsports?

Mike Maruska: I still rank him behind Danica. You said pure modeling talent right?

James Jones: For me, as a Kyle Busch fan, it’s still entirely way too early to be ranking him as some sort of legend in motorsports. Is he the brightest star now? Absolutely! I just think he needs a few more years and a couple championships to make sure he’s not just a shooting star.

Ryan Rantz: I don’t think it’s possible to be able to rank Kyle Busch among the best in motorsports because he hasn’t tried his hand at enough of them. The Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series are not premier motorsports. I don’t ever see it as a big deal when a Cup driver goes down to the lower ranks and wins. If fact, they should be embarrassed if they don’t win. From a talent standpoint, you can’t even call him the best in Cup series.

The Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville is up next. Jimmie Johnson was won four of the last five races there. Coming off a third-place finish at Bristol, do you consider Johnson the early favorite for Sunday?

James Jones: Martinsville is Jimmie and Jeff Gordon’s sandbox. They are going to be all over the NASCAR media this week as the favorites to win. I’m going with Jeff over Jimmie though, and you can read about why here. That being said, I expect Hamlin to make a good effort to pee in their sandbox.

Eric Brewer: Now that you mention it, I suppose so. I am very surprised that a Chevy hasn’t been to victory lane yet. I will be looking for Jimmie to make his way there this week.

This week as we head to Martinsville the 2009 owners points for this year come into play for guaranteed starting spots for the top 35 drivers. All of the big names have made it in. Some of those who will have to qualify on time until they can get back into the top 35 are Scott Speed, Paul Menard and Aric Almirola.

• Jeff Gordon is my pick to win this weekend. I said it last week and still believe that Martinsville is one of the best tracks for Jeff to get back to victory lane. Jeff hasn’t finished outside the top 5 in the last 8 races here and won both races back in 2005.
• Jimmie Johnson is definitely the driver to have on your team along with Gordon. Jimmie has won 4 of the last 5 races here and has finished in the top 5 in 9 of his last 10 starts at Martinsville. If you can have both Jeff and Jimmie on your team this is the week to do it.
• Denny Hamlin has finished ion the top 6 in his last 5 starts at Martinsville and took a win away from the Hendrick boys last spring. Denny is another very good pick for this track anytime as he has only finished out of the top 10 once in his career.
• Tony Stewart is the only driver besides the 3 above to have gotten a win at Martinsville in the last 9 races. Tony struggled a little bit at Bristol last week in the teams debut on a short track. He is going to have to improve a lot this week to stay in contention.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one of the second tier drivers in the rest of the field. Dale finished 6th and 2nd in last years races here but he also struggled last weekend at Bristol. He should just be happy to get a top 10 finish this week and will need to improve to do it.
• Carl Edwards has gotten better every time he has raced at Martinsville. Carl had 2 top 10 finishes here last year and ran alright at Bristol last week. Carl should have a good chance at cracking the top 10 once again this weekend.
• Kyle Busch is either feast or famine at Martinsville. His best ever finish here is 4th but last year he finished 38th and 29th during a year that he dominated almost everywhere else on the schedule.
• Matt Kenseth started the year like a house on fire but since the first 2 weeks we hardly hear anything about him. Matt is another driver who knows his way around Martinsville and should end up in the top 15 every race.
• Mark Martin has won the last 2 poles and should have a good car once again this weekend. However, this is the track that Mark just hates to race on. I can guarantee you that Mark is not looking forward to racing this weekend even though he could do quite well.

Yahoo Picks for Martinsville

Group A

• Jeff Gordon
• Jimmie Johnson

Group B

• Denny Hamlin
• Dale Earnhardt Jr.
• Jamie McMurray
• Juan Pablo Montoya

Group C

• Marcos Ambrose
• Bobby Labonte

Top 5 Overall at Martinsville

1. Jeff Gordon
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Denny Hamlin
4. Carl Edwards
5. Jeff Burton

Dark Horse: Jamie McMurray

Stay Away From: Greg Biffle

As always you can Email me with any questions, comments or suggestions at gutsamaniac@hotmail.com or post a question in the forum for me at the end of this article. Good luck once again this weekend!

So far 2009 looks a lot like 2008. Kyle Busch and Gibbs Racing appear in top form, Roush-Fenway has two wins and looks strong again and Hendrick, despite being winless, looks set for another superb season. Busch has two wins and led 517 laps and looks set to vie for another 8-10 wins. Here’s the problem with all of this: none of it matters until September. If you asked Busch he’d probably say the same thing. Wins and trophies are fun, but for Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson double-digit wins won’t mean as much if they don’t contribute to a championship in November. No one cares about the 2001 Seattle Mariners, the 2007 New England Patriots or the 1991 UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (although they were one of the most entertaining college basketball teams ever). The reason no one cares is because these teams were all record-setting in their regular seasons but lost in the playoffs. Admittedly NASCAR is different and any win is a feat, but considering Busch’s Chase history, critics will prevail until September.

While it’s fairly likely that Busch and Johnson will be in the hunt come Chase time, this year could have a different, yet familiar player. Jeff Gordon looks like the 2008 version and is racking up top 5’s like Rob Gordon from High Fidelity. If gordon maintains his pace and Carl Edwards finds his winning form, a four man scrap could ensue.

Notes and Thoughts

• A tale of two Matty’s: In the four Bristol races prior to the CoT, Matt Kenseth had 2 wins, 3 top 5’s and led 50, 415, 127, and 117 laps. Since the CoT he has led zero laps in five races and hasn’t finished better than 9th.
• Better Late than NeverDavid Reutimann spent the entire race inside the top 15, often in the top 5 before fading to 12th. Reutimann has now finished in the top 15 in four of five races this year including a top 5 at Las Vegas. Reutimann is something of a late bloomer on the Cup scene, an anti-Young Gun, but in his third Cup season he is hitting his stride at age 39.
• Looking Out for No. 1 In the victory press conference Busch was asked about comparisons to historical drivers: I’m not out there to be No. 1. We all know who No. 1 is and forever will be. To me, I go out there to win races, to be No. 1 on the racetrack.It’s nice to see Busch appreciates NASCAR history and remembers who was number 1 when he was growing up. Head’s up Steve Park, Shrub’s gunnin’ for you.

“

“I must say I was somewhat impressed with the top ten finish from Mark Martin in Bristol. Don’t get me wrong, I have no doubt about his ability. But Mark sat out the last four Cup races at Bristol and his previous 12 attempts left him with 23.9 average finish position.

Mark got off on the right foot though by claiming the pole– his second straight pole this year as a matter of fact! In an interview before the race Mark even commented on how long it had been since he had back-to-back poles. The last time was in 1989 when he got them at Darlington and Bristol. In case you’re wondering, Mark finished 6th in that ‘89 Bristol race just as he did in this race.

My Bristol Prediction Results:

Ford = Matt Kenseth. Matt finished 33rd.
Chevrolet = Jeff Gordon. Jeff finished 4th.
Toyota = Denny Hamlin. Denny finished 2nd.
Dodge = Kurt Busch. Kurt finished 11th.

Last week Jeff Gordon was my pick to win Bristol. While he came through with a 4th place finish and moved me to the top of the Experts Picks” standings [I'm gonna enjoy it while I can! :) ], I really thought Gordon would have been up there battling for the lead the entire race. Still, after falling behind towards the end, the #24 team made some adjustments and Gordon was able to move back up into the top 5.

My Martinsville Predictions for each Manufacturer:

If you’re looking for races to save an “A” driver such as Kenseth, Edwards or Biffle, then Martinsville could be a place for you to consider using Jamie McMurray. He actually has a higher driver rating at Martinsville than all of his Roush teammates! This in part due to six of his ten starts here resulting in top ten finishes. It’s still very hard not to go with Matt Kenseth here. You’ll likely end up with a finish around 8th-13th. I’m gonna take a bit of a gamble here though and hope that Jamie’s road course racing skills help him at Martinsville to be Ford’s best hope for a win.

Martinsville Speedway has been Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson’s personal sandbox, and they don’t like other driver’s bringing their toys there. Loop data stats for both drivers are very close with the edge going to Jimmie Johnson. Jimmie just barely beats Jeff in points, average running position, and driver rating. The numbers say Jimmie Johnson is Chevy’s best hope for the win.

Denny Hamlin is the defending race winner for the Spring Martinsville race. With seven career starts here, Denny has finished in the top ten in all but one race (crashed out in Spring of ‘06). Four of those top tens were top five finishes. Kyle may have won Bristol, but Denny’s second place finish there combined with his Martinsville track record means Denny is once again my pick for Toyota’s best hope for a win.

[Edited] Well, as “BUDWRENCH” pointed out below, JPM is no longer in a Dodge. So he can’t be their best hope for a win. I can’t believe I made that mistake! “BUDWRENCH” also says Kurt Busch would be the best Dodge driver here, but I’m not sure. If we’re going on current season performance, then maybe. But if you look a the last couple years here Kasey Kahne is the better pick for Dodge. Kahne has better average finish and more points collected on average. Both Kasey and Kurt start in the top ten and both ended the only practice session within just a few positions of one another. Therefore, I’m going to go with Kahne here. He has quietly put up four consecutive top 12 finishes in the last four races. The last two events (Atlanta & Bristol) he posted a 7th and 5th place finish, respectively.

My Pick To Win?

“Super G”!!! I heard the race commentators call Jeff Gordon that today and thought it was pretty funny. The loop data numbers may have Jimmie Johnson barely (and I mean by a hair) edging out Jeff Gordon at Martinsville, but I just don’t care. Jeff is leading the points, he’s been cracking off top 5s faster than Jimmy Spencer can pop a shirt button, and I think Jimmie’s monopoly on Martinsville wins has come to an end… at least for this week.

Now I have to get my race pick in early in the week, and to show my pick had some thought put into it, consider the following. Gordon has 8 career poles here and two of them came in the last 3 races here. Furthermore, Gordon is leading the points and as of this writing there is a 40% chance of rain projected for Friday. So, if qualifying is canceled Gordon will get the pole and the first pit box selection. Either way, there’s a good chance Jeff will start on the pole. Starting up front and prime pit selection could help give “Super G” the win!”

“I didn’t watch the Nationwide Series’ Scotts Turf Builder 300 at Bristol yesterday, but I did catch this video on nascar.com. (Picture launches video on nascar site).

Maybe I’m just too sensitive of a guy.

But, hearing Kyle scream, “The last pit stop. Every time I come to this race track. Y’all suck!”, just really takes me back.

Am I just living in a fantasy world where people aren’t really that spoiled, selfish and rude to each other?

What do you think?

EDIT: Just found this April 11, 2008 Kyle Busch at Phoenix tirade. YouTube video. (Bummer, just when I was beginning to like the little f***er too.)”

1. Denny Hamlin
In 2008 Hamlin was the top scorer in the series at the combined 6 short track races at Bristol, Martinsville, and Richmond. In the six races Hamlin had 4 top fives, and 5 top tens. In Hamlin’s lone outside the top ten finish (spring Richmond race) he had a dominating day starting from the pole and leading 381 laps until a cut down tire ruined his day in front of his home town crowd.

In 2008 Hamlin could have easily won the first three short track races if it weren’t for bad luck. Hamlin had the lead late at the spring Bristol race until a fuel pickup problem in the closing laps ruined his day, he won at Martinsville, and also had success at Richmond until the earlier mentioned issue happened. Hamlin also led the most laps (565) at the short tracks in 2008.

Career Finish Averages
Bristol: 14.3
Martinsville: 8.9
Richmond: 8.8

2. Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon is accomplished as they come at the short tracks. Gordon has 5 wins at Bristol, 7 wins at Martinsville, and 2 wins at Richmond. Perhaps Gordon’s biggest statistical accomplishment is at Martinsville where he has zero DNF’s in 32 career races.

In 2008 Gordon had 3 top fives and 4 top tens. Gordon was also one of three drivers to complete every lap at these crash up derby tracks. Last year Gordon was second to Hamlin in terms of total points accumulated. His worst finish in 2008 was an 11th place finish at the spring Bristol race.

Career Finish Averages
Bristol: 11.5
Martinsville: 6.9
Richmond: 15.1

3. Clint Bowyer
Clint Bowyer isn’t flashy and he certainly is never mentioned among the top short track drivers. What Bowyer is good at is surviving the carnage that happens at these tracks. Last year Bowyer won at the spring Richmond race. In a way this victory could be considered luck, but Bowyer was there to capitalize on the Kyle Busch- Dale Earnhardt Jr spectacle.

In 2008 Bowyer was 3rd overall in league scoring on the short tracks. Bowyer accumulated 2 top fives, and 5 top tens. Bowyer didn’t lead a lot of laps (94) but survival is really the key to success. Bowyer is also in the elite group of drivers who finished every lap.

Career Finish Averages
Bristol 14.7
Martinsville: 14.0
Richmond: 9.3

4. Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick has always been a very successful short track driver. Harvick has career victories at two out of the three short tracks on the circuit (Bristol, Richmond). In 47 career short track races Harvick only has one DNF on his record (Bristol). One notable piece of short track related info about Harvick is that his success at Martinsville is rather limited. In 15 career races Harvick only has 6 top tens.

In 2008 Harvick accumulated 2 top fives and 5 top tens. Like Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer Kevin Harvick is also in the elite group of drivers who completed every lap in 2008. The worst finish the driver of the 29 car had was a 12th place showing at the spring Martinsville race.

Career Finish Averages
Bristol: 9.6
Martinsville: 18.0
Richmond: 11.5

5. Jimmie Johnson
The fall Martinsville race is where Jimmie Johnson traditionally begins his annual thumping the field championship run. The three time champion lead the second most laps in 2008 in the series (520). Johnson also tied Denny Hamlin in the bonus points column (25) and led in 4 races.

His primary strength is Martinsville where he has 5 career wins and 13 top tens in only 14 career races. Johnson’s numbers at the other tracks is a little bit confusing. His stats at Richmond are skewed because he lacked early success there but he has won 3 out of the last 4 races. His history at Bristol is deceiving because he had early success there that he hasn’t been able to replicate it ever since.

Career Finish Averages
Bristol: 17.4
Martinsville: 5.6
Richmond: 17.5

Short Track Notables: Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, and Kurt Busch.

“Thanks to an off week NASCAR hasn’t raced in almost two weeks. That’s good news for anyone who had spring break, insomnia, amnesia or a short prison stint because they didn’t miss a thing. Just in case, here’s a few tidbits in anticipation of Bristol.

• Ratio from talking about wrecks to the actual carnage. 4:1
  Another way to picture that ratio is that for every actual crash at Bristol, there will be four mentions of words like “bullring”, “chrome horn” and “bump and run”. While I love Bristol and the everything rolled into the race package, I sometimes find everyone’s expectations a little too high. Not every race will produce an Earnhardt-Labonte checkers or wreckers finish or Dale Jarrett plowing into Ryan Newman. Recently a lot of Bristol races have been rather tame.
• Who will win the coveted Dune Buggy Award? Thanks to the large amount of wrecks and the lower minimum speed, Bristol gives teams the opportunity to keep racing with, or without sheet metal on the car. This week John Andretti finds a rough spot and winds up with the fierce-looking grill.
• Digger Count: 0 Bristol’s infield is completely paved. Digger should not show up, right? Right?!
• Can Gibbs Racing finally win a Bristol race? In the last six races Gibbs drivers have led 986 laps but none have won in a Gibbs car (Tony Stewart did win in 2001). Mechanical problems struck Stewart and Denny Hamlin in 2007 and last year Stewart and Kyle Busch were both bumped out of the lead late in races after dominating to that point. Can Hamlin or Busch finally seal the deal?
• Is it bad to root for a race to be like March weather? With the NCAA tourney rolling on Sunday, is it bad to hope Bristol comes in like a lamb and goes out like a lion? Let Kyle Busch lead 450 laps, put everyone a lap down and then get rammed by Juan Pablo Montoya with ten to go and suddenly five drivers have a chance to win. I want my to eat my cake.

“

“Something doesn’t add up. The Spring Cup entry lists are dwindling, but it doesn’t make sense.

Bristol has 45 cars on the Cup list. The easy conclusion to draw is that teams just can’t afford to run every race. Sure, times are tough-Jeff Gordon is reportedly keeping all the cans tossed at his car for the deposit.

• The last race at Atlanta had 47 cars entered and slumping attendance (although apparently not as bad as TV made it look).
• Surprisingly, Fontana (48 cars) and Las Vegas (51 cars) had larger entry lists despite the cross-country treks.

One difference from previous seasons is that NASCAR switched the off-week that traditionally split up the Fontana and Vegas races. This could have enticed some teams to stay out west during the week and make one long drive for two races. I never heard (or wasn’t paying attention) whether this factored into NASCAR’s decision to move the off-week, or whether it was because the Nationwide Series didn’t go to Mexico City this year.

Even if teams did stay out west, it’s a little puzzling why they are skipping races so close to Charlotte. Bristol is a three hour, 175 mile trip and Atlanta is 4 1/2 hours and 225 miles away.

The other factor is the purse for Bristol is comparable to Las Vegas (about $5.6 million). Atlanta’s purse is a bit less, so for a smaller team it makes sense to skip a track in favor of chasing the bigger money at tracks like Texas or Indianapolis. But I just can’t figure out why the fringe teams are passing over Bristol?

Even from a merchandise angle Bristol packs the fans in better than Fontana or Atlanta.

As the old NASCAR chestnut goes, “come for the qualifying laps, stay for the diecast sales” (note:this is not, nor will it ever be, an old chestnut).

The only negative to showing up at Bristol is for a team to actually make the race and get their car torn to pieces in a Reed Sorenson-inspired wreck.

How much can sheet metal really cost? “

“I’ve read a few articles and blogs stating that this last week’s break doesn’t make sense after only four races into the season. A part of me agrees. However, with back-to-back trips to the west coast I have to think that the crews and transport drivers may feel differently.

While the Cup schedule does need an off week later in the season where teams will go months without one, this breather after race number four does have it’s benefits. Think of it as taking a couple practice swings up on the tee box before really ripping one down the fairway. The teams have a chance to regroup and refocus on this one final race before the current season’s owner points come into play for the top 35. I’m sure the teams for Jeremy Mayfield & Scott Riggs are happy to have the extra week to prepare. They’re trying for a full season run as opposed to being a pair of “start-n-park” teams. But that’s a whole other blog post.

My Atlanta Prediction Results:

Ford = Carl Edwards. Carl finished 3rd.
Chevrolet = Jimmie Johnson. Jimmie finished 9th.
Toyota = Kyle Busch. Kyle finished 18th.
Dodge = Kurt Busch. Kurt finished 1st.

Last week I said that Kurt Busch could be a good darkhorse pick to win. I hope you gambled on the #2 car in your fantasy NASCAR games the same as I did. Unfortunately, you win some and you loose some. While I followed my heart on Kurt, I didn’t follow my gut and go with Jeff Gordon. Instead I went with Johnson based on on the numbers. Sure would have been nice to have that 1-2 finish.

My Bristol Predictions for each Manufacturer:

Matt Kenseth is Ford’s best hope for a win this week. Matt finished 10th and 9th at Bristol in the 2008 season. In the 10 Bristol races from 2002-2006, Matt posted a top ten in 9 out of 10 races, two of which were wins. Oh, and that 10th race he finished 16th. Charge up the batteries for the Kenseth robots!

This week I’m going with stats and my gut, which means I believe Chevy’s best hope for a win should come from Jeff Gordon. The #24 team has been running very strong these first four races of 2009 and has posted finishes of 14th, 2nd, 6th and 2nd. Gordon has 5 wins at Bristol Motor Speedway and a career average start and finish of 5th and 11th, respectively.

Let’s face it, Toyota’s chances of a win are most likely always going to come from the Joe Gibbs operation. This week the numbers are very comparable between Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin. I’m going to go with Denny this week for the Toyota banner. In six career starts at Bristol he has three top tens and finished 14th or better in all but one race. That race was a 43rd place finish due to engine failure.

In one goofy backwards victory lap, Kurt Busch has once again put Penske racing in the spotlight. Has the organization turned things around? I think it’s far too early to say for sure. However, prior to the 2005 season Kurt had to be considered a favorite for the Bristol win– even if he would have been driving a golf cart. If last week was the sign of Kurt and Penske’s return, then we all need to pray Kurt doesn’t do snow angels again if he wins this week.

My Pick To Win?

I kicked myself in the butt last after taking Johnson over Gordon. The bad part is I continued to second guess my pick even before the race started. However, I went with the numbers. This week I’m going stick with Jeff Gordon. The historical numbers are there, the current season performance is there, and my gut is still telling me Jeff Gordon for the win!”