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Martinsville Speedway Advance Notes
Race: Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 on Sunday, March 28
Track: Martinsville Speedway (0.526-Mile Oval)
Location: Martinsville, Va.
Juan Pablo Montoya and No. 42 Target Team
Montoya at Martinsville: Montoya has completed all but one lap of competition (3011) in his six starts at Martinsville Speedway. The Colombian-born racer has led 46 laps, has one top-five, two top-10 finishes and zero DNF’s at the .526-mile oval. His best finish of third came in October of last year.
Last Weekend: Juan Pablo Montoya and the Target team had a strong start to the weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway by posting top-five lap times in each practice session and qualifying in the sixth position. Montoya lead four times for a total of 29 laps at the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile” and was credited as the WIX Filters Lap Leader for the day. After spending the first 300 laps in the top-10, a 13-car pile-up on lap 342 would force the No. 42 Target Chevrolet to finish in the 26th-position just two laps down.
Personal Record: Montoya carried on his streak of top-10 starting positions last week at Bristol Motor Speedway. The No. 42 has started in the top-10 in all five 2010 events, marking a career best for Montoya in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. His qualifying efforts have been eighth (Daytona), second (Fontana), 10th (Las Vegas), third (Atlanta) and sixth (Bristol) resulting in an average starting position of 5.8 heading into Martinsville this weekend.
Agent of Change: MTV Latin America and the Inter-American development Bank recognized Juan Pablo Montoya for his charitable work with the Formula Smiles Foundation presenting him with a “Chiuku” award. This award was created to recognize those “Agents of Change” who are committed to the betterment of their communities and use their influence to become a catalyst for effecting change and spreading their message all over the world. “Chiuku” is a fictional creature, originally from the Amazon mystical Chiukotek tribe, with a “special power” that gives the ability to speak the universal language of music and communicate with humans to invite them to become “Agents of Change”. The special award presentation will appear on MTV Latin America’s screens in one-minute spots over the next two weeks.
Let the Voting Begin: The Sprint All-Star Fan Vote launched in 2004 as a way to bring one more deserving driver into the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race to compete for the $1 million payout. Voting begins on Wednesday, March 24 and runs through Saturday, May 22, ending one hour prior to the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. To vote for Juan Pablo Montoya text “vote” to 7777 on your Sprint phone, visit NASCAR.com or visit a voting booth in the Sprint Experience mobile display unit at an upcoming race.
Target Fast Fact: Did you know that since 1946 Target has given five percent of their income to support and enrich the communities they serve? Today that equals more than $3 million every week to support education, the arts, social services and volunteerism.
CHASSIS INFO
No. 42 Target Chevrolet (NSCS): Chassis #1005. Crew chief Brian Pattie and the Target Team will bring chassis #1005 this weekend. This is a brand new chassis.
TEAM ROSTER
Tony Glover – Team Manager
Steve Hmiel – Director of Competition
Crew Chief: Brian Pattie
Rear Tire Changer: Chris McMullen
Chief Mechanic: Heath Silver
Rear Tire Carrier: Chip Goode
Front Tire Changer: Trevor Lysne
Gas Man: Mike Bodick
Front Tire Carrier: Eric Bilyeu
Catch Can: Heath Silver
Jack Man: TJ Ford
Spotter: Tab Boyd
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' current short track swing continues with Sunday's running of the Goody Fast Pain Relief 500 at Virginia's Martinsville Speedway. As in the case of last Sunday at Bristol, we're talking about lining up 43 full size stock cars on a half mile track that has an asphalt surface on the straights and is covered with concrete on the turns. It's a situation where patience is absolutely vital. A driver is going to have to protect his tires, protect his fenders and, more importantly, protect his brakes. The team's spotters are going to have to be razor sharp in order to keep their driver away from a potential demolition derby.
At the end of this physical endurance contest is the time of day. That would be the beautiful, custom made, grandfather clock the winner receives. This is one of the most coveted trophies in NASCAR. Every driver wants to take home the time of day from Martinsville. That clock, along with those famous pure red hot dogs, are part of the Martinsville tradition.
THE STORY BREAKDOWN
The Martinsville race will launch the latest debut from NASCAR's current winds of change era. That would be the traditional spoiler replacing the rear wing on their Cars Of Today, COT. The most immediate noticeable change involves aesthetics. The spoiler is ten inches wider than the wing but, unlike the wing, is not adjustable.
Recent NASCAR sanctioned tests, such as the two day events this week at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, has netted overall favorable comments from the teams although many of the drivers are saying the changes are minimal. The one change they do pinpoint is an increase in down force, reported to be in the area of 60 to 100 pounds. That's good news because it will help keep all four tires on the ground following an altercation which was one of the major factors that prompted this change to begin with.
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The other story line concerns stopping the continued forward progress of Jimmie Johnson and that Lowes #48 team. They have now won three of the first five races in 2010. It's been repeatedly reported that Johnson and company has literally gotten inside of the heads of their competitors. That could turn out be a good thing for the competition. To run with this team the competition is going to have to start thinking like them.
Johnson's win at Bristol's short track last Sunday was not expected. He arrived there win less in 16 previous starts and when he parked his car in victory lane there were more than a few competitors were scratching their heads. However, there's a different situation regarding next Sunday at Martinsvile. Johnson is expected to win. He's a six time winner at Martinsville and he's the defending race winner from last year.
But it's his Hendrick Motorsports' team mate and co team owner Jeff Gordon who owns all the stats at the Martinsville Speedway. That includes topping the all time win list among active drivers. Gordon is the proud owner of seven Martinsville clocks. He also leads the active driver's squad with most poles at seven, top five finishes at 22, top tens at 28 and his 2,796 laps led at Martinsville also tops that category.
With the stats compiled by these two drivers team owner Rick Hendrick is in an excellent position to tie a major Martinsville milestone. Petty Enterprises has a record setting 19 wins at this track. "King" Richard Petty has 15 of them along with one of the most impressive grandfather clock collections in the country. Hendrick Motorsports has 18 wins at Martinsville and will be looking to share the track win record with the Pettys this Sunday.
Even the manufacturer's win list is working in Hendrick's favor. Chevrolet has a record leading 45 wins at Martinsville.
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THE VEGAS BREAKDOWN
The Las Vegas based WSE-World Sports Exchange, begins their weekly NASCAR rankings with the completely obvious: Jimmie Johnson at 5 to 2 odds. Anything different simply would have been to difficult to comprehend.
The other obvious choice is Hendrick Motorsports team mate Jeff Gordon at 6 to 1. Joining him with those same numbers is Denny Hamlin and his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. This is another good choice. Hamlin is a home town hero and resides just a few miles from the track. He also won the Martinsville fall race last October. However, this team is often to a rather surprising rugged start in 2010 mostly due to luck issues such as the blown tire that sent them into the wall during the Bristol race. The law of averages says that has to turn around sometime and Martinsville is a very likely location.
In other Sprint Cup rankings the WSE has Tony Stewart at 10 to 1, Kevin Harvick at 12 to 1 and the trio of Mark Martin, Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch are rated at 15 to 1 to win the race. From the middle to the bottom of this week's list you'll find Juan Pablo Montoya all by himself at 18 to 1. At 20 to 1 you'll find the quartet of Matt Kenseth, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton and Carl Edwards. For you Junior Nation fans, Dale Earnhardt Jr is rated at 25 to 1 this week as is Jaime McMurray.
Now for this week's disclaimer: NASCAR wants us to remind you that these posted numbers should be viewed as entertainment. They neither encourage or condone the placing of wagers on their events. You may want to consider taking all of the money you're planning to spend gambling this year and invest it into something far more meaningful such as sponsoring a start and park team.
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THE RACE BREAKDOWN
The Goody Fast Pain Relief 500 is 500 laps, 263 miles, around the Martinsville Speedway's 0.526 of a mile asphalt concrete combined oval. The track, opened in 1947, has a very rich history and is recognized as one of the oldest, continually operated, race tracks in the country. Martinsville began as a dirt track and was paved in 1955. The concrete corners were installed in 1976. 122 NASCAR Sprint Cup events have been presented at Martinsville since 1950 that has sent 45 different winners to victory lane. The legendary Red Byron won the first NASCAR race there.
The speedway is basically flat with only 12 degrees of banking in the turns and no banking at all on the straightaways. The straight stretches are short, only 800 feet long, which adds to the physical demands placed on the drivers while running 500 laps there. The speedway presently seats 91,000.
Pit road is also a major challenge for the drivers at Martinsville. They will have to be careful with their entry onto pit road in order to watch pit road speeds. The speed limit on pit road is 30 MPH. The speedway has 43 pit stalls that are tight measuring 14 feet wide by 28 feet long. That makes getting out of the stall and down pit road very challenging.
Like any long race on a short track yellow caution flags often play a role in the final conclusion. The Martinsville record for caution flags in one race is 19 set back in the fall of 2005. However, on three different occasions, this race has been ran with only one caution flag slowing the pace but the last time that happened was in 1971.
The race has 46 entries vying for the 43 starting positions. Eleven of those entries are on the go or go home list meaning they do not have a guaranteed start because they are outside of NASCAR's top 35 in owner's points. These teams will have to rely on their qualifying speeds to earn a starting berth in this race.
That could be a problem for at least three of these go or go home teams. Qualifying is scheduled for Friday and the Martinsville weather forecast calls for a 60% chance of rain that afternoon. The forecast for the remainder of the race weekend calls for partly cloudy conditions and day time highs around 60 degrees.
The Goody Fast Pain Relief 500 will be broadcast live by Fox Sports with the pre race show beginning at 12pm eastern time. The rebroadcast will be Wednesday, March 31st, on SPEED at 12pm eastern.
Gordon, Johnson set for Martinsville battle
Hendrick teammates have combined to win eight of the last 11 track races
Jason Smith / Getty Images for NASCAR
Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson might be each other's greatest competition at Martinsville.
OPINION
By Brian Brown
updated 8:45 a.m. CT, Thurs., March. 25, 2010
The NASCAR Sprint Cup series moves to Martinsville Speedway for the sixth race of the 2010 season, the Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500. Brian Brown took a look at past performances and season trends and spoke with NASCAR contacts to predict how the field should finish on Sunday.
When
Sunday, March 28, 2010
1:13 p.m. ET
Weather
Mostly cloudy with a high around 59; wind out of the ESE at 6 mph. There is a zero percent chance of precipitation.
The Track
Martinsville Speedway is a half-mile, paperclip-shaped track with intermediate 12 degree banking on the turns. It is a smaller version of New Hampshire Motor Speedway, so teams often use the same car and a similar setup at both tracks. Drivers that are successful at NHMS often run well at Martinsville.
Key to Race: Look out for the Hendrick boys
Hendrick Motorsports has dominated Martinsville. Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson have combined to win eight of the last 11 races at the track. Denny Hamlin shouldn't be completely ignored on Sunday, but if it isn't Gordon or Johnson taking the checkers we will be surprised.
Qualifying Procedures:
Forty-six cars will attempt to qualify for 43 spots. Cars not in the top 35 in the 2010 owner points standings will have to qualify based on speed. Starting positions 1-43 will be determined by qualifying on Friday, March 26 at 3:10 p.m. ET.
Fantasy Cheat Sheet
Top 5
No. 48 Jimmie Johnson: Johnson has won five of the past seven races at Martinsville. We expect the No. 48 team will be headed to Victory Lane to claim yet another Martinsville Grandfather Clock.
No. 11 Denny Hamlin: Hamlin has eight top-10 finishes in 10 career starts at Martinsville. He won last year's fall race and should battle J.J. for the win.
No. 14 Tony Stewart: Stewart and Denny Hamlin are the only drivers not named Jimmie Johnson or Jeff Gordon to win a race at Martinsville since 2004. Smoke will eat a ton of the track's famous red hot dogs and have the No. 14 near the front this weekend.
 | Slideshow |
| 2010 winnersTake a look at every NASCAR driver who has claimed a checkered flag this season. more photos |
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No. 24 Jeff Gordon: Gordon has seven career wins at Martinsville. He will crack the top five and could win with a little luck.
No. 5 Mark Martin: Martin has 23 top-10 finishes at M'ville during his career. He should make it 24 on Sunday.
6 to 10
No. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya: Montoya has notched top-16 finishes in all six of his career starts at Martinsville. I can't believe we are saying this due to his slow start to the season, but Montoya is a safe pick on Sunday.
No. 33 Clint Bowyer: Bowyer has cracked the top 11 in five of his last six starts at Martinsville. He will be fast on Sunday.
No. 99 Carl Edwards: Edwards cracked the top 10 in both of the 2008 races at Martinsville. He should be the top Roush-Fenway driver this weekend.
No. 18 Kyle Busch: Busch has had past success at short-tracks, but his lack of consistency this season makes him too risky of a pick for our top five.
No. 1 Jamie McMurray: McMurray has finished in the top 10 in nine of his 14 career
Martinsville starts. This is the weekend to use the No. 1 car.
CONTINUED : Kenseth, Kurt Busch may struggle to crack top-15 to 20
No. 29 Kevin Harvick: Harvick has managed to avoid trouble at Martinsville during his career. He should continue to avoid the frequent accidents and could crack the top 10 on Sunday.
No. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Junior has finished in the top six in nine of his 20 career starts at Martinsville. He should have no trouble cracking the top 15 on Sunday.
No. 39 Ryan Newman: Newman has qualified inside the top 10 in 11 of his 16 Cup starts at Martinsville. His strong qualifying skills will help Newman to break out of his 2010 slump.
No. 31 Jeff Burton: Burton has averaged a 15th-place finish at Martinsville during his career. He should finish right around his average this weekend.
No. 2 Kurt Busch: Busch has really struggled at Martinsville lately. There are much better weekends to use the No. 2 driver.
No. 17 Matt Kenseth: Kenseth has just two top-five finishes in 20 Cup starts at Martinsville. He isn't a great option this weekend.
No. 20 Joey Logano: Logano has been much improved this season. He won't match the 12th-place finish he had last fall at M'ville, but he should easily crack the top 20.
No. 83 Brian Vickers: Vickers has driven strong cars at Martinsville in five of the past six races. He should have no problem cracking the top 20 on Sunday.
No. 9 Kasey Kahne: Kahne has led just 18 laps in 11 career starts at Martinsville. He isn't a great choice.
No. 47 Marcos Ambrose: Ambrose has been great on short-tracks during his career, including last weekend when he had a top-five car before being caught up in an unfortunate wreck. This is a good opportunity to use the Terrific Tasmanian.
21 to 30
No. 16 Greg Biffle: Biffle has just one top-10 finish in 14 career starts at Martinsville. There are far better weekends to use The Biff.
No. 6 David Ragan: Ragan has cracked the top 27 in all seven of his career starts at Martinsville. He will do it again this weekend.
No. 98 Paul Menard: Menard is quickly becoming the story of the 2010 season. He is bound to have some bad luck soon, but it might be worth riding his hot streak for a few more races.
No. 43 A.J. Allmendinger: Allmendinger had a nice run at M'ville this spring. He won't match the ninth-place finish, but he shouldn't have a problem cracking the top 25.
No. 56 Martin Truex Jr.: Truex Jr. has just one top-10 finish in eight career starts at Martinsville. There are better weekends to use him.
No. 00 David Reutimann: Reutimann has never cracked the top 15 at Martinsville. This isn't a race to use him
No. 19 Elliott Sadler: Sadler has just three top-10 finishes in 22 career starts at Martinsville. There are far better options this weekend.
No. 12 Brad Keselowski: Keselowski struggled pretty mightily in his first trip to a short-track last weekend. Stay away from him until he loses the yellow-stripe in 2011.
No. 82 Scott Speed: Speed has never had much success at Martinsville, but he is a new driver this season.
No. 78 Regan Smith: Smith is a bit of a short-track stallion. He could surprise with a top-25 finish this weekend.
31 to 35
No. 34 Travis Kvapil: Kvapil has had decent success on short-tracks during his career. He is a decent option as a fifth driver on most fantasy teams.
No. 71 Bobby Labonte: Labonte has been terrible in four of the last six races at Martinsville. He isn't a great pick.
No. 55 Michael McDowell: McDowell will be doing well to qualify for Sunday's race.
No. 77 Sam Hornish Jr.: Hornish Jr. will struggle to crack the top 30 at Martinsville.
No. 7 Robby Gordon: Gordon hasn't cracked the top 30 at Martinsville in the past nine races. He isn't guaranteed a spot in the race, but he should make the race.
