Round 32 of 36
Subway 500
Martinsville
Car No.: 20 — Joe Gibbs Racing Home Depot Chevrolet Monte Carlo SSTeammates: Denny Hamlin in the #11 FedEx Chevrolet and J.J. Yeley in the #18 Interstate Batteries ChevroletCar No.: 20 — Joe Gibbs Racing Home Depot Chevrolet Monte Carlo
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Primary Team Members |
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| Driver: Tony Stewart |
Crew Chief: Greg Zipadelli |
| Car Chief: Jason Shapiro |
Engine Builder: Mark Cronquist |
| Engine Specialist: Jarrad Egert (pronounced "Egg-ert") |
Spotter: Mark Robertson |
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Over-The-Wall Crew Members |
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| Gas Man: Jeff "Gooch" Patterson |
Front Tire Changer: Ira-Jo Hussey |
| Catch Can: Brian "Shaggy" Larson |
Front Tire Carrier: Tom Dean |
| Windshield: Scott Geerts (pronounced "Gurtz") |
Rear Tire Changer: Todd Foster |
| Jackman: Jason Lee |
Rear Tire Carrier: Jody Fortson |
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Other Crew Members |
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| Truck Drivers: Scott "Scooter" Crowell |
Danny "Gumby" Hiedtke (pronounced "Hide-key") |
| Tire Specialists: Jerold Shires |
Brake Specialist: Bill Byrne |
| Shock Specialists: Ronny Crooks and Dave Hansen |
Engineer: Adam Stevens |
| Pit Support: Jerry Cook, Alan Copley, Byron Goggin and Jim Williams |
Car History - Chassis No. 63
This car was track tested at Lakeland (Fla.) in late March of 2003 before making its first career start at Martinsville, where it qualified eighth and led a total of 11 laps en route to a sixth-place finish. It crashed in its second start at the spring Richmond race, suffering heavy right side damage. It was repaired and brought to New Hampshire, where it was running 11th before a spin induced by Ryan Newman sent it into the turn two wall on lap 195. It served as a backup for much of 2004, but was tested at Martinsville Oct. 5. It performed extremely well during that test, and as a result, made its fourth career start at the fall Martinsville race where it led 18 laps en route to a top-15 finish. In preparation for its first start of 2005 at the spring Martinsville race, it was brought back to Lakeland for a single day test on March 30. The testing paid off, as Chassis No. 63 led four times for a race-high 247 laps at Martinsville. But a broken wheel thwarted the strong effort, relegating it to an undeserved 26th place finish. It came back in a big way at the spring Richmond race, leading eight times for 143 laps before finishing second to first-time winner Kasey Kahne. Chassis No. 63 finally broke into the win column with a dominating victory in its seventh career start at the spring New Hampshire race, where it led six times for race-high 232 laps. It returned to New Hampshire for the September race, where it continued its front-running ways by winning the pole and then leading six times for a race-high 173 laps before finishing second. Chassis No. 63 didn't let up in its ninth career start at the fall Martinsville race. There it won the pole and led seven times for a race-high 283 laps en route to a second-place finish. It enjoyed a solid outing in its 10th career start at the fall Phoenix race, qualifying ninth and finishing fourth to give Stewart a 52-point lead in the championship standings with one race to go. Chassis No. 63 led 1,078 of an available 2,312 laps in its six starts in 2005 (46.6 percent). Its first start of 2006 and 11th overall came at the spring Phoenix race. There, Chassis No. 63 qualified third but then had to start the race in 43rd due to a NASCAR penalty. It proved of little matter, as it picked up 42 positions to lead for six laps before finishing a strong second. The spring Richmond race marked its second start of 2006 and 12th overall. There, it enjoyed a solid run, running as high as fourth before finishing sixth. When it returned to New Hampshire for a third time and its 13th overall, Chassis No. 63 was the dominating car. But after leading 28 laps, a scrape with Ryan Newman sent Chassis No. 63 into the turn three wall. Crew members were able to repair the car, enabling Stewart to at least finish the race and gain five spots to finish 37th.
| Year |
Event |
Start |
Finish |
Status/Laps |
Laps Led |
Earnings |
| 2006 |
Phoenix (Spring) |
2 |
3 |
Running/312 |
6 |
$211,536 |
| 2006 |
Richmond (Spring) |
18 |
6 |
Running/400 |
0 |
$139,661 |
| 2006 |
New Hampshire (Spring) |
5 |
37 |
Running/285 |
28 |
$121,636 |
| 2005 |
Martinsville (Spring) |
7 |
26 |
Running/493 |
247 |
$128,861 |
| 2005 |
Richmond (Spring) |
3 |
2 |
Running/400 |
143 |
$204,611 |
| 2005 |
New Hampshire (Spring) |
13 |
1 |
Running/300 |
232 |
$283,986 |
| 2005 |
New Hampshire (Fall) |
1 |
2 |
Running/300 |
173 |
$233,636 |
| 2005 |
Martinsville (Fall) |
1 |
2 |
Running/500 |
283 |
$179,651 |
| 2005 |
Phoenix (Fall) |
9 |
4 |
Running/312 |
0 |
$153,171 |
| 2004 |
Martinsville (Fall) |
13 |
15 |
Running/500 |
18 |
$105,903 |
| 2003 |
Martinsville (Spring) |
8 |
6 |
Running/500 |
11 |
$105,953 |
| 2003 |
Richmond (Spring) |
9 |
41 |
Accident/223 |
0 |
$98,748 |
| 2003 |
New Hampshire (Fall) |
32 |
20 |
Running/299 |
0 |
$107,278 |
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Team History at Martinsville Speedway |
|---|
| Year |
Event |
Start |
Finish |
Status/Laps |
Led |
Earnings |
| 2006 |
DirecTV 500 |
3 |
1 |
Running/500 |
288 |
$220,786 |
| 2005 |
Advance Auto Parts 500 |
7 |
26 |
Running/493 |
247 |
$128,861 |
| 2005 |
Subway 500 |
1 |
2 |
Running/500 |
283 |
$179,651 |
| 2004 |
Advance Auto Parts 500 |
30 |
14 |
Running/500 |
0 |
$105,753 |
| 2004 |
Subway 500 |
13 |
15 |
Running/500 |
18 |
$105,903 |
| 2003 |
Virginia 500 |
8 |
6 |
Running/500 |
11 |
$105,203 |
| 2003 |
Subway 500 |
16 |
3 |
Running/500 |
2 |
$129,478 |
| 2002 |
Virginia 500 |
8 |
3 |
Running/500 |
152 |
$111,953 |
| 2002 |
Old Dominion 500 |
31 |
11 |
Running/500 |
2 |
$88,338 |
| 2001 |
Virginia 500 |
16 |
7 |
Running/500 |
0 |
$59,200 |
| 2001 |
Old Dominion 500 |
8 |
41 |
Engine/123 |
0 |
$49,275 |
| 2000 |
Goody's Body Pain 500 |
37 |
6 |
Running/500 |
0 |
$52,825 |
| 2000 |
NAPA AutoCare 500 |
1 |
1 |
Running/500 |
179 |
$125,875 |
| 1999 |
Goody's Body Pain 500 |
1 |
20 |
Running/498 |
0 |
$33,615 |
| 1999 |
NAPA AutoCare 500 |
37 |
41 |
Running/392 |
0 |
$34,600 |
Notes of Interest
The Subway 500 will mark Stewart's 280th career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series start and his 16th career Nextel Cup start at Martinsville.
Stewart is currently 11th in the Nextel Cup point standings with 3,948 points, 213 points ahead of 12th place Carl Edwards. Stewart maintained his position after his 13th place finish last Saturday night at Charlotte. At this point last year (where the points were recalibrated for the Chase for the Championship) Stewart was tied with Jimmie Johnson for first in the standings with 5,777 points. Last year, Stewart won the championship.
What If... there was no Chase and the points weren't readjusted following the Sept. 9 race at Richmond? How would the top-10 currently look?
- Matt Kenseth (4,453 points)
- Jimmie Johnson (4,300 points, -153)
- Kevin Harvick (4,115 points, -338)
- Jeff Burton (4,070 points, -383)
- Mark Martin (3,977 points, -476)
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. (3,970 points, -483) +2
- Kyle Busch (3,957 points, -496) +2
- Tony Stewart (3,948 points, -505) -1
- Denny Hamlin (3,944 points, -509) -3
- Kasey Kahne (3,917 points, -536)
+1
- Jeff Gordon (3,858 points, -595) -1
What If, Take Two... Stewart made the Chase as the 11th driver via a wild card? How would the top-11 currently look?
- Jeff Burton (5,763 points)
- Matt Kenseth (5,718 points, -45)
- Kevin Harvick (5,674 points, -89) +1
- Mark Martin (5,661 points, -102) -1
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. (5,657 points -106) +2
- Tony Stewart (5,645 points, -118)
- Denny Hamlin (5,626 points, -137) -2
- Jimmie Johnson (5,617 points, -146) +1
- Kasey Kahne (5,603 points, -160) +2
- Kyle Busch (5,568 points, -195)
- Jeff Gordon (5,547 points, -216) -2
Stewart is fourth in miles led this season, pacing the field for 1,020.26 miles. Matt Kenseth is first with 1,429.73 miles led. Greg Biffle is second with 1,337.41 miles led. Kasey Kahne is third with 1,060.28 miles led. Jeff Gordon is fifth with 828.10 miles led. Stewart's Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin is sixth with 805.75 miles led. And Jeff Burton is seventh with 778.93 miles led. No other drivers have led more than 700 miles this season.
Stewart has led at least one lap in 17 of the 31 races held this season. Stewart's total of 936 laps led is third best behind Matt Kenseth who has led a total of 1,130 laps this season and Greg Biffle who has led 946 laps. Kasey Kahne is fourth in laps led with 652. Jeff Burton is fifth in laps led with 649. And Kevin Harvick is sixth in laps led with 634. No other drivers have led more than 600 laps. As a result, Stewart has earned a total of 105 lap leader bonus points, 20 more than championship point leader Burton.
Stewart has the 10th-best average running position (14.493) in the 31 races held this season. Matt Kenseth leads this category with an average running position of 11.134, just 3.359 positions better than Stewart.
Stewart has recorded the fastest lap on the race track a total of 445 times in the 31 races held this season, fifth best among Nextel Cup drivers. Kasey Kahne leads this category with 597 fastest laps while Greg Biffle is second with 554 fastest laps. Kyle Busch is third with 464 fastest laps. Matt Kenseth is fourth with 461 fastest laps, just 16 more than Stewart.
Stewart has the seventh-best driver rating 31 races into the season. His 94.7 rating is 9.0 points lower than first-place Matt Kenseth (103.7). Jimmie Johnson is second (98.8). Jeff Burton is third (98.4). Jeff Gordon is fourth (98.0). Greg Biffle is fifth (96.9). And Kevin Harvick is sixth (96.2). The driver rating is a formula consisting of wins, finishes, top-15s, average running position while on lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, laps led and lead lap finishes.
Stewart is the third-fastest driver early in a run in the 31 races held this season. His season rank of 8.423 is 1.923 points below series leader Greg Biffle (6.500), the best among Nextel Cup drivers during the first 25 percent of laps in a pit window under green flag conditions. Jeff Burton is second with an 8.143 rating. Stewart's Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin is fourth with an 8.750 rating. Matt Kenseth is fifth with an 8.862 rating. And Kevin Harvick is sixth with a 9.148 rating.
Stewart is the second-fastest driver late in a run in the 31 races held this season. His season rank of 8.654 is .482 of a point lower than series leader Jimmie Johnson (8.172), the best among Nextel Cup drivers during the last 25 percent of laps following a pit stop. Jeff Gordon is third (8.958). Kyle Busch is fourth (9.600). Matt Kenseth is fifth (9.828). And Jeff Burton is sixth (9.893).
Stewart is the second-fastest driver under green in the 31 races held this season. His season rank of 7.731 is 1.064 points below series leader Greg Biffle (6.667). Jeff Burton is third (7.964). Matt Kenseth is fourth (8.000). Jimmie Johnson is fifth (8.034). Jeff Gordon is sixth (8.250). And Kevin Harvick is seventh (8.704).
Stewart is the fastest driver in traffic in the 31 races held this season. His season rank of 7.500 is .1 of a point higher than second-place Kyle Busch (7.600). Matt Kenseth is third (8.379). Jimmie Johnson is fourth (8.966). Jeff Burton is fifth (9.143). And Jeff Gordon is sixth (9.417). "Traffic" is determined when there is another car within one car length.
Of the five races remaining on this year's Nextel Cup schedule, Stewart has won at four of those venues - Martinsville (10/1/2000 & 4/2/2006), Atlanta (3/10/2002), Phoenix (11/7/1999) and Homestead (11/14/1999 & 11/12/2000). The only venue where Stewart has yet to record a victory is Texas.
In his 15 previous Martinsville starts, Stewart has scored eight top-10 finishes - including two wins - and four finishes outside the top-20 - two of which were 41st place finishes.
Stewart scored his first career pole at Martinsville in just his eighth Nextel Cup start. He now has 10 poles to his resume, with the last one coming 35 races ago at last year's fall Martinsville race. There, Stewart set a new track record with a time of 19.306 seconds at an average speed of 98.083 mph, besting the previous track record held by Ryan Newman (19.513 seconds at 97.043 mph on Oct. 22, 2004). It was Stewart's third pole at Martinsville.
In Stewart's first Nextel Cup win at Martinsville - the 2000 NAPA AutoCare 500 - he started from the pole and led three times for 179 laps. It was Stewart's fourth career pole and his second at Martinsville.
In Stewart's second Nextel Cup win at Martinsville - the 2006 DirecTV 500 - he started third and led five times for a race-high 288 laps. It was Stewart's first of his three wins thus far this season and the 25th point-paying win of his career. Stewart now has 27 career Nextel Cup victories, the most recent one coming three races ago at Kansas.
In the two Martinsville races held last year, Stewart led 530 of the 1,000 laps available (53 percent), thereby earning the best average running position (3.784) of any other Nextel Cup driver. Next best was the retired Rusty Wallace with an average running position of 5.666, while Stewart's former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate - Bobby Labonte - enjoyed the third best average running position at 8.926.
Stewart's 2005 performances at Martinsville earned him the highest driver rating amongst Nextel Cup drivers. His two-race average rating of 130.7 is 3.7 points better than that of his nearest challenger Jeff Gordon. The driver with the third best driver rating from last year's races at Martinsville is the retired Rusty Wallace with a 107.7 driver rating, 23 points lower than Stewart's.
Stewart was the fastest driver early in a run at the two Martinsville races held last year. His average speed of 92.950 mph was almost two-tenths quicker than that of his nearest pursuer - Jeff Gordon with an average speed of 92.786 mph.
Stewart was the fastest driver on restarts in the two Martinsville races held last year. In the two green flag laps immediately following a restart, Stewart's average speed was 91.864 mph, a tenth-and-a-half quicker than that of his nearest pursuer - Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin with an average speed of 91.709 mph.
Joe Gibbs Racing has three Nextel Cups wins at Martinsville. Stewart earned two of them (2000 fall race and 2006 spring race) while former Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte won the 2002 spring race in the No. 18 Chevrolet.
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