Martinsville Is Last Big Scare For Title Contenders
Martinsville Is Last Big Scare For Title
By TONY FABRIZIO afabrizio@tampatrib.com
Drivers call them wild-card races. They're races in which the chance of being caught up in a wreck or having some other misfortune is much greater than usual.
Talladega three weeks ago was a wild-card race because of restrictor plates. Charlotte last week was a wild-card race because the newly ground track surface didn't match up with the tire compound, and tires were blowing left and right.
And Sunday's Subway 500 at half-mile Martinsville Speedway is a wild-card race because it's a short-track event, the last of the year."If I was one of those 10 drivers who have a chance to win the championship, I'd be a little wary about going to Martinsville," veteran Ken Schrader said. "It doesn't take a genius to figure out we'll have a lot of beating and banging going on there."
Midway through the Chase, the championship is wide open.
Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson are tied for the lead, with Stewart holding a tiebreaker advantage because he has five wins to Johnson's four. The top four drivers are separated by 17 points, the top six by 54 points.
With so many drivers in contention -- even 10th-place Kurt Busch can't be counted out at 142 points back -- nobody can afford to crash out at Martinsville.
"I think that Martinsville is a place where contact is going to come into play and tempers are going to be high, like at Bristol," said Johnson, who won last fall at Martinsville. "There's a lot on the line for Chase contenders. It's a track where you can never get away from lapped cars or cars that you're racing, so the potential is there to have contact and problems."
Martinsville may be more critical for fourth-place Ryan Newman and seventh-place Rusty Wallace than the other eight Chase drivers. It's a track where each has a better chance of winning than in any of the other four remaining races. Newman is the best qualifier on the circuit, and qualifying is critical at Martinsville because passing is difficult.
And Wallace has always been at his best on a short track. His seven wins at Martinsville are first among active drivers, third all-time behind Richard Petty's 15 and Darrell Waltrip's 11.
Wallace is brimming with confidence.
"I saw a poll of the 10 Chase drivers and it really surprised me how many were concerned about the impact the Martinsville race could have on their chances of winning the championship," Wallace said. "Man, that's certainly not the case with me and my team. The race at Martinsville is one we've been looking forward to forever."
Jeff Gordon isn't in the Chase, but still figures as one of the favorites this weekend. Gordon has six victories at Martinsville, including one this spring and a 2003 sweep in which he won both races from the pole and led 503 of 1,000 laps. Gordon has an average finish at Martinsville of 8.1, and he has never failed to finish a race there.
"I definitely want another grandfather clock," Gordon said, referring to the unusual gift presented to Martinsville winners. "And I'd like to get [Steve] Letarte his first win as a crew chief."
Drivers in the Chase are thinking about another clock -- the one ticking on their Nextel Cup title hopes.
By TONY FABRIZIO afabrizio@tampatrib.com
Drivers call them wild-card races. They're races in which the chance of being caught up in a wreck or having some other misfortune is much greater than usual.
Talladega three weeks ago was a wild-card race because of restrictor plates. Charlotte last week was a wild-card race because the newly ground track surface didn't match up with the tire compound, and tires were blowing left and right.
And Sunday's Subway 500 at half-mile Martinsville Speedway is a wild-card race because it's a short-track event, the last of the year."If I was one of those 10 drivers who have a chance to win the championship, I'd be a little wary about going to Martinsville," veteran Ken Schrader said. "It doesn't take a genius to figure out we'll have a lot of beating and banging going on there."
Midway through the Chase, the championship is wide open.
Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson are tied for the lead, with Stewart holding a tiebreaker advantage because he has five wins to Johnson's four. The top four drivers are separated by 17 points, the top six by 54 points.
With so many drivers in contention -- even 10th-place Kurt Busch can't be counted out at 142 points back -- nobody can afford to crash out at Martinsville.
"I think that Martinsville is a place where contact is going to come into play and tempers are going to be high, like at Bristol," said Johnson, who won last fall at Martinsville. "There's a lot on the line for Chase contenders. It's a track where you can never get away from lapped cars or cars that you're racing, so the potential is there to have contact and problems."
Martinsville may be more critical for fourth-place Ryan Newman and seventh-place Rusty Wallace than the other eight Chase drivers. It's a track where each has a better chance of winning than in any of the other four remaining races. Newman is the best qualifier on the circuit, and qualifying is critical at Martinsville because passing is difficult.
And Wallace has always been at his best on a short track. His seven wins at Martinsville are first among active drivers, third all-time behind Richard Petty's 15 and Darrell Waltrip's 11.
Wallace is brimming with confidence.
"I saw a poll of the 10 Chase drivers and it really surprised me how many were concerned about the impact the Martinsville race could have on their chances of winning the championship," Wallace said. "Man, that's certainly not the case with me and my team. The race at Martinsville is one we've been looking forward to forever."
Jeff Gordon isn't in the Chase, but still figures as one of the favorites this weekend. Gordon has six victories at Martinsville, including one this spring and a 2003 sweep in which he won both races from the pole and led 503 of 1,000 laps. Gordon has an average finish at Martinsville of 8.1, and he has never failed to finish a race there.
"I definitely want another grandfather clock," Gordon said, referring to the unusual gift presented to Martinsville winners. "And I'd like to get [Steve] Letarte his first win as a crew chief."
Drivers in the Chase are thinking about another clock -- the one ticking on their Nextel Cup title hopes.
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