Driver Averages | Driver Ratings | Laps Led Leaders | Past Winners
Detailed driver notes and statistics to help set your fantasy racing lineup for Sunday’s STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway.
Who’s HOT at Martinsville
- Kyle Busch has finished in the top five in his last five starts, including two wins and 813 laps led in that span.
- Brad Keselowski has finished in the top five in his last four starts, including a win in this event last year. He also combined to lead 224 laps last year.
- Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers with nine wins and 2,862 laps led.
- Five-time winner Denny Hamlin has finished in the top 10 in five of the last seven races, including a win in the 2015 spring race.
- Joey Logano has four poles and three top 10s in the last six races and has led 417 laps in that span.
Keep an Eye On at Martinsville
- Martin Truex Jr., who has combined to lead 189 laps in the last three races, is tied for the third-best average finish (9.8) in the last five races at Martinsville.
- Chase Elliott, who finished third in this event last year, combined to lead 143 laps in the two races last season. He also was leading with three laps to go in the fall until contact from Denny Hamlin.
- Kevin Harvick (100.0), Kyle Larson (85.0) and Jamie McMurray (83.1) each have a top 10 Driver Rating in the last six races at Martinsville.
- Clint Bowyer (5.0), Austin Dillon (9.0), Trevor Bayne (9.5). Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (10.0) and Ryan Newman (11.0) each ranked in the top 10 in average finish in both races last year at Martinsville. This weekend’s tire combination will be the same that was used in 2017.
- Martinsville is AJ Allmendinger’s best oval track on the schedule based on top 10s (6).
- Rookie Darrell Wallace Jr. has two career Camping World Truck Series wins at Martinsville.
- Ryan Blaney finished eighth last fall at Martinsville and scored a total of 19 stage points in 2017 in the two races at the track.
*Best Average Finish at Martinsville Speedway
| Last # of Races | Driver | Average Finish |
| Two Races | Kyle Busch | 1.5 |
| Four Races | Kyle Busch | 2.2 |
| Six Races | Kyle Busch (five starts) | 2.8 |
| Eight Races | Kyle Busch (seven starts) | 5.6 |
| Ten Races | Kyle Busch (nine starts) | 6.6 |
Laps Led Leaders at Martinsville Speedway
| Last # of Races | Driver | Laps Led |
| Two Races | Kyle Busch | 458 |
| Four Races | Kyle Busch | 813 |
| Six Races | Kyle Busch | 813 |
| Eight Races | Kyle Busch | 835 |
| Ten Races | Kyle Busch | 903 |
Click Here to view all laps led leaders at Martinsville Speedway over the past 10 races.
Martinsville Speedway Loop Data Stat Leaders (2005-2017, 26 Races)
| Average Running Pos. | Laps in Top 15 |
| 1. Jimmie Johnson – 8.2 | 1. Jimmie Johnson – 11,059 |
| 2. Denny Hamlin – 9.8 | 2. Denny Hamlin – 9,652 |
| 3. Kyle Busch – 11.3 | 3. Kyle Busch – 9,538 |
| 4. Brad Keselowski – 12.5 | 4. Kevin Harvick – 8,704 |
| 5. Joey Logano – 12.8 | 5. Clint Bowyer – 7,908 |
| Fastest Laps Run | Driver Rating |
| 1. Jimmie Johnson – 1,124 | 1. Jimmie Johnson – 115.8 |
| 2. Denny Hamlin – 772 | 2. Denny Hamlin – 106.2 |
| 3. Kyle Busch – 688 | 3. Kyle Busch – 102.6 |
| 4. Kevin Harvick – 468 | 4. Brad Keselowski – 96.0 |
| 5. Brad Keselowski – 452 | 5. Kevin Harvick – 93.7 |
*Top 10 Stage 1 &2 Points Earned at Martinsville (Spring and Fall Race)
| Driver | Points Earned |
| Kyle Busch | 35 |
| Brad Keselowski | 35 |
| Chase Elliott | 27 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 23 |
| Ryan Blaney | 19 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 18 |
| Joey Logano | 16 |
| Denny Hamlin | 10 |
| Kyle Larson | 5 |
| Austin Dillon, Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne | 4 |
* – Must be entered in Sunday’s race to show up on chart.
2017 Spring Martinsville Stage Finishes
| Stage 1 | Stage 2 |
| 1. Martin Truex Jr. | 1. Chase Elliott |
| 2. Denny Hamlin | 2. Kyle Busch |
| 3. Kyle Busch | 3. Brad Keselowski |
| 4. Brad Keselowski | 4. Jimmie Johnson |
| 5. Chase Elliott | 5. Ryan Blaney |
| 6. Kyle Larson | 6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
| 7. Ryan Blaney | 7. Matt Kenseth |
| 8. Jimmie Johnson | 8. Erik Jones |
| 9. Austin Dillon | 9. Trevor Bayne |
| 10. Clint Bowyer | 10. Kasey Kahne |
Rookie Report
Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidates William Byron and Darrell Wallace Jr. each will be making their first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville Speedway. Each have made starts in the Camping World Truck Series with Wallace having the most success with top-five finishes in his four starts, including two wins. Byron, who trails Wallace by three points in the rookie standings, finished third and eighth, respectively, in his two starts at the track in 2016.
MRN.com Staff Picks
Jeff Wackerlin: Kyle Busch
Pete Pistone: Brad Keselowski
Robbie Mays: Kyle Busch
Tyler Burnett: Brad Keselowski
Driver Notes – Ordered by Average Finish (Top 15) in the Last Five Races at Martinsville
Kyle Busch is the only driver that has finished in the top five in each of the last five races at Martinsville, including two wins. Busch won last fall, posted a 1.5 average finish and 458 laps led in both races last season, which utilized the same tire combination that will be used again this weekend.
Brad Keselowski is the defending race winner and he joined Kyle Busch as the only two drivers that finished in the top five in both races last season. Keselowski combined to lead 224 laps last season and his fourth-place finish last fall was his fourth consecutive top five.
Jimmie Johnson scored his last of nine Martinsville wins in the 2016 fall race. Johnson posted a 13.5 average finish in the two races last season and led 24 of his career 2,862 laps led at the track in the fall race en route to a 12th-place finish.
Martin Truex Jr. has qualified on the front row in the last two races at Martinsville when qualifying was held. Truex won the pole and led 147 laps en route to a seventh-place finish in the 2016 fall race. Last year he led 42 laps in this event and posted a 9.0 average finish in the two races. His 100.5 Driver Rating since 2015 at Martinsville ranks fourth among all drivers.
Ryan Newman finished eighth last year in this event for his fourth top 10 in eight Martinsville starts with Richard Childress Racing. Newman’s lone win at the track came in this event in 2012 when he drove for Stewart-Haas Racing. His 11.0 average finish in the two races last season ranks seventh among all drivers.
Austin Dillon has finished in the top five in the last two spring races at Martinsville. His 9.0 average finish in the two races last season is tied for fourth-best among all drivers.
AJ Allmendinger has finished second and sixth, respectively, in the last two spring races at Martinsville. An early accident in last year’s fall race after contact from Danica Patrick snapped a streak of three consecutive top 10s. He was running 22nd at the time of that incident.
Kevin Harvick finished fifth last fall for his fourth top 10 in eight Martinsville starts with Stewart-Haas Racing. Harvick’s lone win in 33 starts at Martinsville came in this event in 2011 when he drove for Richard Childress Racing. Harvick has failed to lead a lap in his last three starts. Harvick does have the fifth-best Driver Rating since 2015 at Martinsville.
Kasey Kahne will make his first start at Martinsville with Leavine Family Racing. Kahne finished 16th or better in five of his last six starts at the .526-mile track when he drove for Hendrick Motorsports.
Chase Elliott led 123 laps and was in the lead coming to two laps to go but was taken out of contention after contact from Denny Hamlin. Elliott finished third in this event last year after leading 20 laps. His 143 laps led rank third among all drivers in the two races last season with the current tire combination.
Denny Hamlin captured his last of five Martinsville wins in this event in 2015. That win is one of five top 10s in the last seven races. Last year in this event, Hamlin led 24 laps and finished 30th after damage to his car in a multi-car incident on lap 418.
Joey Logano has won four of the last five poles at Martinsville when qualifying has been contested. Last year in this event, Logano started fifth after qualifying was cancelled and recorded a fourth-place finish for his fourth top five, and fifth top 10, in the last eight races. Logano combined to lead 60 laps in both races last season and has an overall total of 516 laps led in his last eight starts.
Paul Menard has made 21 starts at Martinsville and his two top 10s have come in the last eight races. This weekend, Menard will make his first track start with Wood Brothers Racing.
Ryan Blaney is coming off his first top 10 (eighth) in four starts at Martinsville. This weekend he will make his first track start with Team Penske, which has enjoyed success as of late at the track with teammates Brad Keselowski (defending race winner) and Joey Logano combining to lead 802 laps since 2015.
Kyle Larson started on the pole last year in this event after qualifying was cancelled and led 23 laps en route to a 17th-place finish. Larson’s only top 10 in eight starts came in this event in 2016, third. Larson does have the eighth-best average Driver Rating at Martinsville since 2015.
