Last Sunday’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway saw two teammates battle for the win, as Kyle Busch yet again found Victory Lane, this time ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin.
It will probably happen again this Sunday.
But this time, watch for two Hendrick Motorsports teammates to toss allegiances aside in the name of victory.
Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon are in a class by themselves when discussing Martinsville favorites.
The two have combined for an absurd nine of the last 12 Martinsville wins. Johnson has five during that span to Gordon’s four.
Johnson has owned the paper clip short track more so recently. With wins in four of the last five races and a series-high Driver Rating of 124.7, Martinsville ranks near the top of a crowded list of tracks at which Johnson excels.
Johnson averages a top-10 finish in 10 of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ 22 tracks. His average Martinsville finish is 5.6. Only at Phoenix does the three-time champion fare better – his average finish is 5.5 there.
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Before Johnson burst onto the Martinsville scene, Gordon was king of the premises.
He has seven wins there and has finished in the top five in the last eight Martinsville races.
Unlike Johnson, Gordon’s most successful track – by far – is Martinsville.
In 32 races there, Gordon has an average finish of 6.9, almost two full positions better than his second-best track (Indianapolis, 8.6).
Jeff Burton (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet)
• One win, 10 top fives, 14 tops 10s
• Average finish of 14.6
• Average Running Position of 17.3, 13th-best
• Driver Rating of 84.8, ninth-best
• 87 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
• 292 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 90.881 mph, seventh-fastest
• 2,112 (52.7%) Laps in the Top 15, ninth-most
• 145 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), eighth-most
Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota)
• Three top fives, four top 10s
• Average finish of 18.3
• Average Running Position of 14.9, seventh-best
• Driver Rating of 90.6, sixth-best
• 103 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 90.973 mph, sixth-fastest
• 2,666 (66.5%) Laps in the Top 15, fifth-most
• 199 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), fourth-most
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet)
• Eight top fives, nine top 10s
• Average finish of 13.6
• Average Running Position of 10.4, fourth-best
• Driver Rating of 102.4, fourth-best
• 311 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
• Series-high 396 Green Flag Passes
• Average Green Flag Speed of 91.183 mph, fourth-fastest
• 3,049 (76.0%) Laps in the Top 15, fourth-most
• 219 Quality Passes, second-most
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
• Seven wins, 20 top fives, 26 top 10s; seven poles
• Average finish of 6.9
• Average Running Position of 6.8, second-best
• Driver Rating of 124.0, second-best
• Series-high 467 Fastest Laps Run
• Series-fastest average Green Flag Speed of 91.520 mph
• 3,539 (88.3%) Laps in the Top 15, second-most
• Series-high 220 Quality Passes
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Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota)
• One win, four top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 8.9
• Average Running Position of 11.9, fifth-best
• Driver Rating of 101.3, fifth-best
• 134 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 91.113 mph, fifth-fastest
• 2,512 (71.6%) Laps in the Top 15, fifth-best percentage
Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet)
• Six top 10s
• Average finish of 18.0
• Average Running Position of 15.1, eighth-best
• Driver Rating of 89.1, seventh-best
• 55 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 90.863 mph, eighth-fastest
• 2,407 (60.0%) Laps in the Top 15, seventh-most
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
• Five wins, 10 top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 5.6
• Series-best Average Running Position of 6.4
• Series-best Driver Rating of 124.7
• 446 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
• Average Green Flag Speed of 91.462 mph, second-fastest
• Series-high 3,579 (89.3%) Laps in the Top 15
• 214 Quality Passes, third-most
Jamie McMurray (No. 26 Crown Royal Ford)
• One top five, seven top 10s
• Average finish of 16.9
• Average Running Position of 14.8, sixth-best
• Driver Rating of 88.2, eighth-best
• 72 Fastest Laps Run, tied for 11th-most
• 2,379 (59.3%) Laps in the Top 15, eighth-most
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