Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: STP 500
The Place: Martinsville Speedway
The Date: Sunday, April 2
The Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 12:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 263 miles (500 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 130),
Stage 2 (Ends on lap 260), Final Stage (Ends on lap 500)
NASCAR XFINITY Series
Next Race: My Bariatric Solutions 300
The Place: Texas Motor Speedway
The Date: Saturday, April 8
The Time: 1:30 p.m. ET
TV: FOX, 1 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 300 miles (150 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 45),
Stage 2 (Ends on lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on lap 200)
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Next Race: Alpha Energy Solutions 250
The Place: Martinsville Speedway
The Date: Saturday, April 1
The Time: 3 p.m. ET
TV: FOX, 2:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 131.5 miles (250 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 70),
Stage 2 (Ends on lap 140), Final Stage (Ends on lap 250)
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
California Winning: Larson Notches First Win Of Season At Auto Club
Kyle Larson snapped a streak of three
consecutive runner-ups, leading 110 laps and winning Stage 1 on his way
to Victory Lane in last Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway in
Fontana, California.
The No. 42 Chevrolet driver extended his
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points lead to 29 points over Chase
Elliott. Because of his victory and stage win, Larson now has six
playoff points.
Larson, who also won Saturday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series race, became the 17th driver to sweep a national series weekend.
The 24-year-old Californian hopes to
start a winning streak at Martinsville Speedway in Sunday’s STP 500 (2
p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). He owns a high finish of
third there.
Bowyer Captures First Top-5 Finish Since 2015
Clint Bowyer’s third-place showing marked
his first top-five result since he finished fifth at Bristol on Aug.
22, 2015. It was also Bowyer’s best finish since his third-place showing
at Sonoma on June 28, 2015.
Bowyer has two top 10s so far this
season, only one less than his mark from last year when he finished a
career-low 27th in the final standings.
Right now, the Kansas native sits eighth
in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points standings, 100 markers
below leader Kyle Larson.
This is Bowyer’s first season with
Stewart-Haas Racing, replacing three-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup
Series champion Tony Stewart in the No. 14 Ford.
"It means a lot to me to be in this 14,"
Bowyer said. "I have a lot of fun with these guys. Buga (crew chief Mike
Bugarewicz) and all these guys mean business. It’s a confidence thing
right now, a momentum-builder, and we’re getting closer. Obviously, this
is a good track for me. I wanted to win that damn thing, but to come
home with the wild finish and everything that it was, we’ll take it."
Truex Back Up Top
Martin Truex Jr. is showing his breakout
in the last two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series seasons was no
aberration. The No. 78 Furniture Row Racing driver, who won a
career-high four races last season, has powered to a strong 2017 start
with one win, two top fives and three top 10s in the first five races.
Truex leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup
Series with eight playoff points and is tied with Kevin Harvick for
first in stage wins with three. His 7.4 average finish ranks second-best
to Kyle Larson (3.8). Truex sits third in the points standings, 38
points behind Larson.
Plethora Of Young Drivers In Playoff Picture
We’re only five races into the Monster
Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, but if it ended today, six drivers
under the age of 27 would make the playoffs: Kyle Larson (24 years old),
Chase Elliott (21), Joey Logano (26), Ryan Blaney (23), Erik Jones (20)
and Trevor Bayne (26).
Blaney, Jones and Bayne would all be
first-time playoff participants. Jones would join Elliott (2016), Chris
Buescher (2016) and Denny Hamlin (2006) as the fourth Sunoco Rookie of
the Year contender to ever make the playoffs.
Martinsville’s Finest: Jimmie Johnson Leads Active Drivers With 9 Wins At The Paperclip
Seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup
Series champion Jimmie Johnson has struggled in the first five races
with only one top-10 finish – a ninth-place showing at Phoenix.
Luckily for the No. 48 Hendrick
Motorsports driver, he’ll get the chance to turn his season around at
arguably his top track – Martinsville Speedway.
Johnson leads active drivers with nine
wins, 19 top fives, 24 top 10s, a 7.8 average finish and a 117.7 driver
rating at "The Paperclip."
He won the fall Martinsville race last year to clinch his spot in the Championship 4.
Hendrick Motorsports boasts a Martinsville track-record 24 wins.
Kyle Busch Attempts To Defend Spring Martinsville Victory
Kyle Busch will attempt to visit Victory
Lane for the second consecutive spring at Martinsville in Sunday’s STP
500 at the Southern Virginia short track. Busch led 352 of 500 laps on
his way to his first win of 2016. Overall, he claims one win, 11 top
fives and 12 top 10s at Martinsville.
On the season, Busch has finishes of 38th
(Daytona), 16th (Atlanta), 22nd (Las Vegas), third (Phoenix) and eighth
(Auto Club). He won Stage 1 at Daytona.
Busch sits 10th in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points standings, 107 markers below Kyle Larson.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Etc.
Parity Party: 5 Different Winners Through First 5 Races: Five
different drivers have won the first five Monster Energy NASCAR Cup
Series races: Kurt Busch (Daytona), Brad Keselowski (Atlanta), Martin
Truex Jr. (Las Vegas), Ryan Newman (Phoenix), Kyle Larson (Auto Club).
Keselowski Records Fourth Straight Top-Five Finish: Lost
in Kyle Larson’s blazing hot start to the season has been the
consistency of 2012 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Brad
Keselowski. The No. 2 Ford driver has strung together four straight
top-five finishes, including a win (Atlanta) and runner-up (Auto Club).
NASCAR XFINITY Series
Five Different Winners Through First Five NASCAR XFINITY Series Races
This season marks the 14th time in NASCAR
XFINITY Series history the first five races of the season have been won
by five different drivers. It’s been 11 years (2006) since the last
time the series has seen the feat accomplished. Ryan Reed (Daytona),
Kyle Busch (Atlanta), Joey Logano (Las Vegas), Justin Allgaier (Phoenix)
and Kyle Larson (Auto Club) are this season’s five different winners.
Also of note, five different organizations have also visited Victory
Lane – Roush Fenway Racing (Daytona), Joe Gibbs Racing (Atlanta), Team
Penske (Las Vegas), JR Motorsports (Phoenix) and Chip Ganassi Racing
(Auto Club). The NASCAR XFINITY Series record for largest number of
different winners in a single season is 18 – set back in 1988. Last
season had 14 different winners. The series resumes in all its grandeur
at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, April 8 on FOX (at 1:30 p.m. ET).
Sadler Opens Up Points Lead Going Into First Off Weekend Of Season
Over the past three weeks, JR Motorsports
veteran and NASCAR XFINITY Series driver standings leader Elliott
Sadler has been accumulating points and distancing himself from the rest
of the pack in the 2017 standings. Following Las Vegas, Sadler had a
four-point lead over second-place in the series driver standings, then
two weeks ago following Phoenix he opened the lead up to 11 points. Now
following a seventh-place finish at Auto Club, he is 17 points ahead of
his JRM teammate William Byron in second. In five starts this season,
Sadler has posted two top fives, four top 10s and an average finish of
9.8. He also has two Stage wins that have produced two playoff points.
Sadler’s season-to-date loop data stats also point to why he has been so
successful early this season. Among drivers that have made all five
starts in 2017, Sadler leads the NASCAR XFINITY Series in the following
categories: driver rating (101.3), average running position (7.870) and
laps in the top 15 (768 laps, 91.8%).
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NASCAR XFINITY Series Points Earned In Stages 1 & 2
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Rank
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Driver
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Stage 1 Pts
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Stage 2 Pts
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Combined
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1
|
Elliott Sadler
|
26
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27
|
53
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2
|
Justin Allgaier
|
11
|
17
|
28
|
3
|
William Byron
|
18
|
8
|
26
|
4
|
Brennan Poole
|
12
|
5
|
17
|
5
|
Daniel Hemric
|
9
|
8
|
17
|
6
|
Cole Custer
|
8
|
6
|
14
|
7
|
Darrell Wallace Jr.
|
7
|
5
|
12
|
8
|
Matt Tifft
|
9
|
3
|
12
|
9
|
Tyler Reddick
|
3
|
7
|
10
|
10
|
Blake Koch
|
7
|
2
|
9
|
11
|
Ryan Reed
|
1
|
7
|
8
|
12
|
Dakoda Armstrong
|
3
|
3
|
6
|
13
|
Brendan Gaughan
|
2
|
4
|
6
|
Stage Racing Can Pay Big Points In New Enhanced Format
The new enhanced formats this season have
brought a lot to the table as far as accumulating points is concerned
throughout a NASCAR XFINITY Series race. Thirteen different NXS drivers
have taken advantage of the new system to earn points by finishing
inside the top 10 in the first two stages of a race. Week-in and
week-out, the Stage points can add up to be quite the advantage. Here is
a look at the Stage point accumulators through the first five races of
2017.
Of the thirteen NASCAR XFINITY Series
drivers that have earned points from the first two stages of the first
five races, Elliott Sadler has earned the most. He has nearly double the
amount (53 points) of his nearest competitor, Justin Allgaier with 28.
Sadler’s stage points are a big contributor as to why he has such a
large lead in the NASCAR XFINITY Series driver standings. Sadler has
finished inside the top 10 of every Stage except the two at Las Vegas
this season.
NASCAR XFINITY Series Stats Through Five Races
With the NASCAR XFINITY Series taking a
break this weekend, let’s look at how this season’s competitors have
performed statistically through the first five races:
~ Number of Races This Season: 5
~ Number of Winners: 5 - the most since 2006 (5)
~ Number of Coors Light Poles winners: 4 – the same number as last season through five races
~ Average Number of Leaders: 5.40 - the most since 2015 (6.20)
~ Average Number of Lead Changes: 13.60 – the most since 2013 (16.20)
~ Average Margin of Victory: 0.459 second – the closest MOV since 2010 (0.420 second)
~ All
five races this season have had a margin of victory less than a second –
the most since the inception of electronic scoring in the NASCAR
XFINITY Series in 1996.
~ Percentage of Lead Lap Finishes: 59% - the highest since 2005 (62.3%)
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Ringing The Bell Into Martinsville
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
picks back up this weekend at Martinsville Speedway for the Alpha Energy
Solutions 250 on Saturday, April 1 (3 p.m. ET on FOX). NASCAR Camping
World Truck Series points leader Christopher Bell will look to capture
back-to-back wins for the first time in his young career.
Bell captured his first win of the 2017
season in the Active Pest Control 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The win
jolted him into the 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series playoffs and
atop of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points standings.
The No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports driver
has raced in two career races at Martinsville Speedway– both in 2016. He
finished 19th in April and fourth in October.
Bell leads the NASCAR Camping World Truck
Series points standings by seven points over reigning series champion
Johnny Sauter and Ben Rhodes. Sunoco Rookie contender Kaz Grala (-15)
and Matt Crafton (-21) round out the top five.
Sauter Looking To Skip Into Martinsville Speedway History
Defending NASCAR Camping World Truck
Series Champion Johnny Sauter has a chance to make history at
Martinsville Speedway this weekend with a win in the Alpha Energy
Solutions 250.
If Sauter captures at win at Martinsville
on Saturday, he would become the all-time leader in wins in track
history with four. Sauter captured his third win at Martinsville last
season when he took the checkered in the fall and punched his ticket
into the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the NASCAR
Camping World Truck Series playoffs.
In seven of his last eight NASCAR Camping
World Truck Series races at Martinsville, Sauter has posted top-10
finishes, including two wins (2016 – fall and 2013 – spring).
In 18 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
career starts at Martinsville Speedway, Sauter has three wins, six top
fives, nine top 10s and 386 laps led.
Mixing It Up At Martinsville
The last five NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races at Martinsville Speedway have all been won by different race winners.
Johnny Sauter (2016 – fall)
Kyle Busch (2016 – spring)
Matt Crafton (2015 – fall)
Joey Logano (2015 – spring)
Darrell Wallace Jr. (2014 – fall)
Will Saturday’s Alpha Energy Solutions
250 produce its sixth-consecutive different NASCAR Camping World Truck
Series winner at Martinsville Speedway?
There have been seven drivers who have won multiple NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races at Martinsville Speedway since 1995:
Kevin Harvick (3)
Johnny Saunter (3)
Dennis Setzer (3)
Mike Skinner (3)
Matt Crafton (2)
Denny Hamlin (2)
Darrell Wallace Jr. (2)
Getting Off To A Fast Start
Since 2010, the NASCAR Camping World
Truck Series driver who has started on the pole for the NASCAR Camping
World Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway, has gone on to win the
race five times. Those winners account for 36 percent of all 14 NASCAR
Camping World Truck Series wins at Martinsville from 2010-16.
Starting with the most recent, below are the drivers to win the pole and the race at Martinsville Speedway between 2010-16:
Joey Logano (2015 – spring)
Darrell Wallace Jr. (2014 – fall)
Kevin Harvick (2012 – spring)
Johnny Sauter (2011 – spring)
Kevin Harvick (2010 – spring)
Based on recent NASCAR Camping World
Truck Series history (2010-2016), if you win the pole at Martinsville,
you have a 36 percent chance at winning the race.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Etc.
Crafton Counting Up Martinsville Speedway Records: Matt
Crafton has accumulated multiple Martinsville Speedway track records
over his 17-year NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career. He currently
leads the following series categories at Martinsville Speedway:
- Races Run (30)
- Top 10s (17)
- Lead Lap Finishes (26)
- Laps Completed (6,665)
Chase Elliott Trucking At Martinsville: Chase
Elliott will run this Saturday’s Alpha Energy Solutions 250 for GMS
Racing. This will be Elliott’s second NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
start of 2017. He started ninth at Atlanta in the Active Pest Control
200 and finished fifth. Elliott’s last win in the NASCAR Camping World
Truck Series came in 2013 at Bowmanville.
Ty Dillon Returns To NASCAR Camping World Truck Series For First Time Since 2015:
Ty Dillon was a late addition to the
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series lineup at Martinsville and will run
the No. 99 Chevrolet for Ranier Racing with Mathew Miller in this
Saturday’s Alpha Energy Solutions 250. Ty’s brother Austin ran in the
No. 99 Chevrolet at Atlanta and finished seventh.
Ty last appeared in a NASCAR Camping
World Truck Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2015 and finished
23rd. He has 53 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career starts with
three wins, 19 top fives and 35 top 10s.
Harrison Burton Readies to Make 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Debut at Martinsville: NASCAR
Next alumni (Class of 2016) and K&N Pro Series East driver Harrison
Burton will make his 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut at
Martinsville Speedway this weekend in the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports
Toyota Tundra. Burton appeared in one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
race last season – the fall race at Martinsville Speedway. He finished
with a top-25 in the No. 18 KBM Toyota after starting 16th.
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