Martinsville qualifying a wash, Hendrick Motorsports in top 16

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (March 26, 2010) -- All four Hendrick Motorsports drivers will start in the top 16 for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Martinsville Speedway after Friday’s qualifying session was rained out. This is the third time in the last four races at the short track that the field has been set by the owner standings. Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, will start in the third position, and teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 AMP Energy Sugar Free Lightning/National Guard Chevrolet, will join him in the top 10, starting eighth. Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin round out the top 16 for Hendrick Motorsports, starting 11th and 16th, respectively. Hendrick Motorsports, which has won 15 of its 18 wins at Martinsville starting inside the top 16, fared well during Friday’s practice session. Martin, driver of the No. 5 CARQUEST/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, paced his teammates earning the second-fastest time of the session. Gordon wheeled his No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet to a fourth-fastest time, followed by Johnson, who was the seventh fastest. Earnhardt posted the 15th-fastest time. Race coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET on FOX.