From the notebook: Struggle near the cutoff (NASCAR.com)
March 31, 2011
Martinsville’s a key venue this weekend for car and truck owners who are angling to either stay inside the critical cutoff marks for guaranteed starting spots in the Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck series, or those trying to get there.
The difference between being a locked in starter, as the top 35 owners are in the Cup Series and the top 25 owners in Trucks, has been well-documented. And so is the necessity of getting off to a good start in a new season.
For the Cup Series, Martinsville is the first race in which 2011 owners’ points are used to set the locked in positions. For the first time this season, TRG Motorsports’ No. 71 Chevrolet and Front Row Motorsports’ No. 37 Ford will have to start—or go home—based on their qualifying speeds.
The stark reality is this: Only one team that was outside the top 35 in owners’ points at this race last season ended the season inside the top 35; that’s Robby Gordon Motorsports. And RGM is near the cut line again this season, as its 34th in owners’ points and only eight points clear of 36th position after averaging a 30th-place finish to start the season.
In truth, only seven Cup cars are currently in contention for the top 35, and their relative positions in the standings are a perfect reflection of their performances to this point.
The best achievements have been by FAS Lane Racing’s No. 32, which missed one race and is still 33rd in owners’ points, 16 points ahead of 36th, with an average finish of 25th. Germain Racing’s No. 13 missed the Daytona 500 but has a 27th-place average since then and is 35th, with a six-point edge on 36th.
The three teams struggling to get back into the top 35 have a tough assignment. Tommy Baldwin Racing is 36th, with an average finish of 32.8. TRG Motorsports is 37th, averaging a 32nd-place finish. Front Row didn’t plan to race its No. 37 full time and it sits in 38th, nine points out of 35th with an average finish of 32.4. Front Row’s No. 38 did plan a full schedule, but after miserable luck it is in 39th place, 12 points out of 35th with an average finish of 33rd.
The most telling aspect of these teams’ chase to get back into the top 35 is that they seldom beat the teams they have to finish ahead of to gain ground. Taking the 60 opportunities they’ve had so far, which is three cars times five races times the four chasers, the four trailers have only succeeded 20 times. If you eliminate the eight automatics created by the two DNQs, the ratio is even worse.
The picture in the Truck Series is quite a bit more frantic. Martinsville is the final race in which 2010 points are being used to set the locked in starters. Currently, there are 10 teams between 21st and 30th in the owners’ standings, all within nine points of each other.
* Owner Standings: Cup Series | Truck Series
Hometown guy Sadler gets TRG ride for Martinsville
As part of its fight to get back into the top 35, TRG Motorsports has replaced Cup rookie Andy Lally in its No. 71 Chevrolet for Martinsville with Emporia, Va., native Hermie Sadler.
Sadler drove the No. 71 at Martinsville this past October and finished 26th. The car’s best finish this season is 31st, at Phoenix.
“It’s always fun to get back behind the wheel and it’s an added bonus to do it at Martinsville Speedway, a track that’s close to home,” said Sadler, who will make his 11th Cup start at the .526-mile short track. “It means so much to me to be able to race at one of my favorite tracks in front of my hometown fans. I am truly appreciative of the opportunity.”
Missing the race won’t adversely affect Lally’s rookie run, given that only a driver’s 17 best races count toward the rookie standings. Lally and Brian Keselowski, who hasn’t raced since the Daytona 500, are the only declared rookie of the year candidates in the Cup Series this year. Keselowski recently underwent emergency surgery to remove his gall bladder.
Will Martinsville continue variety skein?
For the first time since 2005, the Cup Series has had five different winners in the first five races of the season: Trevor Bayne (Daytona), Jeff Gordon (Phoenix), Carl Edwards (Las Vegas), Kyle Busch (Bristol) and Kevin Harvick (Auto Club).
Since either Denny Hamlin, who’s going for his fourth consecutive Martinsville win, or Jimmie Johnson has won the past nine Martinsville races, and Tony Stewart won at Martinsville 10 races ago, in 2006, it seems likely the 6-for-6 skein will continue.
It’s only part of the competitive variety that will be on display at the Virginia half-mile. In the manufacturers’ standings Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota are deadlocked at 31 points apiece. And the top four drivers in the standings represent all four of the series manufacturers, and all are within 11 points of the lead: 1. Carl Edwards (Ford), 2. Ryan Newman (Chevrolet), 3. Kurt Busch (Dodge), 4. Kyle Busch (Toyota).
* By the Numbers: Martinsville Speedway
KHI streaking in Martinsville trucks
If one of the two Kevin Harvick Inc. trucks entered at Martinsville can win, it will be the third consecutive victory there by the two-time championship organization. Team co-owner Kevin Harvick is the defending race winner and four-time series champion Ron Hornaday won at Martinsville this past fall.
There will be a Truck Series driver autograph session Saturday morning at 9 a.m. across from Martinsville’s main office. And Truck Series fans are in for a treat, because about half the field will be there signing autographs, including former Martinsville winners Timothy Peters and David Starr, Johnny Sauter, Matt Crafton, Brendan Gaughan, Johanna Long, Max Papis, James Buescher, Cole Whitt, Craig Goess, Jason White, Justin Marks, Miguel Paludo, Dusty Davis and Justin Johnson.
The autograph session is scheduled for an hour, and fans must have a wristband to get an autograph. Wristbands will be distributed beginning at 8:30 a.m. Friday at the autograph location.
Stremme, Lane set for reunion
If anyone was wondering why Samuel “Miles” Stanley appeared on Robby Gordon’s entry as his crew chief for this weekend’s Martinsville race, the question was answered Wednesday when David Stremme announced his plans to return to the Cup Series with a new team, Inception Motorsports, later this spring at Richmond.
Stremme’s announcement said his Chevrolets would be tuned by crew chief Steven Lane, who started this season at the head of Gordon’s No. 7 Dodge program. More important for Stremme, though, was the two years he spent at Chip Ganassi Racing in 2006-07 with Lane leading his No. 40 Dodge team.
* Stremme returning to Cup with new team
Raikkonen’s journey continues
Former Formula One ace Juan Montoya had to be smiling on Wednesday when news broke that 2007 F1 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen was approved by NASCAR to make his Truck Series debut as early as the May 20 event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The news was posted on the ICE 1 Racing Facebook page. ICE 1 is the team currently running Raikkonen in a partial schedule in the World Rally Championship, which he’s done for the past two seasons since leaving F1 after the 2009 season.
It follows a report that broke in Raikkonen’s native Finland earlier this week that tied ICE 1’s NASCAR venture to a partnership with former Richard Petty Motorsports and Gillett Evernham Motorsports executive Foster Gillett.
Attempts to reach Gillett this week to clarify his involvement were unsuccessful. No other details about Raikkonen’s Truck Series plans have been revealed, including a shop location, manufacturer or crew chief.
Montoya, who teamed with Raikkonen in 2005 and part of ’06 while racing for McLaren—when they won 10 of 19 races between them in ’05—told Autosport he would look forward to seeing Raikkonen in NASCAR. But barring extremely quick developments, it seems that would not occur before some time this summer.
Roush sets off rookie drivers
Roush Fenway Racing is struggling to find sponsorship for its Nationwide Series programs—not only that of former series champion Carl Edwards but also those of his young teammates Ricky Stenhouse Jr., the current series point leader, and Trevor Bayne.
The two youngsters are under a microscope each week at the race track, where their every competitive move is viewed and analyzed. But RFR has taken that scrutiny to a new level, albeit a light-hearted one, by launching RickyvsTrevor.com, a site that “promises to provide not only an inside glimpse of their two youngest wheel men, but a behind the scenes look at the competitive nature that drives their racing success on the track.”
Part of the site is a weekly “1 on 1 challenge,” where fans can suggest different competitions in which the two drivers can square off.
“This is something that Ricky and Trevor really encouraged us to do,” Roush Fenway president Steve Newmark said. “What you have to understand is that this is the way these guys are. Even if we weren’t shooting it and posting it online, this is stuff they’d be doing anyway. This is their life, 24/7.
“The world’s going to see not only how competitive Ricky and Trevor are, but that they are really down-to-earth, well-spoken young guys who have a terrific future in this sport.”
Track Smack: Hamlin looks for edge as NASCAR strikes balance (NASCAR.com)
March 31, 2011
1. Five races, and five different winners for five different teams. Does that mean NASCAR has struck a competitive balance?David Caraviello: I’m not sure if I’d go quite that far. I’m sure Daytona Beach is very happy that the wealth has been spread a little to this point, but in reality we have victories by the four best teams in the sport—Roush, Hendrick, RCR and Gibbs—and one shocker that’s partly the result of restrictor-plate racing. The big powers are still the big powers. No, Johnson hasn’t won yet, and no, none of the big boys has won repeatedly, but both of those are coming.Dave Rodman: I hate to use the word luck because it’s not always appropriate. Part of it is luck, but if you look at Kevin Harvick’s stunning come-from-behind win at Auto Club last weekend, that was a lot of accrued wisdom and ability coming to the fore. Perfect timing all the way around. And since we’re heading to Martinsville, it’s pretty likely we’ll be six-for-six after this weekend, and that’s great any way you look at it.
Mark Aumann: The weirdest thing is that the best car hasn’t necessarily been driven into Victory Lane. At Phoenix, Carl Edwards got wrecked early. Tony Stewart gave one away at Las Vegas. And Kyle Busch was the class of the field at Fontana. But you’re right, David. We’re still talking about the same four teams. Just different players.
David Caraviello: And perhaps the most consistent team to date hasn’t won at all. Tony Stewart has had a chance to win two of the past three races, but circumstances conspired against him, and Ryan Newman is second in the points. Perhaps the only surprise is that Stewart-Haas hasn’t won. But you still wonder how much of a major player they can become, given that they get so much of their equipment from somewhere else. Can a team that relies on another for support win a championship, regardless of how good the drivers on that team are?
Dave Rodman: But Mark, you called-out the key element: Different. I think it’s gonna continue and if those five mega-organizations can be balanced, that’s what—nearly 20 teams? I don’t think you can reasonably ask for more than that.
Mark Aumann: But is that really any different than having only one or two cars in the Petty/Woods/Bud Moore/Junior Johnson era? Yeah, there were a half-dozen teams that could win then. The only difference was not having half the field.
David Caraviello: Well, I don’t know that every car for every one of those top four teams can win. The jury is still very much out on a few guys—David Ragan, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Joey Logano, some others who have had uneven starts, or those like Paul Menard who’s been very good but hasn’t won before. Just because Roush is good—and they are—doesn’t necessarily mean everybody at that organization is a world-beater. There are hierarchies even within the best teams.
Mark Aumann: I think the argument comes back to the whole mega-team issue. Are we better off having 18 drivers for four teams that are basically equal? Or having more teams? Yeah, NASCAR has morphed from a handful of really strong single-car teams and the have-nots to a handful of really strong multi-car teams and the have-nots.
Dave Rodman: It’s the state of the sport in this day and time. Anyone who’s disgruntled or disappointed about it needs to get over it. And anyone from each of those organizations can win on a given day, it’s just that Jimmie Johnson or Denny Hamlin or Kyle Busch or Jeff Gordon or Carl Edwards will have a lot more days to choose from than David Ragan, Joey Logano, Paul Menard or Dale Earnhardt Jr.
David Caraviello: Here’s the interesting thing to me. Yes, you have four teams that are probably head and shoulders above everyone else. But then you have the likes of Penske, Ganassi, and Stewart-Haas, all which field cars that are capable. And you have a group of cars like those at RPM, Red Bull, Wood Brothers and elsewhere that can win a race at some point if things go right. So I think the middle class, if you will, is healthy. It just gets overshadowed by the top teams gunning for the title, something not everyone can do.
Dave Rodman: There’s no question you have to play to your current strength—and if that means four or five really strong owners with multiple teams apiece—ride that horse. Just the way it is, and that’s better by far than having three or four owners battling for a win with fifth place, six laps down.
Mark Aumann: But is the sport better off because of mega teams? It’s different. And I don’t know if I’ll be able to answer that until we see how this all plays out. It’s basically killed off independents. You’ll never see another Kulwicki.
Dave Rodman: This is just like a year-by-year encyclopedia of the sport’s history. No different, really, than ever—just slightly different numbers. File and move on.
David Caraviello: Yeah the whole “are big teams better” Pandora’s box was thrown open more than a decade ago. No longer a matter of whether it’s better or worse—it’s simply reality. Way too late to turn back the clock on that one,
Dave Rodman: You could see another Kulwicki. But it would take an individual just as unique as Alan was, with the same stout bunch of bandits aligned with him—but with 10 times the financing.
David Caraviello: Kimi Raikkonen and Foster Gillett! Here they come, baby, ready to rock it old-school style! OK, maybe not.
Dave Rodman: Raikkonen’s certainly got the financing, if he’s careful about the documents he signs his name to.
David Caraviello: And who he aligns himself with. But that’s another issue for another Track Smack, perhaps in 2026 when that rumored deal finally gets off the ground.
2. Auto Club Speedway trimmed its race last weekend from 500 to 400 miles. Did the tactic work?
Mark Aumann: You know, a great finish always eclipses a mediocre race. Case in point, the 1976 Daytona 500. But it only masks the flaw that is racing at Fontana. Yeah, there’s great action for the first lap after a restart but the cars immediately string out into long single-car trains. And yes, 400 miles was the right call. I can remember covering the night race there and walking out to the pit road at about Lap 125 and thinking, ‘We’re only halfway?’
Dave Rodman: That finish potentially would have happened with a 300-, 400-, 500- or even a 600-mile race. So race lengths are only relevant to a specific attempt at cause-and-effect. Whatever you say about California you can almost say about anywhere else. You wins some and you loses some everywhere we go.
David Caraviello: OK, as someone who was there, let me tell you—abso-freaking-lutely. Night and day difference. Listen, as wide as it is and as fast as it is, Fontana is just the kind of place that lends itself to long green-flag runs. There’s simply no getting around that unless you bulldoze the joint and start over. That said, cutting the mileage got everyone to what they wanted to see—the fantastic finish—quicker. A concise, three-hour event, a conclusion that had everyone buzzing—everyone wins.
Mark Aumann: You know, perhaps a 10-lap trophy dash with an inverted start on old tires would be the answer. But I don’t know how you’d sell tickets.
Mark Aumann: And none of those winners are Jimmie Johnson or Denny Hamlin, which tells you that there’s been a little bit of a power shift so far in 2011. Still, Johnson was one turn from winning last weekend, and Hamlin is nails at Martinsville, so I fully expect them to add their names to that list soon.David Caraviello: California in particular has been absolutely plagued by events that seem to drone on forever. They really needed to do something, and cutting the race distance was a great move. For a track that now hosts just one race a year, it gave them a tremendous selling point for 2012. You’re going to see that finish used a lot in commercials for next year’s event, I’m sure.Dave Rodman: There you have it. If you want to make a potential three-hour window a parameter for having a race, NASCAR could do that. They can monkey around with as much stuff as they want to trying to find a successful formula.
Mark Aumann: And the crowd looked like it was up, because the speedway only had to sell one race. Supply and demand. I know losing a race isn’t a good answer, but in the case of Fontana, one race is probably plenty.
David Caraviello: Yes, Dave, the days of these all-day events like NASCAR used to claim to want to have, are over. People don’t have time for that anymore. Three hours is just right. And at Auto Club Speedway, everything worked out very well.
Mark Aumann: From a history perspective, the first races at Riverside were 500 miles—on the road course! I think they were almost six hours long. I guess fans had less trouble sitting still back then. Although at Riverside, getting up and walking around the track was a given. And they weren’t televised, which was probably a good thing.
Dave Rodman: But to what degree did the Fontana crowd look like it was “up” because the facility is relatively small to begin with, and their seating availability was cut by what? Did anyone ever either announce or determine how-many-thousand seats ACS Charlotted-over? Obviously I’m referring to them using that ancient Charlotte Motor Speedway trick—covering empty seats with signage.
David Caraviello: The crowd was a vast improvement, something that surprised the track staff a little given that they were coming off another event in October. With only one race to sell, and with that finish to lean on from an advertising standpoint, the track might be able to get its mojo back a little bit. Or at least shake off all the critics, who have been riding that facility without much of a break since it added a second race and the attendance issues cropped up.
Dave Rodman: The only way we’d leave them alone is if we had real numbers, which isn’t gonna happen. The crowd was probably marginally up, which is a step in the right direction. So let’s let the process continue.
David Caraviello: Dave, the crowd was up. No question. They had a number of tarps covering seats on Friday morning, and they actually had to remove most of them before the race. At the start, I believe three tarps were still up. Listen, they didn’t pack the joint with 200,000 people. But given where Auto Club Speedway has been, Sunday was unquestionably an improvement, and this coming from one of the track’s biggest critics over the years.
Mark Aumann: It’s just a product of today’s entertain me now mindset. Three hours is an awful lot of time for people to focus on anything nowadays.
David Caraviello: Mark, I don’t know if it’s that, or people just have other things going on. NASCAR does not seem to be a sport for the fast-food mindset. But still three hours is plenty enough time. Anything more, and you’re asking people to devote most of an entire Sunday, which not everyone wants to do. Gotta mow the lawn sometime! I’m still trying to get over the idea of six hours at Riverside. You must be kidding me. I thought the 500-milers at Rockingham were long!
Mark Aumann: Well, back then, you went to the race to watch the cars go around for the day. Now, some go to the race maybe because of the pre-race concert or the concessions or the midway. That’s just how we roll in 2011.
David Caraviello: You honestly think NASCAR fans are going for pre-race concerts? I don’t. I think they’re going to see Jeff and Jimmie and Junior. But again, another issue for another Track Smack ….
Mark Aumann: Two words. Richard Marx.
3. Denny Hamlin’s misery continued in Fontana. He’s now 21st in points heading to Martinsville, where he’s won three consecutive races. Is he still the favorite there?
Dave Rodman: He’s definitely still the favorite. Now, all he needs to do is deliver.
David Caraviello: Absolutely he is. The guy had a great car at Fontana, and was able to mix it up with teammate Kyle Busch—who dominated the race—before his engine started giving him trouble. Engines shouldn’t be an issue Sunday. His Martinsville record is impeccable. If there’s ever a time for the guy to start to get well from a racing standpoint, this is it. Martinsville is home cookin’.
Mark Aumann: Of the past nine races there, he’s won four (including the past three) and Jimmie Johnson’s won the other five. So yeah, I’d still put him at the top of the list. And yeah, last week I pooh-poohed David’s comments on the runner-up jinx. Now, I’m not so sure. But things have a tendency to even out eventually, and Hamlin’s certainly had enough odd moments in 2011.
David Caraviello: It’s amazing to me, that every race at Martinsville since late 2006 has been won by wither Johnson or Hamlin. Astounding how those two dudes just own that place. Everyone else must have a mental block just walking through the gates.
Mark Aumann: We talked a little about this last week, but the new Chase system that rewards two drivers with wild cards for wins really plays into Hamlin’s hand this year. If he holds serve at Martinsville and Pocono, he doesn’t really have to make up ground. Three wins is probably enough to gain one of those wild card spots—if he stays in the top 20.
Dave Rodman: If they still have it, they probably need to drop back to a more conservative engine package. The team and driver are obviously dialed-in there, but they can’t risk another catastrophe that’s spared no one at JGR this year. If you throw a couple of Gibbs cars in with a couple of Hendrick cars and maybe a Roush car or two and a couple of RCR’s—that’s a pretty mean show. Even at three-and-a-half or nearly four hours!
Mark Aumann: You mean I’ve got to sit there for four hours on Sunday? That’s a lot of hot dogs.
David Caraviello: Oh gosh, I just got indigestion thinking about that. Throw in Jeff Gordon and you have three guys who between them have all but two of the wins there since 2003. That’s a freaking eternity ago. Why does this one track lend itself to be dominated more so than others? Do the setup notes just not change there that much year to year? Is it short-track backgrounds on the part of drivers? I honestly do not know.
Mark Aumann: I really think the teams that run well at Martinsville come in with such confidence. They know they have the place figured out. And that just reinforces their mindset.
Dave Rodman: Whatever these drivers have, it meshes perfectly with what you need to succeed at the paperclip. Of course, the close quarters we all love so well mean someone can get a fender in there crossways and try to spoil your day, but as Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth proved last year, the proximity of the place leads to instant payback—and a great show.
Mark Aumann: That’s so last year, Dave. We’re in the here and now.
David Caraviello: For all the talk about Denny, though, Johnson still owns the best average finish at this race track among active drivers—5.333. Hamlin and Gordon are the only other two active drivers who have average finishes there inside the top 10, which says something about how lopsided the place has been toward those three guys in recent years. No. 4? Try Joey Logano, with an average finish of 13th. That surprises me.
Mark Aumann: Small sample size. You would think this is a race where you have to start up front to run there, and yet Hamlin’s won twice from mid-pack. Which tells you three things. You can pass, given the opportunity. You need a crew chief willing to make some gutsy calls to give you track position. And you need some luck. That’s the one thing Hamlin doesn’t seem to have so far in 2011.
Dave Rodman: With Logano’s short-track background, it shouldn’t be a surprise. And talk about needing a breakthrough? That would be a show—and a story if Joey can score a win.
David Caraviello: Dale Jr. is well up that list as well, with an average finish of 13.8. Not to get the denizens of Junior Nation too excited about this week or anything.
Dave Rodman: Well, he likes Martinsville, and he’s with a crew chief, Steve Letarte, who’s not only had some success there but who’s been in the middle of some of those scrums and gutsy calls. There’s another breakthrough that would be pretty cool.
David Caraviello: Dave, you have the storylines all lined up. The promoter in you is coming out again, just like last week. Can’t wait to see what you have in store for Texas!
Mark Aumann: Just wait until you see his new cowboy boots.
The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer
By the Numbers: Lot of history at venerable Martinsville (NASCAR.com)
March 31, 2011
Martinsville Speedway is a .526-mile oval with 12 degrees banking in the turns. The frontstretch and backstretch are each 800 feet with 0 degrees banking.
CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES | Kroger 250 (2 p.m. ET Saturday)
0—Victories in 14 starts for Todd Bodine, who is winless on all short tracks. He is the only series driver with 10 or more victories who has not won on a short track.
3—Victories in the past four races for Kevin Harvick Inc.: Kevin Harvick (2), Ron Hornaday (1). In both of Harvick’s wins (the past two spring races), Hornaday finished second.
6 — Consecutive top-10 finishes at Martinsville for Matt Crafton, the longest current streak. Crafton has finished in the top 10 in the past 19 series races (the record is 24 by Jack Sprague).
6—Times in the past seven races the winner has led only once. It’s happened in 16 of the 24 races held at the track.
Very Interesting
30 — Tracks on which Ron Hornaday has won following his victory last year at Martinsville. No other driver has even 30 wins in the series.
SPRINT CUP SERIES | Goody’s Fast Relief 500 (1 p.m. ET Sunday)
0 — Laps led in 13 races by Carl Edwards, the only oval track on which he has never led. However, he’s finished on the lead lap in all but three races and has four top-10s in his past six starts, including his only top-five and a pair of eighth-place finishes last year. In his seven races prior his best finish was 11th.
10—Top-fives in the past 11 races for Jimmie Johnson, the only blemish a ninth-place finish last March. He has posted 17 consecutive top-10s following a DNF (vibration) in his track debut in 2002.
13—Consecutive races won by either Hendrick Motorsports (8) or Joe Gibbs Racing (5). To break it down further, those two teams have combined to win 16 of the past 18 races at the track. Driver wins during that stretch, beginning in the spring of 2002: Jimmie Johnson (6), Jeff Gordon (4), Denny Hamlin (4), Bobby Labonte (1), Tony Stewart (1).
714—Laps led in the past four races by Denny Hamlin, nearly 200 more than the combined total of Jimmie Johnson (206) and Jeff Gordon (148) during that span. Hamlin has finished in the top six in his past nine races—an average finish of 2.44 during that span—with a DNF (accident) in the spring of 2006 has only non-top-10 in his 11 starts at the track.
Very Interesting
1 — Drivers who have won four races in a row at Martinsville: Fred Lorenzen (1963-65). Five drivers have since had the opportunity. Richard Petty won three in a row in 1968-69, Cale Yarborough (1976-77), Darrell Waltrip (1988-89), Rusty Wallace (1994-95) and Jimmie Johnson (2006-07). Denny Hamlin is on a current three-race winning streak.
What happened next:• Richard Petty did not race at Martinsville in the spring of 1970, then returned to win the next two and four of the next five at the track.• Cale Yarborough finished 16th in the spring of 1978 in a race won by Darrell Waltrip; Yarborough won again in the fall of that year.• Darrell Waltrip finished fourth in the spring of 1990; he never won again at Martinsville.• Rusty Wallace finished third in the fall of 1995; Wallace won again in the spring of 1996.• Jimmie Johnson finished fourth in the spring of 2008 in a race won by Denny Hamlin; Johnson then won the next two at the track.
MARTINSVILLE MISC. | Order tickets
1—Current tracks which were part of the first Cup season of eight races in 1949: Martinsville. Martinsville is one of three tracks (OPR and Phoenix) at which the Truck Series has competed in all of its 17 seasons.
3 — Drivers who have won both a Cup and Truck race: Ricky Craven, Bobby Hamilton, Bobby Labonte. For Craven, it was his first wins in both series. Labonte is the only driver with a win at the track in all three national series.
9 — Truck races in which both Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch have competed, since the beginning of 2009. This past fall’s race at Martinsville was the first time neither won.
50—Career Truck Series poles for Mike Skinner, the last coming at Martinsville in the fall of 2009. Martinsville is where Skinner made his first Cup start in the spring of 1986; he finished 22nd.
Very Interesting
0—Wins at Martinsville for Kyle Busch. He has finished a personal-best fourth four times in 12 Cup starts, most recently this past fall. He has led only four laps in the past six races at the track. Busch has made seven Truck starts, the most at any one track without a win. He finished second last year, and has three top-fives and four top-10s overall.
MARK MARTIN AT 800 | Career Cup Series starts
5—Times Mark Martin finished second in the final championship point standings: 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2009.
7—Drivers who have eclipsed the 800-start barrier: Richard Petty (1,185), Ricky Rudd (906), Dave Marcis (883), Terry Labonte (870), Kyle Petty (829), Bill Elliott (825), Darrell Waltrip (809).
40—Career wins for Mark Martin, 16th on the all-time list.
46—Starts at Martinsville, tied for fifth-most in his career and ninth all time at the track. He has two wins (spring 1992, spring 2008), 12 top-fives and 24 top-10s.
Very Interesting
264—Career top-five finishes, seventh on the all-time list. Martinsville was the site of Martin’s first top-five, a third-place run on Sept. 27, 1981.
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Timeline of Mark Martin’s career highlights on his way to 800 starts1 On April 5, 1981, Martin made his first series start at North Wilkesboro, finishing 27th. Martin made five starts in 1981, scoring two top-10s and two poles.6 In his first Daytona 500, on Feb. 14, 1982, Martin finished 30th.58 On Feb. 14, 1988, in the Daytona 500, Martin made his first start with owner Jack Roush. Together, they started 617 races, winning 35 of them. 100 On June 25, 1989, at Michigan, Martin made milestone start No. 100. He finished 12th.113 On Oct. 22, 1989, at Rockingham, Martin led 101 laps en route to his first career win. 200On Oct. 25, 1992, at Rockingham, Martin made milestone start No. 200. He finished 30th.223 Martin reached double digits in wins with a victory at Bristol on Aug. 28, 1993. The win was the third of four consecutive victories for Martin, the longest win streak of his career.300 On March 31, 1996, at Bristol, Martin made milestone start No. 300. He finished third.326 Martin finished seventh in the Daytona 500 on Feb. 16, 1997, his 16th consecutive top-10, dating to the previous season. That is tied for the 16th-longest streak in series history. 383In a victory at Dover on Sept. 20, 1998, Martin led 379 laps, the most of his career.400 On May 2, 1999, at Fontana, Martin made milestone start No. 400. He finished 38th.500 Martin reached career milestone start No. 500 on March 24, 2002, at Bristol. He finished 11th.506 Martin won NASCAR’s longest race, the Coca-Cola 600, at Charlotte on May 26, 2002.600On Nov. 7, 2004, at Phoenix, Martin made milestone start No. 600. He finished 15th.700On Feb. 25, 2008, at Fontana, Martin made milestone start No. 700. He finished 16th.723On Feb. 15, 2009, at the Daytona 500, Martin made his first start for Hendrick Motorsports, finishing 16th.730At the age of 50 years, 3 months and 9 days, Martin won at Phoenix on April 18, 2009, to join Harry Gant, Morgan Shepherd and Bobby Allison as the fourth over-50 driver to win a Cup race.733 Martin won one of NASCAR’s crown jewels, the Southern 500 at Darlington, on May 9, 2009.
Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 (Yahoo! Sports)
March 31, 2011
Ware to run Jeffery Earnhardt at Martinsville
March 30, 2011
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)—Rick Ware Racing says it will field a Truck for Jeffery Earnhardt this weekend at Martinsville Speedway, after all.
Ware had said Tuesday he had terminated the contract with the 21-year-old driver because Earnhardt was actively looking for another ride. Ware also accused Earnhardt of trying to steal the team’s sponsor.
On Wednesday, the team owner blamed the decision on emotions and a lack of communication between the two. He says he’ll use Earnhardt this Saturday at Martinsville and work to keep him in the Truck for the rest of the year.
Earnhardt is the grandson of the late seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt. He’s 10th in the series standings through three races, with a best finish of seventh at Daytona.
Ware to run Jeffery Earnhardt at Martinsville (PA SportsTicker)
March 30, 2011
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) —Rick Ware Racing says it will field a Truck for Jeffery Earnhardt this weekend at Martinsville Speedway, after all.
Ware had said Tuesday he had terminated the contract with the 21-year-old driver because Earnhardt was actively looking for another ride. Ware also accused Earnhardt of trying to steal the team’s sponsor.
On Wednesday, the team owner blamed the decision on emotions and a lack of communication between the two. He says he’ll use Earnhardt this Saturday at Martinsville and work to keep him in the Truck for the rest of the year.
Earnhardt is the grandson of the late seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt. He’s 10th in the series standings through three races, with a best finish of seventh at Daytona.
Roush Fenway drivers have shown early resurgence
March 30, 2011
CONCORD, N.C. (AP)—It didn’t take Carl Edwards but a few minutes following his win at Las Vegas to assess how far Roush Fenway Racing has come in the last year.
“The Fords are back, and we’re strong,” he declared.
His teammates are in full agreement.
After five races this season, the Roush organization is far ahead of where it was this time last year. Edwards earned his first win this month and goes to Martinsville Speedway this weekend as the Sprint Cup Series points leader.
Matt Kenseth is 10th in the standings with fourth-place finishes the last two weeks, Greg Biffle has overcome early problems to jump 11 spots in the standings to 20th, and David Ragan has run much better than his 22nd-place ranking reflects.
“You look at our car, you look at Matt’s car, you look at David’s car, look at all four of us,” says Biffle. “Damn, we’ve been right there. Really. That says something about our company, right?”
It certainly does considering how badly Roush and the Ford teams struggled through the first part of last season. The first victory didn’t come until Biffle’s win at Pocono in August, and although Edwards, Biffle and Kenseth all made the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, they were never really considered title contenders.
But Biffle won the Chase race at Kansas, and Edwards closed the year with victories in the final two races. Edwards, Kenseth and Biffle finished the season ranked fourth, fifth and sixth—out of the three-man title race between Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick, but close enough to let everyone know they’ll be a factor this year.
Edwards has been the most dominant of the Roush drivers so far, but the others feel they aren’t too far behind. Biffle was plagued by fuel issues at Las Vegas, but firmly believes “truth be known, I think I could have beat Carl that day.”
Kenseth doesn’t think his No. 17 team is quite at that level, but he knows the Roush Yates engines are strong—his pole at Las Vegas was just the fifth of his career—and knows his cars are a lot better than they were a year ago.
“We’re not running quite to (Edwards’) level, but it seems like we’re getting closer,” Kenseth said. “It seems like, as a group, all of our equipment seems to be faster and our cars seem to be quicker.”
Kenseth believes the team got too far behind last year early because it was adjusting to building cars for both Roush Fenway and Richard Petty Motorsports, making the organization run “somewhat like a factory.”
“It was hard to build really nice cars because we were building to get everybody cars first,” Kenseth said.
Plus, Doug Yates has had an entire year to work on Ford’s FR9 engine, which was used only sporadically through the first part of last season as the engine shop continued development.
“I feel like them having a whole year to work with the FR9 and a whole offseason, I think they’ve picked the engines up a lot,” Kenseth said. “I think we’re a lot more competitive on power than probably what we were at the beginning of last year.”
That was evident at the season-opening Daytona 500 when Ragan, winless through his first four full seasons, was racing for the victory at the end of the race. He restarted as the leader late, but was penalized for pulling out of his lane too soon.
It’s been about how his season has gone, as Ragan doesn’t have the finishes to show for how well he’s been running.
“I think we’re two good runs away from being in the top 15,” Ragan said. “We’ve just got to do our jobs a little bit better all the way through the weekend, and that’s from me giving better information on Saturday, making better changes to start the race on Sunday. We’ve had fast cars in all five races we’ve run, so I think it’s there and we’ve just got to do a better job with what we’ve got.
“That’s on my shoulders. The guys that win races are just about perfect throughout the weekend, so we’ve got to cut back on the mistakes. We’ve got fast race cars.”
Biffle said Ragan has been plagued by bad luck.
“He’s definitely running better, and some people say you create your own luck, but I don’t know if I believe in all that. David had a good car in Phoenix and blew a right front tire out. Is that David’s fault?” Biffle said. “Sometimes those things happen that aren’t really in your control and make you look bad. David’s a good driver, and I think this year, David is going to run better and be pushing for wins.”
Fantasy Preview: Tough to pick against Hamlin, Johnson (NASCAR.com)
March 30, 2011
Five weeks, five winners, and five different track types—NASCAR’s variety has been strong all season. Now fantasy owners’ attention turns to Martinsville Speedway, which actually has two venues from earlier in the season that will provide insight into this week’s handicap. Martinsville is a short, flat track and it shares features with both Phoenix International Raceway—since its minimal banking requires drivers to slow down before entering the corner in order to hammer the accelerator at the apex—and Bristol Motor Speedway because that track is also a half-mile bullring.
Jeff Gordon snapped a long winless streak at Phoenix, but so far that single strong run has been the highlight of his season. Kyle Busch won at Bristol, but Phoenix has never been one of his stronger tracks. Meanwhile, several strong drivers remain winless through the first five races, and that means NASCAR has an excellent opportunity to keep their streak of unique winners alive.
A lot can happen on a bullring. Jamming 43 cars into a half-mile arena is a recipe for disaster and Martinsville always hosts two of the most exciting races of the season. Fortunately, NASCAR’s current car is more durable than ever and a casual brush with the wall or another competitor won’t end a driver’s day. For that reason, Martinsville can be prone to streaks.
Last year was an exception to that rule since several traditionally strong drivers struggled in the spring. Only four drivers swept the top 10 on this track last year, but in both 2008 and 2009, seven drivers posted back-to-back top-10s each year, so your list of favorites will come from drivers with a wealth of recent success.
The Favorites
Two of the drivers who swept the top-10 last year are arguably the most dominant racers in its 50 plus year history. You would be hard pressed to find the level of control from any driver at any time as that shown by Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin in recent years. One of those two drivers has won the past nine Cup events at Martinsville and more often than not, they are one another’s toughest competition.
Hamlin desperately needs a good run this week after blowing an engine at Auto Club Speedway that has him languishing 21st in the point standings, but if his turnaround is going to come anywhere, it will be at Martinsville. He enters the weekend with a three-race winning streak that includes both races last year. In 2009, he came one position shy of also sweeping the season with a runner-up finish in the spring and a victory in the fall. In fact, he has practically never stumbled on his home track of Martinsville and his last nine events there have all ended in results of sixth or better with an average finish of 2.4. Drivers simply don’t get closer to perfect than that.
Unless of course, their name happens to be Jimmie Johnson. His dominance is no less amazing and even longer-lived. He also won three consecutive races from 2006 through 2007, took one race off to finish fourth in spring 2008, and then posted back-to-back victories again that fall and the following spring. Like Nathaniel Hawthorne’s fabled Rappaccini’s Daughter — a girl with a single, minor flaw that kept her chained to this earth—both Hamlin and Johnson have one single poor performance at the beginning of their careers. Hamlin wrecked in his rookie season and finished 37th; Johnson was sidelined by a vibration in his inaugural run, but in the 17 races on this track since then, the pilot of the No. 48 has never failed to score a top-10 and amassed an average finish of 3.6. There is no reason to even think about anyone else as a favorite to win the Goody’s Fast Relief 500.
Dark Horses
Of course, that doesn’t mean that the other drivers in the field won’t try. The last driver other than Hamlin or Johnson to win on this track was Tony Stewart in spring 2006, but he can hardly be considered a favorite this week after finishing in the mid-20s in both Martinsville races last year. He’s hungry, however, and has a great record on this track, so fantasy owners won’t be surprised to see him running with the leaders.
A stronger dark horse this week might be Jeff Gordon. He swept victory lane in both 2003 and 2005. In fact, if you include him alongside Hamlin and Johnson, those three drivers have won all but two of the last 16 Martinsville races. While the accomplishments of the No. 11 and No. 48 teams haven’t left any room in victory lane, Gordon has been nearly as strong and he entered last fall with an 11-race top-five streak to his credit. The fact that he finished 20th in the fall and has struggled so much in the early part of this season, however, certainly qualifies him in the role of dark horse.
A more traditional sleeper might be Joey Logano, however. Like his teammate Hamlin, he has struggled in the early part of the season and not all of it has been engine related. Mental lapses at both Bristol and last week at Auto Club drew penalties from NASCAR at critical junctures of the races and stalled advances through the field. His hope of becoming a surprise contender for the Chase have all but vanished, but the only thing he can do is regroup and concentrate on the job at hand. Last year, he nearly stole the victory from Hamlin in the spring and to prove that was not a fluke, he backed it up with a sixth in the fall.
Underdogs
Last week, Kevin Harvick made the Auto Club 400 exciting in the final laps. He made a move on Johnson in the final corner that would have made Dale Earnhardt Sr. proud when he bump-drafted the No. 48 hard into the turn and then passed it when Johnson was forced to lay off the throttle to avoid wrecking. He finished third on this track last year and he has to be on a lot of fantasy owners’ minds, but it would be surprising if he could win back-to-back races this week. Overall Martinsville isn’t one of his better tracks and last fall’s top-five is his only finish better than seventh in his career there. Worse still, he seems to have inferior efforts in the spring. Last year, he developed brake problems in this race to finish 35th and only one of his eight career top-10s at Martinsville have come in their first race of the season.
Matt Kenseth has been heading in the right direction in the past several weeks, but he is another driver who will be hard-pressed to continue his streak. After finishing 34th in the Daytona 500 to start the season, he has finished 12th or better in the past four races and his Bristol and Auto Club results were identical fourth-place finishes. Martinsville has been a little more aloof to him during Kenseth’s career. The Roush-Fenway Racers are not necessarily the first ones to pop into fantasy owners’ heads on flat tracks, even though they have improved in recent years. Last year, Carl Edwards was one of the four drivers to sweep the top 10 there, but Kenseth has not had a finish that good since fall 2008 and his average result in the last two years has been a modest 17.5.
Fantasy Power Ranking Short tracks (pass three years) 1.Jeff Gordon7.60 16.David Reutimann17.50 30.Ken Schrader27.67 2.Kyle Busch8.02 17.Martin Truex Jr.17.74 31.Regan Smith30.393.Denny Hamlin8.77 18.Marcos Ambrose19.05 32.Bobby Labonte31.344.Jimmie Johnson8.78 19.Greg Biffle19.29 33.Mike Skinner32.575.Mark Martin10.67 20.Matt Kenseth19.83 34.David Gilliland32.586.Carl Edwards12.09 21.Brad Keselowski20.56 35.Travis Kvapil32.777.Ryan Newman12.23 22.Joey Logano20.72 36.Robby Gordon34.998.Kevin Harvick12.63 23.Kasey Kahne20.91 37.Dave Blaney35.159.Tony Stewart12.65 24.Brian Vickers21.73 38.Michael McDowell35.6810.Clint Bowyer14.03 25.Trevor Bayne23.14 39.Andy Lally37.2211.Jeff Burton14.03 26.A.J. Allmendinger25.72 40.Tony Raines37.4212.Dale Earnhardt Jr.14.41 27.David Ragan26.29 41.J.J. Yeley37.6713.Kurt Busch15.86 28.Casey Mears26.42 42.Landon Cassill39.6214.Juan Montoya16.42 29.Paul Menard26.50 43.Joe Nemechek39.7115.Jamie McMurray17.05
13-year-old kart driver appeals doping ban
March 30, 2011
GENEVA (AP)—Branded a doping cheat at age 13, a kart driver is appealing atwo-year ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Igor Walilko of Poland is scheduled to give evidence at the Lausanne-basedcourt on Thursday when his lawyers challenge the ban imposed by motor sport’sgoverning body, the FIA.
Walilko was 12 when he tested positive for the banned stimulant nikethamideafter an international kart race in Germany last July. It was the driver’s firstdoping test.
Walilko’s lawyer Michael Lehner tells The Associated Press the case is“very difficult” for the teenager, who was a national junior champion.
“He was very famous in Poland and, one day after, he was a criminalchild,” Lehner said in a telephone interview. “He has good chances to go to acareer in motor sport, and now with a two-year ban it’s finished.”
The FIA did not respond to requests for comment on the case.
According to Walilko’s website, he began riding motocross bikes at 4 andfollowed his father, Rafal, into the sport.
In 2007, Walilko started competitive racing in karts—the same route takenby Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton on their road to become Formula Oneworld champions.
“He has a lot of talent,” Lehner said. “The father pushed him, this isnormal in sport, but the father doesn’t push him in doping.”
Walilko won the Polish junior title in 2009. He competed in Germany lastseason, piloting 125cc engines in KF3 class races. At the Ampfing circuit onJuly 18, he finished second in a 24-lap race, reaching speeds of 55 mph.
German organizers took a urine sample after the race, and it showed tracesof nikethamide. The World Anti-Doping Agency classifies nikethamide as aspecified substance that allows for explanations of accidental use—if anathlete proves how it was consumed.
“A 12-year-old boy is not able to remember what he eats the whole day,”Lehner said. “Maybe he gets it from some friends, we don’t know.”
The World Anti-Doping Code states that cases “involving a minor shall beconsidered a particularly serious violation,” but also points out that“certainly youth and lack of experience are relevant factors to be assessed.”
The FIA anti-doping panel looked at Walilko’s case in Paris last Octoberbefore imposing the two-year ban.
“Yes, he knows doping is forbidden … (but) for a 12-year-old child it’snot easy to understand complicated rules,” said Lehner, a specialist in sportsdoping cases.
However, WADA said it studied the case and accepted the FIA’s verdict.
“WADA reviewed the sanction … and has decided not to exercise itsindependent right of appeal to the CAS, as it is in compliance with the WorldAnti-Doping Code,” it said in a statement to the AP.
The CAS panel is expected to give its ruling within the next few weeks.
Lehner said he would argue that Walilko was below the age of criminalliability in Poland, with the Youth Olympic Games closed to athletes youngerthan 14.
“For more than 14 years old, OK, you can use the rules but not the maximum(two years),” he said. “For a child, you should not have the possibility topunish him.”
13-year-old kart driver appeals doping ban (PA SportsTicker)
March 30, 2011
By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer
GENEVA (AP)—A 13-year-old kart driver is appealing a doping ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Igor Walilko of Poland is scheduled to give evidence at the Lausanne-based court on Thursday when his lawyers challenge a two-year ban imposed by motor sport’s governing body, the FIA.
Walilko was 12 when he tested positive for the banned stimulant nikethamide after an international karting race in Germany last July. It was the driver’s first doping test.
Walilko’s lawyer Michael Lehner tells The Associated Press the case is “very difficult” for the teenager.
Lehner says Walilko was known as a national junior champion before his reputation changed to “a criminal child.”
