My beloved readers, it is I. And forgive me if I'm getting a little emotional -- it is that time of year.
Yes, Sunday is the last short-track race of the year, at Martinsville Speedway, and that will be followed by the final restrictor-plate race of the season, at Talladega. Hopefully we get as good a finish as in the spring, just not as dangerous.
Not that I have anything against regular speedway racing, but I'm all about the beating, banging and close quarters, as well as 43 cars separated by a second while hitting 190 mph. It's just my thing. Ask my friends and family what my thing is, and they'll tell you that -- or just start staring at you blankly.
The important question, of course, is how did you get in touch with my friends and family?
Anyway, I like a nice balance in my schedule, and restrictor-plate and short-track races are like potato chips and ice cream. I love them, but it's probably not a good idea to have just them. However, right now, I think I'll take a short snack break.
Oh, yeah, and it's also not a good idea to mix them, as was evidenced by the race at New Hampshire that featured restrictor plates. New Hampshire isn't technically a short track, but at a mile in length, it's the right length to prove my point.
And, by the way, I'm always open to sponsorship possibilities from snack food companies. Let's just move on …
Perfect 10
Jimmie Johnson has a little streak of 14 straight top-10 finishes at Martinsville. After finishing 35th there in his debut, Johnson finished sixth and ninth, then pulled off a little run of 11 top-5 finishes in 12 races.
That's a record for the most consecutive top-10 finishes at Martinsville. With another on Sunday, Johnson will become the sixth driver to have a run of 15 or more top-10 finishes in a row at a track. The list, courtesy of none other than Mike Forde, NASCAR's Sultan of Stats:
Most consecutive top-10 finishes at a track
Dale Earnhardt, 18, North Wilkesboro
Richard Petty, 18, North Wilkesboro
Dale Earnhardt, 15, Richmond
Benny Parsons, 15, Bristol
Richard Petty, 15, Dover
Jimmie Johnson, 14, Martinsville
Eight others, 14
The good and the bad
There will be no ugly in my column today. We're all about the beauty here. I mean, just check out the layout and font. Breathtaking!
Going back to my loop-data roots, there are some Chasers who thrive at Martinsville and others who dread this date coming up on the calendar. Well, what else to do but look at the numbers?
Among the good -- in terms of driver rating, this is Jimmie Johnson's and Jeff Gordon's best track (more on one of those drivers shortly). It's also Tony Stewart's and Denny Hamlin's third-best track.
Moving to the other side, this is Carl Edwards' third-worst track and Kurt Busch's fourth-worst. And let's give a quick shout to Greg Biffle -- this is statistically his worst track.
The other Hendrick guy
Hendrick driver, multiple Martinsville winner, championship threat. Must be Jimmie Johnson, right?
WRONG! THAT'S WRONG!
Nah, allow me to gush about Jeff Gordon right now.
Although his teammate Johnson has gotten the headlines with the wins on the paper clip, Gordon has had his fair share of success, too. Don't forget that Gordon has won at Martinsville seven times and is on a track-record run of nine straight top-5 finishes.
Leafing through the loop data, we also find that over the past five seasons, nobody has a better average green-flag speed at Martinsville than Gordon. He also has a series-best average position of 6.3 and has been the fastest driver on a lap more often than anybody else.
So while everybody is doing the trendy move of picking the 48, tell them that you like the 24 a little better, and you have proof.
That's all for me this week. Enjoy the race!
Matt Willis
