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.

The team’s first win came at Martinsville, way back in 1984, so there’s the “full circle” angle.
And emotionally, no track holds more memories – good and bad – for owner Rick Hendrick than Martinsville. In 2004, Hendrick lost his son Ricky in a plane crash that killed all 10 passengers. The plane, owned by Hendrick Motorsports, was on its way to the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville that day.