DAYTONA BEACH, Florida — Last Sunday’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway saw two teammates battle for the win, as Kyle Busch yet again found Victory Lane, this time ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin.
"The two have combined for an absurd nine of the last 12 Martinsville wins."— NASCAR
It will probably happen again this Sunday.
But this time, watch for two Hendrick Motorsports teammates to toss allegiances aside in the name of victory.
Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon are in a class by themselves when discussing Martinsville favorites.
The two have combined for an absurd nine of the last 12 Martinsville wins. Johnson has five during that span to Gordon’s four.
Johnson has owned the paper clip short track more so recently. With wins in four of the last five races and a series-high Driver Rating of 124.7, Martinsville ranks near the top of a crowded list of tracks at which Johnson excels.
Johnson averages a top-10 finish in 10 of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ 22 tracks. His average Martinsville finish is 5.6. Only at Phoenix does the three-time champion fare better – his average finish is 5.5 there.
Before Johnson burst onto the Martinsville scene, Gordon was king of the premises.
He has seven wins there and has finished in the top five in the last eight Martinsville races.
Unlike Johnson, Gordon’s most successful track – by far – is Martinsville.
In 32 races there, Gordon has an average finish of 6.9, almost two full positions better than his second-best track (Indianapolis, 8.6).
