Look Ahead To Racing At Martinsville

It's back to short-track racing this weekend with both Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series drivers at Martinsville Speedway.

Jeff Gordon is having what might the worst start to a season in his entire 20-year career, but he’s hoping that changes this weekend.  After five races this season, Gordon sits 25th in the point
standings.  He finished 40th in the season opener at Daytona, rebounded for an eighth place finish at Phoenix. But since then he hasn’t been any higher than 12th in the last three races.

Gordon was going pretty good last weekend at California, but when he left his pit stall with the gas can still attached to his car he was hit with a stop and go penalty and that hurt.  He finished 26th.

Gordon leads all active drivers with seven wins at Martinsville and has 17 top-10 finishes in the last 18 races there. 

Martinsville is also where Dale Earnhardt Jr. came just short of finally ending his long winless streak.  Junior was in the lead when Kevin Harvick passed him with four laps left and it was Harvick who won at the half mile track for the first time.

Earnhardt remains winless in Sprint Cup since June of 2008 – a stretch of 134 races.

Greg Biffle is the points leader heading into the weekend, seven points up on Harvick and 17 points ahead of Earnhardt. 

Then there’s Tony Stewart who’s won two of the five races so far to move up to fourth in the standings.  He’s 18 points out of the lead heading into the weekend.  Last time Sprint Cup drivers ran at Martinsville back in October, Stewart came away the winner.