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Battle back for solid finish has Patrick leaving Martinsville proud

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SM Staff
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Photo Credit: Brad Keppel

What was expected to and nearly came to be a disastrous day for Danica Patrick, turned out to be a career one at Martinsville.

Patrick finished and impressive 12th at the short track after spinning in turn three just 15 laps into the race. The consequence of hitting the curb while trying to get to the inside of Ken Schrader. And with already being in the rear of the field due to a Saturday engine change, the spin led to a lost lap and the beginning of a long day.

“We had a spin at the very beginning and felt like I kind of got pinched down but I also got in pretty hard, so when you got the momentum going that way it’s sort of a perfect storm,” said Patrick after the race.

“But I learned my lesson to make sure that you don’t go in too hard because they’re going to be holding you tight and there’s going to be nowhere to go, nowhere to slide up and you get into them. Learned that lesson early. We were two laps down at one point and I’m probably most proud of getting those two laps back and then running strong until the end there on the lead lap.”

She messed her shifts up coming out to practice on Saturday and the team opted to change the engine. Her speed in practice though, and running Hendrick engines, gave her the confidence everything would be fine when the race started.

Patrick gave crew chief Tony Gibson, who won this race a year ago with Ryan Newman, a lot of the credit for the team’s performance as they used strategy in order to get back on the lead lap without falling back on the lucky dog award. Once those laps were erased they soon we’re climbing towards the leaders.

Patrick passed former Nationwide Series owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. just before the race became 400 laps old. Current team owner Tony Stewart was next on the list, who she also finished ahead of as well was teammate Ryan Newman.

“I felt a little funny kind of racing really hard for position there with Tony at the end and then to get in front of him,” said Patrick. “That was a little victory for me because he’s so good.

“I’m going to go over to his bus after this and see what he has to say about it. It was really fun. Gibson just prepares nice cars for Martinsville. It’s not about being first on your team, it’s about being first out there overall, and you work towards that the whole time.”

Not knowing what to expect in her Martinsville debut, Patrick relied on both spotter and crew chief for guidance. Where to run, how hard to run and even though she found herself comfortable right from the start and into a rhythm, Patrick admitted that every time she had to get inside of another car it was a challenge. Mostly in making sure she didn’t get into anyone else, ensuring she kept as many friends as possible.

During his post-race press conference Clint Bowyer admitted he found himself behind Patrick at one point and couldn’t make the pass.

“She came a long ways from yesterday, she was extremely fast. Good job,” Bowyer told her. Winning car owner Rick Hendrick also expressed his surprise and delight in her finish.

More importantly for Patrick, it was her first solid finish since her hot start at Daytona. Finding an up weekend in a difficult place of what has been a rocky start to her Rookie season.

“It was just nice to have a good weekend after having so many that weren’t good since Daytona,” said Patrick. “It was a fun little track. I was told that if it goes well you’ll be like, ‘I don’t mind this place at all, let’s come back.’ And if it doesn’t you don’t ever want to see it again.

“Today was one of those days, I had a good car and Gibson has got a good track record here. Newman won this race last year and he’s always run really well. I think the team has a lot to be proud of. The stops were good. We had a little right font damage from early in the race so it was a pain in the butt to get that tire off and then back on for stops.

“But it was good to get the GoDaddy car up there and Hendrick did a nice job all weekend.”

Toyota NSCS Martinsville Post-Race Notes & Quotes

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Another Dominating Win for Jimmie Johnson and Hendrick Motorsports at Martinsville

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SM Staff
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Photo Credit: Roger Holtsclaw

Jimmie Johnson won the 64th Annual STP Gas Booster 500 Sunday at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, VA. The Hendrick Motorsports driver started on the pole, and led 347 laps to capture his eighth victory at Martinsville.  It was Johnson’s 62nd victory in 405 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.

Today’s victory was also his second victory and fourth top-10 finish in 2013.  Commenting on the story of his win, Johnson said, “It was just a long-fought day.  Martinsville stays the same over the years and you just have to dig-in and get into a rhythm and drive your own race and see how things unfold at the end and how things happen.  Fortunately we didn’t have any craziness with two tires or four tires at the end.  I feel like the fastest car won the race.  Life is good.  We’ve had two wins this year.”

Johnson regained the lead in points standings by six points over Brad Keselowski and 12 points over Dale Earnhardt Jr.  Hendrick Motorsports now has the record for all time team wins at Martinsville Speedway, totaling twenty.

Johnson’s Hendrick teammates, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, finished third and fourth place respectively.  Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran in the top 10 most of the day, but was involved in an accident late in the race resulting in a 24th place finish.

Jeff Gordon commented in response to his Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet’s third place finish, “It was an exciting day for us.  You know, same thing kind of what Clint said, we were a little bit tighter when the race started than we anticipated, but we also burned the rear tires off of it the first couple of runs.  I think third was a great finish for us, and happy to bring home third.  We needed the points.  We needed a good solid run.”

Clint Bowyer posted his 9th top-10 finish in 15 races at Martinsville Speedway finishing the day in second place.  Today was Bowyer’s third top-10 finish in 2013.  When asked if he thought he had a shot at the win in the closing laps, Bowyer responded, “Well, last year I had the upper hand with tires and it just didn’t work out.  That time I was on the outside and it definitely was the opposite of that.  Just proud of RK Motors Toyota.  The guys did a good job.  Brian Pattie (crew chief) and everybody on this 15 car did a good job bringing a fast car.  It’s just disappointing—she was just tore up too bad.  We was lucky to get back up where we were and make some good adjustments.  All in all it was a good day.  5-HOUR, Peak, AAA—everybody that’s a part of this car—it’s a good program and a good group of guys.  Just wish I’d had that clock. Obviously second is decent in this world, in this sport, but it still sucks right now.”

Joe Gibbs Racing drivers had a great race today with all three drivers finishing with top-15 finishes.  M&M’s Toyota driver, Kyle Busch, finished fifth today after leading 56 laps.  After the race Busch said, “The M&M’s guys did a great job today and gave me a really good car.  We keep finishing top-five here all of the time, but it’d sure be nice to figure out some sort of secret that could get us into victory lane here.  It would be nice to bring home a grandfather clock, but not this week.”

Busch’s teammate for the day, Mark Martin, finished 10th while filling in for Denny Hamlin.  Martin said, “It wasn’t that great of a result—we were capable of a little bit better, but we just kept stumping our toe on Friday and then we had a setback when we were about to get into position.  I just want to thank Joe Gibbs.  I did not fill Denny Hamlin’s shoes, I can tell you that much.  He is the master.  I enjoyed this opportunity—it was fun.”

The other Joe Gibbs Racing driver in today’s race was 14th place finisher Matt Kenseth. Commenting on his day, Kenseth said, “We ran really great—that’s the best ever ran at Martinsville and the best car I’ve ever had here by far.  That part was all good.  We just didn’t get the finish, which is disappointing—we’ve got to start getting some finishes.  I had a great car and that’s the good part.”  Kenseth led 96 laps today.

Stewart-Haas Racing driver, Danica Patrick, had an impressive day.  Patrick finished in 12th place after starting at the rear of the field, due to an engine change, and getting spun in turn 4 on lap 17 of the race.  Patrick was the highest finishing rookie, and also the highest finishing Stewart-Haas driver on her first trip to Martinsville Speedway.  When asked about her day, Patrick said, “You know, it was just nice to have a good weekend after having so many that weren’t good since Daytona.  Today was one of those days I had a good car, and Gibson has got a good track record here.  I think the team has a lot to be proud of.”

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series now moves on to Texas Motor Speedway for the NRA 500 on Saturday, April 13.  This will be stop number seven for the 2013 season.

Unofficial Race Results
STP Gas Booster 500, Martinsville Speedway
http://www.speedwaymedia.com/cup/race.php?race=6
=========================================
Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
=========================================
1 1 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 48
2 15 15 Clint Bowyer Toyota 42
3 6 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 41
4 5 5 Kasey Kahne Chevrolet 40
5 11 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 40
6 7 2 Brad Keselowski Ford 38
7 13 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 37
8 2 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 37
9 22 16 Greg Biffle Ford 35
10 35 11 Mark Martin Toyota 34
11 3 55 Brian Vickers(i) Toyota 0
12 32 10 Danica Patrick # Chevrolet 32
13 21 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 31
14 8 20 Matt Kenseth Toyota 31
15 9 99 Carl Edwards Ford 29
16 41 13 Casey Mears Ford 28
17 26 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 27
18 29 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 26
19 16 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 25
20 34 43 Aric Almirola Ford 24
21 31 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 23
22 18 51 Regan Smith(i) Chevrolet 0
23 4 22 Joey Logano Ford 21
24 17 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 20
25 20 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. # Ford 19
26 14 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Chevrolet 18
27 37 36 JJ Yeley Chevrolet 17
28 30 38 David Gilliland Ford 16
29 39 7 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 15
30 23 34 David Ragan Ford 14
31 10 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 13
32 36 32 Ken Schrader Ford 12
33 33 33 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 11
34 43 87 Joe Nemechek(i) Toyota 0
35 42 35 Josh Wise(i) Ford 0
36 24 30 David Stremme Toyota 8
37 19 78 Kurt Busch Chevrolet 7
38 40 83 David Reutimann Toyota 6
39 25 93 Travis Kvapil Toyota 6
40 12 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 4
41 28 95 Scott Speed Ford 3
42 38 44 Scott Riggs Ford 2
43 27 98 Michael McDowell Ford 1

BOBBY LABONTE, JTG DAUGHERTY RACING, MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY PREVIEW

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SM Archive
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Johnson dominates at Martinsville; Takes over series points lead

By
Barry Albert
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Photo Credit: Roger Holtsclaw

Jimmie Johnson captured his 62nd career Sprint Cup Series victory on Sunday’s in the STP Gas Booster 500 at Martinsville Speedway.  Johnson led 346 laps in route to his eighth win and 20th top-10 finish in 23 races at Martinsville.

“I feel like the fastest car won the race. It was a very standard Martinsville race; although I thought some guys might peel off and take tires. It was just a hard race. This race track is tough to get around.” Johnson said.

Johnson started from the pole and dominated another race at this speedway.  Now only Richard Petty (15) and Darrell Waltrip (11) have more wins.

Clint Bowyer finished second, Jeff Gordon third, Kasey Kahne fourth and Kyle Busch finished fifth.

“We had a good car all weekend long so it’s incredibly disappointing to be honest to have such a good car.  Second is decent in this sport, but it still sucks.” Bowyer said.

Heading into the final laps it looked like another repeat from last years race with Johnson, Bowyer and Gordon fighting for the race win.  But Johnson got a great restart with eight laps to go and kept enough space between himself and Bowyer.  Gordon was also unable to make a run on Bowyer for second place in the closing laps.

“Well, we just didn’t need those cautions there at the end. I made a mistake on pit road and got us way behind. But, what an incredible effort for this Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet team.” Gordon said.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., the points leader heading into Martinsville had some late race contact with Danica Patrick and finished in 25th, 2-laps down.

Patrick, who went two laps down at one part of the race, battled back onto the lead lap and finished a very respectable 12th place.

“We obviously went down real early with that spin and then were two laps down at one point.  So I feel that is one of the things that I am most proud about is coming back from two laps down and being on the last lap.   Then grabbing a 12th place finish in the end was good and I think it was the right call to stay out because I don’t think tires were quite worth enough to pit, so it was a good run today.” Patrick said.

Johnson took over the series points standings by 6 points over Brad Keselowski and 12 over teammate Earnhardt Jr.

“We had a great weekend, probably the most calm, relaxed thought-out we’ve had. We really fell back on our experience and stayed committed to that,” said Johnson, who took over the Sprint Cup points lead with the win. “In the race we had to adjust on the fly. The track changed more than we thought it would. And then the 15 (Clint Bowyer) and the 24 (Gordon) showed up and I had my hands full.”

Unofficial Race Results
STP Gas Booster 500, Martinsville Speedway
http://www.speedwaymedia.com/cup/race.php?race=6
=========================================
Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
=========================================
1 1 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 48
2 15 15 Clint Bowyer Toyota 42
3 6 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 41
4 5 5 Kasey Kahne Chevrolet 40
5 11 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 40
6 7 2 Brad Keselowski Ford 38
7 13 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 37
8 2 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 37
9 22 16 Greg Biffle Ford 35
10 35 11 Mark Martin Toyota 34
11 3 55 Brian Vickers(i) Toyota 0
12 32 10 Danica Patrick # Chevrolet 32
13 21 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 31
14 8 20 Matt Kenseth Toyota 31
15 9 99 Carl Edwards Ford 29
16 41 13 Casey Mears Ford 28
17 26 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 27
18 29 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 26
19 16 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 25
20 34 43 Aric Almirola Ford 24
21 31 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 23
22 18 51 Regan Smith(i) Chevrolet 0
23 4 22 Joey Logano Ford 21
24 17 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 20
25 20 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. # Ford 19
26 14 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Chevrolet 18
27 37 36 JJ Yeley Chevrolet 17
28 30 38 David Gilliland Ford 16
29 39 7 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 15
30 23 34 David Ragan Ford 14
31 10 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 13
32 36 32 Ken Schrader Ford 12
33 33 33 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 11
34 43 87 Joe Nemechek(i) Toyota 0
35 42 35 Josh Wise(i) Ford 0
36 24 30 David Stremme Toyota 8
37 19 78 Kurt Busch Chevrolet 7
38 40 83 David Reutimann Toyota 6
39 25 93 Travis Kvapil Toyota 6
40 12 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 4
41 28 95 Scott Speed Ford 3
42 38 44 Scott Riggs Ford 2
43 27 98 Michael McDowell Ford 1

CHEVY NSCS AT MARTINSVILLE ONE: Post Race Notes and Quotes

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SM Archive
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Johnson Has Perfect Martinsville Weekend With STP Gas Booster 500 Win

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SM Archive
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Too Much to Overcome for Kurt Busch in Martinsville

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SM Archive
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Lap by Lap: STP Gas Booster 500 won by Jimmie Johnson

By
SM Staff
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Photo Credit: Roger Holtsclaw

After getting the lead on a late race pit stop, Jimmie Johnson would hold on to the lead for the final 51 laps to pick up his eighth Martinsville Grandfather Clock.

 

Lap 1 Marcos Ambrose leads on the outside

Lap 2 Jimmie Johnson finally clears Ambrose and grabs the lead.

Lap 7 Johnson leads Ambrose Vickers Logano Kahne Gordon Keselowski Kenseth Edwards Ky Busch

Lap 12 Keselowski passes Kahne

Lap 13 Kenseth and Edwards pass Kahne

Lap 14 Ky Busch passes Kahne

Lap 15 McMurray passes Kahne; Travis Kvapil bounces off the wall

Caution lap 16 Danica Patrick spins after Ken Schrader pinches her down. A few people head down pit road, including Kahne and McMurray

Restart lap 22 Johnson grabs the run off on the restart while Ambrose and Vickers fight for second.

Lap 23 Johnson Vickers Ambrose Goron Kenseth Logano Keselowski Ky Busch Edwards Montoya…Gordon passes Ambrose off of turn four

Lap 24 Kenseth passes Ambrose off of turn two

Lap 27 Logano passes Ambrose……Earnhardt Jr. and Bowyer pass Edwards

Lap 28 Keselowski, Ky Busch and Earnhardt pass Ambrose

Lap 30 Johnson leads Vickers Gordon Kenseth Logano Keselowski Ky Busch Earnhardt Ambrose Montoya

Lap 41 Johnson leads Vickers Gordon Kenseth Ky Busch Earnhardt Bowyer Logano Ambrose Harvick

Lap 45 Harvick, Keselowski and Kahne pass Ambrose

Lap 47 Ky Busch passes Kenseth; Kahne passes Keselowski

Lap 48 Gordon passes Vickers for second

Lap 50 Johnson leads Gordon Vickers Ky Busch Kenseth Earnhardt Bowyer Kahne Harvick Logano

Lap 60 Johnson leads Gordon Vickers Ky Busch Kenseth Bowyer Earnhardt Kahne McMurray Harvick

Lap 63 Kahne and McMurray pass Earnhardt

Lap 65 Ky Busch passes Vickers

Lap 67 Kahne and McMurray pass Bowyer; Burton passes Harvick

Lap 68 Johnson leads Gordon Ky Busch Vickers Kahne McMurray Kenseth Bowyer Earnhardt Truex

Caution lap 70 Scott Speed is stopped on the front stretch. Juan Pablo Montoya gets the lucky dog. Leaders head down pit road. Johnson leads Ky Busch McMuray Vickers Gordon Bowyer Kenseth Earnhardt Truex off pit road.

Restart Lap 77 Johnson gets the jump and Ky Busch tucks down behind him

Lap 80 Johnson leads Ky Busch Gordon Kenseth Earnhardt Vickers Bowyer Truex McMurray Kahne

Lap 81 Earnhardt passes Kenseth for fourth

Lap 90 Ky Busch takes the lead away from Johnson

Lap 98 Montoya with an unscheduled pit stop due to a flat tire

Lap 102 Ky Busch leads Johnson Gordon Earnhardt Kenseth Bowyer Vickers McMurray Kahne Harvick

Lap 104 Johnson passes Ky Busch back for the lead

Lap 120 Johnson leads Gordon Kenseth Ky Busch Bowyer McMurray Kahne Earnhardt Harvick Truex

Lap 125 Harvick and Truex passes Earnhardt

Lap 126 Vickers passes Earnhardt

lap 135 McMurray passes Bowyer

lap 136 Johnson leads Gordon Kenseth Ky Busch McMurray Bowyer Kahne Harvick Truex Vickers

lap 153 Johnson leads Kenseth Gordon Ky Busch McMurray Bowyer Kahne Harvick Truex Keselowski

lap 163 Ky Busch passes Gordon

lap 165 McMurray passes Gordon as Josh Wise gets up into the wall after contact from Menard, but continues

caution lap 171 debris as Stenhouse loses grill. Leaders hit pit road. Johnson leads Ky Busch Kenseth McMurray Gordon Boyer Harvick Kahne Earnhardt off pit road

restart lap 99

caution lap 101 Bowyer around as Truex and Logano have heavy front end damage. Burton has heavy front damage, Mark Martin with some side damage. Jr doesn’t get off the corner that hard, Vickers hits him, others make contact from behind. Caution comes out – Johnson slows up, McMurray hits him, Bowyer hits McMurray, Keselowski dumps Bowyer completely. No. 93 involved. Edwards gets the lucky dog. 1 9 11 15 22 31 55 56 88 and 93 have damage from the incident. Dale Earnhardt Jr. explained his view on radio: Said 5 slowed down in restart stackup, he got drilled by 55 then couldn’t go.

Johnson said he slowed due to getting in marbles, not due to caution. Got lucky with scoring line. Kyle Busch: “He should be about sixth. It’s just perfect timing, horseshoe up his a**.” Kyle told NASCAR reverts back to last timing line.

Restart lap 197 as Johnson leads ahead of Kyle Busch

Lap 200 Johnson leads Ky Busch Gordon Kenseth Gordon Harvick Keselowski Kahne Ku Busch Newman

Lap 201 Ku Busch passes Kahne

Lap 203 Johnson leads Ky Busch Kenseth Gordon Harvick Keselowski Ku Busch Kahne Newman Stewart

Lap 213 Kenseth passes Ky Busch for second

Lap 215 Keselowski passes Harvick for fifth; McMurray passes Stewart for 11th

Lap 222 Kenseth takes the lead with a bump by Johnson in turn two

Lap 231 Kenseth leads Johnson Ky Busch Gordon Keselowski Harvick Kahne Newman McMurray Ku Busch

Lap 234 Stewart and Earnhardt pass Ku Busch

Lap 240 Caution David Reuitmann goes around after contact from Regan Smith. Kenseth leads Ky Busch Johnson Martin off pit road.

Restart lap 248 Kenseth wins the drag race into turn one as Ky Busch slides behind him.

Halfway

Lap 251 Kenseth leads Ky Busch Johnson Keselowski Harvick McMurray Earnhardt Newman Stewart Kahne

246 to go Earnhardt passes McMurray…..Caution as Edwards has a left rear flat tire and goes around. Leaders stay out while some others pit. Mark Martin comes in for four tires and Mark goes to pull away before the left front is tightened. Being held also for pitting outside box.

Restart 240 to go Kenseth grabs the clean line going into turn three. Kurt Busch has a left front tire down, Gordon bumps him out of the way. No caution. “You know that was the 22.”

236 to go Ky Busch passes Kenseth for the lead out of turn two as Kurt Busch makes it to pit road

231 to go Ky Busch leads Kenseth Johnson Keselowski Harvick McMurray Earnhardt Newman Stewart Logano

Caution lap 280 Truex goes for the spin in turns three and four.

Restart 215 to go Ky Busch grabs the lead on the restart as Keselowski gives Kenseth a shot. Johnson slips by Keselowski for third

208 to go Ky Busch leads Kenseth Johnson Keselowski McMurray Earnhardt Stewart Logano Harvick Kahne….Caution as Kurt Busch goes for a spin thanks to Gilliland. Leaders stay out. Some of the back runners pit.

Restart 202 to go Ky Busch grabs the lead on the restart with Kenseth tucked in line in second

200 to go Ky Busch leads Kenseth Keselowski Johnson Earnhardt

198 to go Johnson passes Keselowski for third

197 to go Ky Busch leads Kenseth Johnson Keselowski Earnhardt McMurray Kahne Stewart Harvick Vickers

191 to go Kenseth passes Kyle Busch for the lead

189 to go Johnson passes Kyle Busch for second

182 to go McMurray and Kahne by Earnhardt for fifth and sixth

180 to go Kenseth leads Johnson Ky Busch Keselowski McMurray Kahne Earnhardt Harvick Vickers Bowyer

159 to go Kenseth leads Johnson Ky Busch Keselowski Kahne McMurray Vickers Bowyer Harvick Gordon

152 to go Gordon passes Harvick; Kahne passes Keselowski. Kurt Busch holds up Kenseth, Kenseth gives him a poke and gets him sideways to cause a bottle neck on the front. No contact, no damage. Kenseth continues but now with Johnson and Ky Busch closer to bumper.

147 to go Kenseth leads Johnson Ky Busch Kahne Keselowski Vickers McMurray Bowyer Gordon Harvick

Lap 361 Caution as Newman has a flat tire. Leaders hit pit road. Johnson first off pit road. NASCAR says that Ryan Newman deliberately caused the caution so they are holding him for three laps on pit road.

Restart lap 368 as Johnson holds the lead on the restart ahead of Kenseth

125 to go Johnson leads Kenseth Kahne Ky Busch Bowyer Keselowski Gordon McMurray Harvick Vickers

124 to go Stremme gave Schrader a bump, Schrader returned the favor. Stremme holds on to it. No caution.

123 to go Kahne passes Kenseth

119 to go Johnson leads Kahne Kenseth Bowyer Ky Busch Gordon Keselowski McMurray Harvick Stewart

101 to go Johnson leads Kahne Bowyer Kenseth Ky Busch Gordon McMurray Keselowski Vickers Harvick

92 to go Gordon passes Ky Busch; Reuitmann slow down the front stretch with a flat tire.

91 to go Reuitmann makes it to pit road

89 to go Vickers passes Keselowski for eighth

87 to go Johnson leads Kahne Bowyer Kenseth Gordon Ky Busch McMurray Keselowski Vickers and Harvick

76 to go Ryan Newman to pit road with another flat tire

74 to go Johnson leads Kahne Bowyer Gordon Kenseth Ky Busch McMurray Keselowski Vickers Harvick

67 to go Ky Busch passes Kenseth

61 to go Gordon passes Bowyer for third

Caution lap 449 Brian Vickers goes around with a flat tire. Leaders head down pit road. Johnson leads Gordon Bowyer Ky Busch Kahne Kenseth Harvick Burton McMurray off pit road.

Restart 42 to go as Johnson and Gordon drag race to turn one. Johnson gets the run off of turn two as Gordon pulls down behind him.

40 to go Johnson leads Gordon Bowyer Ky Busch Kahne Kenseth Harvick Burton McMurray Biffle

36 to go McMurray, Keselowski and Ambrose pass Burton for position

35 to go Bowyer passes Gordon for second……Caution Vickers into Danica, which put her into Dale Jr. Jr goes for the spin. Vickers gets the lucky dog

Restart 27 to go Johnson gets a good jump on the start and Bowyer falls back in line behind him

25 to go Johnson leads Bowyer Gordon Ky Busch Kahne Harvick Kenseth McMurray Burton Biffle

23 to go Biffle and Ambrose pass Burton for ninth and 10th

15 to go Johnson leads Bowyer Gordon Ky Busch Kahne Harvick Kenseth McMurray Keselowski Biffle

Caution 14 to go Kurt Busch hits the wall and catches fire. Once they restart, you will have Johnson leading Bowyer Gordon Ky Busch and Kahne. Almirola gets the free pass. Most stay out, while a couple pit including Kenseth, Harvick and Edwards

Restart 8 to go Johnson escapes Bowyer off of turn two. Bowyer looks low on Johnson, but Johnson holds the line into turn three

7 to go Johnson leads Bowyer Gordon Kahne and Ky Busch

Johnson wins. Bowyer. Gordon. Kahne. Ky Busch. Keselowski. McMurray. Ambrose. Biffle. Vickers. Patrick. Harvick.

After the race, Harvick spins Vickers. They made contact as they were coming to the checkered.

Ford Martinsville Post-Race Quotes

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