Week 6: Chase’s Second Half Off And Running At Martinsville
With two consecutive victories and three overall during the past five weeks, reigning and three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet) has established himself as the frontrunner in the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup.
Heading into Sunday’s TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway, Johnson leads Hendrick Motorsports teammates Mark Martin (No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet) and Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont/NationalGuard.com Chevrolet), by 90 and 135 points, respectively.
That said, half of the Chase remains, and so do its possibilities. A synopsis of top-line storylines thus far:
Martin, the four-time series runner-up and renaissance man at age 50, began the Chase as its top seed and promptly won the first event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He remained at the top of the standings for the Chase’s first three weeks, finally dropping to second place two weeks ago, yet still a championship contender.
First-time Chase participant Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 Target Chevrolet) not only proved he belonged in the title hunt, he pressured Martin and other front-runners through the Chase’s first four events. Damage from a spin last Saturday night at Lowe’s Motor Speedway finally dropped Montoya from third in the Chase standings to sixth entering Sunday’s TUMS Fast Relief 500.
Gordon, the four-time series champion, also remains a contender thanks to three top-five finishes in the last three events. He’s in third place in the Chase standings heading to Martinsville.
Back-To-Back “Wild Cards”: Martinsville And Talladega
NASCAR’s smallest and largest tracks – Martinsville Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, respectively – are combining for a potentially active two weeks in and out of the Chase standings.
Martinsville, tiny in comparison to Talladega, nevertheless is the big track’s equal in difficulty.
One of the country’s oldest racing facilities, .526-mile Martinsville hosted events during NASCAR’s debut season of 1949 and still poses problems for today’s drivers.
Hairpin turns, a flat surface and a unique combination of concrete and asphalt make Martinsville a tough venue in any era. Contact is a given, with priority given to keeping one’s car clean.
Heard of “boiling the brakes?”
Drivers do it regularly at Martinsville, punishing pads, fluid and pedal because they’re constantly on and off them heading into and out of the tight corners.
At 2.66-mile Talladega, which hosts the seventh Chase event next week, brakes often are an afterthought. It’s the season’s final restrictor-plate race and Talladega’s high-banked layout and unpredictability often lead to surprise winners and jumbled finishes and standings.
Loop Data Says: Martinsville Either Tough Or Terrific For Chase Participants
It’s all or nothing at Martinsville Speedway when analyzing the statistics of this season’s Chase field.
Either the championship competitors excel highly at Martinsville, or struggle mightily.
Four drivers in the top 12 have a Martinsville Driver Rating over 100.0: Jimmie Johnson (124.3), Jeff Gordon (124.3), Tony Stewart (114.1) and Denny Hamlin (106.3).
For each of those drivers, Martinsville – a track notorious for its unpredictability – ranks at or near the top of their personal best list.
Martinsville ranks No. 1 for both Gordon and Johnson. In fact, it’s by far the best track in terms of Driver Rating for Gordon. Second-best for the four-time series champion is Darlington at 114.4.
Johnson’s second-best track in terms of Driver Rating is Kansas Speedway, at 122.6 – 1.7 points off his Martinsville rating.
Martinsville is Tony Stewart’s third-best track, behind Watkins Glen (135.0) and New Hampshire (114.9). It’s also Denny Hamlin’s third-best track, behind Richmond (121.0) and Pocono (115.9).
On the other side of the statistical spectrum sits Kurt Busch (81.1), Greg Biffle (65.5), Carl Edwards (80.0) and Kasey Kahne (76.1). Martinsville ranks near the bottom for all four.
In terms of Driver Rating, it’s Busch’s fourth-worst track; Biffle’s worst; Edwards’ third-worst; and Kahne’s seventh-worst.
Still, Busch – at least – has been one of the strongest drivers on short tracks this season.
Busch ranks sixth in short track Driver Rating with a 103.1, and has an Average Running Position of 8.5 and 131 Fastest Laps Run. There have been five short track races thus far this season: Two at Bristol, two at Richmond and one at Martinsville.
The statistical rundown of short-track performance is one list at where Johnson fails to sit at the very top. He is close, though.
In the five short-track races this season, Johnson has two top fives, three top 10s, a Driver Rating of 106.2 (fifth-best), an Average Running Position of 9.4 and 131 Fastest Laps Run.
Ahead of Johnson in short track Driver Rating are the two drivers closest in the points standings: Gordon and Mark Martin.
Gordon has a Driver Rating of 109.3 and an Average Running Position of 7.4 in the five short track races. Martin, the only driver to score a top-10 finish in each of the five races, has a Driver Rating of 114.6, an Average Running Position of 5.8 and 168 Fastest Laps Run.
2009 Short Track Driver Ratings (5 Races)
Driver
Driver Rating
Denny Hamlin 126.0
Kyle Busch 117.9
Mark Martin 114.6
Jeff Gordon 109.3
Jimmie Johnson 106.2
Kurt Busch 103.1
Ryan Newman 98.7
Clint Bowyer 92.3
Marcos Ambrose 88.5
Juan Pablo Montoya 87.8
All Together Now: Martinsville Fans To Make History At Start Of TUMS Fast Relief 500
Instead of watching pre-race activities, fans attending Sunday’s TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway will be a part of them.
All fans attending the NASCAR Sprint Cup event – the sixth race in the 2009 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – will serve as Grand Marshals and Official Starters.
It’s a first in series history and of course there are commemoratives: Once they reach their seats, fans will receive a 12” x 15” green flag bearing the Grand Marshal logo.
They’ll wave their flags to help NASCAR start Sunday’s event – following the lead of the series’ two official starters, Rodney Wise and Rick Monroe, in the flag stand – plus, fans will collectively issue the traditional “Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!” command.
Count on a green sea – more than 70,000 fans wielding their commemorative flags.
“Fans have been our top priority since Martinsville Speedway opened more than 60 years ago,” said track president Clay Campbell, whose grandfather, H. Clay Earles, opened the track in September 1947. “Fans have always come first with us and what better way to show that than making them all the Grand Marshal. I can’t wait to hear ‘Gentlemen, Start Your Engines’ for the TUMS Fast Relief 500.”
It’s not unheard of for fans to join the day’s designated Grand Marshal in issuing the command, but Sunday’s ceremony marks the first time all fans in attendance will have that honor.
“The fans are the foundation of our sport,” said Darren Singer, vice president of marketing for TUMS. “This wasn’t a difficult decision. It provides an opportunity for the sport to show appreciation for their support. The fans come to the track each weekend, cheering and supporting their favorite drivers.”
Also scheduled: Sunday’s 43-team field will salute the fans prior to the start, with drivers and over 400 team members thanking fans with a special gesture. Richard Petty, newly-selected last week as a member of the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame’s class, also will address Sunday’s crowd.
On The Line: Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota) was the guest on this week’s NASCAR teleconference. Currently 11th in the Chase, the native Virginian returns to one of his favorite tracks for Sunday’s TUMS Fast Relief 500.
Q: You’ve had good success at Martinsville Speedway. Is it a mix of factors or simply an affinity and respect for a historical venue?
Hamlin: I think Martinsville is just a racetrack where the driver can make a little bit of a difference if his car’s not 100% there. I’ve got a lot of laps at that racetrack, so the extra experience always helps.
I think some drivers just adapt to certain racetracks quicker than others, and Martinsville has been that for us.
Q: How do you look back on this Chase and what is the difference between maybe finishing third or fourth in the points versus finishing ninth or tenth?
Hamlin: I’m going to look back on it, and obviously be very disappointed. Because we came into the Chase with so much momentum and have performed extremely well on the racetrack. If they gave points for us running up front for most of the time we’d maybe have a shot at this championship. But they don’t. It’s only on finishing position. That’s bitten us right at the very end.
Q: What’s your outlook as the second half of the Chase begins this weekend?
Hamlin: We’re going to run well. We’re going to contend for every race win from here on out, I’m absolutely sure of that. But we need to finish them off, get those wins and try to get as high in the points as we can.
What is feasible for us right now, if we do go on a roll like that is the top five in points. We can get back there if we run and we finish just like we’ve been running. There is no doubt in my mind we’ll contend each one of five weeks. We have no weak track in the last five.
Q: What’s your take on Jimmie Johnson as the current Chase leader and a three-time series champion?
Hamlin: He obviously does a good job of not making mistakes. And that’s where I’d put him above everyone, is not making mistakes. Obviously letting his car do a lot of work. Taking it easy on the car in the beginning, working on it, working on it.
When he has to push it in the end, he’s got the car there for it. He’s got the mindset to win those races and that’s what makes him the best.
Give The Champ His Statistical Due: Johnson Chasing History
Out front is where Jimmie Johnson likes to be in autumn, and aside from the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup title, the reigning and three-time series champion is chasing other career marks.
A fourth consecutive title would make history. No NASCAR driver has won four consecutive championships. Cale Yarborough, whose record Johnson tied last year, is the only other driver to win three straight.
The latest of Johnson’s series-high six wins this season – last Saturday night at Lowe’s Motor Speedway – also was notable; it tied Buck Baker for 13th on NASCAR’s all-time win list.
That’s career victory No. 46 in 286 starts, meaning Johnson approaches this season’s final five Chase races from a position of strength.
He’s won the last two Martinsville events and five of the last six. His average finish during that span – five victories and one fourth-place finish – is 1.5.
Johnson and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon both own a series-best 124.3 Driver Rating at Martinsville, according to pre-race Loop Data.
Johnson has an average finish of 5.3 in 15 starts there. He also has six wins, 11 top fives, 14 top 10s and one pole, and leads two other pre-race Loop Data categories – Laps Led (1,216) and Quality Passes (214, of cars in the top 15 under green-flag conditions).
He ranks second in several categories – Average Running Position (6.6), Fastest Laps Run (482), Average Green Flag Speed (91.403 mph) and Laps in the Top 15 (4,001 or 88.7 %).
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