Fast Forward ~ The Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 At Martinsville Fantasy Race Picks And Preview
“The future is like a corridor into which we can see only by the light coming from behind.”
–Edward Weyer, Jr.
The Track: Martinsville Speedway
Location: Martinsville, Virginia
Length: .526 Mile Oval
Banking: 12 degrees in turns 1-2;
12 degrees in turns 3-4;
0 degrees on the backstretch,
0 degrees on the front
Pit Road Speed:30 MPH
The Race: The Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500
500 Laps/ 263 Miles
Defending Champion: Jeff Gordon, 70.337 MPH
Most recent winner: Kurt Busch, 72.176 MPH
Track Record: Jeff Gordon, September, 1996; 82.223 MPH
Race Record: Jeff Gordon, September, 1996; 82.223 MPH
Qualifying record: Joey Logano, March 2014, 100.201 MPH
TV:ESPN, 1:30 PM EST
RADIO: MRN (www.motorracingnetwork.com) Sirius XM Channel 90
The History:
September 1947-The Martinsville Speedway, originally a dirt track, opened.
9/25/1949 - The first Sprint Cup Race, then Strictly Stock, was held. Driving a Raymond Parks owned ’49 Olds, Red Byron beat Lee Petty by more than three laps. This was the sixth race in the history of what would become the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
1955-Martinville was paved.
1956-The first 500 mile event was held at Martinsville.
4/10/1960 - Youngest Winner: Richard Petty: 22 years, 9 months, 8 days.
4/22/1979 - Richard Petty becomes the all-time win leader at Martinsville with 15, Jimmie Johnson leads active drivers with eight wins.
9/22/1991 - Oldest Winner: Harry Gant: 51 years, 8 months, 12 days.
4/7/2013 - Hendrick Motorsports becomes the all-time winning car owner with twenty. (Now 21)
The Contenders:
Top 10 Driver Ratings at Martinsville:
#48-Jimmie Johnson 124.8
#24-Jeff Gordon 119.0
#11-Denny Hamlin 109.6
#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. 99.9
#14-Tony Stewart 97.0
#18-Kyle Busch 96.1
#15-Clint Bowyer 94.6
#4-Kevin Harvick 93.2
Jeff Burton 87.4
#31-Ryan Newman 86.9
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2014 races (19 total) among active
drivers at Martinsville Speedway.
The Picks:
Before we get into it this week, let’s take a look back at our picks and results from last week. No one picked the correct winner, and as a result Kevin and Vivian will advance based on wins. Barbara, Mr. Pole, Darrell, and Jim will all advance to the Eliminator round, while Brian and PattyKay have been ousted from Championship contention.
Player |
Selection |
Race Pts |
Previous Pts |
Total Pts |
Behind |
Wins |
DNFs |
Kevin Abraham |
1 |
10 |
3087 |
3097 |
-13 |
3 |
4 |
Vivian |
88 |
14 |
3057 |
3071 |
-39 |
5 |
2 |
Barbara |
4 |
36 |
3074 |
3110 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
Mr. Pole |
55 |
24 |
3073 |
3097 |
-13 |
6 |
2 |
Jim Fitzgerald |
11 |
27 |
3058 |
3085 |
-25 |
2 |
2 |
Darrell |
88 |
14 |
3070 |
3084 |
-26 |
3 |
2 |
PattyKay Lilley |
24 |
19 |
3062 |
3081 |
-29 |
1 |
1 |
Brian Marchetti |
18 |
4 |
3044 |
3048 |
-62 |
1 |
4 |
Mr. Winner |
1 |
10 |
2163 |
2173 |
-937 |
1 |
3 |
Alabama Fitz |
18 |
4 |
2164 |
2168 |
-942 |
2 |
7 |
Nate |
14 |
11 |
2129 |
2140 |
-970 |
1 |
3 |
Mr. Seven |
41 |
37 |
1234 |
1271 |
-1839 |
0 |
0 |
Here is how the field looks reset:
Player |
Previous Pts |
Total Pts |
Behind |
Wins |
DNFs |
Kevin Abraham |
3097 |
4000 |
0 |
3 |
4 |
Vivian |
3071 |
4000 |
0 |
5 |
2 |
Barbara |
3110 |
4000 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
Mr. Pole |
3097 |
4000 |
0 |
6 |
2 |
Jim Fitzgerald |
3085 |
4000 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
Darrell |
3084 |
4000 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
PattyKay Lilley |
3062 |
2193 |
-1807 |
1 |
1 |
Mr. Winner |
2163 |
2173 |
-1827 |
1 |
3 |
Brian Marchetti |
3044 |
2170 |
-1830 |
1 |
4 |
Alabama Fitz |
2164 |
2168 |
-1832 |
2 |
7 |
Nate |
2129 |
2140 |
-1860 |
1 |
3 |
Mr. Seven |
1234 |
1271 |
-2729 |
0 |
0 |
Alabama Fitz: Since 2003, Chevy has won 18 of the races at Martinsville, and the last seven straight. Some will say it's the cars, but when I count seven different drivers in those 18 wins, I figure it has something to do with the durability of the car. In this next segment of the Chase, there is a Ford driver you cannot ignore, Brad Keselowski. Is this the race Ford (Keselowski) or Toyota (Kenseth) breaks the choke hold Chevy has had here for so long? Mayhaps, but I'm sticking with Chevy (I'm a Ford man myself) and Jeff Gordon.
PattyKay Lilley: Well, even though I was voted "Ms Irrelevant" this week, I guess that like Jimmie, I'm supposed to keep playing even though I no longer matter in the grand scheme of things. In that case, I'm going to ride with "Mr. Irrelevant", Jimmie Johnson at Martinsville. The stupid Chase can't spoil my enjoyment of this great little track.
Kevin Abraham: My pick this week is going to be Joey Logano. I think it is his year to win the championship, and to lock us both into the last race of the year at Homestead.
Jim Fitzgerald: I'm taking the guy on the hot streak right now, and that's Kevin Harvick...what hot streak? The one he's been on all year, except "The Closer" hasn't been closing, save for Charlotte. A seventh place finish here in the spring makes me think that after giving the team more time to gel, and seeing them still contending for wins, especially with a new Chase segment beginning, he might be the guy to beat.
Brian Marchetti: So every week, I try to put together something humorous, something statistical, and pick a winner......well, I think I've realized what all of you already know, this method doesn’t seem to work! JJ is the Top Pick in Martinsville, but, he's been eliminated from the Grid. So, I have to stick with those who have a stake. I've liked Jeff Gordon all season, and this week is not the week to stop. I'm just glad there isn't a DuPont store in my neighborhood......JJ cost me thousands in tools this season, and Shrub helped me gain 20 pounds. What about our fans, who are seemingly doing better at our game than we are?
Nate: I’m going with Harvick this week. Probably at Phoenix, too.
Darrell: My money is on Jeff Gordon to take home another Grandfather clock.
Vivian: I was going to go with Jimmie Johnson, but I think I am going to take Jeff Gordon.
Barbara: At this point, I see no reason why JJ wouldn't set that jaw he and Chad share and win Martinsville. Well, I don't feel like giving it to him. Let him sit among those he usually walks over to the front table. But who to pick – Flyin’ Ryan stands a good chance. Harvick even better. Ya know what -- I am picking the one with the worse luck last week…Mr. M&M, #18 Kyle Busch.
So, there are the picks from everyone this week. It’s the first race of the final three race segment…winners in the Chase move on while others will try to get in on the points “wild card.” Enjoy Martinsville, certainly one of the little gems remaining on the NASCAR schedule. We’ll be back next week to recap the result and look forward to Texas, so until then, keep the shiny side up!
Our Picks For This Week!
Kevin Abraham |
Alabama Fitz |
Jim Fitzgerald |
PattyKay Lilley |
Brian Marchetti |
Darrell |
Nate |
Who is YOUR pick to win this week?
Correctly choose the winner before the green flag drops on Sunday, and you'll be entered into a drawing to win some racing stuff!