What to Watch For: Martinsville Speedway
CONCORD, N.C. -- The Eliminator Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup kicks off Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.
Here are some key notes to keep an eye on before the race, which is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on ESPN.
ELIMINATOR ROUND: Gordon enters the Eliminator Round tied with seven other competitors at 4,000 points in the standings. The round begins Sunday at Martinsville Speedway then continuese at Texas Motor Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway. A win at any of the three tracks would give Gordon an automatic berth into the Sprint Cup Championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
HENDRICK BESTS AT MARTINSVILLE: Hendrick Motorsports has recorded its most wins, top-five finishes and top-10s at Martinsville. The organization has 21 victories there, with Gordon most recently reaching Victory Lane at the short track in October 2013. During that race, three Hendrick Motorsports drivers finished eighth or better, and the organization now has 112 career top-10s at Martinsville. That figure is a team-best for Hendrick Motorsports and ranks as more than any other team has acquired at any Cup track in NASCAR history.
APPROACHING 200: This weekend, Hendrick Motorsports could reach yet another milestone. With one more Sprint Cup Series pole position, the organization will have earned 200 in its 30-year history. Currently, Hendrick Motorsports sits at 199 poles, with Gordon and Johnson combining for three so far in the 2014 season.
GORDON AT MARTINSVILLE: Gordon has eight wins, seven poles, 27 top-five finishes and 34 top-10s in 43 Cup starts at Martinsville Speedway. The 43-year-old driver has an average starting position of 7.2 and an average finishing position of 7.0. The four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion leads active drivers in several statistical categories at the paper-clip track. Gordon has the most pole positions, top-five finishes, top-10s, laps led and best average start. The driver of the No. 24 Chevy SS' eight wins is tied with Johnson, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate. Gordon has finished outside of the top 12 only five times in 43 cup starts at Martinsville.
MASTER OF THE PAPER CLIP: Johnson has an average finish of 5.2 at the 0.526-mile, paper-clip oval. Johnson’s first win at the historic track came on Oct. 24, 2004. Since then, Johnson has crossed the finish line first seven more times for a total of eight wins in 25 starts. His average start is 10.7 and he has led 2,746 laps while completing 99.6 percent of all laps possible around the track. Hendrick Motorsports leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in wins at Martinsville Speedway with 21.
MORE STATS: Three active drivers have a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series average finish in the top 10 at Martinsville: Johnson (5.200), Gordon (6.953) and Denny Hamlin (8.765). Since the advent of electronic scoring, the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway is the April 1, 2007, race won by Johnson with a margin of victory of 0.065 seconds over teammate Gordon.
KAHNE AT MARTINSVILLE: In 21 Sprint Cup Series starts at Martinsville Speedway, Kahne has recorded three top-five finishes and four top-10s. He scored his best result at the short track in April 2005, when he rallied from a 35th-place starting spot to finish second. Kahne scored the pole position at the 0.526-mile oval in April 2012 and has qualified sixth or better seven times at the Virginia short track.
EARNHARDT AT MARTINSVILLE: In 29 Sprint Cup starts at Martinsville Speedway, Earnhardt has scored 11 top-five finishes, 16 top-10s and has led 893 laps. He recorded a career-best runner-up finish at the Virginia short track behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet in October 2008 and again in April 2011. His 893 laps led at Martinsville are his personal best at a track. He has tallied 281 of those laps driving the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. His 11 top-five finishes at Martinsville are tied for a personal best with Daytona International Speedway.