Hendrick Motorsports Richmond Preview
RICHMOND, Va. (Sept. 10, 2010) -- This Saturday, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will return to Richmond International Raceway for the final race before the field is set for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Race coverage for the event will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
Here is the lowdown for Hendrick Motorsports, which owns 10 wins, 46 top-five finishes, 80 top-10s and led 3,580 laps in 53 events at Richmond. The organization’s top-five finishes, top-10s and pole positions (15) are the most for any team all-time at the Virginia racetrack. Hendrick Motorsports’ last trip to Victory Lane came on Sept. 7, 2008, after Jimmie Johnson started third and led 32 laps at the .75-mile oval.
No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet: qualified 19th
Last time: Last September at Richmond, Mark Martin captured the pole position, the 47th pole of his Cup career, after circling the Virginia short track in 21.292 seconds at 126.808 mph. Martin remained in the top-five for the entire 400-lap event and finished fourth. Earlier this year in May, Martin started 14th and crossed the finish line 25th.
Track stats: Martin has earned one win, 17 top-five finishes, 27 top-10s, four poles and led 420 laps in 49 starts at Richmond. His top-five finishes and top-10s rank first among all active drivers at the short track. Martin ranks seventh all-time in top-fives and eighth in top-10s. Martin’s starting position of 10th is his second-best on any oval track on the circuit, he is only higher at Pocono Raceway where he has an average start of 8.9. During the last 11 races at Richmond, Martin is ranked seventh with a score of 93.9 in the driver rating category, he has the fifth-best average finish of 9.9 and the second-best starting spot of 8.5.
This time: On Saturday night, Martin will roll of the grid 19th for his 50th Cup start at Richmond. Martin currently is ranked 15th in the championship standings and has a slim chance to make the field for the Chase. He has 300 miles left to make up 147 points on 12th-place Clint Bowyer, 117 points on 13th-place Ryan Newman and 11 points on 14th-place Jamie McMurray.
Martin: “It’s disappointing for sure. After last year, you know we made it and had a shot at the championship and that was exciting for me and everyone on this race team. That was a career year for me and for Alan (Gustafson, crew chief). And not every year is going to be like that. This year we definitely have some things to work on and improve on. I have no doubt that we’re going to figure it out. Not making the Chase last year would have been awful because we were in championship form. This year, we have more important things to work on. It doesn’t hurt as bad as it would have had we not made it last year.”
No. 24 DuPont/National Guard Military Intelligence Chevrolet: qualified 23rd
Last time: Jeff Gordon started seventh and never fell below that position last September at Richmond. He led 97 laps en route to a third-place finish in the 400-lap event. Most recently in May at Richmond, Gordon started fourth and led three times for 144 laps total. Gordon was first on the final restart, but could not hold off race winner Kyle Busch, who crossed the finish line .755 seconds ahead of Gordon. Gordon, who captured the runner-up position, remained in the top five for the entire 300-mile event.
Track stats: Gordon’s 14 top-five finishes and 23 top-10s rank second-best among active drivers at Richmond, and his five pole positions are the most held by any active driver. Gordon also has led 1,402 laps, which is the most for any active driver at the short track and ranks fifth-best for him personally at any track on the circuit. Gordon has an average finish of 14.2 and has not finished worse than ninth in the last seven events at Richmond. According to NASCAR's loop data, which is compiled during the last 11 races at Richmond, Gordon ranks third in laps led (648 laps), fourth in driver rating (99.5), sixth in laps run in top 15 (3,138 laps), sixth in fastest laps run (239 laps), seventh on green-flag speed (116.679 mph), seventh in average running position (12.569) and eighth in fastest drivers late in a run (115.460 mph).
This time: Gordon, who clinched a spot in the Chase after finishing 11th at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway on Aug. 21, remains second in the championship standings. In 25 Cup events this season, Gordon has tallied 10 top-five finishes, 13 top-10s and led 813 laps. This weekend, Gordon will start 23rd in Chassis No. 24-542 -- a car he has used to pick up two top-five finishes this season. Gordon raced this chassis to a third-place finish at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in March and a fourth-place finish at New Hampshire International Speedway in June.
Gordon: "What we're thinking about is how close we were to victory the last time we were here. We're just trying to get that all-important momentum and those bonus points going into the Chase. We're sitting here with a great year so far, but definitely eager to get that win and trying to be patient about it. If you could tell me we were going to win the first five races of the Chase, I'd give up, you know, not having any wins in the regular season (laughs). But I know we are championship caliber. I know we are capable of wins and I know we've come close to some and this is one that we feel like we had a shot at. So we're going to see if we can't get ourselves a little bit better to pull that off this weekend and look forward to starting the Chase."
No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet: qualified 11th
Last time: Jimmie Johnson started fourth in last September’s Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond and remained in the top 10 until the final 20 laps of the 400-lap event when he was shuffled back during the final restarts. Johnson finished the event 11th and secured a third-place ranking for the beginning of the 2009 Chase. Earlier this year on May 1, Johnson started third and finished 10th at Richmond, picking up his seventh top-10 in the 10th event of the 2010 Cup season.
Track stats: Johnson is a three-time winner at Richmond, which ties him for first with teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart for the most wins among active drivers at the short track. Johnson swept the speedway in 2007, leading a combined 209 laps. Most recently, Johnson went to Victory Lane on Sept. 7, 2008, after starting third and leading 32 laps. Johnson has completed 93.1 percent of all laps he’s attempted (6,336 laps of 6,803 total) at the .75-mile oval and has led 369 laps. Johnson is ranked sixth in laps led (245 laps) during the last 11 races at Richmond. Johnson also is ranked 12th in the driver rating category with a score of 87 during that time period.
This time: Last weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Johnson clinched a spot in the Chase with a third-place finish. This weekend, Johnson is looking to capture his fourth win at Richmond and break the tie with Denny Hamlin for wins so that he has a chance to be ranked first in the championship standings as he and the No. 48 team look for their fifth straight Cup title.
Johnson: "I'm hoping we will be a little better this time around. We didn't have the greatest run there in the spring even though we finished 10th. The first couple of pit stops are always real important so you can get the car adjusted right. Track position is so important -- it's not like you can come in and work on it if it's not where you want it. We've won there before but it just seems like we are up and down there. We just need to stay on top of it and try to get things going the right way as we start the Chase. It was a big relief to lock ourselves in (to the Chase) at Atlanta. It takes a little bit of the pressure off this weekend but that doesn't mean that we aren't looking for the win."
No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet: qualified ninth
Last time: Last September at Richmond, Earnhardt started 15th and crossed the finish line 21st. Earlier this year in May, Earnhardt started 25th and was working his way up through the field when a cut tire forced him to bring the No. 88 Chevrolet to pit road for an unscheduled pit stop on Lap 196. Earnhardt finished the event in the 32nd position.
Track stats: Earnhardt has tallied three wins, eight top-five finishes and led 427 laps at Richmond in 22 Cup starts. He has completed 99 percent of all the laps he’s attempted (8,716 laps of 8,803 total) at the short track. Earnhardt’s three wins at Richmond tie him with teammate Johnson and Tony Stewart for most victories among active drivers. They are tied for seventh on the all-time winner’s list. Earnhardt’s three wins rank second-best personally for the driver, who only has visited Victory Lane more times at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway -- he has won their five times. Richmond is one of five tracks where Earnhardt has earned eight top-five finishes, which is a personal best for the Kannapolis, N.C., native. The other tracks include Talladega, Atlanta, Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and Martinsville. Earnhardt ranks 10th in the driver rating category at Richmond with a score of 88.8, and he is ranked fourth with 591 green-flag passes during the last 11 races. Earnhardt is ranked ninth in laps led (152 laps) and 12th in laps in the top 15 (2,358 laps) during the last 11 races at the .75-mile oval. His average finish of 13.2 at Richmond is third-best for him at any track on the Cup circuit.
This time: Earnhardt heads to Richmond looking to get his season back on track with a fourth victory at the Virginia short track. Earnhardt will start ninth in Saturday night’s race.
Earnhardt: “Richmond fits my driving style. I grew up racing at Myrtle Beach (S.C.), and it's (Richmond’s) got the same characteristics of that track. It's got multiple grooves and multiple ways of racing around there. The car changes quite a bit over the night, and you’ve got to be able to move around and find different grooves. We’ve struggled there the past couple of times but we’ve been doing a lot of testing to get ready for this weekend.”