Statistically speaking: a look at Martinsville
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Martinsville (Va.) Speedway this weekend for the Sunday’s Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500, the seventh of 10 races in the 2013 Chase for the Sprint Cup. Heading into Martinsville, Jimmie Johnson leads the way with a four-point lead over now second-place Matt Kenseth. Johnson also boasts the highest win tally at Martinsville among active drivers with eight.
The only other Chase driver with multiple Martinsville wins to his credit is fifth-place Jeff Gordon with seven, so it’s no surprise that the Hendrick Motorsports duo of Johnson and Gordon lead the way in Martinsville driver ratings.
Here’s a statistical look at how Chase drivers have fared at Martinsville throughout their careers (stats provided by NASCAR Media Group):
1 – Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 108.2
2013 Rundown
· Five wins, 13 top fives, 20 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 11.5
· Led 20 races for 1,606 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
· Eight wins, 16 top fives, 20 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 5.3 in 23 races
· Series-best Average Running Position of 5.9
· Series-best Driver Rating of 123.8
· 889 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 91.569 mph
· Series-high 7,849 Laps in the Top 15 (92.0%)
· 596 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), second-most
2 – Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 110.2
2013 Rundown
· Seven wins, nine top fives, 17 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 12.7
· Led 23 races for 1,434 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
· Three top fives, eight top 10s
· Average finish of 15.8 in 27 races
· Average Running Position of 16.9, 16th-best
· Driver Rating of 80.5, 15th-best
· 904 Green Flag Passes, third-most
· 4,049 Laps in the Top 15 (47.4%), 13th-most
3 – Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 101.8
2013 Rundown
· Four wins, 16 top fives, 20 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 13.0
· Led 18 races for 1,213 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
· Eight top fives, nine top 10s
· Average finish of 16.1 in 17 races
· Average Running Position of 13.5, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 96.6, sixth-best
· 378 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 91.215 mph, fourth-fastest
· 5,845 Laps in the Top 15 (68.5%), sixth-most
· 513 Quality Passes, fourth-most
4 – Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 93.3
2013 Rundown
· Three wins, eight top fives, 17 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 11.8
· Led 10 races for 191 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
· One win, three top fives, 10 top 10s
· Average finish of 16.6 in 24 races
· Average Running Position of 14.0, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 92.6, seventh-best
· 209 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
· 5,502 Laps in the Top 15 (64.5%), seventh-most
· 439 Quality Passes, ninth-most
5 – Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 91.5
2013 Rundown
· Seven top fives, 16 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 14.2
· Led 15 races for 307 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
· Seven wins, 26 top fives, 33 top 10s; seven poles
· Average finish of 7.0 in 41 races
· Average Running Position of 6.2, second-best
· Driver Rating of 120.7, second-best
· Series-high 968 Fastest Laps Run
· 782 Green Flag Passes, 12th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 91.556 mph, second-fastest
· 7,699 Laps in the Top 15 (90.2%), second-most
· Series-high 600 Quality Passes
6 – Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 96.8
2013 Rundown
· Seven top fives, 18 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 13.7
· Led 13 races for 312 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
· 10 top fives, 14 top 10s
· Average finish of 13.4 in 27 races
· Average Running Position of 11.0, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 98.8, fourth-best
· 448 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
· Series-high 960 Green Flag Passes
· Average Green Flag Speed of 91.211 mph, fifth-fastest
· 6,533 Laps in the Top 15 (76.6%), third-most
· 555 Quality Passes, third-most
7 – Greg Biffle (No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 83.3
2013 Rundown
· One win, four top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 14.4
· Led 5 races for 122 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
· Four top 10s
· Average finish of 20.8 in 21 races
· Average Running Position of 21.2, 21st-best
· Driver Rating of 69.2, 23rd-best
· 879 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most
8 – Clint Bowyer (No. 15 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 92.9
2013 Rundown
· Eight top fives, 16 top 10s
· Average finish of 12.3
· Led 10 races for 294 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
· Three top fives, nine top 10s
· Average finish of 13.2 in 15 races
· Average Running Position of 13.0, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 91.9, eighth-best
· 197 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 91.069 mph, seventh-fastest
· 5,306 Laps in the Top 15 (70.4%), eighth-most
· 464 Quality Passes, seventh-most
9 – Kurt Busch (No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.5
2013 Rundown
· 10 top fives, 15 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 14.6
· Led 14 races for 444 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
· One win, two top fives, four top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 21.7 in 26 races
· Average Running Position of 18.8, 19th-best
· Driver Rating of 77.1, 19th-best
· 832 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most
10 – Carl Edwards (No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 93.3
2013 Rundown
· Two wins, nine top fives, 16 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 12.7
· Led 14 races for 450 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
· One top five, five top 10s
· Average finish of 16.1 in 18 races
· Average Running Position of 16.1, 14th-best
· Driver Rating of 80.6, 14th-best
· 899 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
· 4,603 Laps in the Top 15 (53.9%), 11th-most
· 478 Quality Passes, sixth-most
11 – Ryan Newman (No. 39 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 81.8
2013 Rundown
· One win, six top fives, 16 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 15.7
· Led 14 races for 95 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
· One win, seven top fives, 11 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 14.3 in 23 races
· Average Running Position of 14.8, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 88.5, ninth-best
· 140 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-most
· 897 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 90.878 mph, 13th-fastest
· 4,910 Laps in the Top 15 (57.5%), 10th-most
· 457 Quality Passes, eighth-most
12 – Joey Logano (No. 22 Penske Racing Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.8
2013 Rundown
· One win, 10 top fives, 16 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 14.8
· Led 13 races for 289 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
· One top five, two top 10s
· Average finish of 16.1 in nine races
· Average Running Position of 17.8, 18th-best
· Driver Rating of 77.1, 20th-best
13 – Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 96.3
2013 Rundown
· Two wins, nine top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 16.7
· Led 9 races for 636 laps
Martinsville Speedway Outlook:
· Three top fives, four top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 19.8 in 19 races
· Average Running Position of 20.1, 20th-best
· Driver Rating of 78.1, 18th-best
· 229 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
Chase contenders points standings
1. Jimmie Johnson, 2254
2. Matt Kenseth, 2250
3. Kyle Busch, 2228
3. Kevin Harvick, 2228
5. Jeff Gordon, 2220
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 2202
7. Greg Biffle, 2201
8. Clint Bowyer, 2197
9. Kurt Busch, 2193
10. Carl Edwards, 2186
11. Ryan Newman, 2182
12. Joey Logano, 2179
13. Kasey Kahne, 2153
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