Top 10 Driver Ratings at Martinsville

Jimmie Johnson........................ 116.9

Denny Hamlin........................... 106.6

Kyle Busch............................... 101.3

Dale Earnhardt Jr........................ 97.8

Brad Keselowski......................... 93.7

Kevin Harvick............................. 93.4

Joey Logano............................... 91.3

Matt Kenseth.............................. 89.0

Clint Bowyer............................... 88.7

Ryan Newman............................ 86.2

Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2017 races (25 total) among active drivers at Martinsville Speedway.

History

· Opened in September 1947 by H. Clay Earles, Martinsville, originally a dirt track, is one of the oldest continuously-operating race tracks in the United States.

· The first NASCAR-sanctioned race at Martinsville was on July 4, 1948.

· The first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup race was Sept. 25, 1949.

· The track was paved in 1955.

· The first 500-lap event at Martinsville was in 1956.

· Concrete corners were added atop asphalt in 1976.

· There have been 137 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway, one in the inaugural year and two races per year since 1950.

Starts

· 619 drivers have competed in at least one Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville; 393 in more than one.

· NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in starts at Martinsville with 67

· Matt Kenseth leads the series in starts among active drivers at Martinsville with 35.

· Fonty Flock (8 starts) leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Martinsville Speedway with a 3.125.

· Joey Logano (17 starts) leads all active drivers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Martinsville Speedway with a 9.118.

· Joey Logano (9.1), Ryan Newman (9.3), and Denny Hamlin (9.7) each have an average starting position at Martinsville inside the top 10.

· In total, 61 drivers have made their first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start at Martinsville.

· Gray Gaulding (10/30/2016), Chase Elliott (03/29/2015) and Michael McDowell (3/30/2008) are the active drivers who have made their first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career start at Martinsville Speedway.

Poles

· Curtis Turner won the inaugural MENCS Coors Light pole at Martinsville Speedway in 1949.

· 60 drivers have won Coors Light poles at Martinsville, led by NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip with eight poles.

· Joey Logano, Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson are tied among active drivers for the most Martinsville Coors Light poles with three each.

· 27 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers have multiple Coors Light poles at Martinsville.

· 13 drivers have won two or more consecutive Coors Light poles at Martinsville Speedway; the most recent was Joey Logano who won three consecutive poles at Martinsville from 2015-2016.

· Five drivers have won three consecutive poles at Martinsville: Glen Wood (fall of 1959 and 1960 sweep); Darrell Waltrip (1979 sweep and spring 1980); Mark Martin (fall of 1990 and 1991 sweep); Jeff Gordon (2003 sweep and spring 2004) and Joey Logano (2015 sweep, 2016 spring).

· Youngest Martinsville pole winner: Ricky Rudd (4/26/1981 - 24 years, 7 months, 14 days).

· Oldest Martinsville pole winner: Morgan Shepherd (4/26/1987 - 45 years, 6 months, 14 days).

· 12 drivers have posted their first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coors Light pole at Martinsville Speedway; the two most recent are Scott Riggs (4/10/2005) and Tony Stewart (4/18/1999).

Wins

· 50 different Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Martinsville Speedway, led by Richard Petty with 15.

· Jimmie Johnson leads the series among active drivers with nine wins at Martinsville; followed by Denny Hamlin with five. Only eight active drivers have won at Martinsville.

· 24 drivers have multiple wins at Martinsville Speedway; nine drivers have won five or more times; two are active: Jimmie Johnson (nine) and Denny Hamlin (five).

· Hendrick Motorsports leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Martinsville Speedway with 24 - Jeff Gordon (nine), Jimmie Johnson (nine), Darrell Waltrip (four), Geoffrey Bodine (one) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (one).

· 20 of 137 races (14.6%) at Martinsville Speedway have been won from the Coors Light pole; three of those 20 wins came from active drivers: Jimmie Johnson (2012, spring 2013) and Denny Hamlin (2010) - Note: Johnson won from the first starting position in 2008, but qualifying was not held due to weather. A total of 21 wins have come from the first starting position.

· The first starting position is the most proficient starting spot in the field at Martinsville producing more wins (21) than any other starting position.

· 36 of the 137 (26.3%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway have been won from the front row: 21 from the first starting position and 15 from second starting position.

· 99 of the 137 (72.3%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup races at Martinsville Speedway have been won from a top-10 starting position.

· Seven of the 137 (5.1%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway have been won from a starting position outside the top 20 - including both races in 2014.

· The deepest in the field that a race winner has started is 36th, by Kurt Busch in the fall of 2002.

· Youngest Martinsville winner: Richard Petty (04/10/1960 - 22 years, 9 months, 8 days).

· Oldest Martinsville winner: Harry Gant (09/22/1991 - 51 years, 8 months, 12 days).

· 12 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers have posted consecutive wins at Martinsville Speedway.

o Fred Lorenzen won four MENCS races straight (the most) from the Fall of 1963 through the Spring of 1965.

o Jimmie Johnson is the most recent driver to win consecutive races (2012 Playoff race / Spring of 2013) at Martinsville.

· Kyle Busch competed at Martinsville Speedway 21 times before winning in 2016; the longest span of any the eight active Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series winners.

· Four active winners have made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Martinsville Speedway: Kevin Harvick (19), Ryan Newman (20), Kyle Busch (21) Brad Keselowski (14).

· 11 drivers posted their first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win at Martinsville Speedway; the most recent was Ricky Craven (10/15/2001).

· A total of 11 manufacturers have won in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville; led by Chevrolet with 56 victories. Ford has 27 wins and Toyota has six wins at Martinsville.

Additional Finishing Positions

· NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the series in runner-up finishes at Martinsville Speedway with seven; Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers with four.

· Richard Petty leads the series in top-five finishes at Martinsville Speedway with 30; Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers with 19, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. with 13.

· Jeff Gordon lead the series in top-10 finishes at Martinsville Speedway with 38; Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in top 10s at Martinsville with 24.

· Dick Hutcherson (five starts) leads the series in average finish at Martinsville Speedway with a 3.800.

· Jimmie Johnson (31 starts) leads the series among active drivers in average finish at Martinsville Speedway with a 7.548.

Track Event Specific Stats

· Eight Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway have been shortened due to weather.

· There have been five MENCS NASCAR Overtime finishes at Martinsville Speedway.

· Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions 11 times in the Monster Energy NASCAR Series at Martinsville Speedway: 1953, 1954, 1955, 1970, 1989, 1995, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2017.

· Since the advent of electronic scoring, the closest margin of victory in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway is the April 1, 2007 race won by Jimmie Johnson with a MOV of 0.065 second over second-place Jeff Gordon.

Female Competitor Stats

· Danica Patrick is the only female driver to compete at Martinsville Speedway in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

NASCAR In Virginia

· There have been 503 NASCAR national series races among 10 tracks in the state of Virginia.

· Martinsville Speedway hosted the very first NASCAR national series race in the state of Virginia on Sept. 25, 1949 - Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event was won by Red Byron (Oldsmobile).

· 180 drivers that have made at least one start in a NASCAR national series race have their home state recorded as Virginia.

· Joe Weatherly and Wendell Scott are both from Virginia and have been inducted into the 2015 Class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

· Glen Wood from Stuart, Va. was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2012 and his brother Leonard Wood, also from (Stuart) Virginia, was inducted in 2013.

· 19 drivers from Virginia have won at least one race in NASCAR's three national series. 11 of the 19 Virginia native NASCAR winners have won in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

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