Category: NASCAR Cup Series

NASCAR Cup Series

  • Carl Edwards Martinsville Fast Facts

    Carl Edwards – NSCS MARTINSVILLE ADVANCE

    Team: No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion

    Crew Chief: Bob Osborne

    Chassis: RK-647 This car last raced at Loudon in Sept. ’10,

    Finished 11th

    Edwards, NSCS at Martinsville Speedway:

    Date Event S F Laps Led Status Money

    3-29-10 Goody’s Pain Relief 500 13 8 508/508 0 Running $118,723

    10-25-09 Tums Fast Relief 500 29 20 501/501 0 Running $122,256

    3-29-09 Goody’s Pain Relief 500 5 26 498/500 0 Running $120,856

    10-19-08 Tums Quickpak 500 4 3 504/504 0 Running $145,850

    3-30-08 Goody’s 500 27 9 500/500 0 Running $123,775

    10-21-07 Subway 500 20 11 506/506 0 Running $82,275

    4-1-07 Goody’s 500 9 17 500/500 0 Running $82,050

    10-22-06 Subway 500 27 12 500/500 0 Running $90,250

    4-2-06 Direct TV 500 15 16 500/500 0 Running $89,100

    10-23-05 Subway 500 18 26 499/500 0 Running $82,650

    4-10-05 Advance Auto Parts 500 36 38 321/500 0 Running $81,875

    10-24-04 Subway 500 22 24 500/500 0 Running $92,042

    Races Wins Top-5s Top-10s Poles Led Money

    Cumulative 12 0 1 3 0 0 $1,231,702

    QUOTES

    Carl Edwards on racing at Martinsville Speedway:

    “Martinsville is so tough, especially with the double-file restarts. It’s kind of a chaotic moment when you go down into turn one and it really depends who is over-aggressive, who bumps who, how things shake out. If everybody runs like they should, it’s really hard to pass people two-wide at Martinsville already. It’s when people are over-aggressive that you can take advantage. Hopefully, we can do that. Matt (Kenseth) almost won the thing the last time we were there, so I feel like we can run well enough, we just have to make the right calls.”

    Crew chief Bob Osborne on racing at Martinsville Speedway:

    “Martinsville is a demanding track, both physically and mentally. It’s a difficult place to get the car handling just right and the driver has to be patient in traffic to save the brakes. It’s a very long race so you can’t wear out your brakes in the first half of the race. Martinsville is a good track for Denny (Hamlin) and Jimmie (Johnson) so we will need to be on top of our game there, on the track and in the pits, if we hope to gain any ground on them in the points.”

    FAST FACTS

    Carl Edwards enters Martinsville seventh in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase point standings, 200 markers behind point leader Jimmie Johnson. He has earned seven top-five, 16 top-10 finishes and two poles this season.

    FOR THE RECORD… In 12 starts at the 0.526-mile track, Edwards has one top-five and three top-10 finishes. His average start is 18.8, and his average finish is 17.5. Edwards has completed 97 percent (5837 of 6019) of laps in Cup competition attempted at Martinsville Speedway.

    Edwards’ best career finish at Martinsville came back in 2003, when he finished second in the Camping World Truck Series race. He started that race from the pole.

    IN THE LOOP… According to NASCAR’s Loop Statistics compiled over the last 12 races at Martinsville, Edwards has turned 99 of the track’s fastest laps (11thmost), spent 3,026 laps in the top 15, but has not led a lap there. Martinsville and Watkins Glen are the only two tracks on the NSCS circuit that he has failed to lead a lap.

    ON THE TRACK… The No. 99 crew will unload RK-647 for the weekend. Edwards raced this car at Loudon last month where he finished 11th.

    REWIND, MARTINSVILLE, OCTOBER 2009… Edwards put together a solid run at Martinsville, but bad luck on the final lap left him in 20th place. He was in 12th place for a green-white-checker finish but his driveshaft gave up on the final lap which caused him to brush the wall in the last turn to finish 20th.

  • Matt Kenseth – Crown Royal Black Racing – Martinsville Advance

    Matt Kenseth – NSCS ADVANCE

    Team: No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford Fusion

    Crew Chief: Jimmy Fennig

    Chassis: Primary: RK-704 (last run at New Hampshire)

    Kenseth NSCS record at Martinsville Speedway:

    Date Event S F Laps Status Earnings

    04/09/00 Goody’s 500 31 21 498/500 Running $38,625

    10/01/00 NAPA Autocare 500 37 34 447/500 Running $32,700

    04/08/01 Virginia 500 25 6 500/500 Running $57,750

    10/15/01 Old Dominion 500 22 36 459/500 Rear End $37,725

    04/14/02 Virginia 500 26 2 500/500 Running $97,165

    10/20/02 Old Dominion 500 17 19 499/500 Running $55,875

    04/13/03 Virginia 500 34 22 499/500 Running $66,725

    10/19/03 Subway 500 14 13 500/500 Running $68,400

    04/18/04 Advance Auto Parts 500 29 8 500/500 Running $113,728

    10/24/04 Subway 500 25 16 500/500 Running $108,203

    04/10/05 Advance Auto Parts 500 18 11 500/500 Running $118,186

    10/23/05 Subway 500 25 12 500/500 Running $116,461

    04/02/06 DirecTV 500 16 24 493/500 Accident $113,491

    10/22/06 Subway 500 20 11 500/500 Running $118,716

    04/01/07 Goody’s 500 33 10 500/500 Running $130,266

    10/21/07 Subway 500 24 5 506/506 Running $147,916

    03/30/08 Goody’s 500 28 30 496/500 Running $117,066

    10/19/08 Tums 500 11 8 504/504 Running $123,416

    03/29/09 Goody’s 500 10 23 499/500 Running $119,715

    10/25/09 Tums 500 32 14 501/501 Running $120,290

    03/29/10 Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 2 18 508/508 Running $118,951

    Races Wins Top 5s Top 10s Poles Earnings

    Cumulative 21 0 2 6 0 $2,021,370

    Kenseth on racing at Martinsville Speedway:

    “It’s really hard to be patient at Martinsville because it always seems like you’re getting run into or you’re running into somebody. We’re always racing for the little bit of room we have on the track, so it can easily become a frustrating place. It’s not a tricky racetrack to get around, but a lot of times, it gets tough to be able to tell my crew what we need to change on the car in order to have it handle exactly how I need it to. It’s a place where you race hard all day long in order to get good track position, but you have to be patient as well in order to get a solid finish.”

    Crew chief Jimmy Fennig on racing at Martinsville Speedway:

    “Martinsville Speedway is your typical short track racing because it’s always a place where there’s a lot of rubbing and racing for position during the race. Qualifying is really important at short tracks, as well as having a car that drives well in the turns. We’ll make sure that our No. 17 Ford turns well in the center of the turns for Matt, but it also needs to have good speed and grip off the turns in order to race down the short straightaways.”

    FAST FACTS:

    • Kenseth has an average starting position of 22.8 and an average finishing position of 16.3 at Martinsville

    • In 21 starts, Kenseth has achieved two top-five’s, and six top-10’s at Martinsville in the Cup series

    • Kenseth has completed 10,409 of 10,519 (99.0 percent) laps at Martinsville and led for a total of 68 laps

    • This weekend at Martinsville, Kenseth will pilot the No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford Fusion

    • Entering this weekend, Kenseth is currently eleventh in the NSCS driver point standings

  • Sam Hornish Jr. Martinsville Speedway Preview

    Mobil 1 Team News and Notes

    Sam Hornish Jr., driver of the Penske Racing No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger, has a total of five Cup Series career starts at Martinsville Speedway with one top-15 result. Hornish has an average finish of 29th at the paperclip-shaped half-mile oval with a best effort of 13th (March, 2010). In addition, Hornish has one Camping World Truck Series start at the Virginia short track, where he finished ninth overall (October, 2008).

    Hornish has 17 starts at NASCAR short-track venues, with a total of two top-10 and three top-15 finishes in Cup Series competition. He has an average start of 29.5 at venues less than one mile in length, and an average finish of 27.8 with a top result of sixth, which came at Richmond International Raceway (September, 2009).

    Mobil 1 crew chief Travis Geisler offers fans a glimpse into car setup for each racetrack on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit at washingtonpost.com. Geisler reports that at Martinsville, turns are tight and cornering is difficult. There will be a lot of bumping and banging in the race and drivers ideally pit for fuel only, because it’s very tough to pass.

    Hornish will appear at the Speed Channel stage for MRN’s “At Full Speed” program on Sunday, October 24 from 9:20 – 9:30 a.m. EDT.

    Sam Hornish Jr. Quote

    Martinsville Speedway is one of the toughest tracks on the NASCAR circuit. What have you learned about racing there?

    “At Martinsville, you just have to stay out of trouble, try to keep your nose clean and keep the brakes on the car as much as you can. It’s definitely a tough track, but I feel like I am learning more and more of what I need to do each time we go there.

    “I’ve been to all the tracks enough now that there have been good points that we’ve had during a race. I try to tell myself that if I run well like I have before, and don’t do some of the things that didn’t work out, we’re going to run inside the top 10, if not better.”

    What do you feel is a key factor to success at Martinsville Speedway?

    “It’s really about not overdriving at Martinsville. Especially during qualifying, the track seems to bait you to drive in that extra 10 feet. When you do that, it may not feel bad, but it shows up on the stopwatch. That 10 feet can be the difference between starting 10th and starting 20th so you have to be aware of what you’re doing at all times.”

    Crew Chief Travis Geisler Quote

    What are your thoughts on this weekend’s race at Martinsville Speedway?

    “Martinsville is one of the most demanding races on the schedule from all aspects. The car is asked to do a lot of things in a short amount of time on the flat half-mile track. That puts a lot of stress on the brakes, the drivetrain and the driver. We had a top-15 finish at Martinsville in the spring and we look forward to another strong result there this weekend with the Mobil 1 Dodge.”

  • McMurray’s Crew Tied for 1st Following Tissot Pit Road Win in Charlotte

    4th Tissot win of season ties Gordon’s No. 24 crew

    It was another double win for the No. 1 Earnhardt Ganassi Racing team with driver Jamie McMurray taking the race victory and his crew winning the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award in Saturday night’s Sprint Cup event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    It was the fourth pit road victory of the season for the No. 1 crew, which moved into a tie for first place in the Tissot season standings with Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 crew. Three crews – Matt Kenseth’s, Kyle Busch’s and Clint Bowyer’s — are one win behind with three victories each. There are five Cup races remaining in the 2010 season.

    Along with $5,000 going to the weekly winning pit crew, the team with the most Tissot Pit Road Precision Award wins at the completion of the 36-race schedule will receive a $105,000 bonus plus Tissot watches for the over-the-wall crew members and driver.

    In the event there is a tie at the end of the season for the Tissot Pit Road Precision Award championship, the tiebreaker goes to the team whose driver finishes the highest in the Sprint Cup point standings.

    McMurray’s No. 1 Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet spent the least amount of time on Charlotte’s pit road during the Bank of America 500 — 284.026 seconds.

    McMurray’s over-the-wall crew consists of: Cory DeMarco (front-tire changer), Doug Riepe (front-tire carrier), Chris Taylor (rear-tire changer), Adam Mosher (rear-tire carrier), Tracy Duncan (jackman), Benjy Grubbs (gasman) and Eric Hoyle (catch can). The team’s crew chief is Kevin “Bono” Manion.

    “I can’t say enough about these guys this year,” said Mosher, No. 1 pit crew coach and rear-tire changer. “It has not only been a great year for the No.1 team as a pit crew, but just a great year for our entire team and organization. Most importantly we are really having fun at the race track and that is what it is all about. We work hard each week to build on the things that we see at the race track this weekend, and hopefully we come to the race track better for it each weekend. This has just been an awesome year, and we certainly hope to have many more weekends like the one at Charlotte.”

    Crew chief Manion added, “The guys were great this past weekend at Charlotte! We didn’t have a whole lot of big changes to make to the car during our stops, but their speed and precision was still unbelievable. It was just a good, consistent night for those guys and I’m very proud of them for winning yet another Tissot award.”

    2010 Tissot Pit Road Precision Award Standings

    Pos Team No. Pit Crew For Wins Prize Money

    T1 24 Jeff Gordon 4 $20,000

    T1 1 Jamie McMurray 4 20,000

    T3 18 Kyle Busch 3 15,000

    T3 17 Matt Kenseth 3 15,000

    T3 33 Clint Bowyer 3 15,000

    T6 56 Martin Truex Jr. 2 10,000

    T6 00 David Reutimann 2 10,000

    T6 14 Tony Stewart 2 10,000

    T9 42 Juan Pablo Montoya 1 5,000

    T9 12 Brad Keselowski 1 5,000

    T9 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1 5,000

    T9 39 Ryan Newman 1 5,000

    T9 2 Kurt Busch 1 5,000

    T9 26 Boris Said 1 5,000

    T9 16 Greg Biffle 1 5,000

    T9 29 Kevin Harvick 1 5,000

    2010 Tissot Pit Road Precision Award Winners

    Daytona, 2/14 Juan Pablo Montoya Team

    Fontana, 2/21 Jeff Gordon Team

    Las Vegas, 2/28 Martin Truex Jr. Team

    Atlanta, 3/7 Martin Truex Jr. Team

    Bristol, 3/21 Brad Keselowski Team

    Martinsville, 3/29 Clint Bowyer Team

    Phoenix, 4/10 Matt Kenseth Team

    Texas, 4/19 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Team

    Talladega 4/25 David Reutimann Team

    Richmond, 5/1 Ryan Newman Team

    Darlington, 5/8 Jamie McMurray Team

    Dover, 5/16 Matt Kenseth Team

    Charlotte, 5/30 Jeff Gordon Team

    Pocono, 6/6 Kyle Busch Team

    Michigan, 6/13 Kurt Busch Team

    Sonoma, 6/20 Boris Said Team

    Loudon, 6/27 Jeff Gordon Team

    Daytona, 7/3 Jeff Gordon Team

    Chicago, 7/10 Jamie McMurray Team

    Indianapolis, 7/25 Jamie McMurray Team

    Pocono, 8/1 Greg Biffle Team

    Watkins Glen, 8/8 Kyle Busch Team

    Michigan, 8/15 Tony Stewart Team

    Bristol, 8/21 David Reutimann Team

    Atlanta, 9/5 Tony Stewart Team

    Richmond, 9/11 Matt Kenseth Team

    Loudon, 9/19 Clint Bowyer Team

    Dover, 9/26 Kyle Busch Team

    Kansas, 10/3 Kevin Harvick Team

    Fontana, 10/10 Clint Bowyer Team

    Charlotte, 10/16 Jamie McMurray Team

    About Tissot

    For Tissot, “In touch with your time” is far more than an advertising claim. This phrase expresses the brand’s DNA; its proven dedication to being perfectly in tune with the technology and tastes of each era. Tissot has been growing and developing its tradition of innovation since 1853. From the early days to the present, in its home in Le Locle in the Swiss Jura mountains, Tissot has translated craftsmanship and precision into stylish timepieces now sold in over 150 countries around the world. Special materials, advanced functionality and meticulous design detail join forces to create the luxury of accessibility. Today Tissot is a member of the Swatch Group, the world’s largest watch producer and distributor of Swiss watches, as well as official timekeeper and partner of NASCAR®, International Basketball Federation (FIBA), Australian Football League (AFL), Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), MotoGP and the World Championships of Cycling, Fencing and Ice hockey. The tradition of innovation lives on, keeping closely in touch with the times.

  • AN EVEN DOZEN FOR GORDON AT MARTINSVILLE?

    MARTINSVILLE, Va. (October 19, 2010) – In this Sunday’s TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway, can Jeff Gordon continue a streak of top-five finishes at the 0.526-mile track that began with one of his most memorable “drives” in a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car?

    AN EVEN DOZEN FOR GORDON AT MARTINSVILLE? Gordon, who will drive a specially-painted No. 24 DuPont/National Guard Chevrolet Impala this weekend, has posted 11 consecutive top-five finishes at the Virginia track. To put that in perspective, Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson was a no-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion when the streak began, and ESPN analysts Dale Jarrett and Rusty Wallace did not call the action that day – they were part of it. It all began with a win – a hard-earned win – in April of 2005.

    Gordon, who started 16th that day, reported a vibration in the car less than 50 laps into the 500-lap race. The 82-time winner lost three laps to the leaders while repairs were made to damaged right-front wheel studs. While NASCAR’s “free pass” rule allows the first car scored one lap down back onto the lead lap if a caution waves, Gordon benefited from that rule only once. On two occasions, he “unlapped” himself by passing the leader of the race. Just past halfway, Gordon was back on the lead lap.

    On lap 464, he maneuvered into the lead and paced the field the remaining distance.

    “That was one of my more memorable drives in NASCAR,” said Gordon. “To be down that many laps, and then race our way back onto the lead lap and back into the lead is something I’ll never forget.

    “And the ‘free pass’ may have been the hardest thing to earn. The leader kept lapping cars, so they kept telling me someone new that I had to go pass to stay in position to earn it.”

    In 35 starts at the short track, Gordon has seven wins, seven poles, 23 top-fives and 29 top-10’s. In fact, he has finished outside the top-12 only three times – in the spring of 1994 and both events in 2002.

    “I always love going to Martinsville – the track seems like a natural fit for my driving style,” said Gordon, who is fourth in the point standings and 156 behind leader Johnson.

    “I just love the challenges of this race track and what it presents to a driver— how hard to drive into the corner without over driving the corner, what you have to tell the team to get the car to work through the corner and off the corner to try to go out there and win the race. It’s a fun track to tune the car on.

    “Our race cars always seem to be fast here, so this is a track we carry a lot of confidence into.”

    And confidence could help Gordon secure a dozen consecutive top-fives at Martinsville – and his 12th of the 2010 campaign.

  • Toyota NASCAR Notes & Quotes I Martinsville-Gateway

    Here Are the Headlines: Busch Best Camry at Charlotte Martinsville Memories for Toyota Camrys Competing in St. Louis

    RACE REVIEW: Camry driver Kyle Busch crossed the finish line second in Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race at Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS). Busch started sixth in the Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry and led six times for a race-high 217 (of 334) laps, looking poised to win his first NSCS race at CMS. However, a debris caution with 24 laps to go bunched the field and Busch was passed by eventual race-winner Jamie McMurray on the ensuing restart. He held off a charging Jimmie Johnson to earn a second-place finish. Camry drivers Denny Hamlin (fourth), Joey Logano (seventh) and David Reutimann (ninth) also earned top-10 results at Charlotte.

    CHASE CAMRYS: Hamlin’s fourth-place finish, coupled with Johnson’s third-place result, extended Johnson’s lead in the unofficial NSCS Chase standings to 41 points over Hamlin (second in points) after five of 10 races in the Chase. Busch climbed four spots to fifth in the standings, putting him 177 points behind the leader.

    DENNY TO DEFEND: Hamlin has been victorious the last two times the NSCS visited Martinsville Speedway — in March 2010 and October 2009. The Chesterfield, Va.-native led a race-high 206 (of 501) laps last fall, and another race-high 172 (of 508) laps earlier this year, to capture both checkered flags. Hamlin has earned a total of three NSCS wins at Martinsville. He scored his first win driving a Toyota in March 2008.

    MARTINSVILLE MAGIC: The half-mile Martinsville Speedway is one of the most successful tracks for Toyota racers in both the NSCS and NCWTS. In NSCS competition, Martinsville (three wins) is second only to its fellow Virginia track Richmond International Raceway (four wins) for the total number of NSCS victories by Camry drivers since 2007. The track has been just as successful for Tundra drivers who have earned six wins since Toyota entered the NCWTS in 2004, which is second only to the eight victories that have been earned by Tundra racers at Texas Motor Speedway. Tundra drivers who have visited victory lane at Martinsville include David Starr (March 2006), Jack Sprague (Oct. 2006), Mike S kinner (March and Oct. 2007), Johnny Benson (Oct. 2008) and Timothy Peters (Oct . 2009).

    ST. LOUIS SUCCESS: This October’s race marks the third year Toyota Camrys have competed at Gateway International Raceway in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS). Last July, Busch won the race from the pole position, and two years ago Logano led 42 laps in the Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) No. 20 entry en route to a runner-up finish in his first start at the 1.25-mile paved track located near St. Louis. Braun Racing’s Jason Leffler earned back-to-back fourth-place finishes at Gateway in 2007 and 2008. Earlier this year, Toyota drivers combined for four top-10 finishes in July — Reed Sorenson (second), Trevor Bayne (third), Steve Wallace (fifth) and Brian Scott (sixth). Bayne also started from the pole position and led 19 laps.

    TIMOTHY’S TURF: Tundra driver Peters scored his first career NCWTS victory last October at Martinsville Speedway. The Danville, Va.-resident led the final 84 laps en route to victory lane at his ‘home’ track. Before joining Red Horse Racing midway through the 2009 season, Peters ran his NCWTS operation out of his home 30 miles from Martinsville. This season, Peters is teamed with veteran crew chief Jeff Hensley, a Ridgeway, Va.-native and former NNS driver. The duo saw immediate results, winning the season-opening race at Daytona.

    BACK STORY: Background and images on the Toyota NASCAR program are available at www.toyotamotorsportsmedia.com.

    TOYOTA 2010 NASCAR STATISTICS: Series Races Starts (Drivers) Wins Top-5s Top-10s Poles Times Led Laps Led NSCS 31 396 (30) 10 34 70 5 170 2,412 NNS 31 331 (33) 16 66 130 16 165 3,110 NCWTS 20 190 (26) 12 46 97 9 91 1,696

    WEEKEND RACE SCHEDULE: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series @ Martinsville Speedway, Sunday, Oct. 24 @ 1:00 PM (ET), ESPN — Race 32 of 36

    NASCAR Nationwide Series @ Gateway International Raceway, Saturday, Oct. 23 @ 3:30 PM (ET), ESPN2 — Race 32 of 35

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series @ Martinsville Speedway, Saturday, Oct. 23 @ 1:00 PM (ET), SPEED – Race 20 of 25

  • Team 48 Martinsville Speedway Preview

    Jimmie Johnson

    2010 Starts: 31 Wins: 6 Top 5: 14 Top 10: 18

    Current Driver Point Standing: 1st

    Finish in Charlotte: 3rd October 2009 Finish at Martinsville: 2nd

    RACE NOTES

    Martinsville Speedway

    Johnson has made 17 Sprint Cup Series starts at Martinsville Speedway, where he has earned six wins, 12 top-five and 16 top-10 finishes.

    Johnson has completed 99.4% (8465 of 8519) of competition laps at the .526-mile venue and has led 1551.

    He has an average start and finish of 11.5 and 5.4.

    Chassis

    Johnson will pilot chassis No. 540 in Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race. He last drove that car to a 25th-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September. Before that, he took it to Victory Lane in New Hampshire in June.

    Back up chassis No. 520 has collected four wins in five starts – the most recent coming at Martinsville Speedway in March 2009.

    QUOTES

    WE TALK TO DRIVERS ABOUT THEIR SHORT TRACK BACKGROUNDS. YOU HAVE AN OFF-ROAD BACKGROUND YET YOU ARE AMONG THE ONES TO BEAT AT MARTINSVILLE. TALK ABOUT THAT. “It took a while to get there. And when I came into the sport, I had two years in ASA and thought that the short tracks would fit well for me and it was quite the opposite. It took a long time to understand the big car, the radial tire, the extra power, and how to maneuver around on a short track. But the track at Martinsville, especially when the rubber is laid down, reminds me of some of my off-road stuff where we would have barrels or tractor tires stacked up as the turn-marker, but it was that tight of a radius. And when the rubber lays down, especially the right-side rubber on corner exit at Martinsville, you have to change your line to not run through the rubber at the wrong spot. “And that rhythm really helps all dirt drivers. It doesn’t matter if it’s Tony (Stewart) in a Sprint Car or Dirt Late Model, or Kasey Kahne for that matter. I think certain guys have an eye for where the slick spots are on the track and how to change their lines and I think all of our dirt backgrounds really help that.”

    GOING TO MARTINSVILLE WHO DO YOU NOT WANT TO SEE SITTING NEXT TO YOU ON A RESTART? YOUR BOSS SEEMS TO THINK THAT THE DOUBLE-FILE RESTARTS ARE WHAT IS GOING TO EVENTUALLY FIGURE OUT THE CHAMPIONSHIP. “Yeah and we had a really exciting finish there in the spring with the double-file restart. First and foremost, you would have to assume the front-row outside driver—the old theory of eight wheels are better than four is going to come into play—and whoever the inside car is going to lean on him pretty heavily. There we can turn people around pretty easily. It could. I’ve heard Jeff [Gordon] make those comments on how double-file restarts could affect things. I naturally think that he’s speaking more to the mile-and-a-half and two-mile tracks because the cars are really out of control in low-air situations. You have more control over your car at Martinsville than at any of the other tracks on a double-file restart. We’ll see. Who I wouldn’t want next to me—man I guess whoever would be second in points. We’re going to be gouging for every single point at that part of the race and the way the points are stacked up, the top-five are all guys that are really good at Martinsville. It could be exciting.”

    SPRINT CUP SERIES CAREER NOTES

    Career Wins

    Johnson has 53 wins in his Sprint Cup Series career, his most recent coming at Dover International Speedway on Sept. 26, 2010.

    The El Cajon, Calif.-native is currently 10th on NASCAR’s all-time wins list, one victory behind Lee Petty.

    He is second in total wins among active drivers, behind Jeff Gordon (82).

    Johnson needed only 296 starts to hit the 50 mark. Only three drivers have reached 50 victories quicker – Gordon (232), Darrell Waltrip (278) and David Pearson (293).

    Johnson has won at least three Cup races a season since he posted his first victory in 2002. He is the only driver in the modern era to win at least three races in each of his first eight full-time seasons.

    Johnson has won Sprint Cup Series races at all but four (Michigan, Chicago, Watkins Glen, Homestead) of the 22 tracks on which the series competes.

    Johnson was the first driver to win three of the first five races in The Chase.

    Johnson’s 10 wins in 2007 was the highest number recorded in a single season since Jeff Gordon posted 13 victories in 1998.

    The four-consecutive wins scored by the No. 48 team in the 2007 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup ties a modern-era NASCAR record.

    Career Poles

    Johnson has collected 25 poles in his Sprint Cup career.

    The championship driver has earned at least one pole a year since his first full-time season in 2002.

    He had a career-high six poles in 2008.

    Johnson’s most recent pole position was at Dover International Speedway on Sept. 24, 2010.

    Career Starts

    In 31 2010 starts, Johnson has collected six wins, 14 top five and 18 top-10 finishes.

    Johnson has finished in the top five in the Sprint Cup Series point standings each year since his first full season in 2002.

    Johnson is the only driver to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup every year since the format was adopted in 2004.

    In 322 Sprint Cup Series starts, Johnson has posted 131 top-five and 198 top-10 finishes.

    He has a top-five finish at every track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit.

    Johnson has led a total of 10,992 laps (of 92,627) in his Sprint Cup career, covering over 124,280 miles.

    He has finished on the lead lap 248 times.

  • McMurray Gives ECR its Eighth Sprint Cup Series Victory in 2010

    WELCOME, N.C. (October 18, 2010) – Jamie McMurray and Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing’s No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet team’s victory in the Oct. 16 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway was the eighth points-race win of the 2010 season for Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines.

    It was the third series victory this year for McMurray, who also took top honors in the February 14 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway and the July 25 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Kevin Harvick and Richard Childress Racing’s No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil team also have three victories this season: April 25 at Talladega Superspeedway; July 3 at Daytona International Speedway; and August 15 at Michigan International Speedway. EGR’s Juan Pablo Montoya and the No. 42 Target team earned the victory August 8 at Watkins Glen International and RCR’s Clint Bowyer and the No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper team took captured the checkered flag September 19 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

    “It was another big win for ECR and congratulations to EGR, Jamie McMurray and the entire Bass Pro Shops team,” said Richie Gilmore, chief operating officer for Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines. “We’ve been able to win races at a number of different types and lengths of tracks which, I think, shows the overall strength of our organization. It was also the 47th victory for ECR across all the racing series’ we’re involved in. We have some lofty goals over the final few weeks of the season. We’re focused on sweeping the restrictor plate races at Talladega and then finish the season with a Sprint Cup Series championship.”

    ECR has earned victories on seven tracks of different lengths in 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition: 2.66 miles (Talladega); 2.5 miles (Daytona and Indianapolis); 2.0 miles (Michigan); 1.5 miles (Charlotte), 1.0 miles (NHMS); and a road course (Watkins Glen).

    Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 team also earned the victory in the Budweiser Shootout all-star event that precedes the Daytona 500. Harvick finished eighth at Charlotte Motor Speedway and is third in the Sprint Chase for the Championship, 77 markers behind leader Jimmie Johnson.

    About Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines

    Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines is a high performance engine production and research and development company. ECR provides engines for NASCAR teams like Richard Childress Racing, Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Kevin Harvick Incorporated and others. ECR also produces engines used in GRAND-AM Rolex Series racing, SCCA Trans-Am and Club Racing, dirt and asphalt short track, and sprint car racing.

  • New Entrance Ramp Open For This Weekend’s TUMS Fast Relief 500 At Martinsville Speedway

    MARTINSVILLE, Va (October 14, 2010) – Many fans will find it easier to get in
    and out of Martinsville Speedway for the TUMS Fast Relief 500 this Sunday
    while more will find it easier to see the action on the track.

    Work has been completed on a new on/off ramp to the US 58 bypass that will
    allow fans easier entrance and exit from the first and second turn of the race
    track.

    “We believe this new ramp will really help alleviate some of the delays we’ve
    had at the South end of the track,” said Martinsville Speedway President W.
    Clay Campbell. “We really appreciated the Commonwealth of Virginia and the
    Virginia Depart of Transportation working so hard and so quickly to get this
    project finished in time for this weekend.”

    The ramp will utilize an existing access road that has been upgraded to handle
    race weekend traffic.

    To utilize the new entrance and exit ramp, please follow directional signage
    this weekend.

    Fans sitting in the first and second turn areas this weekend will find their
    sight lines improved. An old wire fence, which was in front of the main fence
    separating the grandstands and the race track, was recently removed. The older
    fence became obsolete when the new, start of the art safety fence was added in
    recent years.

    “It should be much more enjoyable now for fans in that area to just have to
    watch through one fence,” said Campbell.

    A three-foot high retaining fence has been added, though, to keep fans from
    getting too close to the safety fence.

    Tickets for the TUMS Fast Relief 500 begin at $25 and range to $77.

    Tickets to the Kroger 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Saturday
    are $30 in advance, with children 12 and under admitted free.

    Tickets for Farm Bureau Pole Day on Friday, which features practice and
    qualifying for both the Kroger 200 and the TUMS Fast Relief 500, are $15,
    children 12 and under admitted free.

  • The Final Word – A nice guy finished first at Charlotte, but the drive for five is very much alive for Mr. Johnson

    The Final Word – A nice guy finished first at Charlotte, but the drive for five is very much alive for Mr. Johnson

    So, what did we learn from Charlotte last Saturday night?

    Well, we learned that NASCAR’s home track for most teams still provides us with good racing that keeps us watching. Kyle Busch has never won a Cup race there, but he once again was the class of the field most of the night. He might have wound up second, but after leading nearly two-thirds of the way he was the star of the evening.

    We learned that nice guys can finish first. You sure get the feeling that Jamie McMurray is a nice guy, one who is thankful for where he is and what has happened to him this season. From not being sure where, if anywhere, he might be driving this year, he has claimed wins at three of the circuits most revered venues.

    We learned that Jimmie Johnson can get loose, go for a slide, fade back to 37th place, and still wind up third on the day. Now only two drivers, fourth place finisher Denny Hamlin (41) and Kevin Harvick (77), remain within a hundred points of the defending champion with only five events left in the season. You can almost hear the fat lady warming up.

    We have learned that there remain those who believe having a driver seek a fifth straight title as being something of a bad thing. What nonsense. We are in a special era that will be long remembered, just as we presently honor the New York Yankees of the 1950’s and the 1960’s Boston Celtics. True dynasties both, yet neither faced 42 competitors as Johnson has faced each race week. Five straight crowns is something to be celebrated and remembered. I hope we get the chance to do just that.

    We learned how important an alternator can be, as did Jeff Gordon. No power, no go, and if that wasn’t bad enough, a late speeding penalty in the pits really put this one to bed. He finished 23rd, and while Gordon remains fourth in the hunt, the 156 point deficit has curtailed any celebrations he might have been planning.

    We learned that even in North Carolina, the outside lane made more than a few feel like they were on an Alaskan ice road. Kurt Busch was an early victim, as was Ryan Newman. In fact, the Rocket’s problem became that of his boss when Tony Stewart got run into when the boys hit the brakes. None would be a factor.

    We learned that it does not matter how many cars you have in the Chase, you might not win if they come together. Clint Bowyer found Jeff Burton cutting across his bow, and hit ramming speed. Neither would be in the top fifteen, though team mate Harvick managed to finish eighth.

    We learned that things are not getting better for Dale Earnhardt Jr, and doubtful they will anytime this season. Charlotte found him 29th, the thirteenth time he has been outside the top twenty this campaign. I wish I knew what the problem was and its solution. Whoever does probably could wind up with a lifetime of free drinks at Whiskey River.

    Next up is Martinsville, where legends have been known to win a bunch. Those who have won three straight or more there include Fred Lorenzen, Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Rusty Wallace, and Jimmie Johnson. Denny Hamlin could join them, having won the last two. As he could soon be the only legitimate challenger left for Johnson’s title, this would be the time. Enjoy the week.