CONCORD, N.C. – Sunday's race at Martinsville Speedway will kick off the Eliminator Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
After this past weekend’s event at Talladega Superspeedway, only eight drivers remain—including Hendrick Motorsports’ Jeff Gordon.
Below are a few key notes to keep in mind as the green flag waves this Sunday at the Virginia short track.
BROADCAST INFORMATION: Sunday's race will air live on NBC Sports Network at 1:15 p.m. ET. Can’t make it to a television? Tune into MRN or SiriusXM to catch the Martinsville radio coverage. This weekend’s qualifying session will take place Friday afternoon on NBC Sports Network. Tune in to this weekend’s practice sessions this Friday and Saturday. Here is the full broadcast schedule:
Friday, October 30:
11:30 a.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Practice, NBC Sports Network
4:20 p.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Qualifying, NBC Sports Live Extra
6 p.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Qualifying (Replay), NBC Sports Network
Saturday, October 31:
9 a.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Practice, CNBC
Noon ET, Sprint Cup Series Final Practice, CNBC
Sunday, November 1:
1:15 p.m. ET, Sprint Cup Series Race, NBCSN/ MRN/ SiriusXM (1:28 p.m. ET green flag)
THIS WEEK’S PAINT SCHEMES: Kasey Kahne will compete at the Martinsville paperclip oval in the No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet SS, while teammate Gordon pilots the No. 24 AARP Member Advantages Chevrolet SS in his final Martinsville Speedway race. Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive the No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet SS and the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS, respectively, at the 0.526-mile Virginia short track.
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT MARTINSVILLE: Hendrick Motorsports has recorded its most wins, top-five finishes and top-10 finishes – and tied for the most pole positions – at Martinsville. The organization has 22 victories there, with Earnhardt most recently reaching Victory Lane for the first time at the short track last season and Gordon just behind him in second.
KAHNE AT MARTINSVILLE: According to NASCAR loop data, in the last 10 years at Martinsville Speedway, Kahne ranks sixth in closers gaining an average of 1.0 spots and moving up 22 positions total at the 0.526-mile oval. He also ranks seventh in average speed late in a run (90.221 miles per hour) and ninth in fastest laps run (2.6 percent and 269 laps).
NEARING 25K: Gordon is 119 shy of 25,000 career laps led. He has led at least 119 laps on 13 occasions at Martinsville.
GORDON AT MARTINSVILLE: 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 (four more than any active competitor), top-five finishes (10 more than second), top-10 finishes (14 more than second), laps led, and he has the best average start (7.2) and best average finish (6.9). The driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet SS is tied for most wins among active drivers with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Johnson.
JOHNSON AT MARTINSVILLE: In 27 starts at 0.526-mile oval at Martinsville, Johnson has won eight of the prestigious grandfather clock trophies. His first win came on Oct. 24, 2004. In addition to an average finish of 7.3, Johnson has managed to complete 99.1 percent of all laps attempted in his career at the track.
EARNHARDT AT MARTINSVILLE: In this race last year, Earnhardt scored his first victory at the 0.526-mile, paper clip-shaped oval, in what he described as an “emotional win.” The Kannapolis, North Carolina, native has found success, earning 12 top-five finishes and 17 top-10 finishes for a career average finish of 13.2.