After having a weekend off, the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers will face a showdown on the short track of Martinsville in the STP 500 this Sunday, April 3rd.
The Sprint Cup series drivers will try to win, or at least survive the mêlée on the 0.526-mile Martinsville Speedway. With 12-degree banking through the turns, front and backstretches that measure just 800 feet long and 500 laps of racing, drivers will be looking for every opportunity to improve their position on the track.
That can (and usually does) lead to not only bent fenders and bumpers, but also tempers that get just as bent out of shape as the sheet metal on the cars. The drivers that can keep control of their cars and their mental focus are typically the ones that make it through the 263 miles or racing with a chance to win the race.
Let’s take a look at the top 10 in driver rating among active drivers at Martinsville Speedway.
Top 10 Driver Ratings at Martinsville
Jimmie Johnson – 118.4
Denny Hamlin – 110.6
Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 99.4
Kyle Busch – 96.5
Kevin Harvick – 94.6
Clint Bowyer – 92.5
Joey Logano – 89.7
Brad Keselowski – 87.8
Jamie McMurray – 86.9
Ryan Newman – 86.5
(Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2015 races (22 total) among active drivers at Martinsville Speedway.)
Which active driver has the most wins at Martinsville? That would be Jimmie Johnson who has claimed the Grandfather Clock Trophy at Martinsville eight times in his career. Jimmie is also the only driver to have won two races so far this season.
Denny Hamlin is next with a total of five Martinsville wins including this race last year.
Tony Stewart has three clocks in his possession while Kurt Busch has claimed a pair of the unique trophies from NASCAR Sprint Cup racing at Martinsville.
Four other active drivers have claimed a single victory in their Sprint Cup careers at Martinsville including Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ryan Newman, Kevin Harvick and Bobby Labonte.
With five races in the rearview mirror of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup season and four drivers having visited Victory Lane, the rest of the drivers will be pushing hard to get that “all but guaranteed a spot in the Chase” phrase added next to their name.
That means they could take some chances on the short track and cause issues for themselves and others around them. That also means that if a driver is faster than a car in front of them and can’t get by, they could use their bumper to move the slower car out of the way. This maneuver can also have unfortunate results for either or both drivers.
Both of these situations (and more) can also result in loss of temper and payback being delivered that can end the day for the drivers involved and anybody else who has the misfortune of being close when it all happens.
The bottom line is that when the Sprint Cup series heads to a showdown on the short track it is often some of the most exciting racing in NASCAR.
We will see how the showdown plays out Sunday, April 3rd starting at 12 Noon CT/1 PM ET in the STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway.
By: Buck Stevens
