Ahead of Sunday's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) -- the first race in the Round of 8 -- we take a look back at the previous four fall Martinsville races in the elimination-style playoffs format. All produced incredible wins and epic celebrations, with long-lingering impacts. We expect the same on Sunday.
Today, we look back at Jimmie Johnson's 2016 win, which would be the final of his career.
Previous: Dale Jr. in 2014 | Jeff Gordon in 2015
The scene
Chase Elliott, Austin Dillon, Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. had been eliminated the previous round, which left Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Joey Logano as the eight drivers remaining in the playoffs as the series rolled into Martinsville Speedway. Four of those drivers would earn a shot to be one of the Championship 4 participants at Homestead-Miami Speedway over the next three races.
Johnson tying the record mark of seven championships shared by Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty didn't feel like a realistic possibility for much of the 2016 season. Johnson, crew chief Chad Knaus and the No. 48 team weren't operating at their usual high level, while Hendrick Motorsports was experiencing an organization-wide slump.
Yet similar to previous championship-winning years, Johnson and Knaus seemingly flipped a switch to elevate their performance when the playoffs began. In the Round of 12, Johnson won at Charlotte Motor Speedway, automatically transferring himself to the Round of 8.
Even then, however, Johnson winning a seventh title was still considered unlikely as the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas continued to set the pace most weeks. JGR's lineup of Kyle Busch, Edwards, Hamlin and Kenseth each earned a spot in the Round of 8, the first time a single team had that many drivers advance that deep in the postseason. It wasn't farfetched to think at least one of them would make it to Homestead with a chance to win the championship, if not more.
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Chris Trotman | Getty Images[/caption]
The action
Although Martinsville is one of Johnson's absolute best tracks, for much of the afternoon another victory didn't appear in the cards. Truex and Kenseth each dominated at various points -- Truex led 147 laps and Kenseth led a race-high 176 laps while Busch and Hamlin ran near the front throughout.
As for Johnson, he had a good car but seemingly not a car capable of winning. And his bid for victory took a big hit when he made contact with Hamlin and Aric Almirola in separate incidents before the halfway point of the race, necessitating he spend additional time on pit road for repairs, costing him valuable track position.
Gradually, however, Johnson moved his way forward, recouping the spots he had lost. And as his driver did his job, Knaus did his to improve the handling of the No. 48 Chevrolet and provide Johnson a car he could contend with.
RELATED: All of Jimmie's wins
The winner
Johnson passed Hamlin for the lead with 92 laps remaining, and it was a lead he wouldn't relinquish. The win was Johnson's 79th of his career and ninth at Martinsville, trailing only Petty (15) and Darrell Waltrip (nine) for the most all-time at the historic Virginia track.
The celebration
The impact
The victory locked Johnson into the championship, the first time he would go into the season finale with shot at the series crown since winning his sixth title in 2013. His win also had ramifications beyond his own team, as both Busch and Kenseth expressed frustration that Hamlin had held them up in the closing laps preventing either from charging after Johnson. Gone now was the prospect of JGR sweeping all four spots in the Championship 4.