Johnny Benson

For the second straight week, the Sprint Cup Series races on a short track on Sunday, and when it comes to Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, there aren’t two tougher drivers to beat than Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson.

Between them they have won nine of the last 12 Cup races at the half-mile track, which is shaped like a paper clip. This time around, I’m going with Gordon over Johnson in a 1-2 finish for Hendrick Motorsports.

Working in Gordon’s and Johnson’s favor
Gordon is off to an excellent start this season, and after five races, he is on top in the standings, 76 points ahead of Kurt Busch. After crossing the checkers 13th in the Daytona 500, Gordon has had four straight finishes of sixth or better. Two of those (California and Atlanta) were second-place results. With his quick start to the season, Gordon has plenty of momentum rolling into Martinsville.

Gordon first started Cup racing at Martinsville in April 1993, and his performances at the oval have consistently been of a very high level. This will be his 33rd Cup start at a venue that has been one of his best. At Martinsville he has finished out of the top 20 only three times, and out of the top 15 only four times.

The four-time Cup champion will be vying for his eighth Martinsville win. In his last 11 races at this oval, he has four wins, 10 top-fives, and 12 top-10s. He also has captured the pole seven times, and has an average start of 6.7, and an average finish of 6.9.

What we’ve learned most of all about Gordon at Martinsville is even given the veteran he is, he’ll tend to overdrive his No. 24 Chevrolet at the start of the race. It takes him a bit to settle into a groove and find a rhythm, but once he does, figure on him as the one to be reckoned with for the rest of the race.

Johnson has won four of the last five races at Martinsville. He’s seeking a fourth consecutive Cup championship, and is counting on big things at this short track, both on Sunday, and when the Sprint Cup Series revisits the track during the Chase for the Championship in late October.

Overall at Martinsville in 14 Cup starts, Johnson has five wins, two poles, 10 top-fives, and 13 top-10s. His average start is 12, and his average finish is 5.6. He has seven consecutive finishes of fourth or better, and 13 consecutive top-10s.

Other drivers to watch

Video   Challenges at Martinsville March 26: Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards and other NASCAR drivers discuss what short track racing at Martinsville involves.

Kyle Busch not only won on the short track at Bristol (Tenn.) last Sunday, he dominated. It was his second trip to Victory Lane this season, and he’s the hottest driver in the Cup series.

At Martinsville, he had a couple of top-10s last year. He’ll be making his ninth Cup start at NASCAR’s shortest track, where he has not won, but has three top-fives, and four top-10s with an average start of 14.1, and an average finish of 18.3.

Busch has matured as a driver over the last few years. In the past, he made some moves he shouldn’t have made, and he has learned from that, seeing how costly those mistakes can be.

The competitive fire of Kevin Harvick should be burning brightly on Sunday. The Richard Childress Racing driver has never won at Martinsville, and he’s ready to put an end to that. Harvick’s a very good short-track driver, but he just doesn’t have numbers that jump out at you at Martinsville, where he has managed six top-10s in 15 Cup starts.

Last year’s winner of this event was Denny Hamlin, who if he is anywhere near the front late in Sunday’s race, he could make it back to Victory Lane. This will be his eighth Cup start at this oval, where in addition to his win, he has a pole, four top-fives, and six top-10s. His average start is 11.8, and his average finish is 7.8.

My dark horse is Jamie McMurray, who will be looking to bounce back from a rough day at Bristol last weekend. He found trouble (a couple of spins) a week ago, so he really needs to avoid trouble on Sunday.