Spinning My Wheels: Hendrick favored at Martinsville
A total of 25 different drivers have completed top-10 runs, with Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne and Earnhardt leading the charge with four appearances each. Interestingly, only four drivers have raced into the top 20 in each of the season's first five starts.
As we restart the field this weekend, it'll be interesting to watch whether the struggling rookies will be able to acclimate to the field and become more competitive. They'll certainly be tested on the short track.
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Track Info
The track at Martinsville is a short .526-mile oval with 12-degree banking. It's a track that's very hard on braking systems and where getting loose is catastrophic. Additionally, as the pits go virtually all the way around the small oval, it's a tight fit where trading paint can occur. The length of the track will test a driver's patience, as passing in the 800-foot front and backstretches will be difficult.
History
A list of the top drivers at Martinsville contains the usual suspects, and that's no joke. Hendrick Motorsports has dominated the field, with Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson claiming victory in eight of the past 10 Martinsville events. In the past 10 years, only Tony Stewart joins Gordon and Johnson as a winner of multiple events.
Gordon paces the field with seven career wins in 30 career starts (24 top 10s). Johnson actually owns the best average finish at the track on the strength of his 11 top-10 finishes in 12 career starts (averaging a 6.2-position finish), a run that includes four victories.
Can Johnson make it four straight at Martinsville this weekend? Let's break down the field.
The Contenders
Jeff Gordon
Martinsville's a track dominated by the Hendrick squad, and the No. 24 team is most certainly eager to get rolling this weekend. After all, if the Chase started today, he'd be on the outside. That changes at Martinsville this weekend. Gordon's a top-notch pick this weekend. He's raced to 24 top 10s in 30 career starts (including a current streak of 10 consecutive top-10 runs) with seven wins and seven poles. He averages a 6.8-position qualifying slot and 7.2-position finish. Lock and load.
Jimmie Johnson
Johnson and teammate Gordon are licking their chops for this upcoming race. Johnson's a three-time defending champion at the venue and has run into the top 10 in 11 consecutive Martinsville events. He's claimed top-five finishes on eight occasions. Barring an incident, they'll be battling each other for the finish line.
Jeff Burton
The veteran driver of the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevy remains one of the most formidable threats on the circuit. Burton's raced inside the top 13 in each of the season's first five races. He'll look to continue that success at Martinsville, where he's claimed 13 top-10 finishes in 27 career starts (17 top 15s). He ran sixth last spring in the Goody's Cool Orange 500 and 12th in the Subway 500 last fall (he led 51 laps). I anticipate he runs near to his 14.9-position career average at the track.
Tony Stewart
The man called "Smoke" stands as the biggest threat to the Hendrick stars this weekend at Martinsville. Stewart's a two-time Martinsville champion and has produced 10 top-10 finishes in his 18 career starts (14 top 15s). He's also won the pole on three occasions. He's raced into the top seven in four of the past five Martinsville events, including his second win. He also impressively raced up 21 slots to finish 13th last fall. Expect a huge run this weekend.
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| Kevin Harvick's running as well as any other driver right now. (Jerry Markland / Getty Images) |
Kevin Harvick
Harvick's began the season with an impressive run to 14th at Daytona and hasn't looked back. The No. 29 Richard Childress Chevy's claimed four consecutive top-10 finishes, including an impressive run to second place at Bristol (he led 32 laps). He's been hit-or-miss during his career at Martinsville, racing to five top 10s (six top 15s) in 13 career starts. He's claimed four of those top 15s in his past five starts. As a result, I'm sliding him into my fourth roster slot this weekend.
Matt Kenseth
The No. 17 Roush Fenway Ford struggled at Daytona, but Kenseth's rallied nicely in the past several events. He's claimed three top 10s in the past four events to put himself in the 11th position in the point standings. He's raced into the top 12 in five of the past six Martinsville events with five top 10s in his 16 career starts. He's a great candidate for a big run, but I'm going to hold back for another event.
Ryan Newman
Newman's phenomenal start to the 2008 season was slowed, if only temporarily, by a 33rd-place finish in the Food City 500 event at Bristol. He opened the year with a win at Daytona and had claimed four consecutive top-15 finishes. He'll get back on track this weekend at Martinsville. He's produced nine top-15 finishes in his 12 career starts, including 10 qualifying efforts inside the top 10 (two poles). Sign him up for the big qualifying points and stay for a grand finish.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
The switch to Hendrick Motorsports has worked out brilliantly for Earnhardt thus far. He's raced to four top 10s in five starts, including a current streak of three top-five finishes. He'll be interesting to watch this weekend at Martinsville. He's claimed seven top-10 finishes (all top fives) in his 16 career starts. He produced two top-five finishes in his past seven starts here and raced outside of the top 15 in his other five rides. The No. 88 team is racing at peak efficiency right now, and Earnhardt could very well add to the total of top fives.
Kyle Busch
Busch has acclimated brilliantly to his new Toyota ride, claiming three top fives (including a win) in his first five 2008 rides. In fact, he's finished 17th or better in each event. He's one of the favorites for this weekend at Martinsville, where he's raced to three consecutive top-five finishes in his past four starts. He led 106 laps last fall en route to a fourth-place finish in the Subway 500, his second straight fourth-place run.
Denny Hamlin
Hamlin's begun his ascent toward the top of the pack with two top 10s in his past three starts (all three were runs inside the top 15). His recent good fortune figures to continue this weekend at Martinsville. He's claimed four top-10 finishes in his five career starts at the track, including two top fives. The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team dominated the field last spring, as he won the pole and led 125 laps en route to a third-place finish.
Quick Hits
Kurt Busch
The No. 2 Penske Dodge performed admirably prior to the Easter break, claiming four top-15 finishes in five starts, including a huge second-place run from the back of the pack at Daytona. This level of consistency placed Busch in the 10th position in the point standings as we roll toward Martinsville. He's an interesting proposition this weekend. He owns four top-10 finishes in his 15 career starts, the last of which came in the fall of 2005. However, he raced inside the top 15 in two of those starts. He's a former pole sitter who has qualified inside the top 10 in five of the past eight events. I'll hold back his starts for future dates.
Carl Edwards
Edwards captured the imagination of fans and fantasy participants with his back-to-back wins early this year. He then blew an engine in the Kobalt Tools 500 and raced 42nd, but rebounded to finish 16th at Bristol. I'm in the coin-flipping business with him this weekend at Martinsville. He's never raced into the top 10 in his seven career starts, although he does possess a current streak of four consecutive top-17 finishes. Call it in the air.
Greg Biffle
The No. 16 Roush Fenway Ford is one of our favorites on our "Fantasy FIX" video series, and he's reciprocated the love with four top 10s in his first five 2008 starts. Unfortunately, we have to take a short break from the "Biffle Express" as we hit Martinsville. He did produce a phenomenal 30-position improvement over qualifying to claim seventh place last fall in the Subway 500. However, it was his first appearance inside the top 15 in 10 career starts and had raced outside of the top 30 in three straight runs before last fall. I wouldn't be surprised if he produced a huge run this weekend given the current shape of the No. 16 team. I'll just be clapping from the sidelines.
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| Mixed with a few recent disappointing results, Bobby Labonte has raced with some success at Martinsville throughout his career. (Matthew Stockman / Getty Images) |
Bobby Labonte
The No. 43 Petty Dodge has turned in an inconsistent opening to the season with three top 20s (two top 15s) and runs to 25th and 38th place. Labonte's lengthy history at Martinsville makes him a tough call this weekend. He's produced 13 top-10 finishes in his 30 starts, but has run outside of the top 20 in four of his past six starts. Granted, those other two starts resulted in top-five finishes, so there's cause for optimism. In fact, he's produced four top fives in his past 10 Martinsville starts.
Juan Pablo Montoya
Montoya's yet to produce a huge run in 2008, but he's raced to four consecutive top-20 finishes. In fact, he improved his performance in each event since finishing 32nd at Daytona. That improvement should continue this weekend on the short track at Martinsville. He improved 18 positions from his qualifying slot to claim eighth place last fall, and he'd registered a 16th-place finish in the Goody's Cool Orange 500 last spring. The No. 42 Chip Ganassi Dodge warrants consideration in the fourth slot this weekend.
Kasey Kahne
As expected, Kahne's reclaimed his place among the leaders of the Sprint Cup series in 2008. He raced to four top 10s in five starts to open the year while averaging an eight-position improvement over qualifying. He's an intriguing option this weekend, having claimed four top-15 finishes in his eight career starts. He averaged a 16.9-position finish in those eight career starts.
Brian Vickers
Vickers has been one of the circuit's top turnaround stories of 2008. He's produced three top-15 finishes (one top 10) in five starts to open the year. The No. 83 Red Bull Racing car has a legitimate shot to make some noise this weekend at Martinsville. He owns three top-20 runs in his six career starts, but failed to qualify in either of the Martinsville events last year as Toyota struggled to adapt to the field.
Casey Mears
To say the 2007 season hasn't started as planned for Mears and the No. 5 Hendrick Chevy would be a gross understatement. He's posted only one top-15 finish this season and has yet to crack the top 10. Martinsville doesn't represent a likely turnaround point for him, either. He owns a single top-10 finish in 10 career starts at the track. That run in the fall of 2006 represented his lone top-15 finish here. Wait for this car to start showing more consistency before diving onboard.
Longshots
Scott Riggs
Riggs has only cracked the top 20 in one of the first five events of 2008, but he's most definitely on the radar this weekend. He owns two top-10 finishes in his last four Martinsville starts and improved 16 slots from his qualifying slot to finish 16th last fall.
Jamie McMurray
It's been a dismal beginning to the season for the No. 26 Roush Fenway Ford. McMurray has yet to crack the top 20 in any of the year's first five events and has raced to 40th and 43rd-place finishes in his most recent two starts. Despite his miserable showings to date, he's a true longshot play this weekend. He's raced to six top-10 finishes in 10 career starts at the track (averaging a 15.7-position finish) and has also qualified inside the top 10 on five occasions.
David Ragan
Ragan rebounded from an accident-marred Daytona run to post back-to-back top-15 finishes to raise some eyebrows in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Ford. He's taken a small step backward with two straight runs outside of the top 20, but remains one to watch. He raced to a strong 15th-place finish in last year's Goody's Cool Orange 500 (26th and 25th-place finishes in his other two starts, averaging 15.5-position improvements from qualifying in those starts). He's worthy of a look-see in the fourth slot for those owners seeking to conserve starts of their big guns.
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