NASCAR Pre-race: ESPN's NASCAR Countdown - 1:00pm/et

Television Race Coverage: ESPN, 1:30pm/et

In the Booth: Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree
Pit Reporters: Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Vince Welch, Dr. Jerry Punch
NASCAR Countdown: Nicole Briscoe, Brad Daugherty, Rusty Wallace
ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage: Tim Brewer

SPEED's NASCAR Raceday Pre-Race Show: 11:00am/et with John Roberts, Kyle Petty, Kenny Wallace

Scheduled Race Re-Air Dates/Times:
Monday, October 31 at 12:00am/et on ESPN2;
Wednesday, November 2 at 12:00pm/et on SPEED

TV Listings, Links and Info:
Jayski's TV Listings Page
NASCAR on TV
Race Fan TV

This Week - Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius XM Satellite Radio

motorracingnetwork.com

siriusxm.com

Practices:
Friday, October 28, 12:30 - 2:00pm/et, TV-SPEED

Happy Hour 'Final' practice: Friday, October 28, 3:30 - 5:00pm/et, TV-SPEED

Qualifying: 2 laps for positions 1-42, Saturday, October 29 at 12:10 pm/et, TV-SPEED, no re-air scheduled.

Track Specifications:
Track Size: 0.526 Mile
Race: 500 laps, 263 miles
Degree of Banking: Turns: 12 degrees
Straightaways: Banking: 0 degrees(flat)
Straights: 800 feet
Backstretch: 800 feet
Grandstnd Seating: 61,000
Pit Stalls: 43 pits, 14-feet wide by 28-feet long
Speed Limits: Pit Road, 30 mph; Pace Car, 35 mph
Opened: 1947

Race Festivities/Officials:
Grand Marshal: ?
Command to start engines: Ashley Young, winner of Martinsville's Tums Sweepstakes
Honorary Starter/Wave Green Flag: ?
Invocation: Tony Beach, Ft. Trial Baptist Church
National Anthem: North Carolina A&T Marching Band
Military Flyover: none shown

Track Websites:
Martinsville Speedway
ISC Motorsports
Facebook - Martinsville Speedway
Twitter - ms1947

April 2011: see my Martinsville Race Info page

October 2010: see my Martinsville Race Info page

October 2010 Race Winner: #11-Denny Hamlin, 71.619mph, started 1st

April 2011 Race Winner: #29-Kevin Harvick, 74.195mph, started 9th

Track Race Record: Jeff Gordon, Sept 1996, 82.223mph

Oldest Race Winner: Harry Gant, 51 years, 8 months, 12 days, 9/22/1991

Youngest Race Winner: Richard Petty, 22 years, 9 months, 8 days, 4/10/1960

October 2010 Pole Sitter: #11-Denny Hamlin, 97.018mph, finished 1st

April 2011 Pole Sitter: #1-Jamie McMurray, 96.509mph, finished 7th

Track Qualifying Record: Tony Stewart, October 2005, 98.083mph

Oldest Pole Winner: Morgan Shepherd, 45 years, 6 months, 14 days, 4/26/1987

Youngest Pole Winner: Ricky Rudd, 24 years, 7 months, 14 days, 04/26/1981

The Number for the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville:
1 - fewest cautions (three times, most recent 4/25/71)
1 - fewest cars on lead lap at finish (27 times, most recent 4/27/86)
2 - fewest leaders (11 times, most recent 9/26/76)
3 - fewest caution laps (4/25/71)
4 - number of jet dryers available for track drying this weekend
11 - cautions in spring race
14 - most leaders (10/15/01)
15 - most wins by driver (Richard Petty)
19 - races won from the pole
21 - most cautions for a race (10/21/07)
26 - most cars on the lead lap at finish (twice, most recent 10/22/06)
28 - cautions for two Sprint Cup races at Martinsville last year; 13 for Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 and 15 for TUMS Fast Relief 500
90 - minutes, amount of time it takes to dry the .526-mile track after a significant rainfall.
125 - Sprint Cup races at Martinsville Speedway since 1949
127 - most caution laps (10/21/07)
2011 Caution Update
7 - number of races extended beyond scheduled distance in 2011
3 - fewest cautions this season (New Hampshire, 9/25/11)
16 - most cautions this season (Daytona 500)
239 - number of cautions in the first 32 races of 2011; includes 115 for accidents, 57 for debris and 30 for spins
1,145 of 9,137 - number of laps under caution in 2011
1,614.199 of 12,760.238 - miles under caution in the first 32 races
(Darnell Communications for Dodge Motorsports)(10-27-2011)

Facts and Stats at Martinsville Speedway:
· Opened in September 1947 by H. Clay Earles, Martinsville, 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 Sprint Cup race was Sept. 25, 1949.
· The track was paved in 1955.
· The first 500-lap event at Martinsville was in 1956.
· Concrete corners were added atop asphalt in 1976.
· There have been 125 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway, one in the inaugural year and two races per year since 1950.
· Curtis Turner won the pole for the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville in 1949.
· Red Byron won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
· 56 drivers have won poles, led by Darrell Waltrip with eight. Jeff Gordon, with seven poles, can tie that mark this weekend.
· Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Darrell Waltrip share the consecutive pole record, each with three.
· 46 different drivers have won, led by Richard Petty's 15.
· Jeff Gordon leads active drivers with seven wins. Jimmie Johnson has six and Denny Hamlin has four.
· 19 races have been won from the pole, the last by Denny Hamlin in October 2010.
· Petty Enterprises has won 19 races, more than any other organization. Hendrick Motorsports, with 18 wins, can tie that mark this weekend. If HMS does win this weekend, it will also be the team's 200th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory.
· Kurt Busch won the 2002 fall race from the 36th starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started.
· Three active drivers average a top-10 finish: Jimmie Johnson (5.6), Denny Hamlin (6.6) and Jeff Gordon (7.0).
· There were 31 lead changes in the April Martinsville race this season, a track record.(NASCAR)(10-25-2011)

For news, stats, records and more about this race track, see: Jayski's Martinsville Speedway Track News/Rumors/Links page

Stewart wins at Martinsville: #14-Tony Stewart won the Tums Fast Relief 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway for his 42nd career win and 3rd of the season. He passed #48-Johnson with two laps to go to take the lead.
Johnson finished 2nd followed by #24-Gordon, #29-Harvick, #11-Hamlin, #31-Burton, #88-Earnhardt, Jr., #56-Truex, Jr., #99-Edwards (who was a lap down on two separate occasions and got the lucky dog twice), and #39-Newman. #17-Kenseth, who came into the race second in points and started second, was involved in a late race accident and finished 31st.
#99-Edwards leads the Chase by 8 points over #14-Stewart.
There were 23 lead changes among 12 drivers and 18 cautions for 108 yellow flag laps. The attendance is listed as 62,000, up from 56,000 last year.
Scheduled Race Re-Airs: ESPN2, Monday, October 31 at 12:00am/et; SPEED, Wednesday, November 2 at 12:00pm/et
See race results, awards, laps led and more on Jayski's Martinsville Race Results/Awards page.(10-30-2011)

Race Fast Facts - Martinsville:
Tony Stewart won the 63rd Annual TUMS Fast Relief 500, his 42nd victory in 461 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his third victory and 16th top-10 finish in 2011.
This is his third victory and 14th top-10 finish in 26 races at Martinsville Speedway.
Jimmie Johnson (second) posted his 18th top-10 finish in 20 races at Martinsville Speedway. It is his 21st top-10 finish in 2011.
Jeff Gordon (third) posted his 31st top-10 finish in 38 races at Martinsville Speedway.
Carl Edwards leads the point standings by 8 points over Tony Stewart.(NASCAR Statistics)(10-30-2011)

Finishing spots for the Chase drivers at Martinsville: (by standings order before the race)
1) #99-Carl Edwards, started 1st, finished 9th
2) #17-Matt Kenseth, 2nd, 31st
3) #2-Brad Keselowski, 3rd, 17th
4) #14-Tony Stewart, 4th, 1st
5) #29-Kevin Harvick, 5th, 4th
6) #18-Kyle Busch, 6th, 27th
7) #48-Jimmie Johnson, 7th, 2nd
8) #22-Kurt Busch, 8th, 14th
9) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., 9th, 7th
10) #24-Jeff Gordon, 10th, 3rd
11) #11-Denny Hamlin, 11th, 5th
12) #39-Ryan Newman, 12th, 10th
See drivers championship points standings on Jayski's Drivers Points Standings page.(10-30-2011)

2011 Sprint Cup Driver Championship Chase Points Standings:
[after Martinsville, race 33 of 36 and Chase race 7 of 10]
1) #99-Carl Edwards [1 win], 2273
2) #14-Tony Stewart [3 wins], 2265, -8
3) #29-Kevin Harvick [4 wins], 2252, -21
4) #2-Brad Keselowski [3 wins], 2246, -27
5) #17-Matt Kenseth [3 wins], 2237, -36
6) #48-Jimmie Johnson [2 wins], 2230, -43
these drivers are more then a race out:
7) #18-Kyle Busch [4 wins], 2216, -57
8) #22-Kurt Busch [2 wins], 2215, -58
9) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. [0 wins], 2200, -73
10) #24-Jeff Gordon [3 wins], 2197, -76
top 10 go to the banquet in Vegas
11) #11-Denny Hamlin [1 win], 2193, -80
12) #39-Ryan Newman [1 win], 2184, -89
(ties broken by 1sts, 2nds, 3rd, etc)
See drivers championship points standings on Jayski's Drivers Points Standings page.(10-30-2011)

Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Texas:
#38 remains in 35th and increases their lead over the #71 team to 13 points.
33) #13-Mears/Germain, 468, +58
34) #32-Schrader/Bliss/FAS Lane, 460, +32
35) #38-Yeley/Front Row, 441, 13 points ahead of 36th
these teams / drivers will need to qualify by speed:
36) #71-Sadler/Lally/TRG, 428, 13 points out of top 35
37) #7-Soreson/Gordon/RGM, 325, -116
The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
For the owner points standings, see my Owners Points Standings page.(10-30-2011)

Martinsville Notes-n-Nuggets:
" Tony Stewart earned his 42nd career win in his 461st start. His third win of the season came, as the others have, in the Chase.
" This was Tony Stewart's third Martinsville victory, but his first since spring 2006.
" Tony Stewart led three times for 14 laps, including the final three laps after passing Jimmie Johnson on a restart.
" With nine Chase wins in his career, Tony Stewart is second to Jimmie Johnson (20).
" This was the 11th career victory for Stewart-Haas Racing; nine of those have come from Tony Stewart.
" Chevrolet earned its 48th victory at Martinsville, the most of any make.
" Jimmie Johnson (second) earned his 14th top-five finish at Martinsville; he's finished first or second nine times.
" Jeff Gordon (third) has finished in the top five in 13 of the past 14 races at Martinsville. He also became the fourthdriver to lead more than 3,000 laps at Martinsville.
" Kevin Harvick (fourth) finished in the top five for the third consecutive race at Martinsville.
" Denny Hamlin (fifth) earned his first top-five in the 2011 Chase.
" Jeff Burton (sixth) followed a second-place run at Talladega with his third top-10 finish of 2011.
" Dale Earnhardt Jr. (seventh) finished in the top 10 in both Martinsville races in 2011.
" Martin Truex Jr. (eighth) picked up his 10th top-10 finish of 2011.
" Carl Edwards (ninth) picked up two free passes in the race; his worst finish in the 2011 Chase is 11th at Talladega.(Racing Recall/nascar.com)(10-30-2011)

Penalty Report - Martinsville:
Car#, Lap, Reason, Penalty
#37, 9, Pitting before pit road is open, Garage
#24, 9, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail of Field
#88, 10, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail of Field
#7, 10, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail of Field
#78, 10, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail of Field
#83, 10, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail of Field
#78, 28, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail of Field
#36, 30, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail of Field
#42, 48, Speed-Exiting pits, Tail of Field
#38, 68, Speed-Entering pits, Tail of Field
#24, 87, Speed-Exiting pits, Tail of Field
#20, 91, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail of Field
#4, 107, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail of Field
#20, 151, Pitting out of order, Tail of Field
#42, 152, Speed-Exiting pits, Tail of Field
#47, 153, Speed-Exiting pits, Tail of Field
#47, 198, Pitting before pit road is open, Tail of Field
#33, 260, Speed-Exiting pits, Tail of Field
#34, 312, Pitting before pit road is open, Garage
(NASCAR Statistics)(10-30-2011)

Pit Road Times
Martinsville Speedway
NSCS TUMS Fast Relief 500
Provided by NASCAR Statistics
Sun, October 30, 2011 @ 06:06 PM Eastern

Lucky Dogs - Who got a lap back on each caution at Martinsville: (and their finish)
Caution 1: no driver down a lap
Caution 2: none, no one on track a lap down
Caution 3: #78-Smith, 13th
Caution 4: none, no one on track a lap down
Caution 5: none, no one on track a lap down
Caution 6: #47-Labonte, 32nd
Caution 7: #78-Smith (2), 13th
Caution 8: #20-Logano, 18th
Caution 9: #99-Edwards, 9th
Caution 10: #27-Menard, 24th
Caution 11: #33-Bowyer,19th
Caution 12: #99-Edwards (2), 9th
Caution 13: #20-Logano (2), 18th
Caution 14: #5-Martin, 28th
Caution 15: #38-Kvapil, 16th
Caution 16: #16-Biffle (still a lap down), 15th
Caution 17: #16-Biffle, 15th
Caution 18: #32-Schrader (still a lap down), 21st
(10-30-2011)

Race Coverage of the Tums Fast Relief 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway is scheduled for Sunday, October 30, 2011.
Television (TV): ESPN at 1:30 pm/et; NSCS Countdown pre-race show at 1:00 pm/et; green flag approx 1:43pm/et
Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio 90
Scheduled Race Re-Airs:
ESPN2, Monday, October 31 at 12:00am/et;
SPEED, Wednesday, November 2 at 12:00pm/et

Competition caution: Because of all the rain at Martinsville Speedway, NASCAR will have a competition caution at lap 40 for teams to check tires.(10-30-2011)

Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the Tums Fast Relief 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway have been made.
Pole sitter #99-Edwards chose pit stall 1 [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole sitter #17-Kenseth took pit stall 11, the next pitstall with an opening in front of it.
#2-Keselowski, who starts 3rd took the 8th pit stall.
The 43rd and final pit stall was taken by #31-Burton, who starts 23rd.
To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on the Pit Stall Selection chart.(10-29-2011)

NASCAR Green-White-Checkered Race Procedure: NASCAR allows a maximum of three restart attempts prior to the White Flag under NASCAR's Green-White-Checkered flag finish. If the leader has taken the White Flag and the caution flag is displayed, the field is frozen and the race will not be restarted. Previously, there was only one restart attempt. The procedure applies to all three national series. See rule and notes on the Green-White-Checker rule page.(2-11-2010)

Wave-around rule: The wave-around rule dictates that cars under penalty at the time of the caution are ineligible for the wave around.(10-11-2009)

See Jayski's - 2011 Sprint Cup Race Results Page for pole winner, race winner with speed and starting/finishing position, links to race results, drivers & owners points, pit stall selections, qualifying results/starting lineup, practice speeds and chase stats as well as link to race track and race information page for each race

Final practice for the Tums Fast Relief 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway, is over after 80 minutes, the top-5, slowest and any notes:
#66-McDowell 95.893
#33-Bowyer 95.781
#48-Johnson 95.752
#1-McMurray 95.709
#46-Speed 95.670
slowest: #87-Nemechek 93.590 & #71-Sadler 92.883
Notes: due to rain on Friday and Saturday morning, this was the only Cup practice session this weekend. #16-Biffle and #29-Harvick made contact with each other on the track last in practice. First, Biffle ran into the back of Harvick on the straightstretch and then Harvick bumped Biffle in the turn. After both drivers came back to the garage, Biffle walked to Harvick's garage stall to talk. A group of crew members swarmed them but no punches were exhcanged by anyone.
See fastest speeds, laps run, average speed and best 10-lap average on the Martinsville Practice Speeds Page.(10-29-2011)

Revised Saturday schedule: NASCAR will dry the track at Martinsville and get in a single Cup practices following Truck Series qualifying.(10-29-2011)

Qualifying cancelled at Martinsville: Coors Light pole qualifying for the Tums Fast Relief 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway was cancelled due to rain. So the field was set by the rules book, the top 35 in owners points in positions 1-35 by their fastest practice speeds. Then the Go-or-go homers were set, by race attempts, then set by best practice speeds. So #99-Edwards starts 1st, followed by #17-Kenseth, #2-Keselowski, #14-Stewart, #29-Harvick, #18-Busch, #48-Johnson, #22-Busch, #88-Earnhardt, Jr., and #24-Gordon. The go-or-go homers who made the race (8): #71-Sadler, #7-Sorenson, #37-Skinner, #46-Speed, #66-McDowell, #87-Nemechek, #30-Stremme, and #55-Yeley.
The go-or-go homers who failed to qualify for the race (2): #92-Setzer, #75-Cope.
See the starting lineup, qualifying speeds and notes on my Martinsville Starting Lineup/Qualifying Results page.(10-29-2011)

Coverage of Qualifying for the Tums Fast Relief 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway is scheduled for Saturday, October 29, 2011 at 12:10pm/et.
Television (TV): SPEED, 12:00pm/et
Qualifying Re-Air: none scheduled

Rain washes out Friday practices at Martinsville: Persistent rain showers have washed out Cup action for Friday at Martinsville Speedway. Cup teams are now scheduled to get on track for a practice session Saturday morning from 8:30-10:00am/et. The rest of Saturday's schedule remains unchanged. The forecast for Saturday morning continues to call for rain, but things should clear up at the day progresses. Sunday's weather looks good. See some weather links on my Martinsville Race Info page - weather section.(10-28-2011)

Another new twist to the qualifying format: Starting at Kentucky Speedway, there will be a rain-out qualifying procedure change for all three NASCAR national series. If first practice is run, but qualifying is unable to take place, the starting lineup will be based on speeds from the car's fastest lap from the first practice, with top-35 cars in owner points no longer segregated from the non-top 35 cars. Previously, the top 35 cars lined up in front of all other eligible car owners.(NASCAR)(7-7-2011)

The Entry List for the Tums Fast Relief 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway is posted, 45 teams/drivers [for 43 spots] are listed, including:
The #77 TRG and #77 Robby Gordon teams have withdrawn. Mike Skinner is now in the #37 for MaxQ Motorsports.
Not in top 35 of owners points:
#7-Reed Sorenson (37/32)
#30-David Stremme (43/19)
#37-Mike Skinner (39/32)
#46-Scott Speed (40/32)
#55-J.J. Yeley (51/14)
#66-Michael McDowell (41/32)
#71-Hermie Sadler (36/32)
#75-Derrike Cope (0/0)
#87-Joe Nemechek (42/32)
#92-Dennis Setzer (53/8)
In the event that qualifying is cancelled:
the eight who would make it [8]: #'s 71,7,37,46,66,87,30,55
missing the race would be [2]: #'s 92,75
See the full entry list at my Jayski's Martinsville Entry List.(10-24/28-2011)

Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Martinsville:
#71 drops out of the top 35 and #38 moves back in, a 2 pt lead over the #71.
33) #13-Mears/Germain, 454, +44
34) #32-Schrader/FAS Lane, 437, +27
35) #38-Kvapil/Front Row, 412, 2 points ahead of 36th
these teams / drivers will need to qualify by speed:
36) #71-Sadler/TRG, 410, 2 points out of top 35
37) #7-Sorenson/RGM, 317, -95
The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
For the owner points standings, see my Owners Points Standings page.(10-23-2011)

2011 Sprint Cup Driver Championship Chase Points Standings:
[after Talladega, race 32 of 36 and Chase race 6 of 10]
1) #99-Carl Edwards [1 win], 2237
2) #17-Matt Kenseth [3 wins], 2223, -14
3) #2-Brad Keselowski [3 wins], 2219, -18
4) #14-Tony Stewart [2 wins], 2218, -19
5) #29-Kevin Harvick [4 wins], 2211, -26
6) #18-Kyle Busch [4 wins], 2197, -40
these drivers are more then a race out:
7) #48-Jimmie Johnson [2 wins], 2187, -50
8) #22-Kurt Busch [2 wins], 2185, -52
9) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. [0 wins], 2163, -74
10) #24-Jeff Gordon [3 wins], 2155, -82
top 10 go to the banquet in Vegas
11) #11-Denny Hamlin [1 win], 2153, -84
12) #39-Ryan Newman [1 win], 2149, -88
(ties broken by 1sts, 2nds, 3rd, etc)
See drivers championship points standings on Jayski's Drivers Points Standings page.(10-23-2011)

Chassis selections for Martinsville: see the list of many teams and what chassis were selected by the team to run at Martinsville Speedway for the Sprint Cup Series Race:
#1-Jamie McMurray: Crew Chief Kevin "Bono" Manion and the #1 McDonald's team will be bringing chassis #1116 to the Tums Fast Relief 500. This chassis was used for the first time last month at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
#2-Brad Keselowski: will race chassis PRS-803 during Sunday's Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. This is a new chassis to the #2 fleet.
#6-David Ragan: Primary: RK-747 Last ran Martinsville - finished eighth; Backup: RK-755 Last ran Richmond - finished fourth
#5-Mark Martin: Crew chief Lance McGrew has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-651 for Sunday's race at Martinsville. This is the same chassis Martin drove to a 10th-place finish at Martinsville in April.
#9-Marcos Ambrose: The #9 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 754 for the 500-lap race at Martinsville Speedway. This Stanley Ford Fusion has been run previously this season at the Martinsville spring race and both Dover (Del.) International Speedway and Pocono (Pa.) Raceway events.
#14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-587: This car made its debut in March 2010 at Martinsville Speedway, where it qualified fifth and finished 26th. Prior to Martinsville, Chassis No. 14- 587 never turned a wheel on the racetrack. With a new body honed in the wind tunnel, it was tested at The Milwaukee Mile June 1 in preparation for its second career start in June at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. There, Chassis No. 14-587 earned a hard-fought second-place finish, for after starting 25th, it fell to 33rd after a lap 36 pit miscue on the team's first stop. Two late-race cautions allowed Stewart to regain his lost track position, and with a savvy two-tire pit call, Stewart wheeled Chassis No. 14-587 to pass second-place Kurt Busch on the penultimate lap. The car returned to New Hampshire for the first event of the 10-race Chase for the Championship, where in its third career start, it qualified third before leading three times for 100 laps. But while leading with less than two laps to go, it ran out of fuel. Stewart coasted around the 1.058-mile oval for the final circuit of the 300-lap race and finished 24th, the last driver on the lead lap. Clint Bowyer, who served as Stewart's primary competition for much of the race, wound up with the victory. Chassis No. 14-587 revisited Martinsville for round six of the Chase, where it qualified sixth and rallied back from two pit-road miscues during the race, but a flat right-front tire with less than 10 laps remaining relegated it to a 24th-place finish. With another new body, this car made its first start of 2011 and fifth overall at Phoenix International Raceway in February. It started 18th and led four times for 59 laps before an ill-timed caution period late in the race jettisoned solid pit strategy and left it with a seventh-place finish. Chassis No. 14- 587's second start of 2011 came at Richmond International Raceway back in April, where it qualified 31st and rallied its way to a ninth-place finish. The car sat idle until returning to Richmond in early September for it seventh career start where it logged its third straight top-10 finish.
#17-Matt Kenseth: RK-790 (brand new chassis)
#18-Kyle Busch: Chassis No. 315: This chassis will make its fourth-ever start in Sunday's TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. In its first outing in July's Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Busch started a distant 29th but still managed to bring home a respectable 10th-place finish. Next up, No. 315 headed to Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, where Busch started 17th and went on to score his fourth win of the season in the Pure Michigan 400. In its most recent outing, Busch started eighth and finished a respectable 11th in the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.
#20-Joey Logano: Chassis No. 309: This chassis will make its fourth-ever start in Sunday's TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. In its first outing in June's 5-Hour Energy 500 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Logano started 19th and finished 11th. Next up, No. 309 headed to Kentucky Speedway in Sparta for the inaugural Sprint Cup Series race at the 1.5-mile oval, where Logano started 15th and went on to finish 14th. In its most recent outing, Logano started 16th in the September race at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway and appeared headed for a solid top-15 finish midway through the race, but engine trouble forced him to retire on lap 296 of 400 and he placed 35th.
#22-Kurt Busch: will be racing the "PRS-755" Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger at Martinsville Speedway this weekend. This will be the first race for the "Double-Deuce" team with this chassis. However, teammate Brad Keselowski drove this car, dressed in the Miller Lite #2 colors, to a sixth-place finish from a 14th-place start in the Sept. 4 Advocare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
#27-Paul Menard: will pilot chassis No. 349 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This #27 Chevy Impala was a brand new addition to the RCR fleet for the 2011 season and was last seen on track at Martinsville Speedway in April, where Menard started 16th and was forced to settle for a 38th-place result after on-track damages caused the motor to expire, prematurely ending the day for the team.
#29-Kevin Harvick: will race chassis No. 332 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. It is the same chassis Harvick drove to his first NSCS win at Martinsville Speedway in April. The No. 29 team has utilized this Chevrolet a total of six times so far in 2011 earning two wins (Martinsville and Richmond International Raceway) and three top-five finishes. Harvick finished 12th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the team's most recent race with this car.
#31-Jeff Burton: will race chassis No. 317 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This #31 Chevy has seen on-track action on three previous occasions this season. The first competitive laps came at Bristol Motor Speedway in March where Burton started 20th and finished in the 17th position. The South Boston, Va., native drove this RCR entry to an 11th-place finish at Dover International Speedway in May and a 33rd-place finish at Pocono Raceway in June.
#33-Clint Bowyer: will pilot chassis No. 324 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This Chevy, built new in 2010, accumulated two top-10 finishes during the in 2010 NSCS season at Auto Club Speedway (started-13th, finished-second) and Texas Motor Speedway (started-7th, finished-7th). The five-time Sprint Cup Series race winner also drove this racer twice in 2011 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (started-28th, finished-15th) and most recently at New Hampshire Motor Speedway when Bowyer ran out of gas while leading with two laps remaining, settling for a 26th-place finish.
#36-Dave Blaney: will pilot the No. 910 chassis this weekend at the Virginia track. He most recently piloted the chassis at Dover International Speedway. He also drove the chassis in California, Texas, Darlington, both races at Pocono and Bristol in August.
#39-Ryan Newman: This will be the fourth start for Chassis No. 39-645 this season and the second start for the chassis at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The chassis made its first start in April at Martinsville, where Newman started second and finished 20th, two laps down. Newman led three laps and was in the top-10 for much of the first 300 laps of the 500-lap race, but a broken header pipe and a flat left-rear tire caused him to lose two laps. The next start for Chassis 39-645 was in July at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, where Newman started on the pole and led 118 of 301 laps en route to his 15th career Sprint Cup Series victory. The last on-track appearance for this chassis came in September at Loudon, where Newman started on the pole and led the first 62 laps before finishing a disappointing 25th. A cut tire with less than five laps remaining dropped Newman from 11th to 25th.
#42-Juan Pablo Montoya: Crew Chief Jim Pohlman and the #42 Target team are bringing chassis #1110 to Martinsville Speedway this weekend. This chassis was last run in September at New Hampshire, where Montoya started 31st and finished ninth. The chassis was also used in the first race at Loudon in July, and the first Martinsville event where Montoya finished fourth, overcoming a 27th-place qualifying effort.
#43-A.J. Allmendinger: The #43 Richard Petty Motorsports team has prepared chassis No. 729 for this weekend's event at Martinsville Speedway. This AdvoCare Ford Fusion was run previously this season at Phoenix Raceway, Martinsville, Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Pocono (Pa.) Raceway and in New Hampshire.
#48-Jimmie Johnson: will drive chassis No. 653 in Sunday's race. He finished 11th in that chassis at Martinsville in April. Johnson finished 31st in backup chassis No. 590 at Richmond International raceway in September.
#88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Crew chief Steve Letarte will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-654 for this weekend's race at Martinsville Speedway. This will be the second time that Earnhardt has raced the car, which he drove earlier this season to a second-place finish at Martinsville.
#99-Carl Edwards: RK-791 This is a new car
(from team PR's/sites if reported)(10-27-2011)