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David Starr won last year's race, but can he become the second driver to win twice at Martinsville?By the Numbers: M'ville
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Two dragstrips with a couple U-turns -- that's how drivers and crew chiefs describe Martinsville Speedway, a .526-mile oval with 800 feet of straightness on the front and backstretch; a track that's killer on the brakes and apparently on drivers who have found success at the Virginia paperclip.
Tied with Phoenix at 16 Craftsman Truck Series events held, it trails only Texas Motor Speedway with most NCTS races run. Yet in 16 events, there has only been one two-time winner at the track -- Dennis Setzer, who went back-to back in 2002 and 2003 in the Advance Auto Parts 250.
Five of the 42 drivers on the entry list for the Kroger 250 (3 p.m. ET Saturday, FOX) have taken the checkered flag at Martinsville, including Setzer, Mike Skinner, Rick Crawford, Jack Sprague and last year's Kroger 250 winner David Starr.
Interesting Fact
4Martinsville is one of only four tracks to host a Craftsman Truck Series race in each of the 13 years the series has existed. The Milwaukee Mile, O'Reilly Raceway Park and Phoenix International Raceway are the other three. Only three tracks host two events over the NCTS season: Martinsville, Atlanta and Texas.
Fun Fact
July 15, 2000That was the last time a Craftsman Truck Series race was shown on network TV -- until now. This weekend's race will be shown on FOX, the first time a Truck Series race will be on network TV since the July 2000 race at Nazareth Speedway. This could be good news for Dennis Setzer -- he won the last network TV race.
All the Facts
2Leaders in last year's fall race at Martinsville: Jack Sprague and Ted Musgrave; the fewest number of leaders in a Truck Series race at the track.
3Number of top-five finishes for Mike Skinner in 2007, the only driver to finish in the top five in all three races this season. The last two were victories at California and Atlanta.
4.978Seconds, the margin of victory for Jimmy Hensley in 1999, the largest margin of victory in a Truck race at the track.
7.0Average finish of Ted Musgrave over the last four races at Martinsville, the best among active drivers.
8Number of top-10s Dennis Setzer has at Martinsville, the most at the track.
11.7Percent of laps Jack Sprague had the fastest truck on the track over the last four races. That's 69 of the 900 laps, the most among active drivers.
16Number of cautions in last year's Kroger 250, the most in a Truck Series race at the track.
22.97Percent of passes on the backstretch at Martinsville over the last four races, the most of any part of the track. The frontstretch has the second most at 18.90 percent. Turn 2 has the least amount of passes at 14.07 percent.
59.219Average speed of race winner David Starr in last year's Kroger 250, the slowest average speed for a Truck Series race at the track.
87Number of caution laps in last year's Kroger 250, the most in a Truck Series race at the track.
87.3Percent of laps Todd Bodine has spent in the top 15 at Martinsville in the last four races, the most among all drivers.
114.7Driver rating for Ted Musgrave over the last four races at the track, the best among active drivers.
138Number of laps Jack Sprague has led over the last four races at Martinsville, the most among any driver.
204Number of laps Rick Bickle led when he won the 250-lap race at Martinsville in 1997, the most laps led by a race winner.
Inside the Numbers
NCTS winners at Martinsville
| Year | Driver | Make | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Joe Ruttman | Ford | 65.072 |
| 1996 | Mike Skinner | Chevrolet | 64.434 |
| 1997 | Rich Bickle | Chevrolet | 75.297 |
| 1998 | Jay Sauter | Chevrolet | 72.154 |
| 1999 | Jimmy Hensley | Dodge | 74.282 |
| 2000 | Bobby Hamilton | Dodge | 71.836 |
| 2001 | Scott Riggs | Dodge | 70.638 |
| 2002 | Dennis Setzer | Chevrolet | 64.628 |
| 2003 | Jon Wood | Ford | 72.069 |
| 2004 | Rick Crawford | Ford | 61.490 |
| Jamie McMurray | Dodge | 60.819 | |
| 2005 | Bobby Labonte | Chevrolet | 66.639 |
| Ricky Craven | Ford | 64.332 | |
| 2006 | David Starr | Toyota | 59.219 |
| Jack Sprague | Toyota | 60.172 |
Craftsman Truck Series
Official Standings
| Pos. | Driver | St. | W | T-5 | T-10 | Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Mike Skinner | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | -- |
| 2. | Todd Bodine | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -69 |
| 3. | Ron Hornaday | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -99 |
| 4. | Jack Sprague | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | -101 |
| 5. | Ted Musgrave | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -110 |
| 6. | Matt Crafton | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -113 |
| 7. | Rick Crawford | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -113 |
| 8. | Johnny Benson | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -141 |
| 9. | Travis Kvapil | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -142 |
| 10. | Dennis Setzer | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -192 |
• Complete Standings: click here
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