Beccas Pace Lap - Martinsville

Martinsville Speedway -- 03/29/2009

Author: Becca Gladden

Published: Friday Mar 27 2009 9:09pm

Becca's Pace Lap: Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway

• Front Row: Jeff Gordon (P1), Kurt Busch (P2)

• Pole Qualifying Speed: Qualifying rained out - field set by owner points

• Highest Starting Rookie: Joey Logano - starts 34th (by points)

• To the Rear: None at present

• Fastest Qualifier by Manufacturer: (field set by points)
Chevy: Jeff Gordon (1st)
Dodge: Kurt Busch (2nd)
Ford: Carl Edwards (5th)
Toyota: Kyle Busch (4th)

• Outside the Top 35 Who Made the Field:
Aric Almirola
Dave Blaney
Todd Bodine
Jeremy Mayfield
Paul Menard
Joe Nemechek
Scott Riggs
Scott Speed

• Outside the Top 35 Who Missed the Cut:
Derrike Cope
Sterling Marlin
Tony Raines
Dennis Setzer

• Weather Forecast: Variably cloudy, 62°F, west winds at 12-18 mph with higher gusts

• Race Notes:

Last year's race winner: Denny Hamlin (March race)

Most recent winner here: Jimmie Johnson (October race)

The field was set by owner points due to heavy rain on Friday in Martinsville. Saturday’s forecast calls for a 70% chance of rain as well, with clearing (hopefully) by Sunday. Though it may not rain for the Cup race, there’s a good chance the track will be green.

Last year’s March race winner, Denny Hamlin, had the fastest car in Friday’s practice session at 96.176 miles per hour.

Jimmie Johnson won this race from the pole last October after a qualifying rain-out. Johnson has won 4 of the last 5 Martinsville outings and has the best average finish among active drivers at Martinsville with a 5.6.

This weekend’s right-side Cup tire is new to Goodyear’s tire lineup and features a slight compound change compared to last year which is supposed to provide more grip – could be interesting if the track is green come Sunday, as tire wear was an issue for some teams in practice.

Chevy leads all manufacturers in Cup wins at Martinsville with 44 and has been to Victory Lane in 10 of the last 12 Cup races.

• Quotes of the Week:

“This was the most rubber I’ve ever seen rolled up on the outside groove of the track than I’ve seen here in 10 years. That was really excessive, so that tells you a lot about the tire. I think Goodyear could probably explain it better than I can.” – Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports No. 24, on concerns regarding the new right-side tire at Martinsville.

“I think Kyle has a heart down in there somewhere. I think he’s a good guy. He just has a funny way of wording things sometimes … I think deep down he’s probably not as crude about it as he might sound.” –
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hendrick Motorsports No. 88, on his recent perceptions of Kyle Busch.

• Current oddsmakers' favorite:

Jimmie Johnson +400
Jeff Gordon +400

• Long shots to watch:

Tony Stewart +2000
Jeff Burton +2500

* All information current at press time

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User	Comment
brownlee59	I can`t beleive Sterling Marlin didn`t make it. Doesn`t he usually qualify in almost all the races? I wonder how they feel when they miss it?
Nascar Groupie	Betting on either of the long shots could put some money in your pocket, the better odds are is that all you will be doing is putting money in the betting sites pockets. lol
2nd Place	What an interesting line up we have here. I think I`m going to lay a safe bet on Johnson and a wild card bet on Jeff Burton in hopes my wild card wins.
TrafficJam	Will this be the weekend where Jeff Gordon makes his come back and starts down the road of winning the Chase this year? Only time will tell.
FastTrack	I like seeing Kurt Busch getting a chance at winning this race. he has had few wins this season and even fewer good starting positions and this is a good thing for him and his team as well as his fans.
NapaFave55	I`m disappointed that Sterling Marlin didn`t make the cut for the Goody`s 500 on Sunday. It`s too bad that qualifying got rained out so Nascar set the field based upon owner`s points. Although he isn`t the only one that didn`t make the cut because of it, I feel he would have made a strong showing if been given the chance. He is a strong competitor.
RaceFan88	Dale Jr. starts in the 19th position on Sunday in the Goody`s Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville. I`m not feeling a lot of good vibes about this position because to really have a strong chance at winning, you usually need to be in the top 10 to win. That doesn`t mean it can`t be done but he`d have a better chance if he were further up in the field. I always have faith in Dale and this race will be no different. No matter the odds, I`ll bet money on him. Go Dale!
OGr8ty8	I like what Dale said about Kyle. I`ve often wondered about Kyle Busch and the way he interacts with others and the things he says. I`m not as kind about it as Dale is because I think he probably is as crude as he comes across. No matter Kyle`s position in the race, he is not the one I`ll bet my money on.
GordaFan24	Yea for Jeff Gordon being on the front row. I think it`s his time in this race if he can maintain the momentum. Statistically, being in the top 10 is the best place to be in order to win this race so he should have a great chance.
Jasper	Neither rain nor sleet nor hail...ok, just not the rain can keep the fans away. Tony Stewart may be a long shot but I think he`ll do well on this track. I`m watching, but not putting money on him.
Karlee	Finally, Carl Edwards gets a good starting spot, he fell behind for a little while. The usual picks in front but how are they in the rain?
RIRmama	It`s rainy in Virginia! I`m sick of it and now it`s affecting my race weekend! Very nice that Hamlin had the fastest car. He`s looking good in his home state!