NASCAR Cup Series

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT MARTINSVILLE: At Martinsville, Hendrick Motorsports has team records for wins (24), top-five finishes (78), top-10s (122) and laps led (9,241). The 24 wins are the most by any team at any track all-time, ahead of Junior Johnson and Associates' 21 wins at Bristol. Hendrick Motorsports' 19 wins at Charlotte and Dover are tied for third-most all-time.

Did you know that Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 56 wins at Martinsville Speedway? Chevrolet has gone to Victory Lane more than any other brand at the oldest track on the circuit. Buck Baker took Chevrolet to Winner’s Circle for the first time in 1957 piloting the famous ‘Black Widow’ – a car based off the Chevy 150 Utility Sedan. Since then seven other iconic Chevy brands (Bel Air, Biscayne, Impala, Monte Carlo, Lumina, Impala SS and SS) have entered the hallowed ground of Winner’s Circle at Martinsville adding to the long tradition of racing.

Stenhouse Jr. at Martinsville Speedway. Stenhouse has ten Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) starts at Martinsville with an average starting position of 23.8.

Bayne will make his eighth Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) start at Martinsville Speedway this weekend. His last two starts at the famed Virginia short track have resulted in his all-time best finishes at the half-mile speedway of sixth last fall, and 13th last spring. In last year’s fall race, he charged to the front from the 34th starting spot, securing the fourth short track top-10 of his career.

Winning the pole at Martinsville (Va) Speedway and getting the all-important first pit stall at the 0.526-mile short track, is the first goal for Martin Truex Jr., who has captured the No. 1 starting spot at the last two NASCAR Cup Series races.

Martinsville Preview: After a three-week stint out West, the Series makes its way back to the East Coast for a 500-lap short track race at Martinsville Speedway. Hamlin is no stranger to the flat, half-mile oval, and after 24 Cup Series starts at the ‘paperclip’, the Chesterfield, Va., native has collected a career-best five wins and three pole positions, as well as 12 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes. He was forced to a 30th-place finish at last year’s spring event after sustaining damage from a multi-car wreck late in the race.

Jimmie Johnson scored his first top-10 of the season Sunday evening, finishing ninth in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway. It was not the finish he wanted but it was a step in the right direction and proof that his desire and determination have not wavered in the chase for an eighth championship.

Storylines. We all need them. I mean, other than those rare moments when what is happening is so riveting on its own, we need them to keep engaged. Let’s face it, California was not going to be one of those tracks. Over a year ago, some folks were cheering for history, hoping for the first woman president. Instead, they got the oldest man ever elected, and some have been melting down ever since. When your storyline goes down the crapper, we often get upset and choose our own narrative over the facts. It happens.

Entering his fourth full-time season in the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series, DiBenedetto has raced for low budget teams making their way through the top level of the stock car series. While the No. 32 Ford Fusion holds a charter and is guaranteed to run in every race, the team found themselves in a difficult position with no sponsor to cover the weekend expenses at Phoenix.

Gordon Brothers, the global advisory, restructuring, and investment firm, announced that it has been engaged by Triad Racing Technologies (“TRT”) to sell the assets associated with its race engine shop located in Mooresville, NC. TRT builds NASCAR race engines and body parts and is a primary vendor for Toyota Racing Development.