Martinsville Lineup, News, Notes, Stats, ETC.

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Race: Sunday, April 3, 2011 in Martinsville, VA

Title Sponsor: Goody's

Scheduled Green Flag (approx): 1:13pm/et


•NASCAR Pre-race: FOX - 12:30pm/et

•Television Race Coverage: FOX, 1:00pm/et

•In the Booth: Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds

•Pit Reporters: Dick Berggren, Steve Byrnes, Matt Yocum, Krista Voda

•Hollywood Hotel: Chris Myers and Jeff Hammond

•SPEED's NASCAR Raceday Pre-Race Show: 10:30pm/et with John Roberts, Kyle Petty, Kenny Wallace

 

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Track Specifications:

Track Size: 0.526 Mile
Race: 500 laps, 263 miles
Degree of Banking: Turns: 12 degrees
Straightaways: Banking: 0 degrees(flat)
Straights: 800 feet
Backstretch: 800 feet
Grandstnd Seating: 61,000
Pit Stalls: 43 pits, 14-feet wide by 28-feet long
Speed Limits: Pit Road, 30 mph; Pace Car, 35 mph
Opened: 1947

 

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Race Festivities/Officials:

Grand Marshal: Wounded Warrior Project heroes Joe Brazzle, Rashe Hall and Sue Downs
Command to start engines: Joe Brazzle, Rashe Hall and Sue Downs
Honorary Starter/Wave Green Flag: Victory Junction camper Garon Parris
Invocation: ?
National Anthem: Trace Adkins
Military Flyover: F/A-18E Super Hornets, VFA-31 Tomcatters, Naval Air Station, Oceana, VA

 

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STARTING LINEUP

Martinsville Speedway
62nd Annual Goody's Fast Relief 500

1 1 Jamie McMurray Chevy 96.509 19.621
2 39 Ryan Newman Chevy 96.342 19.655
3 4 Kasey Kahne Toyota 96.293 19.665
4 20 Joey Logano Toyota 96.220 19.680
5 11 Denny HamlinToyota 95.995 19.726
6 43 A J Allmendinger Ford 95.951 19.735
7 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 95.903 19.745
8 00 David Reutimann Toyota 95.854 19.755
9 29 Kevin Harvick Chevy 95.825 19.761
10 78 Regan Smith Chevy 95.791 19.768
11 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 95.786 19.769
12 5 Mark Martin Chevy 95.714 19.784
13 83 Brian Vickers Toyota 95.694 19.788
14 6 David Ragan Ford 95.675 19.792
15 33 Clint Bowyer Chevy 95.651 19.797
16 27 Paul Menard Chevy 95.554 19.817
17 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevy 95.540 19.820
18 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 95.477 19.833
19 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 95.468 19.835
20 22 Kurt Busch Dodge 95.463 19.836
21 24 Jeff Gordon Chevy 95.429 19.843
22 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge 95.386 19.852
23 99 Carl Edwards Ford 95.275 19.875
24 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 95.256 19.879
25 21 Trevor Bayne Ford 95.256 19.879
26 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevy 95.184 19.894
27 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Chevy 95.118 19.908
28 14 Tony Stewart Chevy 95.089 19.914
29 36 Dave Blaney Chevy 95.079 19.916
30 13 Casey Mears Toyota 95.003 19.932
31 38 Travis Kvapil Ford 94.955 19.942
32 31 Jeff Burton Chevy 94.671 20.002
33 16 Greg Biffle Ford 94.661 20.004
34 7 Robby Gordon Dodge 94.548 20.028
35 66 Michael McDowell Toyota 94.472 20.044
36 34 David Gilliland Ford 94.369 20.066
37 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 94.209 20.100
38 09 Landon Cassill Chevy 94.045 20.135
39 60 Mike Skinner Toyota 93.877 20.171
40 32 Ken Schrader Ford 93.613 20.228
41 37 Tony Raines Ford 93.253 20.306
42 46 JJ Yeley Chevy 93.253 20.306
43 71 Hermie Sadler 91.744 20.640
WD 92 Dennis Setzer Dodge withdrew

 

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NSCS Practice 1
Martinsville Speedway

1 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 95.617 19.804 93.212
2 20 Joey Logano Toyota 95.612 19.805 92.490
3 29 Kevin Harvick Chevy 95.314 19.867 92.957
4 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge 95.266 19.877 92.034
5 1 Jamie McMurray Chevy 95.228 19.885 92.756
6 31 Jeff Burton Chevy 95.170 19.897 91.942
7 27 Paul Menard Chevy 95.079 19.916 91.763
8 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 94.989 19.935 92.127
9 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevy 94.789 19.977 91.561
10 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Chevy 94.765 19.982 92.504
11 33 Clint Bowyer Chevy 94.652 20.006 92.722
12 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevy 94.567 20.024 91.897
13 39 Ryan Newman Chevy 94.538 20.030 91.288
14 4 Kasey Kahne Toyota 94.505 20.037 92.338
15 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 94.486 20.041 92.022
16 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 94.402 20.059 92.844
17 5 Mark Martin Chevy 94.322 20.076 92.452
18 00 David Reutimann Toyota 94.307 20.079 92.090
19 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 94.293 20.082 91.771
20 24 Jeff Gordon Chevy 94.289 20.083 91.450
21 99 Carl Edwards Ford 94.120 20.119 91.974
22 78 Regan Smith Chevy 94.078 20.128 91.889
23 13 Casey Mears Toyota 94.073 20.129 92.276 7 46
24 22 Kurt Busch Dodge 94.003 20.144 91.909
25 16 Greg Biffle Ford 93.975 20.150 91.705
26 7 Robby Gordon Dodge 93.915 20.163 91.207
27 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 93.859 20.175 92.251
28 14 Tony Stewart Chevy 93.831 20.181 91.659
29 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 93.812 20.185 90.877
30 6 David Ragan Ford 93.798 20.188 92.013
31 46 J.J. Yeley Chevy 93.645 20.221 91.179
32 38 Travis Kvapil Ford 93.599 20.231 91.358
33 36 Dave Blaney Chevy 93.530 20.246 92.153
34 09 Landon Cassill Chevy 93.506 20.251 89.780
35 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 93.474 20.258 91.931
36 60 Mike Skinner Toyota 93.451 20.263 91.263
37 83 Brian Vickers Toyota 93.373 20.280 91.333
38 32 Ken Schrader Ford 93.373 20.280 90.556
39 66 Michael McDowell Toyota 93.056 20.349 91.630
40 92 Dennis Setzer Dodge 93.001 20.361 91.380
41 21 Trevor Bayne Ford 92.951 20.372 90.707
42 71 Hermie Sadler Chevy 92.751 20.416 89.050
43 37 Tony Raines Ford 92.737 20.419 90.682
44 34 David Gilliland Ford 92.583 20.453 90.760

 

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NSCS Practice 1
Best 10 Consecutive Lap Average

Rank Car# Driver From Lap To Lap Avg Speed
1 42 Juan Pablo Montoya 5 14 93.956
2 5 Mark Martin 47 56 93.903
3 47 Bobby Labonte 43 52 93.779
4 48 Jimmie Johnson 24 33 93.708
5 14 Tony Stewart 4 13 93.344
6 24 Jeff Gordon 49 58 93.250
7 20 Joey Logano 16 25 93.166
8 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 3 12 93.084
9 1 Jamie McMurray 2 11 93.010
10 6 David Ragan 45 54 92.934
11 13 Casey Mears 2 11 92.922
12 99 Carl Edwards 49 58 92.883
13 78 Regan Smith 51 60 92.737
14 27 Paul Menard 2 11 92.733
15 16 Greg Biffle 2 11 92.535
16 17 Matt Kenseth 23 32 92.369
17 83 Brian Vickers 3 12 92.240
18 56 Martin Truex Jr. 59 68 92.205
19 09 Landon Cassill 4 13 92.123
20 22 Kurt Busch 38 47 92.045
21 21 Trevor Bayne 4 13 91.819
22 2 Brad Keselowski 29 38 91.632
23 38 Travis Kvapil 1 10 90.784
24 71 Hermie Sadler 42 51 90.422
25 31 Jeff Burton 1 10 90.108

Car must run 10 consecutive laps on the track to be included in the above chart

 

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NSCS Final Practice (Happy Hour)

1 6 David Ragan Ford 96.268 19.670 92.724
2 24 Jeff Gordon Chevy 96.220 19.680 92.834
3 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge 96.166 19.691 92.093
4 00 David Reutimann Toyota 95.864 19.753 92.012
5 4 Kasey Kahne Toyota 95.811 19.764 92.743
6 39 Ryan Newman Chevy 95.748 19.777 92.347
7 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 95.603 19.807 92.109
8 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 95.598 19.808 93.438
9 83 Brian Vickers Toyota 95.424 19.844 92.061
10 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 95.381 19.853 92.592
11 1 Jamie McMurray Chevy 95.357 19.858 93.172
12 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 95.323 19.865 92.249
13 5 Mark Martin Chevy 95.285 19.873 92.637
14 78 Regan Smith Chevy 95.175 19.896 92.351
15 27 Paul Menard Chevy 95.151 19.901 91.680
16 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevy 95.137 19.904 92.110
17 31 Jeff Burton Chevy 95.132 19.905 92.294
18 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Chevy 95.089 19.914 92.512
19 33 Clint Bowyer Chevy 95.075 19.917 92.869
20 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 95.013 19.930 92.527
21 99 Carl Edwards Ford 94.974 19.938 92.806
22 13 Casey Mears Toyota 94.932 19.947 92.669
23 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 94.889 19.956 92.281
24 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevy 94.874 19.959 92.417
25 16 Greg Biffle Ford 94.855 19.963 92.080
26 14 Tony Stewart Chevy 94.832 19.968 92.452
27 22 Kurt Busch Dodge 94.770 19.981 91.818
28 7 Robby Gordon Dodge 94.765 19.982 91.682
29 36 Dave Blaney Chevy 94.680 20.000 92.668
30 29 Kevin Harvick Chevy 94.614 20.014 93.105
31 20 Joey Logano Toyota 94.600 20.017 92.694
32 66 Michael McDowell Toyota 94.600 20.017 92.149
33 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 94.562 20.025 92.326
34 09 Landon Cassill Chevy 94.524 20.033 91.707
35 21 Trevor Bayne Ford 94.345 20.071 91.467
36 38 Travis Kvapil Ford 94.256 20.090 91.372
37 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 94.204 20.101 92.542
38 34 David Gilliland Ford 94.129 20.117 91.766
39 46 J.J. Yeley Chevy 93.961 20.153 91.463
40 92 Dennis Setzer Dodge 93.433 20.267 91.200
41 71 Hermie Sadler Chevy 93.304 20.295 88.805
42 60 Mike Skinner Toyota 93.299 20.296 91.833
43 37 Tony Raines Ford 92.814 20.402 90.769
44 32 Ken Schrader Ford 92.547 20.461 89.024

 

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NSCS Final Practice (Happy Hour) Best 10 Consecutive Lap Average

Rank Car# Driver From Lap To Lap Avg Speed
1 1 Jamie McMurray 8 17 94.675
2 27 Paul Menard 15 24 94.355
3 5 Mark Martin 23 32 94.354
4 18 Kyle Busch 4 13 94.129
5 29 Kevin Harvick 6 15 94.100
6 42 Juan Pablo Montoya 64 73 94.090
7 48 Jimmie Johnson 7 16 94.005
8 39 Ryan Newman 5 14 93.980
9 20 Joey Logano 2 11 93.977
10 24 Jeff Gordon 4 13 93.935
11 11 Denny Hamlin 58 67 93.912
12 9 Marcos Ambrose 2 11 93.910
13 00 David Reutimann 4 13 93.897
14 31 Jeff Burton 5 14 93.883
15 33 Clint Bowyer 4 13 93.806
16 56 Martin Truex Jr. 6 15 93.751
17 43 A J Allmendinger 3 12 93.716
18 2 Brad Keselowski 47 56 93.448
19 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 33 42 93.430
20 14 Tony Stewart 2 11 93.428
21 13 Casey Mears 3 12 93.393
22 47 Bobby Labonte 17 26 93.333
23 4 Kasey Kahne 17 26 93.311
24 16 Greg Biffle 2 11 93.275
25 17 Matt Kenseth 6 15 93.110
26 6 David Ragan 9 18 93.040
27 78 Regan Smith 2 11 92.566
28 83 Brian Vickers 43 52 92.455
29 21 Trevor Bayne 2 11 92.319
30 7 Robby Gordon 21 30 92.195
31 22 Kurt Busch 32 41 92.185
32 36 Dave Blaney 1 10 91.977
33 09 Landon Cassill 2 11 89.954

Car must run 10 consecutive laps on the track to be included in the above chart

 

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Track Records

•March 2010 Race Winner: #11-Denny Hamlin, 73.180mph, started 19th

•October 2010 Race Winner: #11-Denny Hamlin, 71.619mph, started 1st

•Track Race Record: Jeff Gordon, Sept 1996, 82.223mph

•Oldest Race Winner: Harry Gant, 51 years, 8 months, 12 days, 9/22/1991

•Youngest Race Winner: Richard Petty, 22 years, 9 months, 8 days, 4/10/1960

•March 2010 Pole Sitter: #29-Kevin Harvick, set by points, canceled by rain, finished 35th

•October 2010 Pole Sitter: #11-Denny Hamlin, 97.018mph, finished 1st

•Track Qualifying Record: Tony Stewart, October 2005, 98.083mph

•Oldest Pole Winner: Morgan Shepherd, 45 years, 6 months, 14 days, 4/26/1987

•Youngest Pole Winner: Ricky Rudd, 24 years, 7 months, 14 days, 04/26/1981

•Martinsville Marks Milestones: Longevity and performance are hallmarks in the career of #5-Mark Martin due to celebrate his 800th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start in Sunday's Goody's Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Martin's signature start comes nearly to the day of his first NASCAR Sprint Cup appearance (April 5, 1981) at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway where the then 22-year-old Batesville, Ark., native finished 27th. Over the course of 29 seasons, Martin has:
" Won 40 NASCAR Sprint Cup races and posted 96 victories across three national series, tops among active drivers.
" Finished among the top three in NASCAR Sprint Cup points standings nine times, most recently in 2009 when he finished second.
" Martin is only the eighth NASCAR Sprint Cup competitor to reach the 800-start plateau and likely will pass Darrell Waltrip (seventh with 809) and Kyle Petty (fifth with 829) later this year. His combined 1,055 national-series starts are second only to the 1,185 appearances of NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty.
Martin isn't the only NASCAR Sprint Cup driver celebrating career milestones at Martinsville.
" #16-Greg Biffle and #1-Jamie McMurray will mark career starts No. 300. Biffle, a former NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion, will make his 625th national series appearance.
" #14-Tony Stewart remains one top-10 shy of career No. 250.
Additionally, Kyle Busch could reach yet another lap-leader milestone in the Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500. Busch, who celebrated his 10,000 NASCAR Nationwide Series lap led on March 19 at Bristol Motor Speedway, is 332 laps from leading his 20,000th across the three national series.

 

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At Martinsville Speedway:

· 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.
· There have been 124 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.
· 55 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.
· 45 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 (5.3), Denny Hamlin (6.0) and Jeff Gordon (7.0).
* There have been 270 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Virginia.
* 160 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.

 

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Numbers for Martinsville Speedway:

1 fewest cautions for a Sprint Cup race at Martinsville Speedway (three times, most recent 4/25/71)
1  fewest cars on lead lap at the finish of a race at the .526-mile track (27 times, most recent 4/27/86)
2 fewest leaders for a race (11 times, most recent 9/26/76)
3 fewest caution laps for a race (4/25/71)
4 number of jet dryers available for track drying this weekend
14 most leaders for a race (10/15/01)
15 wins by Richard Petty, most by a driver
19 races won from the pole; 34 from the front row
21 most cautions for a race (10/21/07)
26  most cars on the lead lap at finish (twice, most recent 10/22/06)
28 cautions for two Sprint Cup races at Martinsville last year; 13 for Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 and 15 for TUMS Fast Relief 500
75 minutes, minimum amount of time it takes to dry the .526-mile track after a significant rainfall.
124 Sprint Cup races at Martinsville Speedway since 1949
127 ---most caution laps (10/21/07)
265 number of cautions during 36-race 2010 season; 140 for accidents
2011 Caution Update
45  number of cautions in the first five Sprint Cup races of 2011; 28 for accidents
211 of 1,487  laps run under caution in 2011
307.881 of 1,899.000  miles under caution in the first five races
AND: Nine Virginia tracks have hosted 270 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races (does not include convertible events) through the years dating back to the early 1950s. Two tracks remain on the schedule  Martinsville (124) and Richmond (109). Of the seven tracks that are no longer on the Sprint Cup calendar, Boston Speedway hosted 10 events, Langley Field Speedway nine and Old Dominion Speedway seven. The other four tracks had a total of 11 races.

 

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Pit Stall Selections:

The selections of pit stalls for the Goody's Fast Relief 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway have been made.
Pole sitter #1-McMurray chose pit stall 1 [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole sitter #39-Newman took pit stall 11, the next stall with an opening in front of it.
#4-Kahne, who starts 3rd took the 10th pit stall, the first stall with an opening behind it.
The 43rd and final pit stall was taken by #27-Menard, who starts 16th.

 

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Some Chassis Selections by Teams for this race


#1-Jamie McMurray: Crew Chief Kevin "Bono" Manion and the #1 WIDIA team will bring chassis #1007 to Martinsville. McMurray ran this chassis in both the 2010 spring and fall races at Martinsville and Richmond. McMurray will be making his 300th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start this weekend at Martinsville.
#2-Brad Keselowski: The #2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team will use chassis PRS-740 during Sunday's Goody's Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. This is a new chassis to the #2 team. Have a Beer with that Dog will be the featured tag line on the bumper of the "Blue Deuce" this weekend in Martinsville. One of the most well-known traditions in NASCAR is the Martinsville Speedway hot dog. What goes better with a hot dog than a Miller Lite?
#6-David Ragan: Primary: RK-747 is a brand new chassis; The backup is RK-730 last ran Las Vegas and finished 22nd.
#9-Marcos Ambrose: The #9 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 754 for the 500-lap race at Martinsville Speedway. This DeWalt Ford Fusion is brand new.
#14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-637 is a brand new racecar that has only seen track time via a March 14 test at the half-mile Little Rock Speedway in Rockingham, N.C. The Goody's Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway will mark its first race of any kind.
#17-Matt Kenseth: Primary: RK-725 last raced at Phoenix, Kenseth will pilot the #17 Crown Royal Ford Fusion.
#20-Joey Logano: #303 to the paperclip this weekend for the 500-lap race. This is a new short-track chassis for the team. The back-up chassis is #275 that Logano most recently drove to a sixth-place finish at Martinsville in October. The Home Depot associates from store #6377 from Destin, FL store number will ride along with Logano this weekend on the rear quarter panel of The Home Depot Toyota at Martinsville Speedway.
#22-Kurt Busch and his Steve Addington-led Penske Racing "Double-Deuce" team will be racing their "PRS-741" Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger this weekend at Martinsville Speedway. This is a brand new chassis that the team tested with last Tuesday (March 22) at Gresham Motorsports Park, the half-mile asphalt oval located near Jefferson, Ga. "We should be good to go with this new car," offered crew chief Addington. "We used the Gresham test as a good shakedown for the car, so when we unload there at Martinsville on Friday we should be able to really get after it. The format is a little different this time around, with practice on Friday and qualifying on Saturday. We'll utilize most of the time on getting our race trim dialed in. As always, Sunday's race will be all about exercising patience and having your car in one piece for the final 100 laps."
#27-Paul Menard will pilot Chassis No. 349 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This #27 NIBCO/Menards Chevy is a brand new addition to the RCR fleet, and will see its first laps on the race track during Friday's practice session.
#29-Kevin Harvick: will pilot chassis No.332 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. Harvick drove this Chevrolet to a fourth-place finish at Phoenix International Raceway in February.
#31-Jeff Burton will pilot chassis No. 319 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. Built new for 2010, this Caterpillar Chevy was put through its first paces at New Hampshire in September where it finished 15th after running out of fuel with two laps remaining. This #31 racer also competed at Phoenix last November where the team was well on their way to a promising top-10 finish but was forced to pit for fuel with eight laps remaining, relegating them to a 19th-place effort.
#33-Clint Bowyer: will pilot chassis No. 340 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This BB&T Chevrolet was utilized last month at Phoenix where the #33 team finished 27th after being involved in a 13-car pileup on lap-68.
#36-Dave Blaney: will pilot the No. 78 chassis the team ran initially at Phoenix. The TBR team worked diligently to rebuild the car following an incident in Phoenix. The team also ran the chassis at Martinsville and Richmond last season.
#39-Ryan Newman After last year's fall race, Newman & Company retired No. 39-492, which had been the team's "Martinsville Special" for four races during the 2009 and 2010 seasons. In four starts at Martinsville with that chassis, Newman earned one pole and posted one top-five and two top-10 finishes. This weekend, the #39 team will debut a new chassis No. 39-645  that it hopes will be just as strong at the .526-mile paperclip-shaped oval. No. 39-645 is a brand new short-track car for the #39 team.
#42-Juan Pablo Montoya: Brian Pattie and the #42 Target team are bringing chassis #1110 this weekend. This is a brand new chassis.
#43-A.J. Allmendinger: The #43 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 729 for this weekend's event at Martinsville Speedway. This Best Buy Ford Fusion was run previously this season at Phoenix International Raceway.
#48-Jimmie Johnson: will pilot chassis No. 653 in Sunday's Sprint Cup Series event. Backup chassis No. 540 crossed the finish line fifth at Phoenix International Speedway in Nov. 2010.
#99-Carl Edwards: The #99 will unload RK-726 for the weekend. Edwards raced this car at Phoenix in February where he finished 28th after an accident.

 

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Goodyear Tires Notes / Fast Facts

Tire:
Goodyear Eagle Short Track Radials (Sprint Cup);
Goodyear Wrangler Short Track Radials (Camping World Truck)

Number of Tires:
Sprint Cup: Left-side -- 1,400, Right-side -- 1,400;
Camping World Truck: Left-side -- 400, Right-side -- 400

Set limits:
Sprint Cup: 5 sets for practice/qualifying, 11 sets for race;
Camping World Truck: 4 sets for weekend

Tire Codes: Left-side -- D-4434; Right-side -- D-4436

Tire Circumference: Left-side -- 87.2 in.; Right-side -- 88.5 in.

Technical Inspection Inflation:
Left Front -- 25 psi; Left Rear -- 25 psi;
Right Front -- 25 psi; Right Rear -- 25 psi

Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front -- 10 psi; Left Rear -- 10 psi;
Right Front -- 23 psi; Right Rear -- 22 psi

Estimated Pit Window: Every 115-125 laps, based on fuel mileage (Sprint Cup).

Notes: Teams in both NASCAR series in action this weekend will run the same tire codes, though the Sprint Cup tires will be branded "Goodyear Eagle," while the Camping World Truck tires will be branded "Goodyear Wrangler" . . . this is the first time these teams have run either of these two tire codes . . . compared to what was run at Martinsville last year, this left-side tire features a tougher compound, while this right-side tire features a softer compound for more grip . . . as on most NASCAR ovals one mile or less in length, teams will not run inner liners in their tires at Martinsville.

 

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OPENING ODDS

6201 JIMMIE JOHNSON 5/2
6202 DENNY HAMLIN 4/1
6203 KYLE BUSCH 5/1
6204 JEFF GORDON 6/1
6205 KEVIN HARVICK 7/1
6206 TONY STEWART 8/1
6207 CARL EDWARDS 10/1
6208 KURT BUSCH 12/1
6209 CLINT BOWYER 15/1
6210 DALE EARNHARDT JR 18/1
6211 RYAN NEWMAN 20/1
6212 JAMIE McMURRAY 20/1
6213 JOEY LOGANO 25/1
6214 MARK MARTIN 25/1
6215 JUAN MONTOYA 25/1
6216 GREG BIFFLE 30/1
6217 MATT KENSETH 30/1
6218 JEFF BURTON 40/1
6219 KASEY KAHNE 40/1
6220 DAVID REUTIMANN 50/1
6221 BRIAN VICKERS 60/1
6222 MARTIN TRUEX JR 60/1
6223 DAVID RAGAN 75/1
6224 AJ ALLMENDINGER 75/1
6225 BRAD KESELOWSKI 100/1
6226 PAUL MENARD 100/1
6227 MARCOS AMBROSE 100/1
6228 BOBBY LABONTE 100/1
6229 REGAN SMITH 100/1
6230 FIELD - ALL OTHERS 40/1

 

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Hamlin and Johnson have Martinsville figured out
By JENNA FRYER

MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson have combined to win the last nine races at Martinsville Speedway, a streak that's annoyed most of their competitors.

Could it really be that two guys are that much superior, and the 41 others have no chance at winning on NASCAR's oldest active track?

Nope, insisted Johnson. The secret to winning at Martinsville is nothing more than accepting the 0.526-mile paper clip-shaped track as it is and not trying anything fancy.

"There's one way to drive this place and that's it," said Johnson, a six-time Martinsville winner.

Richard Petty is the all-time wins leader at Martinsville with 15 victories, followed by Darrell Waltrip with 11. Then came the heyday of Rusty Wallace, and then Jeff Gordon, with seven wins apiece.

But only two drivers have mastered Martinsville since 2006, when Johnson began a run that lasted until Hamlin caught him. Hamlin is a four-time Martinsville winner, including the last three visits to his home state.

Johnson credits that domination to the two of them knowing exactly what to do from the moment their car hits the track in Friday's first practice.

"A lot of tracks have a lot of other options, but there's one very specific line you have to run and when a guy finds it, and he can set his car up to it, you go and go and go for years," Johnson said. "That's what Denny has been able to do, and what we've been able to do and Jeff has done. So I really think it falls into that category.

"You go to a big track and there are three or four lanes to run on, you can move around and find somewhere that works for your setup if you missed it, (and) for your own driving style. That's not the case here."

Hamlin didn't disagree about what it takes to win at Martinsville, and that he and Johnson have been the only two drivers of late to get in on the secret.

"I just think that we have got something figured out that really no one else has figured out at this point," Hamlin said. "That's all you can really pinpoint it, because the competition is so close. Each and every week, even qualifying, everyone runs essentially the same speed once they kind of get it all ironed out."

Hamlin has had Martinsville figured out since his rookie season. He's got 10 top-10s in 11 career starts, with his only blemish a 2006 crash that led to a 37th-place finish in his second race here.

His first win came two years later, and the track has since been the place where Hamlin starts his move toward the front of the Sprint Cup standings. Off to a slow start last year, when he was widely picked to win the championship, he targeted Martinsville as where he'd heat up.

Instead, he announced he'd be undergoing knee surgery the day after the race, which was rescheduled to Monday because of rain. With most everyone writing off Hamlin's chances for the race win and the championship, he instead bulldozed his way through the field on a final restart to grab his first victory of the season.

From there, Hamlin weathered the knee surgery, won eight races and finished second to Johnson in the championship race.

Hamlin needs a repeat performance this Sunday. The engine woes that have plagued Joe Gibbs Racing through the first five races of the year hit Hamlin hard last week at California, when his failed midway through the race. His 39th-place finish cost him four spots in the standings, and he goes into Sunday ranked a disappointing 21st.

But he won't be concerned about his position unless Sunday is a bust for him.

"Martinsville spring race always seems to be the springboard for our season," he said. "Whenever we have struggles for the first five races or so, Martinsville falls that fifth or sixth race of the season for us, and that's when we hit our momentum.

"We're looking to (Martinsville) to be the one that kind of sets our season in motion. Hopefully it's no different this year."

 

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GOODY’S FAST RELIEF 500 PREVIEW

There aren’t too many tracks on the Sprint Cup Series schedule that have been dominated by two drivers the way Martinsville Speedway has in recent years.

You have to go back to 2006 to find a name that went to victory that wasn’t Johnson or Hamlin.

Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin have owned the Virginia short track since 2006, both coming to win nine straight races.

In a combined 29 starts, each driver has finished outside of the Top 10 just once during their Martinsville careers.

For Hamlin a return to his home track couldn’t come at a better time. The Virginia driver has struggled the last two weeks with finishes of 33rd and 39th at Bristol and Fontana respectively.

The schedule rolling around to Martinsville should help the Joe Gibbs Racing driver get his season back on track.

“We definitely need to get some solid finishes,” Hamlin said. “We need to prove at this point we can finish a race. I’ll be 20-something in the points, and I’ve been there after five races or so.”

Hamlin says he’s not worried about the early race struggles and points to last year when he was about in the same spot in the point standings before rallying back to challenge for the title.

However he acknowledges the problems that have plagued the Joe Gibbs Racing team including the engine woes across all three of the organization’s entries.

“Each one seems to be isolated and different,” Hamlin said of the problems. “I can’t really pinpoint whether it’s one problem. If we knew exactly what it was, hopefully we’d get it fixed. It’s disappointing, for sure. We had a good car [at Fontana]. … It’s frustrating from my standpoint. We’ve got some really good tracks coming up for us.”

That obviously includes Martinsville but Hamlin doesn’t want to count anything as a for sure situation.

“I’m worried a little bit more,” he said of last week’s Fontana woes. “It’s frustrating because you want to do the best you can each week, and Mike (Ford, crew chief) and the team did a great job setting up the car, and we had a fast car. It doesn’t matter in the end if you can’t finish the way you’re supposed to.”

Johnson expects to finish well on Sunday and is very confident coming into the sixth race of the season.

Although he won three of the first five races a year ago and has yet to visit victory lane in 2011, Johnson likes the way his team has contended in the early going.

“We’ve had great cars to be sure,” Johnson said. “Really outside of Daytona when we got caught up in that early accident, I think we’ve been in the thick of things even at Las Vegas when we didn’t get the finish we wanted but had some speed out there.

“Obviously it helps the confident when you come to a track like Martinsville well we’ve done so well over the years and I really love coming here. I think we will be right there in the mix for another win on Sunday.”



Martinsville Speedway

Track Size: .526-mile

Race Length: 500 laps/263 Miles

Banking/Frontstretch: 0 degrees

Banking/Backstretch: 0 degrees

Banking/Corners: 12 degrees



Race Facts

There have been 124 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.

55 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.

45 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 (5.3), Denny Hamlin (6.0) and Jeff Gordon (7.0).



Who’s Hot at Martinsville

Jimmie Johnson – Johnson has made Martinsville his personal playground since figuring out the track. He has not finished outside the Top 10 since his first start at the track in 2002. His six career wins trail only teammate Jeff Gordon on the active driver win list and Johnson has an astounding 5.3 average finish in 18 career starts..

Denny Hamlin – The Virginia driver has won the last three races at Martinsville and gone to victory lane at his home track four times. Has finished out of the Top 10 only once in his eleven Martinsville starts and carried a 6.1 average finish into Sunday’s race.

Jeff Gordon – The active career Martinsville winner with seven triumphs, Gordon has not won at the track since he swept both races in the 2005 season. Came very close to winning last spring but had to settle for third in a wild finish. Came back for a disappointing 20th last October.



Who’s Not

David Reutimann – A 16th place finish is the best for Reutimann at Martinsville during his eight race Cup career. That’s added up to a disappoitnign average of just over 25th.

Greg Biffle – Martinsville hasn’t been kind to Biffle over the years. Although he’s finished at high as seventh, he has an average finish of 23rd in 16 career starts.

Martin Truex Jr. – Truex is going to have to turn around his recent trend at Martinsville to continue his good start to the 2011 season and stay in the first half of the Sprint Cup Series point standings. The Michael Waltrip Racing driver did finish fifth in last spring’s race but overall has a 22.5 average finish.



Notebook

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.

 

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Kyle Busch Looks Better Than Ever at Martinsville After Two Friday Practices

The first practice session looks to be the most telling of all for Sunday's Goody's Fast Relief 500 race at Martinsville just because of it being completed entirely in race trim. The final practice session was more to do with a qualifying set-up and the times are not as clear to who will be really fast on race day.

Seeing Kyle Busch at the top of the charts is quite a change from what we saw last year. Kyle has never warmed up to Martinsville like we have seen him do to all other short tracks in his career, including the Bull Ring at his home town of Las Vegas before he even had a drivers license. It's kind of been shocking considering his nature, but this is the first time he's ever looked like he has a car that can take on both Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson who have owned Martinsville over the last five years.

When looking back at 2010's Martinsville practices, Busch looked like an also-ran even though he finished 22nd in the spring and a respectable fourth in the fall, which tied his all-time best on the track. His six combined practice times for both Martinsville races in 2010 looked like this: 32nd, 25th, 27th, 21st, 26th, and 26th. Those are awful times for someone of his caliber, especially considering that his teammate has won three straight races on the track.

We've seen either Johnson or Hamlin win the last nine races in a row at Martinsville, but it looks like Kyle Busch just entered his name to the small list of probable candidates to win Sunday with such a fine performance in practice.

Joey Logano wrecked his primary car in happy hour, a car that was running very well, but his back-up car may be even better. That primary car was brand new, but the back-up chassis was the same one he used to finish sixth in the fall Martinsville race last year. In the two races run there last season, Logano finished runner-up and sixth. The back-up may be the ideal situation for him.

A car that stood out more than normal was Brad Keselowski's who was good in both race and qualifying trim. He will be a good candidate to sit on the pole during Saturday's qualifying. Martinsville was one of his best tracks collectively last season on his first two attempts at it with 10th and 12th place finishes.

Be sure to check back Saturday afternoon for my Final Martinsville Driver Ratings which are sure to have Busch near the top.

1st Friday practice - Martinsville Goody's Fast Relief 500 (90 minutes):
#18-Busch 95.617
#20-Logano 95.612
#29-Harvick 95.314
#2-Keselowski 95.266
#1-McMurray 95.228
slowest: #34-Gilliland 92.583 and #37-Raines 92.737
incidents: #48-Johnson spun in trun 2, but didn't hit anything and had no damage. (Jayski.com)

Happy Hour practice - Goody's Fast Relief 500 (90 minutes):
#6-Ragan 96.268
#24-Gordon 96.220
#2-Keselowski 96.166
#00-Reutimann 95.864
#4-Kahne 95.811
slowest: #32-Schrader 92.547 and #37-Raines 92.814
incidents: #20-Logano wrecked and will go to a backup car. #92-Setzer lost the brakes and wrecked hard, he is ok, but the car is totaled and he says the team doesn't have a backup car, so will have 43 cars going for 43 spots on Saturday in qualifying.

 

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Tire issues again...this time at Martinsville:

For the second time in three weeks, there are tire issues at a half-mile track hosting a Sprint Cup race. Unlike three weeks ago at Bristol Motor Speedway, where tires wore out in 25 laps or less, Goodyear does not plan to bring in a different compound for Sunday's race at Martinsville Speedway. But there are concerns among the drivers and teams because the surface is not rubbering in and the tires are showing extreme wear after 25 to 35 laps, some sooner. Goodyear officials said they switched compounds for Martinsville because the left-side on the old tire was "graining." To offset the tougher new left side, they made the right side softer to provide more grip. What they didn't count on was cooler than normal temperatures -- in the mid-40s Friday -- that made it tough for heat to build up. They are confident, with warmer conditions expected Sunday, that there will be no issues. Sprint Cup series director John Darby said there is no tire problem. "Here's what we know: The tire is different than what it was last year. The tire's not failing," Darby said. "The tire has some different driveability characteristics that everybody is dealing with. But it's a combination of a tougher left side and softer ride side, so the cars feel different. It's hard to make a judgment either way right now. We'll see what 500 laps of racing does.