Members of the NASCAR.com editorial team make their predictions for the first race of the Eliminator Round in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup at Martinsville Speedway (Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500, 1:15 p.m. ET, NBCSN/Live Extra, MRN, SiriusXM).
Zack Albert
Denny Hamlin: Expect the No. 11 to prevail in his home state for Hamlin's sixth grandfather clock, denying the remaining Chasers an automatic berth in the Homestead championship finale.
Kenny Bruce
Jimmie Johnson: Johnson shares win record (eight) for active drivers at Martinsville with teammate Jeff Gordon. Bad fast in practice. No Chase pressure. In other words, everything to gain and nothing to lose.
Brad Norman
Joey Logano: Because why not? He's starting from the pole and has won three consecutive races. Make it four.
George Winkler
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Hendrick teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon have more history on their side, but Junior will use the disappointment from last weekend as motivation to get his second grandfather clock (first for crew chief Greg Ives).
Kathy Sheldon
Jeff Gordon: The intensity is there, and so is the confidence at Martinsville, where he has eight career wins and a runner-up finish in this race last year. The four-time champion is serious about chasing down title number five.
Jessica Ruffin
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Having just missed the next round of the Chase with a runner-up result at Talladega Sunday, Junior heads to Martinsville with something to prove -- and a fast race car, to boot. He’s also the reigning race winner and calls the paperclip oval one of his favorite tracks on the circuit.
Taylor Starer
Jeff Gordon: Martinsville's fall race is what Gordon has been waiting for. The four-time Sprint Cup champ doesn't plan on ending his lengthy career with a winless season or without scoring one more win at a track where he's had eight victories.
Maggie MacKenzie
Carl Edwards: With the recent Joe Gibbs Racing difficulties, Edwards is the team's biggest hope to snag the 2015 championship. He may not have a win at Martinsville, but the driver of the No. 19 Toyota has finished outside the top 10 only once thus far in the Chase.
RJ Kraft
Denny Hamlin: Yes, Hamlin is out of the Chase, but that doesn't mean he can't go out and get another win. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has one of the best cars this weekend as he eyes a sweep of the Martinsville races for the second time in his career.
Pat DeCola
Jeff Gordon: A winless final season just doesn't seem to fit the four-time champion's style. With more career victories at "The Paperclip" (eight) than any other track on his resume, you can book Gordon's trip to Victory Lane this weekend -- along with his spot in the Championship 4 at Homestead.