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A statistical look ahead to the opening race of the Eliminator Round

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Below is a look at the eight Eliminators – and beyond – at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia going into the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 on October 26.

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MARTINSVILLE-SPECIFIC STATISTICS

1 – Joey Logano (No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 106.6

2014 Rundown

· Five wins, 15 top fives, 20 top 10s; one pole

· Average finish of 11.5

· Led 20 races for 916 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook:

· Two top fives, three top 10s

· Average finish of 14.8 in 11 races

· Average Running Position of 16.0, 13th-best

· Driver Rating of 82.3, 14th-best

2 – Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Outback Steakhouse Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 109.7

2014 Rundown

· Three wins, 11 top fives, 17 top 10s; eight poles

· Average finish of 13.4

· Led 24 races for 1,817 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook:

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

· Average finish of 15.8 in 26 races

· Average Running Position of 13.7, eighth-best

· Driver Rating of 93.2, eighth-best

· 956 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 91.163 mph, eighth-fastest

· 6,348 Laps in the Top 15 (66.6%), sixth-most

· 578 Quality Passes, sixth-most

3 – Ryan Newman (No. 31 Quicken Loans Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 85.1

2014 Rundown

· Three top fives, 14 top 10s

· Average finish of 13.3

· Led 7 races for 41 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook:

· One win, seven top fives, 11 top 10s; three poles

· Average finish of 15.5 in 25 races

· Average Running Position of 15.1, 10th-best

· Driver Rating of 86.9, 10th-best

· 1,008 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most

· 5,419 Laps in the Top 15 (56.8%), ninth-most

· 528 Quality Passes, ninth-most

4 – Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.0

2014 Rundown

· One win, six top fives, 14 top 10s; two poles

· Average finish of 15.1

· Led 14 races for 218 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook:

· Four wins, nine top fives, 13 top 10s; three poles

· Average finish of 8.8 in 17 races

· Average Running Position of 9.0, third-best

· Driver Rating of 109.6, third-best

· 580 Fastest Laps Run, third-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 91.467 mph, third-fastest

· 7,007 Laps in the Top 15 (82.1%), fourth-most

· 609 Quality Passes, fifth-most

5 – Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Dollar General Toyota)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 91.6

2014 Rundown

· 12 top fives, 19 top 10s; one pole

· Average finish of 13.6

· Led 18 races for 468 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook:

· Four top fives, 10 top 10s

· Average finish of 15.0 in 29 races

· Average Running Position of 16.0, 12th-best

· Driver Rating of 84.2, 12th-best

· 173 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-most

· 1,023 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 91.042 mph, 11th-fastest

6 – Carl Edwards (No. 99 Ford Ecoboost Fusion Ford)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 81.7

2014 Rundown

· Two wins, seven top fives, 13 top 10s

· Average finish of 14.5

· Led 11 races for 135 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook:

· One top five, five top 10s

· Average finish of 15.7 in 20 races

· Average Running Position of 15.9, 11th-best

· Driver Rating of 81.4, 15th-best

· 1,036 Green Flag Passes, third-most

· 5,181 Laps in the Top 15 (54.3%), 11th-most

· 555 Quality Passes, eighth-most

7 – Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 108.4

2014 Rundown

· Four wins, 12 top fives, 20 top 10s; two poles

· Average finish of 10.3

· Led 23 races for 743 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook:

· Eight wins, 27 top fives, 34 top 10s; seven poles

· Average finish of 7.0 in 43 races

· Average Running Position of 6.7, second-best

· Driver Rating of 119.0, second-best

· Series-high 1,034 Fastest Laps Run

· 933 Green Flag Passes, 11th-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 91.684 mph, second-fastest

· 8,375 Laps in the Top 15 (87.8%), second-most

· Series-high 691 Quality Passes

8 – Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Alliance Truck Parts Ford)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 104.3

2014 Rundown

· Six wins, 14 top fives, 17 top 10s; five poles

· Average finish of 12.9

· Led 26 races for 1,518 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook:

· One top five, five top 10s

· Average finish of 13.4 in nine races

· Average Running Position of 16.2, 14th-best

· Driver Rating of 84.5, 11th-best

· Average Green Flag Speed of 91.102 mph, 10th-fastest

9 – Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Halloween Toyota)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.0

2014 Rundown

· One win, eight top fives, 14 top 10s; three poles

· Average finish of 17.0

· Led 15 races for 453 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook:

· Eight top fives, nine top 10s; one pole

· Average finish of 15.9 in 19 races

· Average Running Position of 13.3, seventh-best

· Driver Rating of 96.1, sixth-best

· 409 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most

· 952 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most

· Average Green Flag Speed of 91.342 mph, fifth-fastest

· 6,587 Laps in the Top 15 (69.1%), fifth-most

· 616 Quality Passes, fourth-most

10 – Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 99.2

2014 Rundown

· Three wins, 10 top fives, 18 top 10s; one pole

· Average finish of 14.7

· Led 16 races for 1,119 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook:

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

· Average finish of 5.2 in 25 races

· Series-best Average Running Position of 5.6

· Series-best Driver Rating of 124.8

· 1,010 Fastest Laps Run, second-most

· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 91.737 mph

· Series-high 8,833 Laps in the Top 15 (92.6%)

· 680 Quality Passes, second-most

11 – Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 89.1

2014 Rundown

· One win, three top fives, 11 top 10s

· Average finish of 16.3

· Led 12 races for 218 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook:

· Three top fives, four top 10s; one pole

· Average finish of 20.2 in 21 races

· Average Running Position of 20.4, 20th-best

· Driver Rating of 77.7, 19th-best

· 255 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most

12 – AJ Allmendinger (No. 47 Clorox Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 70.2

2014 Rundown

· One win, two top fives, four top 10s

· Average finish of 20.2

· Led 5 races for 68 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook:

· One top five, two top 10s

· Average finish of 20.6 in 12 races

· Average Running Position of 21.3, 23rd-best

· Driver Rating of 70.8, 22nd-best

13 – Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 96.6

2014 Rundown

· Three wins, 11 top fives, 17 top 10s

· Average finish of 12.8

· Led 15 races for 300 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook:

· 11 top fives, 16 top 10s

· Average finish of 12.8 in 29 races

· Average Running Position of 10.8, fourth-best

· Driver Rating of 99.9, fourth-best

· 471 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most

· Series-high 1,111 Green Flag Passes

· Average Green Flag Speed of 91.374 mph, fourth-fastest

· 7,393 Laps in the Top 15 (77.5%), third-most

· 668 Quality Passes, third-most

14 – Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 78.6

2014 Rundown

· Three top fives, 10 top 10s

· Average finish of 16.1

· Led 7 races for 110 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook:

· Five top 10s

· Average finish of 20.1 in 23 races

· Average Running Position of 20.6, 21st-best

· Driver Rating of 70.5, 23rd-best

· 1,068 Green Flag Passes, second-most

15 – Kurt Busch (No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 86.5

2014 Rundown

· One win, six top fives, nine top 10s

· Average finish of 19.4

· Led 12 races for 183 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook:

· Two wins, three top fives, five top 10s; one pole

· Average finish of 20.8 in 28 races

· Average Running Position of 18.2, 18th-best

· Driver Rating of 79.0, 18th-best

· 987 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most

16 – Aric Almirola (No. 43 Smithfield Ford)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 72.4

2014 Rundown

· One win, two top fives, seven top 10s

· Average finish of 21.6

· Led 5 races for 23 laps

Martinsville Speedway Outlook:

· One top five, three top 10s

· Average finish of 24.0 in 11 races

· Average Running Position of 23.9, 30th-best

· Driver Rating of 64.8, 27th-best

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2014 Eliminator Eight at Martinsville Speedway

Driver

Races

Poles

Wins

Top Fives

Top 10s

DNFs

Average Finish

Driver Rating

1

Joey Logano

11

0

0

2

3

0

14.8

82.3

2

Kevin Harvick

26

0

1

3

12

1

15.8

93.2

3

Ryan Newman

25

3

1

7

11

2

15.5

86.9

4

Denny Hamlin

17

3

4

9

13

1

8.8

109.6

5

Matt Kenseth

29

0

0

4

10

2

15.0

84.2

6

Carl Edwards

20

0

0

1

5

0

15.7

81.4

7

Jeff Gordon

43

7

8

27

34

0

7.0

119.0

8

Brad Keselowski

9

0

0

1

5

0

13.4

84.5

* – Based on last 19 races at Martinsville Speedway (2005 – 2014).

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 131 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway, one in the inaugural year and two races per year since 1950.

· 599 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville; 376 in more than one.

· NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty has the all-time most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Martinsville with 67 starts; Jeff Gordon has the most among active drivers with 43.

· 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).

· 47 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 21.

· 21 of 131 races (16.0%) 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 131 (27.4%) 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 131 (72.5%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Martinsville Speedway have been won from a top-10 starting position.

· Six of the 131 (4.5%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

· 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 and Jimmie Johnson lead all active drivers with four each.

· Richard Petty leads the series in top-five finishes at Martinsville Speedway with 30; Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 27, 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 34, 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 7.186. Ryan Newman (9.680) and Denny Hamlin (9.765) are the only two 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 (5.200), Jeff Gordon (6.953) and Denny Hamlin (8.765).

· 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 (43).

· 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), Michael McDowell (3/30/2008) and Scott Speed (10/19/2008) 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.

· 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 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.

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

· Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway is the 4/1/2007 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.

Driver

Starting Position

Finishing Position

Date

Danica Patrick

10

32

3/30/2014

Danica Patrick

41

17

10/27/2013

Danica Patrick

32

12

4/7/2013

· 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 285 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races among nine tracks in Virginia.

Track Name

City

NSCS

Martinsville Speedway

Martinsville

131

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.

· 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

NNS

NCWTS

Joe Weatherly

25

0

0

Denny Hamlin

24

11

2

Ricky Rudd

23

1

0

Jeff Burton

21

27

0

Curtis Turner

17

0

0

Ward Burton

5

4

0

Glen Wood

4

0

0

Elliott Sadler

3

10

1

Emanuel Zervakis

2

0

0

Lennie Pond

1

0

0

Wendell Scott

1

0

0

Tommy Ellis

0

22

0

Jimmy Hensley

0

9

2

Rick Mast

0

9

0

Hermie Sadler

0

2

0

Elton Sawyer

0

2

0

Stacy Compton

0

0

2

Jon Wood

0

0

2

Jeb Burton

0

0

1

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Driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet is defending race winner at Virginia short track

Jeff Gordon has been pretty strong in his career at Martinsville Speedway. The driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet has eight wins, 27 top-fives, 34 top-10s and seven Coors Light Pole Awards at the Virginia short track. Gordon’s last win at Martinsville came last fall in the Chase race, where he led 78 laps, including the final 21 circuits to secure his victory. Earlier in his career, Gordon swept the Martinsville Sprint Cup Series races in 2003 and 2005. Gordon and his Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson have the most wins among active drivers at the track, but they are tied for third all-time behind Richard Petty (15 wins) and Darrell Waltrip (11 wins).

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Kenseth happy to be advancing to Eliminator Round

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TALLADEGA, Ala. — Last week, Matt Kenseth chased Brad Keselowski down after racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway, putting him in a headlock between dark haulers. In the waning laps of the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, Kenseth was pushing Brad Keselowski across the start/finish line.

Kenseth brushed it off as a matter of circumstance.

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"That was his only way in, I think, was to win that thing and I gave Kevin (Harvick) a huge push," Kenseth said. "I thought Kevin was going to go right around him and Brad went for the block. I had to get a finish, so instead of going with Kevin I went to the bottom."

Kenseth’s push put Keselowski in Victory Lane, and, as a result, into the Eliminator Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

"Obviously, I told Brad, ‘Don’t look in the rearview mirror,’ because we didn’t like what happened last weekend — I told him to look out the windshield," team owner Roger Penske joked after the race. "… At the end, I think the big push came with the 22, but obviously Kenseth’s a world class driver, as they all are, and I think no one knew who was going to win, either Newman who was in position to make it happen, but fortunately he didn’t have a pusher like we had."

It was sound advice that Keselowski couldn’t follow.

"You can’t drive Talladega without looking in the mirror," the No. 2 driver said. "I think I more just kind of laughed in an irony way, appreciating the irony… To me, it was just funny how this racing world works out. I don’t know why it is that way, I don’t know why it seems like every week where there’s either a fight in the garage or a mishap or something like that happens, that those two cars and people end up together whether it was our cars were parked together in the garage area or on the race track for the win in the closing laps at Talladega."

The move was also beneficial for Kenseth, who came into Talladega ninth in points and in a position to be eliminated. His runner-up finish put him in fifth as the points reset for the Eliminator Round.

"Overall, it was a good day for us. We did what we needed to do," Kenseth said. "It’s nice to get a good finish and move on to Martinsville."

The Eliminator Round begins next weekend with Martinsville Speedway, continuing on to Texas Motor Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway.

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Six-time champion falls short of advancement despite leading 84 laps

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TALLADEGA, Ala. — Jimmie Johnson knew he was a long shot coming into Talladega Superspeedway, but after leading for a race-high 84 laps, it looked like the six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion could be able to pull off something extraordinary to stay on the path to his seventh title. He found himself behind Brad Keselowski late in the race, and had to make a quick decision on how to propel himself to the front.

"I had such a strong car, I had a chance," Johnson said. "I was sitting in the second row outside, and I was just left with the decision to help the (No.) 2 and see if I could find a way by or try to make quick work of the 2 and go on, and I chose to try to make quick work of the 2, and as I got to his outside and pulled up alongside of him I looked up in the mirror and there was nobody back there helping. So I knew at that moment I was in trouble."

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That decision led to a 24th-place finish for Johnson, leaving him 11th in the standings and eliminating him from the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. And with six titles to his name, Johnson knows what it takes to earn one — and he didn’t think his team had it.

"I showed up this weekend thinking I was playing with house money and kind of a very unique opportunity to advance," Johnson said. "In any Chase, after two bad races like we had in the last two weeks you wouldn’t have a shot at the championship."

After qualifying on the front row in a new format that left many drivers baffled, Johnson’s No. 48 looked to be the car to beat. The often-unpredictable Talladega, however, is among Johnson’s worst tracks. He only has worse average finishes at Richmond and Daytona.

He showed he planned to be aggressive early, knowing that he needed a win to move on. He found himself battling against Hendrick teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., who led a second-best 31 laps. Along with Johnson, Earnhardt and Kasey Kahne would all leave Alabama out of title contention.

"It’s just Talladega," team owner Rick Hendrick said. "We have been up front all day and I don’t know where we are going to end up. You just can’t avoid it down here when you are running that close together. It’s just what you have to get used to and accept it and move on. It’s not easy."

Johnson, on the other hand, found Sunday’s race easier than what his team has faced in the past two weeks. After being involved in a wreck in the opening race of the Contender Round at Kansas Speedway, the No. 48 team headed to Charlotte in 12th, 44 points back from points leader Joey Logano. Battling an ill-handling car that could only get Johnson to a 17th-place finish at Charlotte, Johnson fell 57 points out of the lead.

"Today I went down swinging, and I’ll take pride in that," Johnson said. "Am I disappointed in our Chase? Absolutely. In the last two weeks, people tuned in on the radio and there’s been plenty of articles written this week. Frustration was high. Frustration’s been high between Chad and I and the fact that we haven’t been able to produce like we wanted to. Today we went down swinging, we had a chance. We came up short, and we have to make the best of 2015."

The No. 48 team still has a chance to end the season in the top five in points, a finish Johnson is determined to get. His worst finish so far during his full-time Sprint Cup Series career is sixth.

"We still have a chance to finish fifth in points, which would mean the world to me, " he said. "The worst I’ve ever finished is sixth in points, so it’s not time to put our feet up, we need to finish strong and try to be in the top five."

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Team Penske driver holds off hard-charging Newman for sixth win of season

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TALLADEGA, Ala.– In a must-win situation at Talladega Superspeedway, Brad Keselowski did exactly that, preserving his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship hopes with a victory in Sunday’s GEICO 500.

With the right side of his car damaged in the wreck that brought out the first caution flag of the afternoon, Keselowski persevered, taking the lead during the first attempt at a green-white-checkered-flag finish and winning the race in the second overtime—after a wreck that ended the title run of Keselowski’s former boss, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

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"I can’t believe it," Keselowski said in Victory Lane. "Talladega is such a wild card, and to be able to win here you have to catch breaks and make your own breaks-a little of both.

"I can’t believe we won at Talladega. This race is the scariest of the three in the (Contender Round) bracket. To be able to win here is really a privilege. It really is."

Keselowski won his series-leading sixth race of the season, his third at Talladega and the 16th of his career. That alone propelled him into the Eliminator Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup on a day that saw three of the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers—Earnhardt, Kasey Kahne and six-time series champion Jimmie Johnson—fall by the wayside.

On the first lap of the first overtime, Keselowski’s Team Penske teammate gave the No. 2 Ford the push that enabled him to clear Ryan Newman and take the lead.

"We just persevered," Keselowski said. "We didn’t give up. I got a lot of help from my teammate Joey Logano and, wow, this is just special. Everything about today is special. I want to say ‘Thank you’ to everyone that supports our team."

A week after losing his cool on the race track and on pit road at Charlotte, Keselowski was the very model of professional poise at Talladega. Coincidentally, the driver with whom Keselowski had the most significant altercation at Charlotte—Matt Kenseth–was behind him on the final restart at Talladega, and at the finish line.

And, coincidentally, both Keselowski and Kenseth, the race runner-up, started the race at the rear of the field, Keselowski after breaking an alternator and Kenseth after changing an engine.

Kenseth, Newman (fifth Sunday), Denny Hamlin (18th), Jeff Gordon (26th) and Carl Edwards (21st) joined Contender Round winners Logano, Kevin Harvick and Keselowski in the Eliminator Round, which opens next Sunday at Martinsville, (Va.) Speedway (1:30 p.m. ET on ESPN) with points for all the Chase drivers reset to 4,000. Newman was later found to have failed post-race inspection due to his car being too low in the rear onboth sides. The No. 31 Chevrolet will be taken to NASCAR’s R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina for further review.

Kyle Busch, victim of an early wreck, joined Earnhardt, Johnson and Kahne as drivers knocked out of the Chase.

Johnson, who led a race-high 84 laps, was shuffled back after a restart on Lap 188, the first attempt at a green-white-checkered following a debris caution on Lap 184. In the second overtime, which took the race six circuits past its scheduled 188 laps, he fell back to 24th at the finish.

But Johnson’s finishing position was of little consequence, once victory was out of the question. Like Keselowski and Earnhardt, Johnson came to Talladega needing a win to move forward in the Chase.

After a wild shuffling of positions in the two overtimes, Clint Bowyer finished third, followed by Landon Cassill (first career top five in 147 starts) and Newman. Travis Kvapil, Kurt Busch, Marcos Ambrose and Kevin Harvick completed the top 10.

At Talladega, there are always victims, and Kyle Busch was the first. On the backstretch on Lap 103, Aric Almirola tapped the back bumper of J.J. Yeley’s Toyota and turned the car sideways into the outside wall, igniting a 10-car chain-reaction wreck.

Riding 28th near the rear of the field, Busch checked up and appeared poised to avoid the melee, only to be launched into the inside wall by Austin Dillon‘s Chevrolet.

With the frame of the No. 18 Toyota bent like a pretzel and suspension parts askew on both ends, Busch brought the car to the garage and dropped to 43rd on the scoring monitor as his team frantically tried to restore the Camry to running condition.

"We were just all starting to shuffle around there and getting ready to pit, and I think it was the 83 (Yeley) in front of me, and I think he might have been trying to check up to get to the bottom," Almirola said of the incident that started the wreck.

"I just barely started to push him and it hooked his car—and we all wrecked."

Earnhardt’s run at a first championship came to a sudden end on the backstretch on Lap 188, when contact from Greg Biffle‘s Ford spun the No. 88 Chevy, which had spent 31 laps in the lead, but restarted 16th on the first green-white-checkered attempt.

With the car damaged in the wreck, Earnhardt finished 31st, a far cry from the victory he needed to advance to the next round of the Chase.

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Moments that changed the course of the 32nd race of the 2014 season

KESELOWSKI WINS TO ADVANCE IN THE CHASE

In a must-win situation, Brad Keselowski advanced to the Eliminator Round by winning the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on the second attempt at a green-white-checkered finish on Sunday.

Keselowski was sent to the back of the field earlier in the race after being penalized for having too many men over the wall on a pit stop following a wreck. He led just 12 of the 194 laps, but soared to the front late.

Matt Kenseth finished second behind Keselowski, and also advanced to the Eliminator Round in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

The top five also included Clint Bowyer, Landon Cassill and Ryan Newman.

The three race winners in the Contender Round — Keselowski, Joey Logano (Kansas) and Kevin Harvick (Charlotte) — automatically advance to the Eliminator Round.

Newman, Denny Hamlin, Kenseth, Carl Edwards and Jeff Gordon advanced based on points.

Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch have been eliminated from championship contention.

UPS

EARNHARDT JR.’S CHASE ENDS WITH BACKSTRETCH WRECK

With the right side of his car damaged in the wreck that brought out the first caution flag of the afternoon, Keselowski persevered, taking the lead during the first attempt at a green-white-checkered-flag finish and winning the race in the second overtime — after a wreck that ended the title run of Keselowski’s former boss, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt’s run at a first championship came to a sudden end on the backstretch on Lap 188, when contact from Greg Biffle’s Ford spun the No. 88 Chevy, which had spent 31 laps in the lead, but restarted 16th on the first green-white-checkered attempt.

"Got with the No. 16 (Biffle) a little bit," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I don’t know if I came down on him or what. I thought I was holding my line, but we were all kind of tight back there."

With the car damaged in the wreck, Earnhardt finished 31st, a far cry from the victory he needed to advance to the next round of the Chase.

MID-RACE WRECK KNOCKS KYLE BUSCH OUT OF CHASE

Kyle Busch was involved in a 10-car incident on Lap 102 during Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, an incident that would end up severely hampering his chances of advancing in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Busch finished the race in 40th place and ninth place in the standings. Because of Brad Keselowski‘s win, Busch was the second driver to not advance to the Eliminator Round of the Chase.

Busch was running in the middle of the pack when Austin Dillon clobbered him from behind, knocking him out of control and into the wall. Busch incurred major damage and was forced immediately to the garage. He did return to the race but couldn’t gain enough ground to hang on to a transfer spot.

"(Car’s) really hurt, rear-end damage … whole front fascia gone, had to replace the whole front end," team owner Joe Gibbs said. "Our guys are going after it as hard as they can."

The wreck started when Aric Almirola and JJ Yeley got together.

"We were just all starting to shuffle around there and getting ready to pit," Almirola said. "I think it was the 83 (of Yeley) in front of me, and I think he might have been trying to check up to get to the bottom. I just barely started to push him and it hooked his car and we all wrecked."

Tony Stewart, AJ Allmendinger, Terry Labonte and Alex Bowman were among the others collected in the crash.

Busch entered the race second in the Chase Standings in points (3,082) but his rough finish at Talladega left him on the wrong side of the cut line.

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No. 31 Chevrolet fails post-race inspection at Talladega

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Ryan Newman‘s car was found to be too low in the rear on both sides during Sunday’s post-race inspection and will head back to the NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, North Carolina, for further review.

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Newman advanced to the Eliminator Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup thanks to a fifth-place finish in the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Newman, driving the No. 31 Chevrolet in his first season with Richard Childress Racing, was credited with leading 10 laps as he scored his fourth straight top-10 finish in the Chase.

Any potential penalty would likely not be announced until Tuesday. With the points reset for the next round, Newman is ranked third in the standings. Every driver in the Eliminator Round has 4,000 points.

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Logano already in Eliminator Round; Kes wins his way in

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Brad Keselowski‘s chances of advancing to the Eliminator Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup appeared to take a hit when he was involved in a Lap 59 wreck that brought out the first caution of the day during Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

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But the 2012 Sprint Cup champion serged late on the second of two green-white-checkered finish attempts to win the GEICO 500 and race his way into the Eliminator Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Keselowski was running with the lead pack when Jamie McMurray suffered a cut left-rear tire that ignited a chain reaction.

McMurray got into Keselowski and Michael McDowell, and sent Keselowski’s Team Penske teammate Joey Logano spinning into the infield.

Keselowski suffered minor damage and took four tires in the ensuing pit stop, and his crew took a long look at his damage.

Logano fell a lap back at the time but already advanced to the Eliminator Round after winning at Kansas. He finished the race in 11th place.

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See who made the eight-driver cut for the Eliminator Round

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MORE: Keselowski advances with win at Talladega

The GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway marked the sixth race of the 2014 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and the final race of the Eliminator Round of the Chase. With four drivers eliminated, the Chase field now stands at eight drivers entering the Eliminator Round.

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The four drivers eliminated from the Chase after Talladega are: Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne.

The eight drivers advancing to the Eliminator Round are: Joey Logano (Won at Kansas), Kevin Harvick (Won at Charlotte), Brad Keselowski (won at Talladega), Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Matt Kenseth.

For the eight drivers advancing to the Eliminator Round, their point totals will be reset to 4,000. For the four drivers that are eliminated from the Chase field, they will see their point totals reset to the Chase-start base of 2,000 plus any bonus points for regular-season wins and the additional points they have earned in the Chase.

The Eliminator Round consists of three races: Martinsville Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway. A Chase driver who wins one of those three races will automatically clinch a spot in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 16. The rest of the four-driver field to compete for the title in the season finale will be determined by the points scored in the three Eliminator Round races.

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Get all the on-track times for the weekend’s NASCAR action

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All times ET

COMPLETE TV LISTINGS / BUY TICKETS FOR MARTINSVILLE / WEEKEND TRACK EVENTS

This week, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series head to Martinsville Speedway.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24:

ON TRACK
— noon-1:20 p.m. ET: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, FOX Sports 1 (Results)
— 1:40-2:30 p.m. ET: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice, FOX Sports 1 (Results)
— 3-4:25 p.m. ET: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series final practice, FOX Sports 1 (Results)
— 4:40 p.m. ET: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FOX Sports 1 (Results)

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
— 10:15 a.m. ET: Cole Custer
— 10:30 a.m. ET: Timothy Peters
— 11 a.m. ET: Jimmie Johnson
— 11:15 a.m. ET: Matt Kenseth
— 1:30 p.m. ET: Carl Edwards
— 1:50 p.m. ET: Denny Hamlin
— 2:15 p.m. ET: Danica Patrick
— 2:45 p.m. ET: Jeff Gordon
— 5:30 p.m. ET: Post NSCS qualifying

GARAGECAM PRESENTED BY MOBIL 1 (Watch live)
— NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: 11:30 a.m. ET
— NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: 2:30 p.m. ET

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25:

ON TRACK
— 9-9:50 a.m. ET: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, FOX Sports 1 (Results)
— 10:15 a.m. ET: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole Qualifying, FOX Sports 1 (Results)
— noon-12:50 p.m. ET: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, FOX Sports 1 (Results)
— 1:30 p.m. ET: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Kroger 200 (200 laps, 105.2 miles), FOX Sports 1 (Results)

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
— 11:15 a.m. ET: David Ragan and Darrell Wallace Jr.
— 3:15 p.m. ET: Post NCWTS race

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26:

12:50 p.m. ET: Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award Finalist Presentation
12:51 p.m. ET: VIP intros: Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell; Henry County Board of Supervisors H.G. Vaughn; Martinsville Mayor Kim Adkins; U.S. Representative Robert Hurt; NASCAR Hall of Fame member Wendell Scott’s family; Goody’s Director of Marketing Joe Juliano; Goody’s CEO of Prestige Brands Matt Mannelly; Dale Earnhardt Jr; Honorary Starter UFC Bantamweight Fighter Miesha Tate; Grand Marshal Richard Petty; Miss Sprint Cup Julianna White
1 p.m. ET: NSCS Drivers Introductions with NASCAR Special Awards
Coors Light Pole Award To: Jamie McMurray
Virginia Lottery Pole Award; Presented by Frankie Howard To: TBD
NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase Leader Flag Presentation To: #22 Joey Logano
3M Lap Leader Award To: #48 Jimmie Johnson
Duralast Brakes “Brake in the Race” Award To: #4 Kasey Kahne
Freescale Wide Open Award To: #2 Brad Keselowski
American Ethanol “Green Flag Restart” Award To: #3 Austin Dillon
Mahle/Clevite Engine Builder of the Race Award To: #2 Brad Keselowski
Mobil 1 Command Performance Driver of the Race Award To: #20 Matt Kenseth
Moog Chassis Parts Problem Solver of the Race Award To: #31 Ryan Newman
Sherwin-Williams Fastest Lap Award To: #47 Marcos Ambrose
Sunoco Rookie of the Race Award To: #3 Austin Dillon
1:29:45 p.m. ET: Pledge of Allegiance by Teacher Harding’s 3rd Grade Class from Hurt Elementary in Pittsylvania County, Virginia
1:30 p.m. ET: Presentation of Colors by Local Law Enforcement and Public Safety Honor Guard
1:31 p.m. ET: Invocation by Mike Hatfield, track chaplain
1:32 p.m. ET: National Anthem by UNC Marching Band – The Marching Tarheels
1:33 p.m. ET: Flyover by The Warbirds Flyover Team from Jacksonville, Florida
1:38 p.m. ET: "Drivers, Start Your Engines" by Richard Petty
1:43 p.m. ET: Start of the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 (500 Laps, 263 Miles)

ON TRACK
— 1:30 p.m. ET: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 (500 laps, 263 miles), ESPN (Follow live)

PRESS CONFERENCES (Watch live)
— 5:20 p.m. ET: Post NSCS race

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