NASCAR Cup Series

We're less than 24 hours removed from the race at Martinsville and there is once again a commotion in the media and in fan circles. Is it about Jeff Gordon punching his ticket to the chase playoffs in dramatic fashion? Nope. Is it about the risk versus reward of tires versus track position? Nope.

There are things that matter. A retiring champion seeking to go out in a blaze of glory. A 25-year old looking to complete his career redemption as well as claim a fourth straight checkered flag. An elder statesman who believes that young man deserves something a bit different.

Whether you believe the wreck was intentional or not, there is no definitive proof to back up either claim or to establish intent. But Kenseth, who is no longer in contention for the Chase, may have committed the one mistake that NASCAR won’t ignore; taking out someone contending for the championship.

It's time to put a nice little bow on everything that happened yesterday at the Virginia paperclip. Let's start with the race winner Jeffrey Michael Gordon. The driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet scored his 93rd career win after taking the lead from A. J. Allmendinger with 21 laps to go and also held off a final two lap charge by Jamie McMurray to take the checkered flag.

Ryan Blaney, his crew chief Jeremy Bullins and the rest of the crew of the No. 21 Snap-on Ford Fusion are headed to Texas Motor Speedway hoping to build on strong runs in their last three races in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series.

With chaos happening all the way around them, Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick both were able to avoid the chaos, bringing home solid finishes with Truex in sixth and Harvick in eighth. More importantly, they have themselves above the cut line, nine points for Truex and seven points for Harvick, heading into the second race of the third round of the Chase Championship.

Through the first two rounds of the Chase for the Championship, Kurt Busch has quietly put together a string of consistent finishes that have had him transfer to each round. On Sunday at Martinsville, he was on the road to doing that once again till he got taken out in a late race incident.

In race number 33 of the 2015 NASCAR season here is what was surprising and not surprising after the completion of the 67th Annual Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

Jeff Gordon took the lead late in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 at Martinsville Speedway to score his first win of 2015 and ninth overall at the Virginia short track. The emotional win was significant in many ways for the driver of the No. 24 AARP Member Advantages Chevrolet SS.

As darkness crept in, Gordon won the Goody’s® Headache Relief Shot® 500, his ninth career win at the historic speedway.