MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY (0.526-MILE OVAL)
LOCATION: RIDGEWAY, VIRGINIA
EVENT: NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (RACE 33 OF 36)
TUNE IN: 1 P.M. ET, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30 (NBCSN/MRN/SIRIUSXM)
No. 5 UniFirst Chevrolet SS / Kasey Kahne
Driver Kasey Kahne Hometown Enumclaw, Washington
Age 36 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2016 Season
17th in standings
32 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
3 top-five finishes
12 top-10 finishes
0 laps led
Career
464 starts
17 wins
27 pole positions
89 top-five finishes
168 top-10 finishes
4,607 laps led
Track Career
25 starts
0 wins
1 pole position
3 top-five finishes
5 top-10 finishes
60 laps led
UNIFIRST RETURNS: This weekend at Martinsville, Kasey Kahne will pilot the No. 5 UniFirst Chevrolet SS for the second consecutive race. UniFirst — the new Official Workwear Provider of Hendrick Motorsports — made its debut as a primary sponsor in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series last weekend with Hendrick Motorsports at Talladega Superspeedway.
KAHNE AT MARTINSVILLE: The Enumclaw, Washington, native has earned one pole award at Martinsville Speedway – April 2012. He most recently earned the outside pole position in this year’s spring race after laying down a lap time of 19.515 seconds, just 0.002 seconds shy of the pole-winning time. While Kahne is still looking for a win at 0.526-mile track, he came close to taking the checkered flag in April 2005 but Jeff Gordon edged him out by .593 seconds.
MARTINSVILLE LOOP DATA: Kahne ranks fifth in the closer category over the last 10 years at Martinsville Speedway with 22 positions improved over the last 10 percent of the race. He’s seventh in average speed late in the run at 90.158 mph and 10th in fastest laps run with 273.
GOING HOME: Nos. 5 and 24 team manager Brian Whitesell returns to his home state of Virginia this weekend. Whitesell is a native of Stuarts Draft, which is located approximately two hours and 30 minutes northeast of Martinsville Speedway, and is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a degree in mechanical engineering.
SUITS FOR SOLDIERS: Farmers Insurance has launched Suits for Soldiers, a national program to help transitioning veterans enter the civilian workforce. Through the end of November, bring new or gently used suit or pieces of business attire for men or women to your local Farmers Insurance agent’s office to donate. Farmers will distribute the business attire to veterans through the Army Reserves, various transition assistance programs and at Recruit Military events starting in 2017. Suits for Soldiers builds on Farmers’ commitment to veterans, as a corporate citizen and as a workplace. In an effort to bring awareness to the program, the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS will be adorned with #SuitsForSoldiers on the TV panel for the upcoming Phoenix race weekend.
KASEY’S KAROLINA KAHNEWICH: Kahne and the Kasey Kahne Foundation have partnered with PDQ (People Dedicated to Quality) restaurants to create the Karolina Kahnewich. Kahne’s revved-up BBQ sandwich will be served exclusively at all 11 PDQ locations throughout North and South Carolina from Oct. 4 through Nov. 30. The sandwich is $5.99 with $1 from each sandwich sold benefiting the Kasey Kahne Foundation in its effort to raise funds to support chronically ill children and their families.
GREAT CLIPS PROMOTION: Longtime partner Great Clips is working in conjunction with Levi Strauss to give fans the chance to win a VIP race experience with Kahne, free haircuts for a year, Signature by Levi Strauss & Co. jeans or a Wal-Mart gift card. Fans have until Nov. 1 to enter for their chance to win by visiting www.greatjeansgreathaircuts.com.
No. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet SS / Chase Elliott
Driver Chase Elliott Hometown Dawsonville, Georgia
Age 20 Resides Dawsonville, Georgia
2016 Season
12th in standings
32 starts
0 wins
2 pole positions
9 top-five finishes
15 top-10 finishes
355 laps led
Career
37 starts
0 wins
2 pole positions
9 top-five finishes
15 top-10 finishes
355 laps led
Track Career
2 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
0 laps led
NAPA AUTO PARTS: This will be the 23rd and penultimate primary paint scheme weekend of the year for NAPA AUTO PARTS on board Chase Elliott’s No. 24 Chevrolet SS for Hendrick Motorsports. NAPA will also be displayed on the hood in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November.
REIGNING ROOKIE: Elliott leads the 2016 Rookie of the Year contender standings heading into Martinsville Speedway by 61 points over second-place Ryan Blaney and 90 points over third-place Chris Buescher. Elliott has accumulated a total of 286 rookie points this year through the first 32 races. He has yet to win his first race, but claims nine top-five showings – the most by a rookie since Carl Edwards scored 13 in 2005.
ROUNDING OUT THE ROUND OF 12: Elliott and the No. 24 team gave it all they had, but a win at Talladega Superspeedway eluded them Sunday. With that, the rookie’s run in the 2016 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup comes to an end. Elliott was one of four drivers eliminated at Talladega as the Chase moves to the Round of 8. While Elliott’s bid for a championship ended, he still had an impressive run in NASCAR’s postseason, leading laps in all but one of the six races after becoming one of only three rookies to ever make the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs.
NO. 24 CLOCKING IN: The No. 24 Chevrolet SS team has earned nine Martinsville grandfather clocks since 1993 with its most recent victory coming last fall with Gordon behind the wheel. It marked his final victory in the No. 24 Chevrolet before passing the wheel to Elliott.
TRUCK OR TREAT: Elliott is entered to compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Saturday afternoon, marking his first start of the season in the series. He will race in the No. 71 NAPA AUTO PARTS / Valvoline Chevrolet for Carlos Contreras with Mike Bumgarner as the crew chief. The 20-year-old driver has competed in nine Truck Series races, earning one win, five top-five and seven top-10 finishes with his most recent start occurring in November 2013. He has raced at Martinsville twice in the Truck Series, both for Rick Hendrick. The rookie will look to gain experience that will transfer over to the Sprint Cup Series event on Sunday.
JEOPARDY!: The NAPA AUTO PARTS driver will be featured on “Jeopardy!” – America’s Favorite Quiz Show – on Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m. ET. He will be asking a question on the Daytime Emmy Award-winning TV game show.
No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS / Jimmie Johnson
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hometown El Cajon, California
Age 41 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2016 Season
2nd in standings
32 starts
3 wins
1 pole position
9 top-five finishes
14 top-10 finishes
629 laps led
Career
539 starts
78 wins
35 pole positions
216 top-five finishes
328 top-10 finishes
18,338 laps led
Track Career
29 starts
8 wins
3 pole positions
18 top-five finishes
23 top-10 finishes
2,746 laps led
Jimmie Johnson will be in the media center at Martinsville Speedway at 10:15am local time on Friday, Oct. 28.
ROUND OF 8: Jimmie Johnson is now in the Round of 8 in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and is seeded second in the point standings. Johnson’s performance at Martinsville Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway will determine if he will be in the final four at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 22 and will be able to compete for his seventh championship.
ROUND PERFORMANCE: The Round of 8 tracks have been kind to the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet in the past. At Martinsville, Johnson has eight wins, 18 top-five and 23 top-10 finishes; at Texas Motor Speedway Johnson has six wins, 14 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes; and at Phoenix, Johnson has four wins, 15 top-five and 19 top-10 finishes.
MASTERING THE PAPERCLIP: Forty-nine different Sprint Cup drivers have won at Martinsville Speedway, led by Richard Petty with 15 victories. Johnson has the second-most wins among active drivers with eight victories. He is second to teammate Gordon, who has nine wins. He is also the most recent driver to win consecutive races (fall 2012 and spring 2013) at Martinsville.
RACKING UP STATS : Johnson has many accolades at Martinsville Speedway. According to NASCAR’s loop data, Johnson has the second-best driver rating of 117.8 among active drivers. Across his eight wins at the paperclip-shaped track, Johnson has led a total of 2,746 laps.
NBC SUPERSTORE APPERANCE: When in Los Angeles in September, Johnson dropped by NBC Studios and filmed a cameo for NBC’s popular show “Superstore.” The primetime show is a hilarious workplace comedy featuring a unique family of employees at a supersized megastore. The show featuring Johnson’s appearance will air Nov. 3 at 8 p.m. ET.
BLAZE AND THE MONSTER MACHINES: Nickelodeon’s popular animated preschool and STEM-based series “Blaze and the Monster Machines” will feature Johnson in an upcoming race car-themed episode, along with Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kahne and Elliott. Johnson is featured as “Dash,” a car that is fun, friendly, fast and the ultimate racing buddy for Blaze. The episode titled “The Hundred Mile Race” will air on Nick Jr. Nov. 4 at 1:30 p.m. ET.
No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS / Jeff Gordon
Driver Jeff Gordon Hometown Pittsboro, Indiana
Age 45 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2016 Season
7 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
1 top-10 finish
7 laps led
Career
804 starts
93 wins
81 pole positions
325 top-five finishes
476 top-10 finishes
24,936 laps led
Track Career
46 starts
9 wins
7 pole positions
29 top-five finishes
37 top-10 finishes
3,779 laps led
Jeff Gordon is scheduled to be available to members of the media on Friday, Oct. 28, at 1:30 p.m. local time in the media center at Martinsville Speedway.
GORDON’S FINAL RACE 2.0: Sunday will mark four-time champion Gordon’s final scheduled NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start. Gordon will be driving the blue-and-silver No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS this weekend. His career began on Nov. 15, 1992, at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Richard Petty’s final start. From 1992 through 2015, Gordon made 797 consecutive starts and racked up 93 wins, 325 top-five and 475 top-10 finishes in addition to his four championships. This weekend’s race at Martinsville Speedway will be his eighth race filling in for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2016. Earnhardt is out for the remainder of the season as he continues to recover from a concussion.
AT MARTINSVILLE: On Nov. 1, 2015, Gordon led the final 22 laps at Martinsville Speedway en route to his ninth win at the Virginia short track and his 93rd career Cup victory. The defending race winner leads all active Cup drivers in wins (nine, third on the all-time list), poles (seven, second on the all-time list), top-five finishes (29), and laps led (3,779, second on the all-time list). He is tied with Richard Petty for the most top-10 Cup finishes of all time with 37, and holds the all-time record for lead-lap finishes (38) and for the least DNFs, having been running at the finish in every single one of his 46 races at the half-mile paperclip.
GORDON AT CHEVY STAGE: Gordon is scheduled to visit the Team Chevy stage at Martinsville on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. for a Q&A session.
EARNHARDT HELPS ANNOUNCE MARTINSVILLE LIGHTS: Earnhardt traveled to Martinsville Speedway on Wednesday, Oct. 12, for his second Victory Tour appearance and assisted the track in announcing that the half-mile facility will be installing lights. “Light Up Martinsville” is a $5 million project, providing Martinsville Speedway with the first LED lights among major motorsports facilities. Installation will begin shortly following this year’s Goody’s Fast Relief 500 on Oct. 30 and is expected to be completed by January 2017. Click here for a photo gallery from the event.
EARNHARDT TRACK APPEARANCES: Fans will have an opportunity to see Earnhardt on Sunday. The 42-year-old will be participating in a Q&A session on behalf of Martinsville Speedway at 10:45 a.m. ET in the Plaza as part of the speedway’s Green Flag Experience.
TELEVISION, TAKE TWO: After making his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series broadcasting debut on NBCSN last Sunday at Talladega, Earnhardt will again join the NASCAR on NBC group in the booth during a portion of this Sunday’s race in Martinsville. Earlier this year, he made his first foray into the broadcast booth at the NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Michigan International Speedway in June. Check out the social recap from his time in the booth at Talladega.
DEER EARNHARDT JR.: In case you missed it, Mountain Dew unveiled a new TV commercial featuring Earnhardt last week. The spot has Earnhardt lending his voice to a talking deer head mounted on the wall of a convenience store, pranking customers as they visit the beverage coolers. Mountain Dew is also currently running a sweepstakes to give DEW Nation a chance to take it outside win a Montana getaway and other prizes through purchase of a specially-marked camo DEW. Enter to win before the sweepstakes ends on Oct. 31 by texting “WILDCALLING” to 50563 or enter at MountainDew.com/TakeItOutside. No purchase necessary to enter the sweepstakes. Each entry has a chance to win the grand prize – a trip for two to The Ranch at Rock Creek in Montana – plus 1 of 10,000 instant win prizes.
Hendrick Motorsports
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT MARTINSVILLE: At Martinsville, Hendrick Motorsports has team records for wins (23), top-five finishes (76), top-10s (119) and laps led (8,982) at a track. The organization has earned at least one win there in each of the past four years.
ORGANIZATION STATS: To date, Hendrick Motorsports has totals of 243 victories, 209 pole positions, 1,006 top-five finishes and 1,687 top-10 finishes in Sprint Cup competition. Its teams have led 66,067 laps since 1984.
QUOTABLE /
“The goal is to finish this season strong. Everyone on the team, including me, has stepped up to work better together. We’ve been doing everything we can this year to get a win and to be consistent, and we’ve had the consistency the past several weeks. Obviously Hendrick Motorsports has been so dominant at Martinsville, so there’s a little extra pressure to make it to Victory Lane there.”
Kasey Kahne on racing at Martinsville
“Everything is a challenge for me at Martinsville. It has been a rough going every time I have been. I’m definitely going to look into it a lot this week before we go back, and running the truck race there on Saturday should help, too. I’ve had a lot of thoughts on it from the first race we ran this year as to what I want to do different going back and to try to just rethink that place. I didn’t have many short tracks that were similar to Martinsville in shape and size growing up short-track racing. A lot of the places were a little bigger, didn’t have quite as tight of a corner and not quite as heavy of braking. A lot of that stuff I’m just trying to sort through and trying to get an idea what I need to do to improve. I have some great teammates and I’ve tried to talk to the guys who have dominated that place over the years – especially Jeff (Gordon) and Jimmie (Johnson). I’ve spent a ton of time with each of them talking about Martinsville and trying to walk through some of the things that they do, some of the things they look for. I think, especially Jeff, the success he has had there last fall for instance; I’ve tried to talk to him as much as I could about that place. Both of them have been just as open as they can be about the things they look for, how they attack the track and the things they think that they are going to fight throughout a race. I just haven’t quite been able to put that together on the racetrack yet. I think if I focus on trying not to get too ahead of myself and focusing on the things that you focus on to short-track race – especially keeping that longevity in your race car over a long run — will help. Making it to the end and running all 500 miles is obviously the most important thing, but I think just short-track racing in general you just want to try not to get too far ahead of yourself. I’m looking forward to trying to improve on that.”
Chase Elliott on racing at Martinsville
“Martinsville has been such a great racetrack for us in the past but the last few trips there we have been an OK car – not a dominant car. We would like to become a dominant car again and use that to cash our ticket to Homestead-Miami early in this round. We’ve had a lot of success there because Martinsville is one of those consistent tracks that doesn’t change too much. I know my Lowe’s team is working hard in the shop this week on our Chevy – it’s an important race for sure.”
Jimmie Johnson on racing at Martinsville
“You kind of like to leave a place with a win and I definitely don’t want to mess that up, but it’s also a track that I like and feel confident at. I don’t see why we couldn’t go there and contend for a win. We won there last year and I don’t think a lot has changed. The question is, ‘Were we the best car there?’ To me, I think we’d have to be a little bit better than we were last year to be in that position.”
Jeff Gordon on returning to Martinsville
