Statistical Advance: Analyzing the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 5, 2021) – Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia, going into the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 on Sunday, April 10, at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

Martinsville Speedway Data

Season Race #: 7 of 36 (04-10-21)

Track Size: 0.526-mile

Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 12 degrees

Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 12 degrees

Banking/Frontstretch: 0 degrees

Banking/Backstretch: 0 degrees

Frontstretch Length:  800 feet

Backstretch Length:  800 feet

Race Length: 500 laps / 263 miles

Stage 1 & 2 Length: 130 laps (each)

Final Stage Length: 240 laps

Top 12 Driver Ratings at Martinsville

Denny Hamlin……………………… 105.0

Kyle Busch…………………………. 102.7

Brad Keselowski……………………. 99.8

Ryan Blaney…………………………. 98.5

Joey Logano………………………… 97.3

Chase Elliott…………………………. 95.3

Kevin Harvick……………………….. 93.8

Martin Truex Jr……………………… 84.4

Ryan Newman………………………. 83.8

Kurt Busch…………………………… 82.0

William Byron……………………….. 74.9

Kyle Larson………………………….. 73.6

Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2020 races (32 total) among active drivers at Martinsville Speedway.

MARTINSVILLE-SPECIFIC LOOP DATA STATISTICS

(Driver stats in the below section are from 2005-Present)

Ryan Blaney (No. 12 Team Penske Ford)

• Five top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 10.700, third-best
• Average Running Position of 9.907, second-best
• Driver Rating of 98.5, fourth-best
• 203 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-best
• 3,523 Laps in the Top 15 (70.4%), 13th-most
• 225 Quality Passes, 16th-most

Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)

• Two wins, 16 top fives, 18 top 10s; two poles
• Average finish of 12.194, fourth-best
• Average Running Position of 10.706, third-best
• Driver Rating of 102.7, second-best
• 885 Fastest Laps Run, second-best
• 12,071 Laps in the Top 15 (77.7%), series-most
• 972 Quality Passes, second-most

Kurt Busch (No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet)

• Two wins, four top fives, nine top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 19.063, 10th-best
• Average Running Position of 15.767, ninth-best
• Driver Rating of 82.0, 10th-best
• 240 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-best
• 9,210 Laps in the Top 15 (57.4%), fourth-most
• 828 Quality Passes, fifth-most

William Byron (No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)

• One top five, two top 10s
• Average finish of 21.000, 17th-best
• Average Running Position of 17.023, 12th-best
• Driver Rating of 74.9, 11th-best
• 71 Fastest Laps Run, 16th-best
• 1,410 Laps in the Top 15 (47.0%), 18th-most
• 127 Quality Passes, 19th-most

Chase Elliott (No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)

• One win, four top fives, six top 10s
• Average finish of 14.545, sixth-best
• Average Running Position of 13.057, seventh-best
• Driver Rating of 95.3, sixth-best
• 380 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-best
• 3,717 Laps in the Top 15 (67.5%), 12th-most
• 274 Quality Passes, 14th-most

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)

• Five wins, 15 top fives, 21 top 10s; four poles
• Average finish of 9.933, series-best
• Average Running Position of 9.622, series-best
• Driver Rating of 105.0, series-best
• 984 Fastest Laps Run, series-best
• 12,039 Laps in the Top 15 (80.1%), second-most
• 1,024 Quality Passes, series-most

Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford)

• One win, five top fives, 19 top 10s
• Average finish of 13.906, eighth-best
• Average Running Position of 12.762, sixth-best
• Driver Rating of 93.8, seventh-best
• 565 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-best
• 11,335 Laps in the Top 15 (70.7%), third-most
• 950 Quality Passes, third-most

Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Team Penske Ford)

• Two wins, 11 top fives, 16 top 10s
• Average finish of 10.182, second-best
• Average Running Position of 11.175, fifth-best
• Driver Rating of 99.8, third-best
• 641 Fastest Laps Run, third-best
• 8,105 Laps in the Top 15 (73.5%), eighth-most
• 770 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Kyle Larson (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)

• One top five, two top 10s
• Average finish of 22.416, 23rd-best
• Average Running Position of 17.832, 13th-best
• Driver Rating of 73.6, 12th-best
• 52 Fastest Laps Run, 18th-best
• 3,125 Laps in the Top 15 (52.0%), 14th-most
• 297 Quality Passes, 13th-most

Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Ford)

• One win, eight top fives, 12 top 10s; five poles
• Average finish of 12.375, fifth-best
• Average Running Position of 10.997, fourth-best
• Driver Rating of 97.3, fifth-best
• 476 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-best
• 8,620 Laps in the Top 15 (71.7%), seventh-most
• 713 Quality Passes, seventh-most

Ryan Newman (No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford)

• One win, eight top fives, 17 top 10s; three poles
• Average finish of 14.250, seventh-best
• Average Running Position of 15.205, eighth-best
• Driver Rating of 83.8, ninth-best
• 211 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-best
• 8,882 Laps in the Top 15 (55.4%), fifth-most
• 852 Quality Passes, fourth-most

Martin Truex Jr (No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)

• Two wins, seven top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole
• Average finish of 17.000, ninth-best
• Average Running Position of 16.116, 10th-best
• Driver Rating of 84.4, eighth-best
• 560 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-best
• 8,646 Laps in the Top 15 (57.5%), sixth-most

• 646 Quality Passes, ninth-most

NASCAR Cup Series 2021 Top 16 in the Driver Standings at Martinsville Speedway

* – Based on last 32 races at Martinsville Speedway (2005 – 2020).

Martinsville: Qualifying/Race Data

2020 pole winner:

None – Lineups were decided by Random Draw – Ryan Blaney started first.

Track qualifying record:

Joey Logano, Ford

100.201 mph, 18.898 secs. 03-28-14

2020 race winner:

Martin Truex Jr., Toyota

77.378 mph, (03:23:56), 06-10-20

Track race record:

Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet

82.223 mph, (3:11:55), 09-22-96

Martinsville Speedway:

HISTORY

• Opened in September of 1947 by H. Clay Earles, Martinsville Speedway, originally a dirt track, is one of the oldest continuously-operating race tracks in the United States.
• The first NASCAR-sanctioned race at Martinsville was on July 4, 1948.
• The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway was on Sept. 25, 1949 and won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Red Byron driving an Oldsmobile for car owner Raymond Parks.
• The track was paved during the summer months of 1955. The first race at the track that season was on dirt (May 15) and the second race of the year was the first on the paved track (Oct. 16). Prior to paving the track, the Cup Series ran 12 races total on the dirt at Martinsville (1949-1955).
• The first 500-lap event at Martinsville was in 1956.
• Concrete corners were added atop asphalt in 1976.
• In total, there have been 144 NASCAR Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway, one in the inaugural year and two races per year since 1950.

STARTS

• A total of 641 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway; 411 have competed in more than one.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the NASCAR Cup Series in starts at Martinsville Speedway with 67; followed by Dave Marcis and Ricky Rudd with 55 each.
• Kurt Busch leads the series in starts among active drivers at Martinsville Speedway with 41 starts; followed by Kevin Harvick (39) and Ryan Newman (38).
• In total, 62 drivers have made their first career NASCAR Cup Series start at Martinsville Speedway.
• Chase Elliott (March 29, 2015) and Michael McDowell (March 30, 2008) are the active drivers who have made their first NASCAR Cup Series career start at Martinsville.
• The most recent driver to make their series debut at Martinsville was Kyle Weatherman on October 29, 2017.
• Fonty Flock (nine starts) leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Martinsville Speedway with a 3.125.

• Joey Logano (24 starts) leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Martinsville Speedway with a 7.917.

Top 10 in Average Starting Position at Martinsville Speedway (All-Time & Active)

POLES

• In total 61 different drivers have won poles in the NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway.
• 28 of the 61 NASCAR Cup Series Martinsville Speedway pole winners have won multiple poles.
• Six NASCAR Cup Series Martinsville Speedway pole winners are active this weekend.

• Curtis Turner won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series pole at Martinsville Speedway in 1949.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip leads the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Martinsville Speedway with eight poles (1979, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1992).
• Joey Logano leads the series among active drivers with the most poles at Martinsville with five (2015 sweep, spring 2016, fall 2017 and spring 2019).
• A total of 13 different drivers have won two or more consecutive poles at Martinsville Speedway; the most recent was Joey Logano who won three consecutive poles at Martinsville from 2015-2016.
• Five drivers have won three or more consecutive poles at Martinsville Speedway in the series: Glen Wood (fall of 1959 and 1960 sweep, Darrell Waltrip (1979 sweep and spring 1980), Mark Martin (fall of 1990 and 1991 sweep), Jeff Gordon (2003 sweep and spring 2004) and Joey Logano (2015 sweep, 2016 spring)
• Youngest series Martinsville pole winner: Ricky Rudd (April 26, 1981 – 24 years, 7 months, 14 days).

• Oldest series Martinsville pole winner: Morgan Shepherd (April 26, 1987 – 45 years, 6 months, 14 days).
• A total of 12 different drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Cup Series pole at Martinsville Speedway; none are active this weekend.

WINS

• A total of 54 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have won at Martinsville Speedway.
• 27 of the 54 different NASCAR Cup Series winners at Martinsville Speedway have won multiple times.
• Nine of the 54 different NASCAR Cup Series Martinsville Speedway winners are active this weekend.

• The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway was on Sept. 25, 1949 and won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Red Byron driving an Oldsmobile for car owner Raymond Parks.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Martinsville Speedway with 15 victories (1960, 1962, 1963, 1967 sweep, 1968, 1969 sweep, 1970, 1971, 1972 sweep, 1973, 1975, 1979).
• Denny Hamlin leads the NASCAR Cup Series among active drivers in wins at Martinsville Speedway with five victories (2008, 2009, 2010 sweep, 2015).
• A total of 13 NASCAR Cup Series drivers have posted consecutive wins at Martinsville Speedway.

• Fred Lorenzenwon four Cup Series Martinsville races straight (the most) from the fall of 1963 through the spring of 1965.
• Martin Truex Jr.was the most recent driver to win consecutive Cup races at Martinsville (Oct. 2019; June 2020).

• A total of 12 different drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Cup Series win at Martinsville Speedway; the most recent was Ricky Craven (10/15/2001).

• Youngest series Martinsville winner: Richard Petty (April 10, 1960 – 22 years, 9 months, 8 days).
• Oldest series Martinsville winner: Harry Gant (September 22, 1991 – 51 years, 8 months, 12 days).
• A total of 21 of the 144 NASCAR Cup Series races (14.6%) at Martinsville Speedway have been won from the pole or first starting position.  Note: Jimmie Johnson won the 2008 Martinsville Cup race from the first starting position due to qualifying being cancelled due to weather.
• Four of the 21 Cup Series wins at Martinsville from the first starting position came from active drivers:

• • Jimmie Johnson(2008, 2012 and Spring of 2013)
  • Denny Hamlin(2010)

• The first starting position is the most proficient starting spot in the field at Martinsville, producing more wins than any other starting position (21 victories – a winning percentage of 14.6%).
• 36 of the 144 (25.8%) NASCAR Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway have been won from the front row: 21 from the first starting position and 15 from the second starting position.

NASCAR Cup Series Wins by Starting Positions at Martinsville Speedway

Note: In four of the early races at Martinsville Speedway (1950, Spring 1953, Fall 1953 and Spring 1954), the starting positions were not provided on the official race reports; therefore, the below chart is based off the provided starting positions of the winners of the remaining 140 races.

• The deepest in the field that a NASCAR Cup Series Martinsville Speedway race winner has started is 36th, by Kurt Busch in the fall of 2002.
• Martin Truex Jr. competed at Martinsville Speedway 28 times before winning in 2019; the longest span of any the nine active NASCAR Cup Series winners.
• Five active winners have made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Martinsville Speedway: Martin Truex Jr. (28), Kyle Busch (21) Ryan Newman (20), Kevin Harvick (19), Brad Keselowski (14).
• Aric Almirola leads the NASCAR Cup Series in starts without a win at Martinsville with 24 starts.
• In total 39 different car owners have won at Martinsville Speedway.

Top Five in Owner Wins at Martinsville Speedway (All-Time)

• Hendrick Motorsports leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Martinsville Speedway with 25 wins – Jeff Gordon (nine), Jimmie Johnson (nine), Darrell Waltrip (four), Geoffrey Bodine (one), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (one), Chase Elliott (one).
• A total of 11 manufacturers have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway:

ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS

Runner-Up Finishes

• A total of 69 NASCAR Cup Series drivers have finished runner-up at Martinsville Speedway.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the NASCAR Cup Series in second-place finishes with seven runner-up finishes (1987, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000).
• Denny Hamlin (2006, 2009, 2018) and Kyle Busch (2012, 2017, 2018) lead all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville with three runner-up finishes each

Top Five in Runner-Up Finishes at Martinsville Speedway (All-Time & Active)

Top-Five Finishes

• A total of 153 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have finished in the top-five at Martinsville.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the NASCAR Cup Series in top-five finishes at Martinsville Speedway with 30; followed by Jeff Gordon with 29.
• Kyle Busch leads all active drivers with 16 top fives at Martinsville, followed by Denny Hamlin with 15 top-five finishes.

Top Five in Top-Five Finishes at Martinsville Speedway (All-Time & Active)

Top-10 Finishes

• A total of 262 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have finished in the top-10 at Martinsville.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the NASCAR Cup Series in top-10 finishes at Martinsville Speedway with 38 top 10s; followed by Richard Petty with 37.
• Denny Hamlin leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in top 10s at Martinsville with 21; followed by Kevin Harvick with 19.

Top Five in Top-10 Finishes at Martinsville Speedway (All-Time & Active)

Average Finish

• Dick Hutcherson (five starts) leads the series in average finishing position at Martinsville Speedway with a 3.8 average finish.
• Denny Hamlin (30 starts) leads the series among active drivers in average finishing position at Martinsville Speedway with a 9.933; followed by Brad Keselowski with a 10.182 average finish (22 starts).

Top 10 in Average Finishing Position at Martinsville Speedway (All-Time & Active)

TRACK/EVENT SPECIFIC STATS

• Qualifying has been cancelled 12 times in the NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway:

• Eight NASCAR Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway have been shortened due to weather:

• There have been six series races that have ended in NASCAR Overtime at Martinsville Speedway:

• Since the advent of electronic scoring in 1993, the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway is the April 1, 2007 race won by Jimmie Johnson with a Margin of Victory of 0.065 second over second-place Jeff Gordon.

Top Five Closest NASCAR Cup Series Margins of Victory at Martinsville Speedway

LAP LEADERS

• A total of 152 different drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have led at least one lap at Martinsville.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough leads the series in laps led at Martinsville Speedway with 3,851 laps led (29%) in 31 starts.

• The most laps led by the NASCAR Cup Series race winner at Martinsville Speedway was 493 laps led of the scheduled 500 (98.6%) by NASCAR Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen on Sept. 27, 1964; he started from the pole.
• The most laps led by a NASCAR Cup Series driver that did not win the race at Martinsville Speedway was 432 laps led of the scheduled 500 (86.4%) by NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison on Sept. 24, 1972; he started from the pole but finished second.
• The fewest laps led by the NASCAR Cup Series race winner at Martinsville Speedway was four laps of the scheduled 500 by John Andretti on April 18, 1999; he started the race 21st.
• Denny Hamlin leads all active drivers in the series in laps led at Martinsville with 1,608 (11%) in 30 starts.

FEMALE COMPETITOR STATS

• Danica Patrick is the only female driver to compete at Martinsville Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series. Below are Patrick’s stats at Martinsville.

NASCAR IN VIRGINIA

• There have been 529 NASCAR national series races among 10 tracks in the state of Virginia.
• Martinsville Speedway hosted the very first NASCAR national series race in the state of Virginia on Sept. 25, 1949 – the NASCAR Cup Series event was won by Red Byron (Oldsmobile).

VIRGINIA IN NASCAR

• A total of 184 different drivers with their home state recorded as Virginia have made at least one start in a NASCAR national series race.
• 19 drivers from Virginia have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series. 11 of the 19 Virginia native NASCAR winners have won in the NASCAR Cup Series.
• In total the drivers from Virginia have won 262 NASCAR national series races combined.