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Martinsville races have had nine cautions or more since October 2003, when there were six.By the Numbers: M'ville
Average finish, running position doesn't equal wins
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Martinsville Speedway is a hometown kind of track, and it's been good to those teams that are from the Virginia area.
Perhaps it's the fact that they grow up idolizing the short track. But one thing is certain: Virginia natives have a wheel up on the competition for the most part.
Consider: David Starr, whose HT Motorsports team owner is from Lynchburg, has one victory and seven top-10 finishes in 15 Martinsville starts. Not all of those were with HT, but it sets up for a nice story this weekend.
Consider: Timothy Peters, whose Primer Racing is based in Danville, has three top-10s in six Martinsville starts. He's currently ninth in points -- another potential feel-good finish.
Consider: Dennis Setzer cruised to victory for Virginia-based Bobby Hamilton Racing last spring, leading 126 laps and winning under caution. Setzer, who's tied with Mike Skinner with three victories at Martinsville, has now caught on with Dave Malcolmson's No. 8 truck. It's a seven-year-old team that is still trying to gain footing in the series.
The pieces are there for another typical Martinsville head-shaker. But, of course, there are spoilers in the mix who have the statistics to back up their status as favorites.
"Basically, this is a one-stop race if you time it right. You have to have the nerve to make the call and stick with it. If you need 50 laps of caution to make it, then you hope you get them. I have needed them and gotten them and I have needed them and not gotten them."
-- Jeff Hensley, crew chief for No. 16 truck who grew up near Martinsville
0Laps led by Kevin Harvick in his seven Martinsville starts. In his last three starts at the track, however, he has run 92.9 percent of the laps inside the top 15 (most in the series).
1Driver with an average finish inside the top 10: Todd Bodine, 9.2.
2Drivers who have finished in the top five in all three races this season: Kyle Busch and Todd Bodine. Just one other driver has finished in the top five in two of the three races: Terry Cook.
4Drivers with an average running position inside the top 10 during the last eight races at Martinsville: Kevin Harvick (6.319), Kyle Busch (9.044), Ron Hornaday (9.257) and Rick Crawford (9.837).
5Victories for Toyota in the last six Martinsville races. The exception was Dennis Setzer's victory last March in a Dodge for local team Bobby Hamilton Racing.
5Drivers on the entry list who have won at Martinsville: Mike Skinner (3), Dennis Setzer (3), Rick Crawford, Johnny Benson and David Starr.
7Green-flag passes for the lead in last October's race at Martinsville among just two leaders. Winner Johnny Benson led 46 laps, while Ron Hornaday led 154 laps before running out of fuel late and finishing 29th, three laps down.
173Green-flag passes made by Terry Cook in the last eight Martinsville races, more than any other driver. Cook's average finish at the track is 16.1 in 17 career starts.
190Laps led by Terry Cook at Martinsville, the most among drivers who have never won at the track.
1,393Points scored by Rick Crawford in the last 10 Martinsville races, just 23 more than Dennis Setzer (1,370). Crawford has one Martinsville victory (April 2004) to Setzer's three (April 2002, April 2003, March 2008).
1,505Laps in the top 15 for Ron Hornaday in the last eight Martinsville races (1,806 total laps), tops in the series. He has never won at the track.
Martinsville Speedway
Average Finish
| Pos. | Driver | Starts | Wins | Top-5 | Top-10 | Avg. Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Todd Bodine | 10 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9.2 |
| 2. | Dennis Setzer | 18 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 10.5 |
| 3. | Mike Bliss | 10 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 11.5 |
| 4. | Rick Crawford | 18 | 1 | 7 | 10 | 11.7 |
| 5. | Mike Skinner | 12 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 11.8 |
| 6. | Ron Hornaday | 13 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 11.8 |
| 7. | Matt Crafton | 14 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 13.5 |
| 8. | David Starr | 15 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 13.7 |
| 9. | Kevin Harvick | 7 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 14.0 |
| 10. | Stacy Compton | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 14.2 |
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Camping World Truck Series
Driver Standings
| Pos. | +/- | Driver | Points | Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | -- | Kyle Busch | 560 | -- |
| 2. | -- | Todd Bodine | 535 | -25 |
| 3. | +4 | Mike Skinner | 441 | -119 |
| 4. | +1 | Ron Hornaday | 436 | -124 |
| 5. | +3 | Chad McCumbee | 426 | -134 |
| 6. | -3 | Matt Crafton | 423 | -137 |
| 7. | +4 | Terry Cook | 413 | -147 |
| 8. | -2 | T.J. Bell | 412 | -148 |
| 9. | -5 | Timothy Peters | 406 | -154 |
| 10. | -1 | David Starr | 384 | -176 |
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