Top 5 and 5 to watch: Martinsville

Top 5 and 5 to watch: Martinsville


Here's a look at the top five drivers in the Sprint Cup Series standings and five drivers to watch in Sunday's race at Martinsville Speedway. All statistical references are for Sprint Cup races at Martinsville unless otherwise indicated. Driver rating is based on the past 11 races at the track.

1. Jimmie Johnson, 123.8 driver rating. Everyone is pointing to Martinsville as a showdown between Johnson and Denny Hamlin. Combined, they have won the past eight races at Martinsville . But they are so even at the track, we could see another Charlotte finish, where they finished next to each other and Johnson picked up five extra points. Expect them to emerge from Martinsville still tight in the standings.
2. Denny Hamlin, 111.4. If Johnson has any edge, it's in qualifying. His average start is 11.5 to Hamlin's 13.8. It obviously doesn't affect where they finish, but it does affect pit-box selection. If Hamlin qualifies deeper in the field, it means his chances of getting banged up in the pack are higher than Johnson's. If that happens, that might be the difference in the race—and the Chase.
3. Kevin Harvick, 90.1. Martinsville is the only active Cup track on which Harvick doesn't have a top five. He trails Johnson by 77 points and can't afford to let his deficit get too out of hand. He has seven top 10s in 18 starts, and his average finish of 18.1 far trails Johnson's 5.4 and Hamlin's 6.6. Johnson and Hamlin, meanwhile, have finished outside the top 10 once each
4. Jeff Gordon, 123.0. Gordon's record at Martinsville is phenomenal, but he is being overshadowed by the top two. Plus, he's 156 off the lead, and his championship chances are nil. He has seven wins and 23 top fives in 35 starts. He has finished outside the top 10 six times and has a 6.7 average finish. The last time he finished outside the top five? Six years ago. Outside the top 10? Eight years ago.
5. Kyle Busch, 89.9. Busch is 177 points back and is driving for pride, wins and—dare we say?—payback. Martinsville is the perfect track to trade some paint with David Reutimann. But why waste it this late in the season when it doesn't mean anything? On the other hand, Martinsville is the last short track of the year. Busch has five top 10s in 11 starts but one in the past five races.

Five to watch (ranked by owner points):

There are two battles playing out over the next five races. Besides the Chase, owners are scrambling to get into the top 35 in owner points by season's end. Those cars are guaranteed starting spots in the first five races of 2011, including the Daytona 500.

32. Tony Raines (No. 34 car). Bob Jenkins' Nos. 34 and 37 Fords have the most cushion. Each is 118 points better than the No. 38 car—also a Jenkins Ford—which is in 36th place. (They are 113 ahead of Robby Gordon's No. 7 in 35th.) It has been two years since Raines has raced at Martinsville , and his best finish in seven starts is 14th, which he did in this race in 2006 and 2007. Raines has started seven races this year in four different cars, and three of them—Nos. 34, 37 and 71—are on the bubble.

33. David Gilliland (No. 37). Gilliland has started 27 races this year, 15 in Jenkins' No. 37 Ford and 12 in his No. 38 Ford. Gilliland is back in the 37 after consecutive starts in the 38. Gilliland has a 30.2 average finish at Martinsville , but he finished a career-best 19th in March.
34. Hermie Sadler (No. 71). With the No. 71 only 20 points ahead of No. 38 car, owner Kevin Buckler has brought in Sadler, who last started a Cup race in 2006. Sadler's best finish in 59 Cup starts is 18th at Richmond in 2002. Sadler, who is from Emporia , Va. , has made a career-high nine starts at Martinsville . His average finish is 33.1, and his last Cup start at the track was five years ago.
35. Kevin Conway (No. 7). Conway has no margin for error. The No. 7 sits five points ahead of the No. 38. Ironically, Conway, a rookie, finished 31st in March in Jenkins' No. 38.
36. Travis Kvapil (No. 38). Kvapil finished 27th in March in Jenkins' No. 34. His best finish in nine starts is 18th in 2008. Johnson leads Hamlin by 41 points, so the "real" battle on the track will be between Conway and Kvapil.
By Bill Marx

Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service