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Advance Auto Parts 500 - Martinsville Speedway
Wallace Breaks Streak, Wins Martinsville
Gordon Wins Third Straight Martinsville Pole
For Rusty Wallace, the streak is no more. Wallace finally put an end to the much-heralded winless streak and broke into the win column with a victory in the Advance Auto Parts 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Wallace outran Bobby Labonte by .538 seconds to the checkered flag, giving Wallace his first victory in 105 races and the 55th of his career. Jeff Gordon, who started from the pole, was the dominant car on the afternoon, leading for 180 of the race’s 500 laps, but ran into a bit of bad luck. A large chunk of the racetrack came lose, creating a hole in the racing surface, and flew into the right-front of Gordon’s Chevrolet, forcing numerous pit stops to repair the damage. The large hole in the track was repaired during a one hour and 17 minute red flag. Bobby Labonte made a valiant charge at the end of the event, only to settle for the runner-up position. Dale Earnhardt Jr. scored his fifth consecutive top-five finish at Martinsville with a third-place effort, taking the points lead in the process. Jimmie Johnson would finish fourth while Ryan Newman would win a battle with Gordon for the fifth position.
It is easy to see why Jeff Gordon has an affinity for the paper-clip shaped .526-mile short track in Martinsville Va. Gordon roared to his third straight pole position at the Martinsville Speedway on Friday afternoon and will be gunning for his third consecutive win on Sunday. Gordon qualified in 20.252 seconds, at an average speed of 93.502 mph, to earn his 47th career pole position and fifth at Martinsville. Jamie McMurray will start from the outside pole position after qualifying his Dodge in the second position, while Ryan Newman and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will start from row two.
