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 22 JOEY LOGANO, Ford
Team: Penske Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: With six races over and four more to go in this
year's Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sunday's race at Martinsville
Speedway is the start of the Eliminator Round. Joey Logano is tied
with seven other drivers for the standings lead after the points
were reset following Talladega.
MARTINSVILLE RECORD: 11 career starts, 0 win, 2 top-5s, 3 top-10s, 0
poles. Best career finish: Second in spring 2010. Finished 14th in
this race last year and was fourth in this year's spring race there.
LOOKING AHEAD: Martinsville has not always been kind to Logano, but
his fourth-place finish in the spring gives him reason for optimism
, as it was his best showing there since finishing sixth in fall
2010. Logano is approaching Sunday's race at the half-mile bullring
in much the same fashion as he approached (and won) the start of the
Contender Round, when he won at Kansas to assure advancement to the
next round. If Logano wins at Martinsville, he'll be one of the
final four drivers to vie for the championship in the season finale
at Homestead. "That is very important," Logano said. "But it would
also be pretty cool to win one of those grandfather clocks. It has
to be one of the coolest trophies in all of motorsports. It's
unique. But it's not an easy race to win. There is a lot of beating
and banging that goes on there and you can even get caught up in
someone else's mess. That's a big part of short track racing. But we
had a good test there and I feel like we have the ability to go
there and win, especially with what we learned in the spring and how
strong we were then."
 LOOKING BACK: Logano's formula for the Chase continues to work. If
he can't win, he strives for a consistent finish, and did that again
at Talladega, ending up a respectable 11th.
ETC.: Logano has completed a near-perfect 99.8 percent (5,514) of
the 5,524 laps contested in 11 career starts at Martinsville. His
average start there is 13.0 and his average finish is 14.8. He has
zero DNFs there.
4 KEVIN HARVICK, Chevrolet
Team: Stewart-Haas Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: Kevin Harvick is exactly where he wants to be, tied
with the other seven drivers heading into the penultimate round of
the Chase, known as the Eliminator Round. If Harvick wins any of the
next three races D Martinsville, Texas or Phoenix D he'll advance to
the final four drivers that battle for the championship in the
season finale at Homestead.
MARTINSVILLE RECORD: 26 career starts, 1 win, 3 top-5s, 12 top-10s,
1 pole. Best career finish: First in spring 2011. Finished sixth in
this race last year and was seventh in this year's spring race
there.
LOOKING AHEAD: Harvick continues to have arguably the best season of
his Sprint Cup career. Now that he's reached the Eliminator Round,
he's just one win away from reaching the championship race at
Homestead. Everything seems to be coming together at the right time
for him. "These next three races line up really well for us,"
Harvick said. "We've been fortunate to have won at Martinsville
before and we ran really well there the first race (this spring).
First, it was just trying to get to Martinsville and we've
accomplished that. Now we have to focus on getting the best finish
that we can out of each racetrack."
LOOKING BACK: Harvick led two laps and stayed out of trouble at the
always unpredictable Talladega, ultimately finishing with a strong
ninth-place showing.
ETC.: Harvick has completed 97.7 percent (12,736 laps) of the 13,034
total laps contested in 26 career starts at Martinsville. His
average start there is 13.7 and his average finish is 15.8. He has
one DNF there.
31 RYAN NEWMAN, Chevrolet
Team: Richard Childress Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: The lone representative of Richard Childress Racing
in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, Ryan Newman is one of two drivers
who has advanced to the Eliminator Round without earning a win thus
far in 2014. The other driver is Matt Kenseth.
MARTINSVILLE RECORD: 25 career starts, 1 win, 7 top-5s, 11 top-10s,
3 poles. Best career finish: First in spring 2012. Finished 38th in
this race last year and was 20th in this year's spring race there.
LOOKING AHEAD: Newman may not be winning races, but he's doing
pretty much everything else right when it comes to advancing in the
Chase. The key for him has been uncanny consistency in the Chase.
However, he faces a big obstacle at Martinsville this Sunday. He's
finished 20th, 38th and 31st in the last three races there. He needs
a big turnaround there Sunday. "Martinsville is a fun track to drive
when you have a car that allows you to look out the front window,"
Newman said. "If you are spending too much time looking in the
mirror and can't get in the corner, you are going to have a
nightmare of a day. Looking at where this race lands in the Chase,
all of the races are equally important when you do the math. There
are outside, situational circumstances like a wreck that you can be
involved in. That applies to any track but I think Martinsville has
a higher potential for a wreck to happen in comparison to some of
the 1.5-mile tracks we go to, for example. Obviously, you never know
what's going to happen, so we'll just have to wait and see and hope
for the best."
LOOKING BACK: Newman had a very strong car at Talladega. He led 10
laps and finished in the top-five with a fifth-place finish.
ETC.: Newman has completed 96.5 percent (12,097) of 12,534 total
laps in 25 career starts at Martinsville. His average start there is
an excellent 9.7 and his average finish is 15.5. He has two DNFs
there.
11 DENNY HAMLIN, Toyota
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: Denny Hamlin is now one of only two Joe Gibbs
Racing drivers remaining in the Chase after teammate Kyle Busch was
eliminated from advancement at Talladega. Still, with the points
reset, Hamlin finds himself in an eight-way tie for the lead heading
into Sunday's race at Martinsville.
MARTINSVILLE RECORD: 17 career starts, 4 win, 9 top-5s, 13 top-10s,
3 poles. Best career finish: First in spring 2008, fall 2009, spring
and fall 2010. Finished seventh in this race last year and was 19th
in this year's spring race there.
LOOKING AHEAD: Hamlin has to be licking his chops heading to
Martinsville, arguably one of his best and definitely one of his
most successful tracks on the Sprint Cup circuit. He hasn't won in
his last six starts there, but feels it's time to win yet another
there this Sunday. "I have said all year that if we made it to the
final eight, to this Eliminator Round, that we suddenly had a good
shot at this championship. This round has three tracks that our
FedEx team has had a lot of success at over the years, obviously
starting with Martinsville. We didn't have a great race there in the
spring, but we have made some gains on our short track program, and
I'm confident we can go there and compete for the win this weekend.
Winningon Sundayis our ultimate goal and would be great to put
ourselves in position to battle for the championship at Homestead."
LOOKING BACK: Hamlin didn't have that great of a race at Talladega,
finishing 18th. But at the same time, he finished high enough and
stayed out of trouble to advance to the Eliminator Round.
ETC.: Hamlin has completed 97.3 percent (8,307) of the 8,534 total
laps contested in 17 career starts at Martinsville. His average
start there is 9.8 and his average finish is 8.8. He has one DNF
there.
20 MATT KENSETH, Toyota
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: 5th, tied for first place. The points for the eight
drivers that advanced to the Eliminator Round of the 2014 Chase for
the NASCAR Sprint Championship were reset with each one starting
this round with 4,000 points.
MARTINSVILLE RECORD: Will be seeking his third straight top-six
finish. Finished second in the fall race a year ago after leading
202 laps.
LOOKING AHEAD: Kenseth said, "We really need to go to Martinsville
this weekend and have a good run while also doing the things that I
know we're capable of doing these final four weeks of the season. I
really am looking forward to going to Martinsville because looking
at the next three races; I really feel the most confident heading
into this weekend. It is a track however that you can have a lot of
trouble at and where things can go wrong, so hopefully we can get a
solid run in on Sunday. We actually were leading the race last year
towards the end, but then Jeff (Gordon) ended up beating me. It was
really fun to battle with him up front, and I was just happy to be
challenging for the lead at a track that has always been a challenge
for me."
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LOOKING BACK: Kenseth admits he hates "the strategy of riding in the
back" at Talladega. "But the one time we went to the front I just
didn't feel like we had the speed in our Home Depot Toyota to go up
there and lead laps and be in real safe spot so we just kept getting
shuffled back," added Kenseth, who waited to the end to make his
move to the front. "We got a pretty good restart there (at the end)
and had a bunch of guys up there that are really good at this stuff
so I got with Kevin (Harvick) and got going with him the best I
could. Then he made a move on Brad (Keselowski) and Brad went to
block so it kind of opened the door. I was almost under Brad off of
(turn) two, but I just didn't have the speed to get in there and
challenge them down to the flag. We did what we needed to do. It's
nice to get a good finish (second) and move on to Martinsville."
ETC.: Kenseth is still looking for his first win of the season after
a series-high seven victories last year. "The season we had last
year, I never dreamed we would go 12 months without winning a race
even though I realize how hard it is and you never really - I never
really lose sight of that because I've been around for a while so
you have to enjoy it when it's going good and you realize it's
really had to win races. Still the way we ran last year I didn't
think we'd be sitting here right now without a win. I still think we
can win some races before the year is over."
99 CARL EDWARDS, Ford
Team: Roush Fenway Racing
WHERE HE STANDS: 6th, tied for first place. The points for the eight
drivers that advanced to the Eliminator Round of the 2014 Chase for
the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship were reset with each one starting
this round with 4,000 points.
MARTINSVILLE RECORD: Five top-10 finishes in 20 starts. In the last
five races his best finish is 11th.
LOOKING AHEAD: Edwards said he is "excited to go to Martinsville. We
feel like that's a track that we can run well at. Jimmy Fennig (crew
chief) is very good there setting up cars and he's really good with
strategy. We feel like our short track program has been our strong
point recently, so both Martinsville and Phoenix are races we are
looking forward to in this Chase."
LOOKING BACK: Edwards spent most of the Talladega race "hanging out"
at the rear of the pack in hopes of avoiding "The Big One," the
infamous multi-car accident that seems to occur on a regular basis
at Talladega. He was able to do just that as he finished 21st to
advance to the next round in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup
Championship. "We knew we couldn't wreck and it ended up playing out
exactly like we planned," said Edwards. "We stayed out of the wrecks
and made it in, but that was nerve-racking." When asked how he
missed the five-car accident that occurred during the first attempt
at a green-white-checkered flag finish, Edwards smiled as he
replied, "I don't think I could have been any closer (to the
spinning cars). That was crazy. I'm just glad it worked out for us.
We're back tied for the points lead."
ETC.: Edwards is "really proud of our whole team for the way we have
performed so far in the Chase. I think Martinsville is going to be a
really tough race. I think there are a lot of guys with nothing to
lose and I think we just have to go there and do what we've been
doing and that's give our best performance, not make any mistakes
and just keep this going. We're having fun. I'm glad to be part of
this."
24 JEFF GORDON, Chevrolet
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
WHERE HE STANDS: 7th, tied for first place. The points for the eight
drivers that advanced to the Eliminator Round of the 2014 Chase for
the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship were reset with each one starting
this round with 4,000 points.
MARTINSVILLE RECORD: Won the fall race last year for his eighth win
at the short track. In the last 23 races has finished outside the
top nine only three times including 17 top-five finishes.
LOOKING AHEAD: Gordon is "excited about our chances to get to
Homestead (the race that will determine the champion). Those chances
come in these next few races - Martinsville, Texas and Phoenix.
Those are great tracks for us. Martinsville is a strong track for
this Drive to End Hunger team, and it's a track where we've had
great success over the years. We also tested there recently, so I
hope we have a strong start to this Eliminator Round."
LOOKING BACK: Gordon was another driver that decided to "lay back"
and wait for the end to go racing. But this strategy almost
backfired on the final restart as he ended the day in 26th place to
beat out teammate Kasey Kahne by only three points for the final
transfer spot. "We had a great strategy," said Gordon.
"Unfortunately the caution hit us at the absolute worst time and put
us behind." He was 23rd on the final restart. "Those last couple of
laps were some of the most nerve-racking laps of my life, so I'm
glad they're over," added Gordon. "The inside lane just didn't go
anywhere (on the final restart). I was just sitting there going
backwards and couldn't do a thing. I'm just mentally drained right
now. When you have that much on the line and you know that your
championship hopes are right there in that final moment, it's nerve
racking."
ETC.: Gordon, who is seeking his fifth Cup championship, said one of
the coolest things about being a champion stock car driver is "some
of the post-Oscar parties Ingrid (his wife) and I got to go to. It's
just a lot of really cool people in a relaxed environment and
everyone is just hanging out and being themselves. And you realize
while they are celebrities and famous people, they're also just real
people who like to be part of something no different than the rest
of us do. To be able to see them in that environment is something
I'll never forget."
2 BRAD KESELOWSKI, Ford
Team: Team Penske
WHERE HE STANDS: 8th, tied for first place. The points for the eight
drivers that advanced to the Eliminator Round of the 2014 Chase for
the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship were reset with each one starting
with 4,000 points.
MARTINSVILLE RECORD: Finished in the top nine in four of the last
five races. Finished a career-best fourth in the fall race a year
ago.
LOOKING AHEAD: Keselowski is quick to point out "We tested at
Martinsville about a week ago - it went pretty well too. We've run
well at Martinsville in the past - much better than our results
show. Right now, I am feeling about this weekend much like I did
about last weekend at Talladega. I feel like we're to the point
where the law of averages is on our side. That and the team - our
confidence is our ability to work hard, to execute, to count on each
other - we're in a special place. This number 2 Alliance Truck Parts
team is doing what we have to do accomplish our mission, and we've
having fun doing it."
LOOKING BACK: Keselowski came to Talladega needing to win the race
to advance to the next round of the Chase for the Championship and
that is exactly what he did. "I can't believe it," said Keselowski.
"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. The
right way (to advance) wasn't last week, so that makes today more
special. I'm not real proud of last week, I'm proud of today."
Keselowski was fined $50,000 by NASCAR for his post-race antics last
week at Charlotte that included running into Denny Hamlin on the
race track and then hitting Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart on pit
road. Keselowski then drove his car through a crowded garage area.
He was later attached from behind by Kenseth, who had to be pulled
off his Ford rival. "We knew we had to win obviously coming into
this day," added Keselowski. "I worked really well with my teammates
Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney (at the end of the race). We made kind
of the perfect moves together to go from 16th to second in three or
four laps. That put us in position to really capitalize on the last
two yellows. From there it was all about that last lap and choosing
the lanes wide to be able to block the cars that had runs and all
that came together perfectly. I kind of feel like Hannibal here, I
love when a plan comes together. Everything just felt right today
and we're here as winners because of that."
ETC.: Crew chief Paul Wolfe feels "this team is in a pretty good
place right now. We've been strong all season long (with a
series-high six wins). The core group of this team has been together
for a while now, and we are hitting that place that time together
gets you. That race last weekend really galvanized us - there is an
extra little bit of confidence and belief in what we are capable of
as a team. It's hard to describe, but you can see it and feel it
when you are there. So with that and the data we took away from our
recent test, we should be alright this weekend."
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