If you’re good at Martinsville Speedway, it’s not a gift that goes away.
The reverse can be true, too, but for now, consider Denny Hamlin and reigning five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet), who both have grown roots in Martinsville’s Victory Lane. The two have combined to win the last nine races there – dating to the fall 2006 event – and a wider eye adds one more driver to the contender’s mix.
Hamlin, Johnson and Kyle Busch (No. 18 Pedigree Toyota) have combined to win the last 15 short-track races, a streak that began with the fall 2008 event at Richmond International Raceway. Kyle Busch at Martinsville, however, is another story. Lately he’s owned .533-mile Bristol Motor Speedway, winning five of its last nine series events (including this year’s spring event), while a few hundred miles east, in Virginia, he’s still doing reconnaissance.
“Martinsville has been getting better for us,” Busch said two weeks ago of his no wins, five top-fives and six top-10s in 12 Martinsville starts. “We’re getting there. Thanks to (crew chief) Dave (Rogers), we’ve really worked hard at that. We kind of feel like we have a baseline, a better baseline that we can unload with and be faster off the truck. That’s a big benefit to us.”
Indeed, he may be en route. Busch finished fourth last fall at Martinsville, a career-best result there.
And don’t forget four-time series champion Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet), who leads all active drivers with seven Martinsville wins. Johnson is right behind with six, followed by Hamlin with four.
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