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Date: 03/27/2007
Statistical Advance: Analyzing The Goody's Cool Orange 500
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Though the mystery is over, the story has just begun. The Car of Tomorrow has run a race and the future is now the present.
Now, the “COT” takes the second step in its revolutionary journey, this time at the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series’ oldest track. Martinsville Speedway has hosted races since 1949, when the path was dirt and few knew what NASCAR’s future held.
A track with this much history deserves a trip down memory lane. Here are some highlights:
Sept. 7 1947: The track opens and features 750 seats and a paid crowd of 6,013.
Sept. 25, 1949: NASCAR’s “Strictly Stock” division holds its first race at Martinsville. Red Byron wins.
1950: Martinsville starts running two NASCAR premier series races a year.
Oct. 3, 1055: Martinsville paves its track.
Oct. 16, 1955: Speedy Thompson wins the first premier series race on the new pavement.
1956: Martinsville runs its first 500-lap premier series race.
1960: The track builds the first enclosed, air-conditioned press box.
1973: Scenes from “The Last American Hero” were filmed at Martinsville.
1988: First live telecast from the speedway. Darrell Waltrip won the race, which was televised on ESPN.
And since then, the track has continued to grow. In each year from 1996 until 2000, and again in 2003, Martinsville has added more seats to accommodate the massive amount of fans who want to see the banging short-track action of a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race.
Undoubtedly, with a second Car of Tomorrow race, some more history will be made this Sunday. Action kicks off at 2 p.m. on FOX.
The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Top 10 at Martinsville Speedway
Selected Driver Highlights
Note: All driver stats are at Martinsville. NASCAR’s scoring loops began collecting data for statistical purposes in 2005. That is why the Loop Data statistics in this release cover the last four races at Martinsville and include only active drivers.
Jeff Burton (No. 31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet)
• One win, nine top fives, 12 top 10s
• Average finish of 15.4
• 574 laps led
• Third-Fastest in Turn 2
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet)
• Six top fives
• Average finish of 14.929
• 451 laps led
• Eighth-best Average Running Position of 14.245
• Driver Rating of 87.3, ninth best
• 214 Green Flag Passes, most of any driver
• 1,254 Laps in the Top 15, sixth-most
• 108 Quality Passes, most of any driver
• Fourth-Fastest on the Backstretch
Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
• Seven wins, 16 top fives, 12 top 10s; five poles
• Average finish of 7.536
• 2,206 laps led, most of active drivers
• Second-best Average Running Position of 8.315
• Driver Rating of 122.9, second-best
• Second-Fastest on Frontstretch, Backstretch and Turns 3
• 181 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
• Second-Fastest Green Flag Speed
• 1,672 Laps in the Top 15, second most
• 86 Quality Passes, fourth-most
• Fourth-Fastest Speed in Traffic
Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Chevrolet)
• One top five, two top 10s in three starts
• Average finish of 15.667; 28 laps led
• Driver Rating of 90.0, eight-best
• Second-Fastest in Turn 2; third-fastest in Turn 4
• Fourth-Fastest Speed in Traffic
Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)
• Two wins, six top fives, nine top 10s
• Average finish at Martinsville of 7.20
• 611 laps led
• Average Running Position of 8.439, third-best
• Driver Rating of 116.0, third-best
• Fastest on Turn 1
• Third-Fastest on the Frontstretch, Backstretch, Turn 3; fourth-fastest on Turn 4
• 193 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
• Third-Fastest Green Flag Speed
• 1,612 Laps in the Top 15, third-most
• 93 Quality Passes, third-most
• Second-Fastest Speed in Traffic
Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge)
• One top fives, two top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 15.833
• Fastest on Turn 2
• Second-Fastest on Turn 4
• 80 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
Jamie McMurray (No. 26 Crown Royal/IRWIN Industrial Tools Ford)
• One top fives, five top 10s
• Average finish of 14.5
• 11 positions improved in the last 10 percent of laps at Martinsville – best of the “Closers”
Ryan Newman (No. 12 Alltel Dodge)
• Four top fives and five top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 15.2
• 127 Green Flag Passes, eighth most
• 1,134 Laps in the Top 15, seventh-most
Ricky Rudd (No. 88 Snickers Ford)
• Three wins, 13 top fives, 20 top 10s; four poles
• Average finish of 14.887
• 1,571 laps led
• Average Running Position of 10.521, fourth-best
• Driver Rating of 97.2, fourth-best
• Fourth-Fastest Green Flag Speed
Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet)
• Two wins, six top fives and nine top 10s; three pole
• Average finish of 1612.563
• 1,182 laps led
• Average Running Position of 4.168, best of any driver
• Driver Rating of 129.4, best of any driver
• Fastest on the Frontstretch, Backstretch and Turn 4
• 252 Fastest Laps Run, most of any driver
• Fastest Green Flag Speed
• 1,901 Laps in the Top 15
• Fastest Speed in Traffic
Martinsville Tidbits
• There have been 116 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Martinsville Speedway.
• There have been 609 drivers that have competed at Martinsville; but only 382 have raced in more than one race.
• Casey Mears makes his 150th career start at Martinsville on Sunday.
• If he qualifies, Kevin Lepage would make his 200th career start at Martinsville on Sunday.
• Tony Stewart is the defending champion of this event; Jimmie Johnson won the last race at Martinsville.
• Jimmie Johnson won the pole at this event last year.
• A Martinsville race has been won from the pole 17 times, most recently by Jeff Gordon in 2003. More races have been won from the pole than any other starting position.
• Richard Petty leads all drivers with 15 wins at Martinsville.
• Darrell Waltrip leads all drivers with eight poles at Martinsville.
• Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with seven wins and five poles at Martinsville.
• Kurt Busch won from a starting position of 36th, the lowest starting position of a race winner at Martinsville.
• Jeff Gordon’s 2,206 laps led are the most of any active driver; Cale Yarborough’s 3,773 laps led is the most of any driver.
• The last two Martinsville races have been won from a starting position of inside the top 10. Prior to that, four consecutive races had been one from a starting position outside the top 10.
• There have been six different pole winners over the last six races at Martinsville.
• Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon have won four of the last five Martinsville races and six of the last eight.
• Richard Petty leads all drivers with 67 starts at Martinsville; Ricky Rudd leads all active drivers with 53 starts.
• Richard Petty’s 30 top fives are more than any other driver; Jeff Gordon’s 16 top fives are more than any active driver.
• Richard Petty’s 37 top 10s are more than any other driver; Jeff Gordon’s 22 top 10s are more than any active driver.
• Bobby Labonte finished third in the 2006 Subway 500 at Martinsville. Petty Enterprises teammate Kyle Petty finished 10th, giving Petty Enterprises multiple top-10 finishes for the first time since November 1999 when Kyle and John Andretti both finished in the top 10 at Phoenix.
Martinsville Active Streaks
• Kurt Busch has started inside the top 10 in five out of the last six races at Martinsville.
• Jeff Gordon has four consecutive top five finishes and eight consecutive top 10 finishes at Martinsville.
• Jimmie Johnson has three consecutive top five finishes at Martinsville and has finished in the top five in six of the last seven Martinsville races. Also, Johnson has nine consecutive top 10 finishes at Martinsville.
• Tony Stewart has three consecutive top five finishes and has started inside the top five three consecutive times.
• Ryan Newman has started inside the top five in six consecutive Martinsville races and eight out of the last nine. He has started from inside the top 10 in all 10 of his Martinsville races.
Last Five Winners at Martinsville
2006 – Jimmie Johnson
2006 – Tony Stewart
2005 – Jeff Gordon
2005 – Jeff Gordon
2004 – Jimmie Johnson
Margin of Victory – Last Five Races
2006 – .544 seconds
2006 – 1.083
2005 – .235
2005 – .593
2004 – 1.225
Active Drivers – Most Wins at Martinsville
Jeff Gordon – 7 Mark Martin – 2
Ricky Rudd – 3 Tony Stewart – 2
Jimmie Johnson – 2
Active Drivers – Most Poles at Martinsville
Jeff Gordon – 5 Tony Stewart – 3
Ricky Rudd – 4 Ryan Newman – 2
Mark Martin – 3
Active Drivers – Most Laps Led at This Track
Jeff Gordon – 2,206 Sterling Marlin – 503
Ricky Rudd – 1,571 Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 451
Tony Stewart – 1,182 Kurt Busch – 358
Jimmie Johnson – 611 Mark Martin – 318
Jeff Burton – 574 Bobby Labonte – 316
Prior Race Statistics Most Fewest
Leaders 14 (10/15/01) 2 (11 times, most recently 9/26/76)
Lead Changes 25 (9/28/80) 1 (3 times, most recently 4/9/61)
Cautions 19 (10/23/05) 1 (3 times, 4/25/71)
Caution Laps 125 (10/24/04) 3 (4/25/71)
Cars on Lead Lap 26 (10/24/04) 1 (27 times, most recently 4/27/86)
QUICK FACTS
All-time Highlights at Martinsville
Most Wins: 15, Richard Petty
Most Wins, Active: 7, Jeff Gordon
Most top 5s: 30, Richard Petty
Most top 5s, Active: 16, Jeff Gordon
Most top 10s: 37, Richard Petty
Most top 10s, Active: 22, Jeff Gordon
Best Average Starting Position, Active: 4.000, Ryan Newman
Best Average Finish, Active: 7.200, Jimmie Johnson
Oldest Winner: Harry Gant – 51 years, 8 months, 12 days (9/22/91)
Youngest Winner: Richard Petty – 22 years, 9 months, 8 days (4/10/60)
Most Laps Led by a Race Winner: 493 (Fred Lorenzen, 9/27/64)
Fewest Laps Led by a Race Winner: 4 (John Andretti, 4/18/99)
Driver Rating at Martinsville
Tony Stewart 129.4
Jeff Gordon 122.9
Jimmie Johnson 116.0
Ricky Rudd 97.2
Kurt Busch 94.1
Jeremy Mayfield 90.4
Kyle Busch 90.1
Denny Hamlin 90.0
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 87.3
Ryan Newman 86.8
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005 and 2006 races (4 total) at Martinsville.
Martinsville Speedway Data
Race #: 6 of 36 (4-1-07) Number of laps: 500
Track Size: .526 miles Length of Event: 263 miles
• Banking/corners: 12 degrees
• Banking/straights: 0 degrees
• Frontstretch: 800 feet
• Backstretch: 800 feet
Qualifying/Race Data
2006 pole winner: Jimmie Johnson (96.575 mph, 19.575 seconds)
2006 race winner: Tony Stewart, 72.741 mph, 4-2-06)
Track qualifying record: Tony Stewart (98.083 mph, 19.306 seconds, 10-21-05)
Track race record: Jeff Gordon (82.223 mph, 9-22-96)
Purse: $4,929,787.00 See Also .: News Index | E-mail to a Friend
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