CONCORD, N.C. – In most sports, numbers do the talking.
And this week, the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers are headed to the track where the numbers prove their ability to perform: Martinsville Speedway.
The organization has logged its most wins at the .526-mile track with a total of 23 victories, also claiming 76 top-five finishes and 118 top-10s. Throughout the years, Hendrick Motorsports drivers have led a total of 8,982 laps at the “paperclip.”
Before NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing action swings back into gear this weekend, take a look at three very memorable Hendrick Motorsports Martinsville victories below.
Apr. 23, 1989: In what would become the first victory of Darrell Waltrip’s 1989 Martinsville sweep, the 42-year-old headed to Martinsville Speedway with two wins already under his belt that season, one being the Daytona 500. Waltrip started just inside the top 10 and held the lead three different times throughout the 500-lap race, ultimately leading a total of 158 laps en route to Victory Lane. Waltrip won a total of six races during the 1989 season.
Oct. 24, 2004: It only took a young Jimmie Johnson three years to find his first win at the “paperclip.” Coming off a win the week prior at Charlotte and running eighth in the 2014 point standings, Johnson drove his way into Martinsville’s Victory Lane. The driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS took the green flag in 18th and was content biding his time for the majority of the race. However, during the final 100 laps of the event, Johnson made his way to the front to lead a total of 67 laps before taking the checkered flag. The win was Johnson’s sixth of the season and he went on to win two more races that year.
Nov. 1, 2015: Hendrick Motorsport’s most recent win at Martinsville Speedway came just last year. Running in his final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, Gordon was looking for his golden ticket to Homestead, and he found it in perhaps the most emotional race of his year. Starting in fifth, Gordon battled to stay toward the front during the 250-mile race, surviving 18 cautions along the way. Leading only 35 of the 500 laps, Gordon took the checkered flag for the last time in his career and headed to Homestead-Miami Speedway with a chance to compete for his fifth championship.
