Tums QuikPak 500
NASCAR heads to Martinsville Speedway this weekend for the six race of the Chase.
Here is a quick run down of trivial facts and statistics for this weekend’s Tum’s QuikPak 500 at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, VA.
Martinsville Speedway History
- Opened in September 1947 by H. Clay Earles, Martinsville Speedway, originally a dirt track, is one of the oldest continuously-operating racing facilities in the United States.
- The first NASCAR-sanctioned race at Martinsville was on July 4, 1948.
- The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on Sept. 25, 1949.
- The first NASCAR Nationwide Series race was held March 28, 1982.
- The first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Martinsville was Sept. 25, 1995.
- The track was paved in 1955.
- The first 500-lap event at Martinsville was in 1956.
- Concrete corners were added atop the asphalt track in 1976.
Track Numbers
- NASCAR Cup Series Races: 119
- Pole Winners: 55
- Race Winners: 45
- There was one race in the inaugural year and two races per year since 1950.
- 619 drivers have competed in NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Martinsville; 390 have completed in more than one race there.
- 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 at Martinsville.
- 55 drivers have posted poles at Martinsville, led by Darrell Waltrip with eight.
- Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Darrell Waltrip share the consecutive pole record, each with three.
- Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with seven poles.
- 45 different drivers have won races, led by Richard Petty with 15.
- Fred Lorenzen holds the consecutive win record with four.
- Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with seven victories.
- Petty Enterprises has won 19 races, more than any other organization.
- 17 races have been won from the pole, but none since Jeff Gordon swept both races from the pole in 2003.
- Kurt Busch won the 2002 fall race from the 36th starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started.
Hot Fact
Jimmie Johnson has won three of the last four races at Martinsville. Johnson finished 35th in his first Martinsville appearance (April 2002), his only DNF there. Since then, he has posted 12 straight top-10 finishes, including four victories. Johnson has finished fourth or better in his last six Martinsville races and has led 1,006 of the 6,506 laps raced in the 13 races he has competed in at Martinsville. He has completed all but 54 laps in his 13 appearances, with all his incomplete laps coming in that first appearance.
Track Records
- Track qualifying record: Tony Stewart (98.083 mph, 19.306 secs., 10-21-05)
- Track race record: Jeff Gordon (82.223 mph, 9-22-96)
Qualifying/Race Data
- 2007 pole winner: Jeff Gordon (94.974 mph, 19.938 seconds)
- 2007 race winner: Jimmie Johnson (66.608 mph, 10-21-07)
Martinsville Race Day Data
- Estimated Pit Window: Every 140-150 laps, based on fuel mileage.
- #32 of 36 (10-19-08)
- Track Size: .526 mile
- Banking/Corners: 12 degrees
- Banking/Straights: 0 degrees
- Frontstretch: 800 feet
- Backstretch: 800 feet