NASCAR Cup Series

Jimmie Johnson was true to form at Martinsville Speedway today by powering his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS to a strong second-place qualifying position with a speed of 99.344 mph for Sunday’s Goody’s Headache Relief Shot NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS – QUALIFIED THIRD - THERE WAS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LAP 1 AND LAP 2. WHAT WAS THAT DIFFERENCE? “I guess just getting the right rhythm and matching the grip level that’s out there. There’s some grip but it’s just a fine line (laughs). And it always is here, for sure. But these cooler temperatures kind of make it a little more difficult to get tire temps. It was a good rebound and a nice qualifying effort. Hopefully we can stay in the top 5 and have a good race on Sunday.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI – No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion – “That was a decent lap for the Miller Lite Ford Fusion. It obviously wasn’t everything I wanted, but qualifying here had been kind of a struggle for me over the years and I think this will give us a decent spot to start from.”

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx One Rate Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing - Are you excited to return to Martinsville? "We definitely are excited about the last four races and especially the race tracks ahead of us, but especially this one in particular. Obviously, not being able to run the spring race here hurts. Richmond is home, but this is a home-type track for me."

The Army National Guard will continue as the majority sponsor of the No. 88 Sprint Cup Series team with driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. after extending its relationship with Hendrick Motorsports through the 2014 NASCAR season. The National Guard will receive primary paint schemes in 20 Sprint Cup races, including the 2014 Daytona 500, and prominent brand placement during all non-primary events.

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Martinsville Speedway and discussed racing at Martinsville Speedway, wheel hop and other topics.

Martinsville and Jimmie Johnson go together like bread and butter. Even championship contender Matt Kenseth said, “…you can almost pencil the 48 in here.”...

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Martinsville Speedway and discussed racing at Martinsville, which driver and team he is focused on at this point in the Chase, the No. 48 Chevrolet SS team as closers and other topics.

MATT KENSETH, No. 20 Dollar General Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing - How do you approach this weekend? "Really just approach it the same as any other race. This is obviously one of Jimmie's (Johnson) best tracks and HMS (Hendrick Motorsports) always runs good here, but it's also one of Denny's (Hamlin) and Kyle (Busch) runs really well here. "

Martinsville Speedway was not the site of Danica Patrick’s best finish of the season. That, of course, was the season opening Daytona 500. The...