NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams will race 500 laps for 263 miles at Martinsville Speedway in the STP 500 on Sunday, April 3rd. Coverage begins on FOX Sports 1 at 11:30 am ET with a green flag round 1 pm ET and radio coverage available on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.
Short-Track Standouts Go for First Win of 2016
As NASCAR continues its third ‘win and you’re in’ season for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, six now winless short-track standouts will attempt to make their first visit to Victory Lane this year in Sunday’s STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway – Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards and Joey Logano.
Kyle Busch has logged a top-four finish in four of five races this season. He boasts nine career wins on the Sprint Cup Series’ three short tracks – (Martinsville, Bristol and Richmond – but has never won at Martinsville.
Like his younger brother, Kurt claims nine short-track wins as well. He has two wins at Martinsville, most recently in spring of 2014. However, his 2014 victory is his only top-ten finish at the 0.526-mile track in his last 20 starts at the track.
Kenseth has produced six short-track victories in his career, but has never won at Martinsville. The No. 20 Chevrolet driver could be due for his first grandfather clock though. He has placed sixth or better in his last four Martinsville starts.
A five-time winner at short tracks, Dale Earnhardt Jr. notched his first, and only, Martinsville victory in fall of 2014. Although he has just one win at ‘NASCAR’s Wrigley Field,’ he claims the third-best average finish (11.9) and driver rating (99.4) among active drivers.
Edwards has been strong this year with three top-fives and four top-tens in the first five races. He has captured four career checkered flags at short tracks, but has never won at Martinsville. The No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing driver has always struggled at the home of NASCAR’s most famous hot dog with just one top-five finish in 23 starts there.
A winner of three career short-track races, Logano looked like he would clinch his first Martinsville victory last fall, but a wreck put him out of the contest after leading his race-high 207th lap. The 25-year-old Connecticut native finished in the top five in his three Martinsville starts going into last fall’s race.
Click here for an infographic showing short-track stats of the six drivers
Martinsville Maven:
Johnson Attempts to Reclaim Winning Ways at Southern Virginia Short Track
Fresh off his 77th career victory at Auto Club, which vaulted him past Dale Earnhardt for sole possession of seventh on the all-time Sprint Cup Series wins list, Jimmie Johnson heads to Martinsville Speedway where history suggests he’s one of the favorites to notch his 78th career win.
The No. 48 Chevrolet driver ranks first among active drivers at Martinsville in wins (8), top-fives (18), top-tens (22), average finish (6.9), average running position (8.0), driver rating (118.4), average green flag speed (91.629 mph) and laps led (2,746). His last win at the Virginia short track came in spring of 2013 – five races ago.
Johnson can continue to climb the all-time wins list at a quick pace. The six-time Sprint Cup Series champion trails sixth-place Cale Yarborough (83 wins) by a mere six wins, and fourth-place Bobby Allison (84) and Darrell Waltrip (84) by only seven wins.
Click here for an infographic detailing
Johnson’s place on the all-time Sprint Cup wins list.
“Denny’sville” – Hamlin Sets Sights on Second Straight Martinsville Spring Win
Denny Hamlin overcame an early pit road penalty by rallying from the 22nd position to pass teammate Matt Kenseth for the lead with 28 laps to go to win last year’s Martinsville spring race.
The victory marked the 25th of Hamlin’s career, allowing the Virginia native to tie NASCAR Hall of Famer Joe Weatherly as the all-time winningest driver from The Cavalier State.
Hamlin will go for his second straight spring Martinsville checkered flag in Sunday’s STP 500. In 20 starts at the Virginia short track, he claims five wins – second-most among active drivers – 11 top-fives and 16 top-tens. Additionally, he ranks second-best among active drivers at Martinsville in average finish (8.0), average running position (8.9) and driver rating (110.6).
The 2016 Daytona 500 champion placed third in the last two races – Phoenix and Fontana.
Passing, Close Finishes the Norm for 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Several interesting numbers highlight the first five races of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, capped by the 51 green flag passes for the lead at Auto Club Speedway, a high at the two-mile track since starting loop data in 2005.
It marked the second time in the first five races this season for setting a new track record for green flag passes for the lead – Atlanta had 44 green flag passes for the lead.
“It’s great,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said about the lower-downforce aero package implemented in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. “Every week has been fun, fun, fun. The cars are fun to drive, slipping and sliding. It’s a good challenge and I’m enjoying it.”
Additionally, the seventh-closest margin of victory since starting electronic timing and scoring in 1993 – 0.010 seconds – happened twice in the first five races – at Daytona and Phoenix.
Through the first five races, the average margin of victory is 0.367 seconds – the closest through five races since starting electronic timing and scoring in 1993.
“The new rules package today I thought was tremendous,” Brad Keselowski said after the Las Vegas race. “I think you saw, because of the rules package, where the cars fell off a lot at the end of the run and you really had to drive them sideways. Took a lot of balance as a driver, a lot of precise footwork and accuracy with where you put your car, how you place it, which is exactly what we want.”
The Sprint Cup Series has also showcased parity through the first five races. Four different drivers, four separate organizations and all three manufacturers have won a race.
Click here to see more details on the first five races
Guess Who’s Back: Wood Brothers returning to Martinsville
Tell your friends.
The Wood Brothers are returning to Martinsville for the first time since 2011 when Trevor Bayne finished 35th in the famed No. 21 Ford.
Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Ryan Blaney takes the track this time for the Woods, who have a storied history at the Virginia short track.
Glen Wood made the first Martinsville start for the Wood Brothers on May 17, 1953. In 109 starts there, the Wood Brothers claim two wins (Cale Yarborough, 1968; David Pearson, 1973 from the pole), 28 top-fives and 1,891 laps led. Wood Brothers drivers have completed 44,978 of 52,746 laps (85.3%) while competing at Martinsville.
Elliott Leapfrogs Blaney for Sunoco Rookie Lead
The seesaw atop the Sprint Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings continues to teeter.
Following his career-high sixth-place performance at Auto Club, Chase Elliott took back the lead from Ryan Blaney for the second time this year. Elliott leads Blaney by five points in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings. Not far behind are Brian Scott (-14) and Chris Buescher (-16).
Right around this time last year, Elliott was readying for his first Sprint Cup Series start, at Martinsville. He finished 38th in that one, but has since avoided any rookie jitters. On the season, Elliott boasts three top-tens, while Blaney owns two top-tens. They both have high finishes of sixth.
Both Elliott and Blaney are alumni of the NASCAR Next initiative. Blaney claims eight combined NASCAR XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series wins, while Elliott has six.
Click here for an infographic on the rookie of the year race
Noteworthy News in the Sprint Cup Series
Bayne Readies for 100th Career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Start
Trevor Bayne will make his 100th career Sprint Cup Series start in Sunday’s STP 500 at Martinsville. Bayne has improved his points position after every race this season, from 27th after Daytona to his current standing of 21st.
Criminal Minds’ Cook to Serve as Martinsville Grand Marshal
AJ Cook, an actress on the hit TV show ‘Criminal Minds’ will say the most famous words in motorsports as the Grand Marshal of Sunday’s STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway.