Breaking down how the full 43-car field fared at Auto Club Speedway

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1. Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Ford, Team Penske. Keselowski led only the final lap at ACS en route to his first victory of 2015 as well as his first at the 2-mile oval, where he previously averaged a 23rd-place result. He improves four spots in the points to rank fifth.

2. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Strong all day, the Bakersfield, California, native led 34 laps before finishing second. He extends his streak of top-two finishes to eight, three shy of Richard Petty’s 1975 record.

3. Kurt Busch, No. 41 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. In just his second race back, Busch started from the pole — his first of the year — but couldn’t hold on for his first victory despite leading a race-high 65 laps.

4. Paul Menard, No. 27 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Running the bottom and being smooth with the throttle paid off for Menard, who quietly toured Fontana en route to his best career result at Auto Club.

5. Ryan Newman, No. 31 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Newman continued his climb in the points standings and now ranks sixth after collecting his fourth straight top-10 of the season.

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6. Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. He recorded his fourth top-10 result of 2015 on Sunday at Auto Club and improves to fourth in the driver standings.

7.  Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford, Team Penske. Logano was penalized on Lap 154 for an uncontrolled tire on pit road, but overcame the infraction and earned his fifth straight top-10 of the season.

8. Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 Chevrolet, Furniture Row Racing.  A two-tire call under caution on Lap 99 gave Truex better track position, and he held steady to become the third driver this season to record  five straight top-10s. | Sign up for Scanner today to hear in-car audio

9. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. The El Cajon, California, native was running fifth before he was shuffled back during the second attempt at a green-white-checkered finish.

10. Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Gordon skipped pitting during the closing laps of his Fontana finale and survived two attempts at a green-white-checkered finish to record his 12th ACS top 10.

11. Aric Almirola, No. 43 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Almirola sustained some early fender damage during a restart, but held on to capture his best career finish at the 2-mile Fontana track.

12. Justin Allgaier, No. 51 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. In just his second ACS appearance, Allgaier quietly improved from a 31st starting spot to run 12th in the closing laps. He held on during two wild green-white-checkered attempts to record his best career Cup result.

13. Carl Edwards, No. 19 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. A late-race pit road penalty didn’t destroy Edwards’ day. He improved four spots to rank 17th in the standings.

14. Tony Stewart, No. 14 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Clean air was more valuable than fresh tires to Stewart, who employed a two-tire call early to improve his track position. | Sign up for RaceView to see pit crew stats on race days

15. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17, Roush Fenway Racing. The wavearound put Stenhouse back on the lead lap with 45 laps to go, and he closed 17 places in the final 20 circuits to record his best ACS finish.

16. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Dillon cut his left-rear tire on the Lap 105 restart, but rallied back in just his second appearance at Auto Club Speedway.

17. Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Kahne cracked the top 10 on Lap 167, but couldn’t maintain the momentum. He now ranks eighth in the points.

18. David Ragan, No. 18 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Ragan opened Sunday’s event from fourth and initially experimented with the driver adjustable track bar, lowering it half-an-inch before spinning out on Lap 23.

19. Danica Patrick, No. 10 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Patrick reported issues with her car’s ability to turn in the corners, but stayed out of trouble to record her second consecutive top-20 result at ACS. | Sign up for Scanner today to hear in-car audio

20. Chris Buescher, No. 34 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Buescher, an XFINITY Series driver for Roush Fenway Racing, made his Cup debut on Sunday. He was outrunning the entire Roush Fenway fleet just past the midway point.

21. Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing. A relatively ho-hum day didn’t hurt McMurray, who finished five positions ahead of his 26th starting spot and even picked up three spots to now rank 16th in the points.

22. Brett Moffitt, No. 55 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing. The highest finishing Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender, Moffitt stepped in for Brian Vickers after he was sidelined due to the recurrence of a blood clot.

23. Casey Mears, No. 13 Chevrolet, Germain Racing. The Bakersfield, California, native suffered a flat right-front tire late in the race, but picked up seven spots in the closing laps.

24. Cole Whitt, No. 35 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. In just his second ACS appearance, the Alpine, California, native scored his best 2015 result since finishing 22nd in the season-opening Daytona 500.

25. Landon Cassill, No. 40 Chevrolet, Hillman Smith Motorsports. Rallying from a 40th-place start, Cassill matched his ACS finish from a year ago and posted his second-best result of the 2015 season.

26. Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing. After running in the top 10 for most of the race, the Elk Grove, California, native lost his bumper cover during the first attempt at a green-white-checkered finish and fell to his worst finish since Atlanta.

27. Brian Scott, No. 33 Chevrolet, Circle Sport Racing. Scott ran as high as eighth before a tight-handling condition emerged. Still, he recorded his best ACS finish in just his second Cup outing there.

28. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin overcame early issues, such as a broken tach needle and radio trouble, but ultimately couldn’t recover from a late-race pit road violation. | Sign up for RaceView to see pit crew stats on race days

29. Trevor Bayne, No. 6 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Handling was a persistent issue after Bayne, in just his second ACS appearance, made contact with the wall during the first half of the race.

30. Clint Bowyer, No. 15, Michael Waltrip Racing. Bowyer started 10th, but slipped to run top 20 after early damage to his right-rear. Contact with another competitor on the final lap further impacted his run as he fell 15 positions from Lap 200 until the finish nine laps later.

31. Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. In the closing laps, Kenseth’s crew rattled off a 10.7-second stop that likely would have kept their driver in the lead if not for a broken axle. | Sign up for RaceView to see pit crew stats on race days

32. Greg Biffle, No. 16 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Biffle improved to run eighth at Lap 200 after staying out during a late-race caution, but spun out on the final lap.

33. Alex Bowman, No. 7 Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing. Although he led one lap during an early caution period, Bowman ultimately couldn’t recover from a speeding penalty on pit road on Lap 63 in just his second ACS outing.

34. AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Chevrolet, JTG Daugherty Racing. The Los Gatos, California, native reported trouble with temperatures early and eventually fell off the pace after losing a cylinder.

35. David Gilliland, No. 38 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. After losing power steering, the Riverside, California, native likened driving his car to "wrestling a bear." | Sign up for Scanner today to hear in-car audio

36. Josh Wise, No. 98 Ford, Phil Parsons Racing. Also hailing from nearby Riverside, California, Wise employed patience en route to his best career result at the 2-mile oval.

37.  J.J. Yeley, No. 23 Toyota, BK Racing. Yeley’s day was impacted after he was caught speeding leaving pit road at Lap 200 for the first attempt at a green-white-checkered finish.

38. Michael Annett, No. 46 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. Annett, making his second ACS appearance, struggled to find momentum after his team was hit with a tire violation on Lap 139.

39. Jeb Burton, No. 26 Toyota, BK Racing. After qualifying 34th, track position remained an ongoing issue for the rookie.

40. Mike Bliss, No. 32 Ford, Go Green Racing. A Lap 25 penalty for a crewmember over the wall too early sent Bliss to the rear of the field, and he spent the rest of the day playing catch-up.

41. Brendan Gaughan, No. 62 Chevrolet, Premium Motorsports. It was a penalty-free day for Gaughan, who last raced at ACS in 2012 and struggled to make much forward progress after qualifying 38th. | Sign up for Scanner today to hear in-car audio

42. Matt DiBenedetto, No. 83 Toyota, BK Racing. The Grass Valley, California, native broke even on Sunday — finishing where he started — in his first appearance at Auto Club Speedway and only his second in the Sprint Cup Series.

43. Sam Hornish Jr., No. 9 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Hornish, running middle of the pack, smacked the wall after tangling with Trevor Bayne on Lap 98.

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Fortune 500 company leverages partnership to continue driving business

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Daytona Beach, Fla. (March 23, 2015) — NASCAR® and Sherwin-Williams, the nation’s largest specialty retailer of paint and paint supplies, announced a three-year extension to their Official Partnership. The newly signed extension will designate Sherwin-Williams as the "Official Paint of NASCAR" through 2017.

Sherwin-Williams, a FORTUNE 500 company, will continue to leverage its designation for architectural paint and the power of NASCAR’s intellectual property at its more than 4,000 stores nationwide and ignite the passion of its customers – many of whom are fiercely brand-loyal fans of the sport.

"Our continued partnership with Sherwin-Williams is another example of FORTUNE 500 brands successfully using NASCAR as an integral part of their marketing mix," said Norris Scott, NASCAR vice president, Partnership Marketing. "Sherwin-Williams’ integrated approach using our intellectual property, both at track and at retail has proven highly effective. We look forward to expanding the Sherwin-Williams relationship across its multiple business divisions."

By continuing as an Official NASCAR Partner, Sherwin-Williams will also retain its designation in the ‘Official Automotive Paint of NASCAR" and the "Official Transportation Finishes of NASCAR" categories. Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes division will further expand its visibility as one of the leading product innovators and servicers to the collision repair and original equipment industries. Sherwin-Williams is the only direct distribution automotive refinish manufacturer and provides service to its collision repair and OEM customers through nearly 200 company stores in the U.S. and Canada.

"We’re extremely excited and honored to continue and expand our role as the ‘Official Automotive Paint of NASCAR,’ " said Adam Chafe, vice president of Marketing for Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes. "Since 2000, some of the biggest names in motorsports have trusted their vehicles’ finish to Sherwin-Williams. We aim to help teams cross the finish line and ensure that their cars and sponsors always look their best on the track; that also holds true with every repair and repaint our collision repair center customers provide for their end customers."

The designation as the "Official Transportation Finishes of NASCAR" will also help Sherwin-Williams further expand its visibility as one of the leading product innovators and servicers to the fleet refinishing, heavy truck and bus, aerospace and commercial manufacturing industries.

"Today, more than a dozen NASCAR teams currently use Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes," said Bobby Moody, Director of Motorsports for Sherwin-Williams. "The 30-plus drivers who now use Sherwin-Williams have more than 200 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories between them and make up a virtual ‘who’s who’ of NASCAR’s finest finishers."

Through its renewal, Sherwin-Williams maintains its role as a Contingency Sponsor in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™ and NASCAR Touring & Weekly Series. The NASCAR Contingency Program fosters strong relationships between competitors and the high quality, performance-driven brands that are leaders in their respective categories, and awards money to teams for each race and at the end of each racing season. As part of the Contingency Program, Sherwin-Williams will be title sponsor of the Fastest Lap Award in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

In addition, Sherwin-Williams continues as a Proud Partner of the International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®), extending a partnership that began in 2013.

For more information about Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes, or the brand’s motorsports program, visit www.sherwin-automotive.com or call 1-800-798-5872.

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Virginia short track latest to make safety enhancements

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Martinsville Speedway will install tire pack barriers to exposed wall on the backstretch of the 0.526-mile track before this weekend’s race activities get under way, according to track officials.
 
The portion of wall addressed runs along the inside of the back straightaway and ends just before the entrance to pit road, which is located in Turn 3.

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The facility is one of 12 owned by International Speedway Corp. that hosts NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events.
 
"We are committed to the continued safety of the drivers and our fans," Martinsville Speedway president Clay Campbell said. "We will continue to collaborate with ISC and NASCAR for additional safety enhancements deemed necessary."
 
The track is one of a growing number to add temporary tire packs that could eventually be replaced by the Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) barriers.
 
Kyle Busch sustained a compound fracture of his lower right leg and a mid-foot fracture of his left foot in an accident last month at Daytona International Speedway when his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota struck an unprotected area of the interior wall during a NASCAR XFINITY Series race.
 
DIS officials announced shortly after Busch’s accident that changes would be made to increase the amount of protective barrier around the 2.5-mile track.
 
A week later, four-time series champion Jeff Gordon crashed into a portion of wall at Atlanta Motor Speedway that also was not protected. Gordon wasn’t injured but afterward said he was "very frustrated with the fact there are no SAFER barriers down there."

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The DAYTONA Rising renovation project is expected to be completed in 2016

Photo credits: Daytona International Speedway

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Construction crews began dismantling the backstretch grandstands at Daytona International Speedway on Monday, marking the next phase in the DAYTONA Rising renovation project.

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Full removal of backstretch seating is scheduled to be complete later this year, speedway officials said in a news release. The entire $400 million project — which includes a 101,000-seat stadium-style complex on the frontstretch — is scheduled to be done in time for the 2016 Daytona 500.
 
The speedway unveiled 40,000 new seats on the west side of the 2.5-mile track, along the short chute to Turn 1, in time for this year’s Speedweeks festivities. The frontstretch press box, which also accommodates race control and luxury suites, is slated to be demolished ahead of the Coke Zero 400 there in July.
 
Daytona officials broke ground on DAYTONA Rising in July 2013.

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Chris Buescher will pilot the No. 34 for the second straight week

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Three interim drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will reprise their roles for the second straight race this weekend at Martinsville Speedway based on the entry list for the STP 500 (1 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1).

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Brett Moffitt will drive the Michael Waltrip Racing No. 55 Toyota in place of Brian Vickers, who will miss the next three months of competition after doctors discovered a recurrence of blood clots last week. Vickers has resumed taking blood-thinning medication, which precludes him from racing.
 
Moffitt, a developmental driver for MWR, is scheduled to make his 12th Sprint Cup start and his first in the premier series at Martinsville in Sunday’s STP 500. He finished 22nd Sunday at Auto Club Speedway.
 
Chris Buescher, a NASCAR XFINITY Series regular, will return to the Front Row Motorsports No. 34 Ford for the second straight week. Buescher finished 20th in his Sprint Cup debut Sunday at Auto Club as a last-minute fill-in when Moffitt was named as Vickers’ replacement.

Front Row later confirmed Buescher’s return to the No. 34 on Twitter.

 
Buescher ranks second in XFINITY Series standings, just five points behind series leader Ty Dillon.
 
David Ragan will continue as interim driver of Joe Gibbs Racing‘s No. 18 Toyota in place of the injured Kyle Busch, who suffered fractures of both legs in last month’s XFINITY opener at Daytona International Speedway. With Busch out indefinitely, Ragan is scheduled to pilot the JGR No. 18 for the next several weeks before returning to his regular ride in the Front Row No. 34.

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Longtime track promoter built Ohio track in 1954

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Eldora Speedway founder and longtime promoter Earl Baltes died Monday morning at an Ohio hospital. He was 93.

Baltes built the rural Ohio dirt track in 1954, then switched its configuration four years later to the high-banked, half-mile oval that still exists today. In the decades that followed, Eldora became one of the premier dirt tracks in the United States. For the past two years, it has hosted NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events.

In addition to the eventual Truck Series races, the promoter had a relationship with NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., and assisted France in recruiting cars for the inaugural race at Talladega Superspeedway.

Following a 50-year run as owner, Baltes sold the track to NASCAR driver Tony Stewart in 2004. Stewart promptly erected statues of Baltes and his wife, Berneice — who survives Baltes — to honor the track’s founder.

"Earl was the yardstick other track promoters measured themselves by," Stewart said in a track release. "He constantly raised the bar, and he did it by creating events everyone else was afraid to promote. He did them himself, too. Not as a fair board, or a public company, or with major sponsors or millions of dollars in TV money. He put it all on the line with the support of his family.

"He and his wife, Berneice, created a happening at Eldora. They turned Eldora into more than just a race track. They made it a place to be. They were integral to the evolution of dirt-track racing and the sport as a whole. Earl will be missed, but he won’t ever be forgotten because of his devotion to auto racing."

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17-year-old made nine Truck Series starts with NTS Motorsports in 2014

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Red Horse Racing officials said Monday that NASCAR Next driver Gray Gaulding will drive the team’s No. 7 Toyota in Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at Martinsville Speedway.

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Representatives with the Tom DeLoach-owned Red Horse team confirmed the one-race deal for Gaulding on Monday morning, shortly after NTS Motorsports announced that the 17-year-old driver had left its organization. Krispy Kreme, a sponsor of Gaulding since his days racing in the developmental NASCAR K&N Pro Series, will back his Red Horse No. 7 Toyota Tundra entry in Saturday’s Kroger 250 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1). Gaulding and Red Horse Racing are working on adding additional races for him in the Truck Series.

"This is a awesome opportunity for myself and Krispy Kreme," Gaulding said in a team release provided by Red Horse Racing. "We have had a relationship with Toyota and Toyota Racing Development (TRD) for several years and when the opportunity came to partner with (team owner Tom) DeLoach and Red Horse Racing it was a dream come true. Walking into that facility just three days ago and seeing the teamwork, professionalism, and how everyone was working together I knew instantly this is where I needed to be to compete in the Camping World Truck Series. Red Horse Racing, Toyota, and Triad Engines really stepped up to make this happen so quickly for me."

Butch Hylton will be the crew chief for the No. 7 entry. The veteran wrench has eight wins atop the pit box in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with two of those victories coming at Martinsville. He also has eight wins atop the pit box in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.

"This all came about very quickly, but a lot of hard work by everyone here at Red Horse Racing and the support from Toyota and Triad Engines made it happen," DeLoach said in a release. "I’ve known Gray (Gaulding) for a long time and expect him to be strong at Martinsville (Speedway)."

In addition, Gaulding will partner will Precision Performance Motorsports for the remaining NASCAR K&N Pro Series East slate. He is currently third in the point standings in that series.
 
NTS, which will field entries at Martinsville for former series champ James Buescher and Daniel Hemric, first joined forces with Gaulding in 2014. Gaulding, the youngest winner in K&N Pro Series history, drove NTS trucks in nine Camping World Truck Series races last season scoring a fourth-place finish at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for his first top-five in a NASCAR national series.

"I am very appreciative of Gray and everything that Gray Gaulding Racing did to help NTS Motorsports during their time with us," team owner Bob Newberry said in a release provided by the team. "I wish them nothing but good luck in the future."
 
Red Horse will also field Toyotas for former Martinsville winner Timothy Peters and 2014 Sunoco Rookie of the Year Ben Kennedy this weekend.

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NASCAR executive discusses Hamlin’s pit road penalty, West Coast swing

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NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O’Donnell defended race officials’ decision to finish Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series event under green-flag conditions, saying Monday that safety remains priority No. 1 in racing procedures.
 
Sunday’s race at Auto Club Speedway ended during the second attempt at a green-white-checkered finish. Greg Biffle wrecked back in the pack, just as the front-runners took the white flag, but the race was allowed to continue under green when Biffle drove away and the spotters’ check for debris turned up nothing. Brad Keselowski secured the lead from Kurt Busch in the next turn and drove away to win the Auto Club 400.

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The decision contrasted with race control’s judgment call last month to end the season-opening Daytona 500 under caution, freezing the field on the final lap when a multi-car crash erupted on the backstretch. That call, O’Donnell said, was made based on the perceived severity of the pileup.
 
"I think when you look at the end of the race, we will always try to finish the race under green-flag conditions, but we’re always going to err on the side of safety," O’Donnell said Monday during NASCAR officials’ weekly debrief with NASCAR.com. "So if you want to look back at Daytona, we made the decision based on the hit that we saw Kyle Larson take, based on our need to dispatch the safety equipment as quickly as possible. We made that decision to go ahead and display the yellow.
 
"If you fast-forward to what happened yesterday in California, when we looked at it in terms of Greg Biffle was able to drive away, the cars were still in Turn 2, we had eyes immediately on the ground in terms of our flagstand personnel to be able to see if there was any debris on the track. There wasn’t, so we were able to let the cars come back and race under green-flag conditions to the checkered flag. So if we can do that, we will, but under no circumstances would we compromise safety in terms of a driver to be able to do that."
 
O’Donnell also addressed the most pivotal pit-road officiating call of Sunday’s race, a late penalty for an uncontrolled tire on Denny Hamlin‘s Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 crew that left him 28th at the finish and left crew chief Dave Rogers sternly arguing the call.
 
When the new pit-road officiating technology was introduced to teams in the offseason, NASCAR officials told teams that they would receive the benefit of the doubt in close calls, similar to a "tie goes to the runner" theory from baseball. O’Donnell said that philosophy still stands.
 
"Again, we’ll go back to video replay. That’s why the system was put in place," O’Donnell said. "I think Dave questioned whether we would err on the side of the competitors and referenced what we said at the beginning of the year. We did say that, and we still hold to that, that we will err on the side of the competitors if we can’t make a distinctive call, but under the review process … it was clear to us that there was a violation and in that case, we’re going to make the call. With this system, it is precise. It’s black and white in terms of whether or not we can make a call, very similar to pit-road speeding penalties.
 
"The drivers had asked for that to be more transparent, and under this new system, we’re going to be more transparent as well. The good news is we can share that with the race teams, not only during the race, but after the race as well, and walk them through why the call was made and show them as well."
 
O’Donnell also capped NASCAR’s first foray into a three-race West Coast swing, remarking about the strong showing by fans in the grandstands at Auto Club Speedway.
 
"Terrific crowd, really a great ending to our West Coast swing. Great job by the folks at Phoenix, Las Vegas and California. Great turnout by the fans out West, and I think it gave us a really great platform to look out in the future. We’ll certainly talk to the industry and see what their perspective was, but we give it a big thumbs-up in terms of our first effort heading West."

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See what’s coming this week to NASCAR.com

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Here’s what you’ll see on NASCAR.com this week:

MONDAY: Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished in the top 10 after a last-place effort last week. How’d he bounce back? Taylor Starer reports from Fontana. Plus, recap the Auto Club weekend in GIF form, and read a note on every driver in the 43-car field in The Rundown.

TUESDAY: Kevin Harvick has eight consecutive finishes of second or better dating back to last season. No. 1 in the Power Rankings? For sure. But who’s behind him in No. 2? Plus our weekly video of the best sounds from the scanner.

WEDNESDAY: Check out the new paint schemes for this weekend’s action at Martinsville Speedway.

THURSDAY: Have you been bitten by the March Madness bug? Stay tuned as NASCAR.com presents its own version of March Madness, complete with fan voting. We’ll be in the semifinal round Thursday. Zack Albert will write on Danville Speedway and its link to NASCAR and Wendell Scott, and @nascarcasm also chimes in on something historic — the Martinsville hot dog.

FRIDAY: Cars are on track in Martinsville. Visit us for live leaderboards throughout the day, plus the best tweets of the week.

Also coming this week: Holly Cain previews Chase Elliott‘s first scheduled Sprint Cup Series start … How is Kurt Busch holding up after a near-miss at Fontana? Cain has that story, too … Senior writer Kenny Bruce takes a deep dive on Martinsville, the original NASCAR facility.

A stats-based look ahead as the series comes back East to Martinsville

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.– Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia going into the STP 500 on March 29 (1 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1).

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MARTINSVILLE-SPECIFIC STATS

Clint Bowyer (No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota)

·         Four top fives, 12 top 10s

·         Average finish of 12.1

·         Average Running Position of 12.1, sixth-best

·         Driver Rating of 95.0, seventh-best

·         296 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 91.276 mph, sixth-fastest

·         6,586 Laps in the Top 15 (72.9%), seventh-most

·         613 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), sixth-most

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet)

·         One win, 12 top fives, 17 top 10s

·         Average finish of 12.4

·         Average Running Position of 10.6, fourth-best

·         Driver Rating of 101.2, fourth-best

·         523 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most

·         Series-high 1,181 Green Flag Passes

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 91.386 mph, fourth-fastest

·         7,860 Laps in the Top 15 (78.3%), third-most

·         719 Quality Passes, second-most

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet)

·         Eight wins, 28 top fives, 35 top 10s; seven poles

·         Average finish of 6.8

·         Series-best Average Running Position of 6.6

·         Driver Rating of 119.8, second-best

·         Series-high 1,105 Fastest Laps Run

·         1,000 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 91.689 mph, second-fastest

·         8,848 Laps in the Top 15 (88.2%), second-most

·         Series-high 754 Quality Passes

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota)

·         Four wins, nine top fives, 14 top 10s; three poles

·         Average finish of 8.7

·         Average Running Position of 8.8, third-best

·         Driver Rating of 110.1, third-best

·         612 Fastest Laps Run, third-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 91.473 mph, third-fastest

·         7,503 Laps in the Top 15 (83.1%), fourth-most

·         659 Quality Passes, fifth-most

Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Budweiser / Jimmy John’s Chevrolet)

·         One win, three top fives, 12 top 10s

·         Average finish of 16.4

·         Average Running Position of 14.4, eighth-best

·         Driver Rating of 91.8, eighth-best

·         255 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most

·         1,016 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 91.130 mph, eighth-fastest

·         6,475 Laps in the Top 15 (64.5%), eighth-most

·         593 Quality Passes, seventh-most

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)

·         Eight wins, 18 top fives, 22 top 10s; three poles

·         Average finish of 6.2

·         Average Running Position of 6.8, second-best

·         Series-best Driver Rating of 122.5

·         1,041 Fastest Laps Run, second-most

·         Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 91.700 mph

·         Series-high 8,932 Laps in the Top 15 (89.0%)

·         689 Quality Passes, third-most

Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Dollar General Toyota)

·         Four top fives, 11 top 10s

·         Average finish of 14.7

·         Average Running Position of 15.7, 11th-best

·         Driver Rating of 84.9, 12th-best

·         178 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most

·         1,097 Green Flag Passes, third-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 91.043 mph, 11th-fastest

·         5,235 Laps in the Top 15 (52.2%), 12th-most

Joey Logano (No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford)

·         Three top fives, four top 10s

·         Average finish of 14.0

·         Average Running Position of 15.1, 10th-best

·         Driver Rating of 85.1, 10th-best

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 91.036 mph, 12th-fastest

Jamie McMurray (No. 1 CESSNA Chevrolet)

·         One top five, 12 top 10s; two poles

·         Average finish of 17.3

·         Driver Rating of 85.1, 11th-best

·         195 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 91.060 mph, 10th-fastest

·         5,471 Laps in the Top 15 (54.5%), 10th-most

·         452 Quality Passes, 12th-most

Ryan Newman (No. 31 Quicken Loans Chevrolet)

·         One win, eight top fives, 12 top 10s; three poles

·         Average finish of 15.0

·         Average Running Position of 15.0, ninth-best

·         Driver Rating of 87.4, ninth-best

·         1,071 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most

·         5,843 Laps in the Top 15 (58.2%), ninth-most

·         568 Quality Passes, ninth-most

Tony Stewart (No. 14 Code 3 Associates / Mobil 1 Chevrolet)

·         Three wins, 10 top fives, 16 top 10s; three poles

·         Average finish of 13.6

·         Average Running Position of 11.2, fifth-best

·         Driver Rating of 97.6, fifth-best

·         397 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most

·         Average Green Flag Speed of 91.253 mph, seventh-fastest

·         6,711 Laps in the Top 15 (70.4%), sixth-most

·         471 Quality Passes, 10th-most

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2015 Top 16 at Martinsville Speedway

Rank

Driver

Races

Poles

Wins

Top Fives

Top 10s

DNFs

Average Finish

Driver Rating

 
 

1

Kevin Harvick

27

0

1

3

12

1

16.4

91.8

 

2

Joey Logano

12

0

0

3

4

0

14.0

85.1

 

3

Martin Truex Jr.

18

0

0

2

4

2

23.1

68.7

 

4

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

30

0

1

12

17

2

12.4

101.2

 

5

Brad Keselowski

10

0

0

1

5

0

15.2

83.4

 

6

Ryan Newman

26

3

1

8

12

2

15.0

87.4

 

7

Jimmie Johnson

26

3

8

18

22

1

6.2

122.5

 

8

Kasey Kahne

22

1

0

3

4

5

21.1

76.4

 

9

Paul Menard

15

0

0

0

1

1

20.5

63.4

 

10

Aric Almirola

12

0

0

1

3

3

23.8

66.0

 

11

AJ Allmendinger

13

0

0

1

3

1

19.7

72.2

 

12

Casey Mears

23

0

0

0

3

2

23.5

64.0

 

13

Matt Kenseth

30

0

0

4

11

2

14.7

84.9

 

14

Denny Hamlin

18

3

4

9

14

1

8.7

110.1

 

15

David Ragan

17

0

0

0

2

1

22.0

64.5

 

16

Jamie McMurray

24

2

0

1

12

2

17.3

85.1

 

* – Based on last 20 races at Martinsville Speedway (2005 – 2014).

Martinsville Speedway Data

Season Race #: 6 of 36 (03-29-15)

Track Size: 0.526-mile

Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 12 degrees

Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 12 degrees

Banking/Frontstretch: 0 degrees

Banking/Backstretch: 0 degrees

Frontstretch Length:  800 feet

Backstretch Length:  800 feet

Race Length: 500 laps / 263 miles

Top 10 Driver Ratings at Martinsville

Jimmie Johnson…………………… 122.5

Jeff Gordon………………………… 119.8

Denny Hamlin………………………. 110.1

Dale Earnhardt Jr.………………… 101.2

Tony Stewart…………………………. 97.6

Kyle Busch…………………………… 96.2

Clint Bowyer…………………………. 95.0

Kevin Harvick………………………… 91.8

Ryan Newman……………………….. 87.4

Joey Logano………………………… 85.1

Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2014 races (20 total) among active drivers at Martinsville Speedway.

Qualifying/Race Data

2014 pole winner:

Kyle Busch, Toyota

99.674 mph, 18.998 secs. 03-28-14

2014 race winner:

Kurt Busch, Chevrolet

72.176 mph, (03:38:38), 03-30-14

Track qualifying record:

Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet

99.905 mph, 18.954 secs. 10-24-14

Track race record:

Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet

82.223 mph, (3:11:55), 09-22-96

Martinsville Speedway:

History

·      Opened in September 1947 by H. Clay Earles, Martinsville, originally a dirt track, is one of the oldest continuously-operating race tracks in the United States.

·         The first NASCAR-sanctioned race at Martinsville was on July 4, 1948.

·         The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was Sept. 25, 1949.

·         The track was paved in 1955.

·         The first 500-lap event at Martinsville was in 1956.

·         Concrete corners were added atop asphalt in 1976.

Notebook

·       There have been 132 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway, one in the inaugural year and two races per year since 1950.

·         602 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville; 380 in more than one.

·         NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty has the all-time most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Martinsville with 67; Jeff Gordon has the most starts among active drivers with 44.

·         Curtis Turner won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Martinsville Speedway in 1949.

·         58 drivers have Coors Light poles at Martinsville, led by NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip with eight; Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with seven.

·        12 drivers have won two or more consecutive Coors Light poles at Martinsville Speedway. Four of the 12 have won three consecutive poles at Martinsville: Glen Wood (Fall of 1959 and 1960 sweep); Darrell Waltrip (1979 sweep and spring 1980); Mark Martin (fall of 1990 and 1991 sweep); Jeff Gordon (2003 sweep and spring 2004).

·         Youngest Martinsville pole winner: Ricky Rudd (4/26/1981 – 24 years, 7 months, 14 days).

·         Oldest Martinsville pole winner: Morgan Shepherd (4/26/1987 – 45 years, 6 months, 14 days).

    ·         48 different drivers have won at Martinsville Speedway, led by Richard Petty with 15; Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon lead the series among active drivers with eight wins each.

·         24 drivers have multiple wins at Martinsville Speedway only five active drivers have multiple wins:  Jimmie Johnson (eight), Jeff Gordon (eight), Denny Hamlin (four), Tony Stewart (three) and Kurt Busch (two).

·         Hendrick Motorsports leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in wins at Martinsville Speedway with 22.   

·         21 of 132 races (15.9%) at Martinsville Speedway have been won from the Coors Light pole; seven of those 21 wins came from active drivers: Tony Stewart (2000), Jeff Gordon (2003 twice), Jimmie Johnson (2008, 2012, spring 2013) and Denny Hamlin (2010).

·         The Coors Light pole is the most proficient starting spot in the field at Martinsville producing more wins (21) than any other starting position.

·         36 of the 132 (27.2%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway have been won from the front row: 21 from the pole and 15 from second-place.

·         95 of the 132 (71.9%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Martinsville Speedway have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·         Seven of the 132 (5.3%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway have been won from a starting position outside the top 20 – including both races last season.

·         The deepest in the field that a race winner has started was 36th, by Kurt Busch in the fall of 2002.

·         Youngest Martinsville winner: Richard Petty (04/10/1960 – 22 years, 9 months, 8 days).

·         Oldest Martinsville winner: Harry Gant (09/22/1991 – 51 years, 8 months, 12 days).

·       NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the series in runner-up finishes at Martinsville Speedway with seven; Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with five, followed by his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson with four. 

·         Richard Petty leads the series in top-five finishes at Martinsville Speedway with 30; Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 28, followed by Jimmie Johnson with 18.

·         Richard Petty leads the series in top-10 finishes at Martinsville Speedway with 37; Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 35, followed by Jimmie Johnson with 22.

·        Jeff Gordon leads active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Martinsville Speedway with a 7.318. Denny Hamlin (9.500) and Ryan Newman (9.654) are the only other active drivers with an average starting position at Martinsville inside the top 10.

·         Three active drivers have a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series average finish in the top 10 at Martinsville: Jimmie Johnson (6.231), Jeff Gordon (6.841) and Denny Hamlin (8.722).

·         There have been five NSCS green-white-checkered finishes at Martinsville Speedway: fall 2007 (500/506), fall 2008 (500/504), fall 2009 (500/501), spring 2010 (500/508), and spring 2012 (500/515).

·    Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions eight times in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway; the most recent was the fall race of 2011.

·         Jeff Gordon has participated in the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway without a DNF (44).

·         Tony Stewart (4/18/1999) and Scott Riggs (4/10/2005) won their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light poles at Martinsville Speedway.    

·         Mike Bliss (09/27/1998), Travis Kvapil (10/24/2004) and Michael McDowell (3/30/2008) are active drivers that made their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career starts at Martinsville Speedway.

·         12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers have posted consecutive wins at Martinsville Speedway. Fred Lorenzen won four NSCS races straight (the most) from the fall of 1963 through the spring of 1965.  Jimmie Johnson is the most recent driver to win consecutive races (Fall of 2012 / Spring of 2013) at Martinsville.

·         All eight active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers who have won at Martinsville Speedway participated in at least two or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Tony Stewart won at Martinsville (2000) with the fewest previous appearances (three).

·         Ryan Newman competed at Martinsville Speedway 20 times before winning in the spring of 2012; the longest span of any the eight active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners.

·         Two active drivers have made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Martinsville Speedway: Kevin Harvick (19) and Ryan Newman (20).

·         Chevrolet leads series in wins at Martinsville Speedway with 54 victories – including the last eight consecutive races.

·    Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway is the April 1, 2007 race won by Jimmie Johnson with a MOV of 0.065 second.

·         Danica Patrick is the only female driver to compete at Martinsville Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Below are Patrick’s stats at Martinsville.   

 

Driver

Starting Position

Finishing Position

Driver Rating

Date

Danica Patrick

32

12

72.6

4/7/2013

Danica Patrick

41

17

64.7

10/27/2013

Danica Patrick

10

32

52.4

3/30/2014

Danica Patrick

30

34

61.3

10/26/2014

·         Seven car numbers have produced five or more Martinsville Speedway NSCS wins:

Car Number – Drivers – (Years)

o    No. 43  – Richard Petty (1960, ’62, ’63, ’67 sweep, ’68, ’69 sweep, ’70, ’71, ’72 sweep, ’73, ’75 and ’79); John Andretti (1999)

o    No. 11 – Cale Yarborough (1974, ’76, ’77 sweep, ‘78); Darrell Waltrip (1981, ’82, ’83, ’84); Geoff Bodine (1990 sweep); Denny Hamlin (2008, ’09, ’10 sweep)

o    No. 28 – Fred Lorenzen (1961, ’63, ’64 sweep, ‘65 and ‘66); Buddy Baker (1979); Ernie Irvan (1993).

o    No. 2 – Dale Earnhardt (1980); Rusty Wallace (1993, ‘94 sweep, ’95, ’96 and ‘04)

o    No. 48 Jimmie Johnson (2004, ’06, ’07 sweep, ’08, ’09, ’12, ‘13)

o    No. 24 Jeff Gordon (1996, ’97, ’99, ’03 sweep and ’05 sweep, fall 2013)

o    No. 3 – Ricky Rudd (1983); Dale Earnhardt (1985, ’87, ’88, ’91, ’95)

 

NASCAR in Virginia

·         There have been 286 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races among nine tracks in the state of Virginia.

Track Name

City

NSCS

Martinsville Speedway

Martinsville

132

Richmond International Raceway

Richmond

117

South Boston Speedway

South Boston

10

Langley Field Speedway

Hampton

9

Old Dominion Speedway

Manassas

7

Southside Speedway

Richmond

4

Starkey Speedway

Roanoke

4

Norfolk Speedway

Norfolk

2

Princess Anne Speedway

Norfolk

1

·         172 drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Virginia.

·         Joe Weatherly and Wendell Scott are both from Virginia and have been inducted into 2015 Class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.  

·         Leonard Wood from Stuart, Va. was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2013 and his brother Glen Wood also from (Stuart) Virginia was inducted in 2012.

    ·         19 drivers from Virginia have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series. 11 of the 19 Virginia native NASCAR winners have won in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

  

Driver

NSCS

NXS

NCWTS

1

Joe Weatherly

25

0

0

2

Denny Hamlin

24

11

2

3

Ricky Rudd

23

1

0

4

Jeff Burton

21

27

0

5

Curtis Turner

17

0

0

6

Ward Burton

5

4

0

7

Glen Wood

4

0

0

8

Elliott Sadler

3

10

1

9

Emanuel Zervakis

2

0

0

10

Lennie Pond

1

0

0

11

Wendell Scott

1

0

0

12

Tommy Ellis

0

22

0

13

Jimmy Hensley

0

9

2

14

Rick Mast

0

9

0

15

Hermie Sadler

0

2

0

16

Elton Sawyer

0

2

0

17

Stacy Compton

0

0

2

18

Jon Wood

0

0

2

19

Jeb Burton

0

0

1

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