Rusty Wallace's most recent Cup win came at Martinsville in 2004. Credit: Autostock

Rusty ready for final short-track race

Rusty Wallace arguably is the best short-track driver of the past 20 years. He has 25 wins, 72 top-five finishes and 104 top 10s -- all tops among active drivers -- since 1985, and his milestone victories all have come on 1-mile or shorter tracks:

• No. 1 -- April 6, 1986 at Bristol
• No. 25 -- April 25, 1993 at Martinsville
• No. 50 -- March 26, 2000 at Bristol

	Credit: Autostock
	Inside the Numbers Short-track wins since 1985 No. Driver R W T-5 T-10 1. R. Wallace 149 25 72 104 2. D. Earnhardt 120 22 65 87 3. J. Gordon 85 14 37 56 4. D. Waltrip 117 10 36 57 5. T. Labonte 147 8 42 77

He also chalked up No. 55 -- his most recent victory, on April 18, 2004 -- at Martinsville, site of Sunday's Subway 500 (12:30 p.m. ET on NBC). And while that win is still fresh in his mind, Wallace knows the importance of what another visit to Victory Lane would do for his championship hopes this year.

"I saw a poll of the 10 Chase drivers done recently and it really surprised me how many of 'em were concerned about what impact the Martinsville race could have on their chances of winning the championship," Wallace said. "Man, that's certainly not the case with me and my team. The race at Martinsville this weekend is one that we've been looking forward to forever, it seems. The track has been so good to us through the years and we're looking for another big boost there this weekend."

Wallace is seventh in points, 92 behind co-leaders Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson. With only five races remaining, Wallace will battle a on a short track for the final time in his "Last Call" season.

"We always come into Martinsville with the attitude that we can win the race and that's certainly the case for this weekend," he said. "A lot is on the line as far as the Chase goes and that is what's most important. But, I've personally been looking at this race as my big chance to break those records for leading laps. It's a great opportunity for us to do that this weekend."

Sunday will be Wallace's 44 start at the .526-mile track. He leads all active drivers with seven wins, 17 top-five finishes and 25 top-10s. In fact, he's finished outside the top 20 only 10 times at Martinsville.

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The No. 2 Dodge team will field a new car -- PRS-102 -- this weekend. "I don't think it could come at a better time than this weekend," crew chief Larry Carter said. "Rusty always seems to have an extra spring in his step when we go to the short tracks. With this being his final race at Martinsville and the last short track race of his driving career, having this new car will just add to it all.

"Rusty's unbelievable record of winning races with new cars is something they've talked about for years," he said. "The 102 will have never touched a race track until Rusty gets out there for the first practice session on Friday. We all are just chomping at the bit to get up there to Martinsville this weekend."

Other Chase drivers ...

Tony Stewart: "I doubt anybody shed any tears for us last week at Charlotte when we finished 25th after leading a bunch of laps and showing everybody that we had the best car. That's how competitive the Chase is right now. Hopefully we can keep doing what we've been doing and stay in the top-five. If we can go out and lead a lap each race and keep our performance where it's been the last four months, we've got a good shot at it."

	Jimmie Johnson celebrates another win at Lowe's last week. Credit: Autostock
	Inside the Chase Point standings after Lowe's Pos. Driver Points Behind 1. T. Stewart 5777 -- 2. J. Johnson 5777 -- 3. G. Biffle 5766 -11 4. R. Newman 5760 -17 5. M. Martin 5726 -51 6. C. Edwards 5723 -54 7. R. Wallace 5685 -92 8. J. Mayfield 5662 -115 9. M. Kenseth 5653 -124 10. Ku. Busch 5635 -142

Jimmie Johnson: "I think Martinsville is a place where contact is going to come into play and tempers are going to be high, a lot like a Bristol. There is a lot on the line for the Chase contenders on a track where you can never get away from lapped cars and cars that you are racing. The potential there is for contact and problems. Since they resurfaced the track, it is a single-file track on the bottom. The way you make a position is by someone making a mistake or you helping them make a mistake."

Greg Biffle: "Martinsville has never been a very good track for me as a driver so last week we took two full days testing there. We had a really good test and I feel more confident going there this week than I ever have. We're taking a car that I really liked in the test and I have a good feel for it. I think it will be a good car for us at Martinsville and I look for us to have a solid run there. That's really all we need and the just move on to Atlanta, Texas, Phoenix and Homestead where we've had a lot of luck in the past."

Ryan Newman: "We used to be absolutely horrible at Martinsville and that was because the driver would burn off the brakes. After we talked to him, we got him to settle down and drive the car right. We've always had fast cars there and that shows with our qualifying effort, but recently we got the package together for racing and I think we'll be better than we've ever been this time."

Mark Martin: "Martinsville is a place that I've always hated with a passion, but we've won two or three times there. I've always loved Pocono, but I've never won there, so what does that tell you. It's always been a thorn in my side as far as short tracks. People have always told me how well I run there, but it sure never feels that way. It can be physically demanding. Sometimes you leave there worn down, sometimes you feel fine. It's been a real challenge for me, because it really just doesn't fit my driving style"

Carl Edwards: "It's a lot of fun to race there. It's probably one of the toughest tracks for me personally in the Cup car. We tested there last week and I felt like we were pretty quick. If we can have a decent qualifying run ... I think we can race well there. A lot can happen in 500 laps and at Martinsville things like pit strategy and tire management can make or break you. This is definitely one of the bigger obstacles for us as a team in the Chase."

Jeremy Mayfield: "We're not in the position [eighth] we would like to be in for these next five races for the championship, but we're in much better shape this year than last year heading to Martinsville. ... There are only five races to go; it's time to make our move. We gained some points last week at Charlotte. We need to clean the table at Martinsville and get every point we can. That means finishing all 500 laps, but it also means going for the win. Time is running out. The championship is still up for grabs."

Matt Kenseth: "Our record has certainly been inconsistent at Martinsville [17.1 average finish]. Back in the spring, we ran in the back most of the day and were fortunate to stay out of trouble and be there at the end to pull out an 11th-place finish. I think we may see a lot of cautions and it will be important to take care of your equipment and try to avoid trouble."

Kurt Busch: "We've got some hope because we ended up with an OK finish [second] last week at Lowe's. That's the first Chase race where you could say nothing went wrong for us, so it gives us optimism about the next few. We're 140 points out, and that's still a long ways to go. We just still have to do our job and hope for some good fortune for our own team. We're looking forward to this weekend at Martinsville ... and we're bringing back the car we won with last month at Richmond, so we feel good about it."