StatChat - NASCAR Cup Series @ Martinsville 2
The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Martinsville Speedway this weekend, the only track that has been consistently run since NASCAR’s inception. It is 0.526 miles long, making it the shortest track currently on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule. The track is often called “The Paperclip,” due to it’s squished-oval layout.
This weekend’s race is called the “Xfinity 500,” and is set to be 500 laps (263 miles). Stage breaks will occur at 130 – 260 – 500, with a competition caution at lap 60. The fuel window is approximately 145-155 laps, though tire wear may be more of a factor in pit strategy.
NASCAR has run 12,020.59 miles so far this year. Denny Hamlin has completed 99.92% of them, the most of any driver.
Top 5 Career Average Finishers at Martinsville:
| Denny Hamlin | 9.71 over 31 races |
| Ryan Blaney | 10.73 over 11 races |
| Brad Keselowski | 11.17 over 23 races |
| Joey Logano | 12.12 over 25 races |
| Kyle Busch | 12.13 over 32 races |
Bottom 5 Career Average Finishers at Martinsville:
| Joey Gase | 35.00 over 4 races |
| Timmy Hill | 34.83 over 6 races |
| Cody Ware | 32.00 over 2 races |
| Quin Houff | 30.33 over 3 races |
| Michael McDowell | 29.81 over 21 races |
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Martinsville is a Short Track
Top 5 Career Average Finishers at Short Tracks:
| Denny Hamlin | 11.55 over 153 races |
| Kyle Busch | 11.95 over 159 races |
| Brad Keselowski | 12.53 over 116 races |
| Chase Elliott | 12.64 over 55 races |
| Joey Logano | 12.94 over 124 races |
Richard Petty is the winningest driver at Martinsville, having won 15 races. Darrell Waltrip is second with 11 wins, followed by Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon who each have 9. Denny Hamlin has the most of current drivers with 5 wins.
Notable drivers who have not won at Martinsville:
| Kyle Larson | (has won at 13 other tracks) |
| Ryan Blaney | (has won at 6 other tracks) |
| Alex Bowman | (has won at 5 other tracks) |
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No one has won their first Cup Series race at Martinsville.
Based on their point pace, let’s have a look at who’s having a better year than last year.
Drivers Faring Better than in 2020
| Daniel Suarez | +287 pts |
| William Byron | +217 pts |
| Tyler Reddick | +201 pts |
| Christopher Bell | +191 pts |
| Denny Hamlin | +143 pts |
Drivers Faring Worse than in 2020
| Aric Almirola | -354 pts |
| Kevin Harvick | -272 pts |
| Erik Jones | -235 pts |
| Brad Keselowski | -175 pts |
| Matt DiBenedetto | -141 pts |
While some drivers may be doing better this year than they did in 2020, how does this year stack up against their entire career? This statistic does not include rookies, as this is their first full year in the Cup Series.
Drivers Having their BEST Career Year
| Denny Hamlin | 8.15 |
| Kyle Larson | 9.18 |
| Chase Elliott | 11.41 |
| Ryan Blaney | 12.18 |
| William Byron | 13.79 |
| Austin Dillon | 14.47 |
| Chris Buescher | 17.32 |
| Ross Chastain | 18.50 |
| Bubba Wallace | 18.94 |
| Michael McDowell | 20.21 |
| Ryan Preece | 22.47 |
| Corey LaJoie | 24.79 |
Drivers Having their WORST Career Year
| Ryan Newman | 22.24 |
| Erik Jones | 19.94 |
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In 2017, NASCAR introduced the concept of Stage Racing, which pauses the race at certain intervals and awards bonus points for the top 10 at that moment. Here are the Top-5 Stage Point earners so far this year:
Stage Point Leaders:
| Kyle Larson | 383 pts |
| Denny Hamlin | 378 pts |
| Chase Elliott | 274 pts |
| William Byron | 250 pts |
| Kyle Busch | 248 pts |
For those that aren’t aware, the Manufacturer Standings are calculated by awarding points to the highest finisher for each manufacturer according to their finishing position. (40 for 1st, 35 for 2nd, 34 for 3rd, etc.) No stage points or playoff points count.
Manufacturer Standings
| Chevrolet | 1,257 |
| Toyota | 1,171 |
| Ford | 1,170 |
Here is the same formula, but used on a team-vs-team basis:
Chartered Team Standings
| Hendrick | 1,210 |
| Joe Gibbs | 1,154 |
| Penske | 1,098 |
| Stewart-Haas | 991 |
| Richard Childress | 892 |
| Chip Ganassi | 891 |
| Roush-Fenway | 774 |
| JTG-Daugherty | 743 |
| Wood Brothers | 680 |
| 23XI | 621 |
| Front Row | 617 |
| Trackhouse | 586 |
| Richard Petty | 583 |
| Spire | 491 |
| Rick Ware | 329 |
| Live Fast | 246 |
| StarCom | 172 |
The race is Sunday, October 31stat 2:00pm EST (11:00am PST) – Enjoy the races everyone!
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