Martinsville a constant on Cup schedule since 1949

As NASCAR has grown, so has Martinsville Speedway. The track played host to its first NASCAR race on July 4, 1948. In 1949, Martinsville ran the sixth race in the series that eventually became the Sprint Cup Series. While it opened in 1947 with 750 seats, the facility has grown continuously through the years. But other than being paved in 1955, the track configuration has not changed since Red Byron won the inaugural event.

The speedway is located three miles south of Martinsville, Va., and is the only original NASCAR-sanctioned track still running Cup Series events. The speedway's founder, H. Clay Earles, insisted on beautification. "We like to think of our track as a family type facility," Earles said. "We like to see a man bring his wife and children to our events and be comfortable."

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Clay Campbell became track president in 1988, and since that time the speedway has more than doubled its seating capacity. Under Campbell's leadership, the track has constructed 25 corporate suites, a chalet village for hospitality entertainment, high-rise grandstands and twice as much free parking.

Some of the other improvements in the past several years include a new entrance for race-day traffic off the U.S. 58 Bypass, all pits are now on one pit road, an overhead walkway from the grandstand to the parking area, an infield media center, new scoreboard, infield tunnel and competitors' garage.

"Martinsville Speedway is constantly growing and we expect to continue that trend for many years to come," Campbell said.

Preview Show
Marc Fein and Bill Kimm on what to expect on NASCAR's shortest track.
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Fantasy Preview
Mike Bell picks a former Martinsville winner to take the checkered flag this weekend.
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Garage Expert
Larry Mac explains how bigger rotors and thicker brake pads help teams maneuver the tight corners in Martinsville.
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Travel Log
The "Virginia is for Lovers" slogan was adopted in 1969 after a creative firm initially had the idea to tailor the statement ...
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So much for Jimmie Johnson being outside the top 12. The three-time defending champ entered the top 12 for the first time this season after finishing third Sunday at Bristol. Johnson and Denny Hamlin are the new members of the top 12, replacing Brian Vickers and Greg Biffle. Bill Marx of the Sporting News Wire Service breaks down the top 12:

Denny Hamlin is the defending race winner at Martinsville.

By the Numbers

It's not just Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson who could lead Hendrick Motorsports to Victory Lane. Three of his four drivers count Martinsville as one of their top-five tracks -- so expect the owner to inch one spot closer to catching the King.

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No Margin for Error

Five of the top eight drivers in the point standings rank among the top 10 in average finish at Martinsville, including defending race winner Denny Hamlin and Jeff Gordon. However, as sterling as Gordon's record is at the track, Jimmie Johnson has emerged as the driver to beat at Martinsville. So what does Sunday hold, after all it's just the sixth race of the season?

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1. Jeff Gordon -- 794 points: Gordon finished fourth Sunday; he is the only driver with four top 10s in the first five races. He's one of the best at the next stop, Martinsville. His first win since 2007 could come this weekend.

2. Kurt Busch -- 718: Busch was caught up in a wreck early (Lap 60) and suffered front-end damage yet still finished 11th after restarting 39th. That's remarkable at Bristol and might be another signal that 2009 is going to be a standout year for Busch. His average finish through five races is 10.0. He was 21.9 for all of last year.

3. Clint Bowyer -- 715: Bowyer and Busch swapped spots in the points standings after they spent most of the race within sight of each other. Busch started 32nd and finished 11th; Bowyer started 31st and finished 13th. Busch spent 284 laps in the top 15, Bowyer 293.

4. Kyle Busch -- 709: Busch dominated, leading 378 laps en route to winning the spring face for the second consecutive year. His driver rating, 149.2, was a hair below perfection (150.0). Busch and Gordon are the only two drivers with three top-five finishes this year.

5. Carl Edwards -- 665: Another quiet race for Edwards. He spent most of the race 15th. He was there at the midway point and with 50 laps to go, and his average running position was 14.6. Still waiting for the No. 99 to break out.

6. Kasey Kahne -- 639: Kahne improved for the fourth consecutive race. Since finishing 29th at Daytona, Kahne has finishes of 12th, 11th, seventh and fifth. In another sign of improvement, last year his first top five came in his 12th race; the year before his only top five came in the 24th race.

7. Tony Stewart -- 633: Stewart fell a lap down midway through the race and couldn't get the lucky dog the rest of the way. He was the first car a lap down and finished 17th. "Owner" Stewart had a better day with Ryan Newman finishing seventh.

8. Denny Hamlin -- 631: The good: Hamlin finished second. The bad: He again came up short at Bristol. The good: He didn't suffer any fuel pickup problems as he did in years past on late restarts. The bad: It didn't matter as he lacked the goods to run down teammate Busch on the green-white-checkered restart. But if you look at the big picture, it was a great day for Hamlin, who moved up six spots in the standings and into the top 12 for the first time this season.

9. Jimmie Johnson -- 627: Johnson's outlook after the race was quite the contrast to Hamlin's. Johnson was thrilled with his third-place finish, his best of the year. He stayed out on all the early cautions to gain track position, which he never gave up. Johnson led 88 laps, which swamped his 43 laps led in his previous 14 races at Bristol. And now he takes that momentum to Martinsville, where he is one of the best.

10. Matt Kenseth -- 610: Through five races, Kenseth's record is 2-2-1. Two wins, two forgettable races and one middling performance. Sunday was one of the forgettable ones. Kenseth started 33rd and finished 33rd, six laps back. Contact with the wall damaged his splitter, and that affected the handling on the No. 17 the rest of the way.

11. David Reutimann -- 607: Three drivers spent all 503 laps in the top 15: Gordon, Johnson and Reutimann. His 12th-place finish was his best in three starts at the track, and he also led a lap to pick up five bonus points. An all-around solid day.

12. Kevin Harvick -- 584: Harvick's car suffered major damage on Lap 60 when the No. 29 was collected in an accident, damaging his right front and right rear. The rest of the day was spent making the best of a bad situation. Harvick finished 30th and fell four spots in the standings. It was only his second finish outside the top 25 in 17 starts at Bristol.

All statistical references are for Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway unless otherwise indicated. Driver rating is based on the past eight races at the track.

Top five ...

Gordon

1. Jeff Gordon, 124.0 driver rating -- Since winning four of six races from 2003 to 2005, Gordon has "cooled," going winless in the past six races. Of course, "cool" for Gordon is sizzling for others. He finished in the top five in all six races, including second three times.

2. Kurt Busch, 79.9 -- Busch has an odd record at Martinsville. In 17 races, he has one win (2002) and four top 10s. Subpar for a driver with seven short-track wins. He also has seven finishes in the 30s, including his past three races. Last year he finished 33rd and 36th.

3. Clint Bowyer, 77.2 -- In six races, Bowyer has never led a lap, but in true Bowyer fashion he has quietly improved with each race. As a rookie in 2006, he finished 22nd and 23rd despite starting deep in the field both times. Two years ago, he improved to finishes of 11th and ninth, and last year he finished 10th and ninth. He also has qualified better with each race; last fall, he started fifth. Bottom line: Besides getting better with experience, Bowyer knows how to move up through the field. At Martinsville, that's quite an achievement.

4. Kyle Busch, 90.6 -- Busch finished 38th and 29th last year, the latter coming during his disastrous Chase. On Sunday, we're more likely to see the Busch who finished in the top 10 in four of his first six Martinsville races, including fourth twice in 2007.

5. Carl Edwards, 78.5 -- Edwards has never led at Martinsville, either, and he didn't get his first top-10 until last year when he finished ninth and third. Martinsville and Watkins Glen are the only Cup tracks on which Edwards has yet to lead a lap.

Five to watch ...

Kahne

6. Kasey Kahne, 77.2 -- Kahne also was sixth in points last year going into Martinsville. He finished 17th and began a slow slide out of the top 12. He returned midseason but failed to make the Chase and is at his highest point in the standings since last March. In 10 races at Martinsville, he has two-top 10s, his last in October 2006.

7. Tony Stewart, 113.7 -- Stewart's third-best driver rating is based on a three-race stretch (2005-06) in which he led 247 laps, 283 and 288 and finished first and second (and 26th). Stewart has two wins and 11 top-10s in 20 starts.

8. Denny Hamlin, 101.3 -- Hamlin won last year's race and has a terrific record at Martinsville: six top 10s in seven starts. His only blemish is a DNF in 2006 (crash). Since the DNF, he has four top fives and a sixth-place finish. Driving well -- and winning -- at Martinsville and Richmond means a lot to Hamlin, a Virginia native.

9. Jimmie Johnson, 124.7 -- Is there any wonder Johnson has the best driver rating at Martinsville? He has won five of the past nine races, including four of the past five. Since finishing 36th in his first race (April 2002), he has 13 consecutive top-10 finishes, 10 in the top five.

19. Dale Earnhardt Jr., 102.4 -- Although winless at Martinsville, Junior has nine top 10s in 18 starts (eight top fives, including second last fall). Among active drivers, only Gordon, Johnson and Stewart have led more laps than Earnhardt's 758. Since falling to 35th in points after Fontana, Earnhardt has moved up the standings each week. Based on his skill at Martinsville, he should be able to move closer to the top 12 on Sunday. He is 66 points behind 12th-place Kevin Harvick.

Qualifying: 3:30 p.m. ET Friday on SPEED
Cup Series Race: 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday on FOX
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