The Chase headed to Martinsville, Virgina on Sunday for race six of the 10 race Chase for the championship.
Check out how the Chasers did this weekend.
Jimmie Johnson
Would it surprise you that Jimmie Johnson didn’t lead a lap this weekend at Martinsville? Or does it surprise you that Johnson and his team saw his lead in the standings cut to just six points? If you are a Denny Hamlin fan neither surprises you. Johnson started 19th but worked his way to the top 10. When he got to the top 10 he really struggled with a loose race car making it difficult for him to pass car. He ran around fifth, sixth and seventh for most of the day. His fifth place finish while very good was not good enough as his closest competitor won the race.
Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin has had a plan this entire Chase and in the last couple weeks he has stuck to that plan. He started on the pole but struggled in the early part of the race. He dropped from the lead to 14th until the first caution waved. Mike Forde made adjustments on the car that saw Hamlin move to the front. Pit strategy set him about mid pack but Hamlin was able to get back toward the front. Late pit stop gained Hamlin three spots on pit road and he did the rest rocketing to the lead in the final 100 laps. Hamlin’s win is his seventh this season and now he is only six points out of first heading to Talladega.
Kevin Harvick
Kevin Harvick has never won at Martinsville but he has quietly ran well there. His poor qualifying effort had him starting 36th on Sunday but he and his team drive their way into the top 10 not needing pit strategy to get there. Harvick was in the top 10 all day long and found his way to the lead in the second half of the race. Harvick’s car was not match for Hamlin in the final 100 laps but a third place finish was exactly what he needed and he gained points on Johnson. Watch out Johnson and Hamlin; Harvick is ready to strike.
Kyle Busch
Martinsville is arguably not Kyle Busch’s best track on the circuit. On Sunday, he ran about top 15 for most of the first half of the race. Busch wasn’t pleased with his car but they made all the right adjustments. By halfway he was charging into the top 10 and was very patient as his team worked on the car. Busch didn’t have the car to win on Sunday but his team did a great job on pit road and he was able to come home sixth. Busch moved to fourth in the standings with his solid finish.
Jeff Gordon
Once again it looked like Jeff Gordon had one of the best cars out there and once again they ended up with a poor finish. Gordon started 11th but quickly made his way into the top 10 and even top five. Gordon was happy with the car and especially up front in clean air. Gordon got shuffled back on a poor pit stop and was moving forward when contact between Gordon and Kurt Busch sent Gordon into the wall. Gordon was able to finish but the damage was done and he finished 20th.
Carl Edwards
When you think of Martinsville you generally don’t think of Carl Edwards. On Sunday he started seventh and ran in the top 10 early. They fell behind on the adjustments on the car and dropped out of the top 10. Taking advantage of the cautions, the car got better as the race went on. Edwards and his team kept at and while he didn’t have a winning car but they did what they needed to do. Edwards kept his car clean all day and came home with an eighth place finish.
Tony Stewart
During practice Tony Stewart wasn’t very happy with his car but when the race came around Stewart and his team seemed to have found something. Stewart started sixth and ran well in the top 10 all day long. His team did a good job on pit road and was running top 10 late in the race when he cut a tire and was forced to pit road under green in the final laps. He ended up finishing 24th after what was looking like a top 10 day.
Jeff Burton
Jeff Burton was on a mission on Sunday from the very beginning. He was looking for redemption after dominating the race in the spring and cutting a tire late, Burton was looking for a win. He had the best car for most of the day except when it counted and that was at the end of the race. Burton was running down Harvick coming to final 100 laps but was unable to hold off a hard charging Hamlin. Burton finished ninth and still has unfinished business at Martinsville.
Kurt Busch
Early on in the race Kurt Busch declared the race a test sessions as his car just that bad. As the race wore on though the car began to come to Busch and he was running top 15 by second half of the race. While battling Gordon for 12th, Busch took exception to Gordon’s late move and sent Gordon spinning. Busch continued on but did suffer some damage to his car. He finished 16th which was a lot better then where they thought they would finish.
Matt Kenseth
You really didn’t here much about Matt Kenseth on Sunday as quietly rode around top 15 all day long. He started 32nd and made his way to the top 20. He never really though had a car to contend for the win with. He and his team soldiered on to a 15th place finish. Kenseth was once again not awful but not spectacular, something this perennial chasers needs to win a title.
Greg Biffle
Greg Biffle was so excited about his qualifying effort that he told some media members he knows where he is going to put the coveted Martinsville clock. Well Sunday didn’t go exactly as planned after starting in third Biffle struggled with the handling of the race car. A pit road penalty of too many men over the wall sent him to tail end of the field where things didn’t get better. On lap 348 a cut tire all but ended his day as he finished 33rd.
Clint Bowyer
In final practice Clint Bowyer was very happy with his car. In fact he predicted it could have been a one-two-three finish for Richard Childress Racing on Sunday. Instead Bowyer struggled early in the race but was making his way to the front when he spun on lap 193. The damage to his car was pretty severe and they were barely able to finish the race. He finished 38th which was not the day he was expecting to have at all.
Written by:
