PHOTO CREDIT: NASCARMEDIA (USED WITH PERMISSION)
1 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrickcars.com Chevrolet 19.496 97.128
2 29 Kevin Harvick Budweiser is Back Chevrolet 19.512 97.048
3 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Freight Toyota 19.521 97.003
4 15 Clint Bowyer 5-hour Energy Toyota 19.521 97.003
5 39 Ryan Newman Outback Steakhouse Chevrolet 19.524 96.988
6 55 Brian Vickers RKMotorsCharlotte.com / Aaron’s Toyota 19.569 96.765
7 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Dodge 19.572 96.750
8 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Toyota 19.573 96.746
9 24 Jeff Gordon Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet 19.576 96.731
10 20 Joey Logano The Home Depot Toyota 19.581 96.706
11 27 Paul Menard Menards / LIBMAN Chevrolet 19.582 96.701
12 9 Marcos Ambrose DeWalt Ford 19.597 96.627
13 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota 19.606 96.583
14 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. AMP Energy/Diet Mtn Dew/Natl Grd Chevrolet 19.637 96.430
15 14 Tony Stewart Office Depot / Mobil 1 Chevrolet 19.659 96.322
16 47 Bobby Labonte Bush’s Best Beans Toyota 19.681 96.215
17 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Rcng/CSX Play It Sf Chevrolet 19.684 96.200
18 31 Jeff Burton BB&T Chevrolet 19.688 96.180
19 43 Aric Almirola Smithfield Helping Hungry Homes Ford 19.715 96.049
LISTEN – THE FINAL LAP WEEKLY MARTINSVILLE PREVIEW SHOW
20 1 Jamie McMurray Belkin Chevrolet 19.715 96.049
March 31, 2012
By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service
MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Kevin Harvick may have relinquished ownership in his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team, but he hasn’t lost any speed in the process.
Harvick crushed the rest of the field in Saturday’s Kroger 250, winning in seemingly effortless fashion by .953 seconds over Richard Childress Racing teammate Ty Dillon.
A caution for David Reutimann’s right-front tire on Lap 227 of 250 erased Harvick’s 1.4-second lead at that point, but after a restart on Lap 245, Harvick’s claim to the trademark grandfather clock trophy was a mere formality.
Harvick Milestone Weekend At Track With ‘Happy’ Memories
Kevin Harvick, defending winner of this weekend’s race, will start his 400th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday.
Harvick, currently second in the points, has enjoyed a prolific first 399 races. The Bakersfield, Calif., native has 18 career wins including the 2007 Daytona 500. Harvick will also race in Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race.
Teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson will likely attract much of the “favorites” attention this weekend. But Dale Earnhardt Jr. best not be counted out.
Owning a Driver Rating of 99.0, Martinsville is Earnhardt’s top track in terms of the Loop Data statistic.
Earnhardt has finished in the top 10 in each of the last three Martinsville races, and was runner up to Kevin Harvick in this race last year.
Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson have the wins. But Dale Earnhardt Jr. has the momentum. And the hunger.
Earnhardt’s win drought has reached 134 races, but right now, it’s no big deal. He’s third in points, one of three drivers to have scored 30 or more points in every race and heads to arguably his best track.
In terms of Driver Rating, it is his best track. Earnhardt boasts a Martinsville Driver Rating of 99.0, his best at any track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Scoring three consecutive Martinsville top 10s coming into this race (including a runner-up finish last spring), Earnhardt certainly has the skill to take home the oddly elusive 200th win for Hendrick Motorsports.
Whichever driver it is, there would be no better spot for win No. 200 than the tiny Virginia track. You want storybook? This is it.
Hendrick has more wins at Martinsville (18) than any other track, and one more would tie Petty Enterprises for most all time.
Here are the contenders for the crown: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin.
Oddly, neither won a Martinsville race last year (Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart did), but that was a rarity.
Every year since 2003, at least one of those three drivers has won a Martinsville race. And even though Martinsville’s history goes all the way back to 1949, the three already reside near the top of the track’s wins list. Gordon has seven wins (tied for third-most); Johnson has six wins (tied for fifth); and Hamlin has four wins (tied for ninth).
Gordon needs the usual Martinsville success most – he currently sits 25th (the lowest points position through five races of his career), 51 points outside the top 10.
If a Gordon victory occurs (or a Johnson, Kasey Kahne or Dale Earnhardt Jr. win), it’ll be Hendrick Motorsports’ 200th win. That scene would be fitting – Martinsville was the site of Hendrick’s first win in 1984. Hendrick would also tie Petty Enterprises from most wins all time at the Virginia short track.
DAUGHERTY GETS UP FROM BEHIND THE DESK FOR THE DAY
TO CLIMB INTO A RACE TRUCK AND TEST AT MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
HARRISBURG, N.C. (November 28, 2011) – - Brad Daugherty may be best known as a five-time NBA All-Star or for his work as an ESPN analyst for NASCAR’s top touring divisions. However, his passion for racing runs deeper than just with his co-ownership of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team JTG Daugherty Racing.
Taking a closer look at Daugherty’s fervor for racing, he dabbles as a driver himself in the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) and other racing series. In preparation for competition in the NASA Southeast Region next season, he has decided to test a NASCAR Camping World Series truck at Martinsville Speedway on Wednesday.
Photo Credit: NASCARMedia
NASCAR News Wire The Final Lap Podcast
