NASCAR’s annual short-track spring stretch is in full swing, with Martinsville Speedway (.526 miles), Bristol (.533 miles) and Richmond (.75 miles) comprising three of four races on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule.
It’s a stretch that often is an indicator of a successful season overall for those who do well, and one which gives credence to the bragging-rights garage discussion of who is the best short-track racer in the Monster Energy Series.
Based on numbers, over the past five years, no one has been better during this spring stretch than Team Penske’s Joey Logano.
According to NASCAR’s statistical services, since 2013 no active driver has had more top-five finishes, top-10 finishes or Busch Pole Awards, or a better average start and average finish during the spring races at these three tracks. Yeah, that’s a lot of categories.
Over the span of 16 races (including this year’s Martinsville race), Logano has bragging rights heading into this week’s race at Bristol (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Here’s a breakdown, among active drivers, of where Logano leads at the Martinsville-Bristol-Richmond swing.
| Category | Joey Logano | Next best |
| Top-five finishes | 8 | 7 (Kyle Busch) |
| Top-10 finishes | 11 | 9 (Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick) |
| Busch Pole Awards | 3 | 2 (Kyle Busch) |
| Average start | 4.8 | 7.2 (Kyle Busch) |
| Average finish | 10.1 | 12.2 (Kevin Harvick) |
| Wins | 2 (tied for first) | 2 (Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch) |