Martinsville stats: Blaney ranks among all-time legends at short track

Ryan Blaney enters this weekend's NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville on the playoff bubble as he hopes to claim one of the final two spots to battle for the championship in two weeks at Phoenix Raceway.

Blaney is not only statistically one of the best current drivers at Martinsville but also one of the best ever in terms of average finish. He has the sixth-best average finish all-time at the track out of all 179 drivers with at least 10 starts. Let's take a closer look at the top 10 average finishers at Martinsville.

10. Herb Thomas, 10.3

Thomas found Victory Lane two times over 12 starts at the track. He led laps in six different races, including 100+ laps three times.

9. David Pearson, 10.1

It didn’t matter what car Pearson drove; he always found his way to the front at Martinsville. Over his career at the track, he finished in the top 10 driving for five different car owners.

8. Jimmie Johnson, 9.9

It didn't take long for Johnson to find success at Martinsville. His first top 10 at the track came in his rookie season in 2002. He followed that up with 24 straight top-12 finishes, 22 of them being top 10s. He also won six of 10 starts at the track during that stretch.

7. Joe Weatherly, 9.7

In over 13 starts at Martinsville, the two-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion finished in the top five six times, including a win in 1961 for Bud Moore.

6. Ryan Blaney, 9.5

Blaney has quietly been one of the best drivers at Martinsville since entering the NASCAR Cup Series in 2016. He has nine consecutive finishes of 11th or better. He has also earned the second most points, second-best average finish and is tied for the most top fives and top 10s at the track in the Next-Gen car era.

5. Rex White, 9.2

White was always a threat at Martinsville in the late 1950s and early 1960s. From 1957 to 1962, he posted nine top-four finishes, including wins in 1959 and 1960.

4. Clyde Minter, 8.8

In over ten starts at the Martinsville, Minter, a Martinsville native, posted seven top-10 finishes. His best finish was a fourth in 1949, the first race in track history.

3. Cale Yarborough, 8.7

Yarborough was one of the most dominant drivers in Martinsville history. He won six times at the track and led over 243 laps ten different times.

2. Jeff Gordon, 6.7

Gordon won back-to-back races at the track three different times, including season sweeps in 2003 and 2005. He only finished worse than 12th two times between 1994 and 2010.

1. Lee Petty, 5.5

Petty has the best average finish out of all drivers in Martinsville history with at least 10 starts. He won three races at the track and finished in the top three ten times over his first 12 starts at the track.