AN EIGHT-MAN RACE
A drivers look at vying the eight for the remaining 2017 Monster championship. Energy NASCAR Cup Series
1. Points: MARTIN 4,069 TRUEX JR. Car: Team: No. Furniture 78 Toyota Row Racing
2017 Best Martinsville wins: 7; top-fives: finish: 15 Fifth (spring Outlook: 2010, Truex ’12) has a 27-point lead over second place, a good thing considering Martinsville is not one of his favorite tracks. His average finish is a woeful 20.4.
2. KYLE BUSCH Points: 4,042 Car: No. 18 Toyota Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
2017 wins: 4; top-fives: 12 Best Martinsville finish: First (spring 2016)
Outlook: Busch figures to be among the favorites to advance to the championship race, and Martinsville could be his launching point. In his last four starts there he has four top-five finishes, leading 352 laps in his 2016 win and 274 in a runner-up finish in April.
3. BRAD KESELOWSKI Points: 4,026 Car: No. 2 Ford Team: Team Penske
2017 wins: 3; top-fives: 13 Best Martinsville finish: First
(spring 2017)
Outlook: Keselowski’s Martinsville record is among the best of the playoff eight. He has nine top-10 results and an average finish of 12.9 in 15 starts. His April performance — 116 laps led — will give him confidence.
4. KEVIN HARVICK Points: 4,017 Car: No. 4 Ford Team: Stewart-Haas Racing
2017 wins: 1; top-fives: 10 Best Martinsville finish: First (spring 2011)
Outlook: Harvick has six career wins at tracks smaller than 1 mile, but only one at Martinsville, where his average finish is 15.2. A better-than-average result Sunday will launch him to stronger terrain at Texas next week followed by his best track Phoenix (eight wins) to end the round.
5. JIMMIE JOHNSON
Points: 4,017
Car: No. 48 Chevrolet Team: Hendrick Motorsports
2017 wins: 3; top-fives: 4 Best Martinsville finish: First (fall 2004, fall ’06, spring and fall
’07, fall ’08, spring ’09, fall ’12, spring ’13, fall ’16)
Outlook: The prohibitive favorite, he owns everything at Martinsville except the deed, having scored nine victories and 24
top-10s. Hendrick Motorsports drivers have won the last three playoff races at Martinsville, and the Hendrick organization has won a record 24 races there.
6. DENNY HAMLIN Points: 4,014
Car: No. 11 Toyota
Team: Joe Gibbs Racing
2017 wins: 2; top-fives: 14 Best Martinsville finish: First (spring 2008, fall ’09, spring and fall ’10, spring ’15)
Outlook: The short-track ace loves Martinsville, where he has five wins, second to Johnson among active drivers. Hamlin has had success at all three third-round tracks, but Martinsville is his best shot at advancing by victory to the final four.
7. RYAN BLANEY Points: 4,009 Car: No. 21 Ford Team: Wood Brothers Racing
2017 wins: 1; top-fives: 4 Best Martinsville finish: 19th (spring and fall 2016)
Outlook: Blaney, one of the playoff surprises, will need another one Sunday. He has raced only three times at Martinsville, but the results haven’t been stellar.
8. CHASE ELLIOTT Points: 4,006 Car: No. 24 Chevrolet Team: Hendrick Motorsports
2017 wins: 0; top-fives: 10 Best Martinsville finish: Third (spring 2017)
Outlook: Elliott has sliced through the playoffs with relative ease, scoring three runner-up finishes in the first six races while finishing no lower than 16th.