If you are racing on Sunday at Martinsville Speedway you’re going to have to beat Hendrick Motorsports

WRITTEN BY: Jonah Rens is 13 years old, and is a junior NASCAR reporter/writer for The Final Lap. His opinions are his own, and not necessarily those of The Final Lap. Follow him on Twitter @NascarRens

Since 1984’s Sovran Bank 400 or the STP 400 as it is called today, That race started a Martinsville dynasty for Hendrick Motorsports team owner Rick Hendrick. Geoff Bodine of Hendrick’s team took home the win that day driving a #5 Northwestern Security Life Chevrolet. (It was also Hendrick’s first win as a team owner.)

Hendrick Motorsports has collected 21 victories since, at the track known as “The Paperclip” as an organization. The top two drivers of the five car team your going to have to beat on Sunday are Jeff Gordon (Gordon has seven pole positions at the track (most of any active driver), eight wins tied with his Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson, twenty eight top fives, thirty five top tens, 3,723 laps led and a best average starting position for Gordon 7.3).

In addition, Gordon’s teammate Jimmie Johnson. (Johnson has eight wins, tied with Gordon as well, has an average finishing position of 6.2, and has led 2,746 laps in his twenty six starts at the Paperclip).

The organization has also seen tragedy at the racetrack as on October 24th 2004. A Hendrick Motorsports airplane carrying ten people close to the team crashed on Bull Mountain while flying bound to Martinsville Speedway.

Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports won that day as he captured his first of eight grandfather clocks. The Victory Lane/post race celebration was called off due to that plane crash. Hendrick Motorsports will be going for their 22nd grandfather clock on Sunday in Martinsville.

The race coverage from the short track in Virginia starts with NASCAR Raceday at 8:30 AM PT and 11:30 AM ET on Fox Sports 1 Plus, the beating and banging of 43 Sprint Cup Cars at Martinsville’s 68 year old track will begin at 10:30 AM PT and 1:30 PM on Fox.