Below is a look at the statistical performances of drivers in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™ at Martinsville Speedway going into the TUMS Fast Relief 500 on October 30.
MARTINSVILLE-SPECIFIC STATISTICS
1 - Carl Edwards (No. 99 Scotts Winterguard Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 99.1
2011 Rundown
· One win, 16 top fives, 22 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 10.0
· Led 21 races for 715 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
· One top five, four top 10s
· Average finish of 16.9 in 14 races
· Average Running Position of 16.0, 13th-best
· Driver Rating of 81.1, 14th-best
· 647 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
· 3,721 Laps in the Top 15 (57.1%), 10th-most
· 390 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), fourth-most
2 - Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Crown Royal Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 98.2
2011 Rundown
· Three wins, 10 top fives, 18 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 11.4
· Led 19 races for 721 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
· Two top fives, seven top 10s
· Average finish of 15.8 in 23 races
· Average Running Position of 18.7, 18th-best
· Driver Rating of 76.8, 17th-best
· 667 Green Flag Passes, second-most
3 - Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 86.9
2011 Rundown
· Three wins, 10 top fives, 14 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 14.2
· Led 17 races for 281 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
· One top 10
· Average finish of 13.7 in three races
· Average Running Position of 19.4, 19th-best
· Driver Rating of 72.4, 20th-best
4 - Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 92.2
2011 Rundown
· Two wins, five top fives, 15 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.3
· Led 17 races for 501 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, eight top fives, 13 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 13.9 in 25 races
· Average Running Position of 10.1, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 102.4, fourth-best
· 361 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
· 544 Green Flag Passes, 13th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 91.127 mph, fourth-fastest
· 4,905 Laps in the Top 15 (75.2%), third-most
· 299 Quality Passes, 10th-most
5 - Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 91.7
2011 Rundown
· Four wins, eight top fives, 17 top 10s
· Average finish of 11.6
· Led 15 races for 356 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
· One win, two top fives, nine top 10s
· Average finish of 16.5 in 20 races
· Average Running Position of 14.7, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 93.1, seventh-best
· 169 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 90.912 mph, ninth-fastest
· 4,091 Laps in the Top 15 (62.8%), seventh-most
· 300 Quality Passes, ninth-most
6 - Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s - Halloween Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 105.8
2011 Rundown
· Four wins, 14 top fives, 18 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 11.5
· Led 24 races for 1,313 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
· Six top fives, seven top 10s
· Average finish of 15.6 in 13 races
· Average Running Position of 13.9, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 94.3, sixth-best
· 217 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
· 655 Green Flag Passes, third-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 91.038 mph, sixth-fastest
· 4,384 Laps in the Top 15 (67.2%), sixth-most
· 406 Quality Passes, third-most
7 - Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 MyLowes Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 99.8
2011 Rundown
· Two wins, 13 top fives, 20 top 10s
· Average finish of 11.5
· Led 20 races for 1,051 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
· Six wins, 13 top fives, 17 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 5.6 in 19 races
· Series-best Average Running Position of 6.4
· Series-best Driver Rating of 121.9
· 635 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 91.435 mph
· Series-high 5,950 Laps in the Top 15 (91.3%)
· Series-high 468 Quality Passes
8 - Kurt Busch (No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Dodge)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 96.6
2011 Rundown
· Two wins, eight top fives, 16 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 13.3
· Led 19 races for 713 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
· One win, two top fives, four top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 21.1 in 22 races
· Average Running Position of 17.8, 16th-best
· Driver Rating of 79.4, 16th-best
· 570 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most
· 3,281 Laps in the Top 15 (50.3%), 13th-most
9 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew Paint the 88/National Guard Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 82.8
2011 Rundown
· Four top fives, 10 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 14.8
· Led 9 races for 52 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
· Nine top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 13.3 in 23 races
· Average Running Position of 11.6, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 98.9, fifth-best
· 400 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
· Series-high 712 Green Flag Passes
· Average Green Flag Speed of 91.114 mph, fifth-fastest
· 4,785 Laps in the Top 15 (73.4%), fifth-most
10 - Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 96.0
2011 Rundown
· Three wins, 11 top fives, 15 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 13.2
· Led 20 races for 802 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
· Seven wins, 24 top fives, 30 top 10s; seven poles
· Average finish of 7.0 in 37 races
· Average Running Position of 6.6, second-best
· Driver Rating of 119.7, second-best
· Series-high 678 Fastest Laps Run
· Average Green Flag Speed of 91.420 mph, second-fastest
· 5,851 Laps in the Top 15 (89.8%), second-most
· 428 Quality Passes, second-most
11 - Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 88.2
2011 Rundown
· One win, four top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 16.6
· Led 14 races for 392 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
· Four wins, eight top fives, 10 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 6.6 in 12 races
· Average Running Position of 9.1, third-best
· Driver Rating of 113.0, third-best
· 414 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 91.259 mph, third-fastest
· 4,853 Laps in the Top 15 (80.6%), fourth-most
12 - Ryan Newman (No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 88.1
2011 Rundown
· One win, eight top fives, 15 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 14.4
· Led 16 races for 358 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
· Six top fives, nine top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 14.6 in 19 races
· Average Running Position of 14.8, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 88.8, 10th-best
· 621 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most
· 306 Quality Passes, eighth-most
At Martinsville Speedway:
History
· 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.
Notebook
· There have been 125 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.
· 56 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.
· 46 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. If HMS does win this weekend, it will also be the team’s 200th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory.
· 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 finish: Jimmie Johnson (5.6), Denny Hamlin (6.6) and Jeff Gordon (7.0).
· There were 31 lead changes in the April Martinsville race this season, a track record.
Martinsville Speedway Data
Race #: 33 of 36 (10-30-11)
Track Size: .526 mile
Race Length: 500 laps/263 miles
· Banking/Corners: 12 degrees
· Banking/Straights: 0 degrees
· Frontstretch: 800 feet
· Backstretch: 800 feet
Driver Rating at Martinsville
Jimmie Johnson 121.9 Jeff Gordon 119.7 Denny Hamlin 113.0 Tony Stewart 102.4 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 98.9 Kyle Busch 94.3 Kevin Harvick 93.1 Jeff Burton 89.3 Mark Martin 89.3 Ryan Newman 88.8
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2011 races (13 total) at Martinsville Speedway.
Qualifying/Race Data
2010 pole winner: Denny Hamlin (97.318 mph)
2010 race winner: Denny Hamlin, 71.619 mph, 10-24-10)
Track qualifying record: Tony Stewart (98.083 mph, 19.306 seconds, 10-21-05)
Race record: Jeff Gordon (82.223 mph, 09-22-96)
NASCAR in Virginia
•There have been 273 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Virginia.
•162 drivers in NASCAR’s three national series (all-time) have their home state recorded as Virginia.
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