Race 2 Win: Subway 500

Nextel Cup Series

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Subway 500 - Race Notes

Martinsville Speedway

Track data:
Race #: 32 of 36 (10-23-05)
Track Size: 0.526 Mile
Event: Subway 500
Number of Laps: 500
Location: Martinsville, VA
Length of Event: 263 Miles
Length of Front Stretch: 800 Ft.
Length of Back Stretch: 800 Ft.
Degree of Banking in Corners: 12 degrees
Degree of Banking on Straights: None

Qualifying/Race data:
Last year's event pole winner: Ryan Newman 97.043 mph 10-22-04 19.513 seconds
Last year's event winner: Jimmie Johnson 66.103 mph 10-26-04 3 hrs, 58 min, 43 sec
Track qualifying record: Ryan Newman 97.043 mph 10-22-04 19.513 seconds
Track race record: Jeff Gordon 82.223 mph 9-22-96 3hrs, 11min, 55 sec

Historical data
Race winners:
Richard Petty (15) Darrell Waltrip (11) Rusty Wallace (7) Cale Yarborough (6) Dale Earnhardt (6) Fred Lorenzen (6) Jeff Gordon (6) Geoffrey Bodine (4) Harry Gant (3) Ricky Rudd (3) Jim Paschal (3) Lee Petty (3) Junior Johnson (2) Rex White (2) Buck Baker (2) Bill Welborn (2) Bobby Isaac (2) Curtis Turner (2) Herb Thomas (2) Mark Martin (2) Fireball Roberts (1) Earl Ross (1) Nelson Stacy (1) Joe Weatherly (1) Jack Smith (1) Buddy Baker (1) David Pearson (1) Ernie Irvan (1) Dave Marcis (1) Morgan Shepherd (1) Jeff Burton (1) Bobby Hamilton (1) John Andretti (1) Tony Stewart (1) Dale Jarrett (1) Ricky Craven (1) Bobby Labonte (1) Kurt Busch (1) Red Byron (1) Tim Flock (1) Frank Mundy (1) Dick Rathman (1) Speedy Thompson (1) Jimmie Johnson (1)
Races won from the pole: 17 of 109 events (16%)
Races won from in top 10: 82 of 109 events (75%)
Races won from outside top 10: 27 of 109 events (25%)
NOTE: Four starting positions of dirt races held between 1950 and 1954 are unknown and missing in totals/percentages above.

Track Milestones

Red Byron won the first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup (Grand National) 200-lap race at Martinsville Speedway on September 25, 1949 in an Oldsmobile.

A Dodge driven by Buck Baker won The Virginia 500 in 1956, the first 500-lap race at Martinsville. Prior to that, the races at Martinsville were all 200 laps or less and run on dirt.

The front and backstretch pit roads were combined into one pit road in October 1999.

A new infield garage area and widened pit road was completed prior to the 2001 Virginia 500.

Qualifying Update
There have been just three Bud Pole winners in the last seven races at Martinsville. Jeff Gordon won four Bud Poles and Ryan Newman won two. Scott Riggs won the Bud Pole for the 2005 Advanced Auto Parts 500, scoring his career-first Bud Pole.

Track Update
There have been 15 different race winners at Martinsville since 1993, yet there are only two repeat race winners in the 25-race period: Jeff Gordon (spring 2005, both races 2003, fall 1999, spring 1997 and fall 1996.) and Rusty Wallace (spring 2004, spring 1996, spring 1995 both races in 1994 and spring 1993).

Manufacturer Update
A Chevrolet has won four of the last five races at Martinsville. All were owned by Hendrick Motorsports with Jeff Gordon posting three of those victories and Jimmie Johnson one. The other victory was scored by Rusty Wallace who posted the first Dodge Martinsville victory since Dave Marcis in the fall of 1975 when the Miller Lite Dodge driver won there in April 2004.

The Money
Purse $4,705,474
NASCAR NEXTEL Leader Bonus $40,000
MBNA Mid-Race Leader Bonus $10,000

Tire/Fuel Data
Goodyear Tire Codes: Left-side -- D-6834; Right-side -- D-6836
Other Nextel Cup Tracks At Which This Tire Combination Is Run: California and Chicagoland
Estimated Pit Window: Every 150-160 laps, based on fuel mileage.

Would You Believe?
Jeff Gordon has never had a DNF in 25 races at Martinsville Speedway and has failed to complete only five of the 10,000 laps raced in the past 20 races there. However, his beginning races there were not so successful – five of the eight times he failed to finish on the lead lap came in his first five races there.

Notebook

The field at Martinsville Speedway will consist of 43 cars. The 43rd position is reserved for a past NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champion, if needed. If unused, it will go to the next eligible owner.

Two qualifying laps will be used to determine the starting positions with the adjustments made afterwards as required.

There have been 113 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races at Martinsville since 1949.

Ryan Newman is the defending Bud Pole winner for the Subway 500.

Darrell Waltrip is the all-time Bud Pole winner at Martinsville scoring eight poles at the Virginia track. He scored his first pole there in the fall of 1976 and his last in the spring of 1992.

Jeff Gordon has scored five Bud Poles at Martinsville, the most among active drivers.

Only twice since 1990 has a driver has won back-to-back Bud Poles at Martinsville; both posted three consecutive Bud Poles: Mark Martin (fall 1990 through fall 1991) and Jeff Gordon (spring 2003 through spring 2004).

Darrell Waltrip (spring 1979 through spring 1980) and Glen Wood (fall 1959 through fall 1960) also posted three consecutive Bud Poles at Martinsville.

Jimmie Johnson is the defending race winner of the Subway 500.

Richard Petty is the all-time Martinsville race winner scoring 15 of his 200 career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup victories at the Virginia track.

Rusty Wallace leads all active drivers with seven victories at Martinsville.

The race has been won from the Bud Pole 17 times at Martinsville, the most productive starting position. Additionally, the second starting position has provided 14 winners, third 13 and fourth 11, for a total of 55 victories from the top-four starting positions.

Kurt Busch won the 2002 Old Dominion 500 from the 36th starting position - the farthest back a race winner has started at Martinsville.

A sweep has occurred nine times in the 55 years of continuous twice-a-year NASCAR NEXTEL Cup racing at Martinsville (1950 to 2004) – most recently by Jeff Gordon in 2003.

Rusty Wallace (1994), Geoffrey Bodine (1990), Darrell Waltrip (1989), Cale Yarborough (1977), Richard Petty (1967, 1969 and 1972) and Fred Lorenzen (1964) are the other drivers to win both races there in the same year.

Fred Lorenzen became the first driver to sweep Martinsville when he won both races there in 1964. Lorenzen won both races from the pole while driving the factory-backed Holman Moody Ford. Jeff Gordon swept both races from the Bud Pole in 2003 – becoming the only driver other than Lorenzen to win from the pole in both races in a season at Martinsville.

Fifty-five of 114 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup 500-lap races at Martinsville have been won from the first four starting positions – including both races in 2003 which Jeff Gordon won from the Bud Pole. However, eight of the last 13 have been won from a starting position of 13th or worse.

Track Tidbit
Jeff Gordon and Sterling Marlin have both posted seven top-10 finishes in the past 10 races at Martinsville. Gordon has competed in all 10 races while Marlin missed the fall of 2002 due to injury. Gordon has won three times and while Marlin's best finish was fourth in this race in 2004.

The 2005 Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup - Halfway

In spite of his 25th-place finish in the UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway Tony Stewart remained the leader in the 2005 Chase for NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. Stewart is tied with Jimmie Johnson, each with 5,777 points. Stewart gets the first-place position based on the tie-breaker of his five victories as opposed to Johnson's four. The 10 drivers will race over the remaining five races to determine the 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champion who is expected to win in excess of $5 million.

Six drivers in the Chase changed points positions at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Six of the 10 Chase drivers led at Lowe's Motor Speedway earning lap leader bonus points: Tony Stewart (61), Ryan Newman (42), Jimmie Johnson (13), Greg Biffle (four), Kurt Busch (two) and Jeremy Mayfield (one). Stewart has earned 30 bonus points in the Chase, leading all Chase drivers.

Kurt Busch (35th at New Hampshire, 23rd at Dover, eighth at Talladega, 14th at Kansas and second at Lowe's) started the 2004 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup by scoring a victory at New Hampshire and then followed with top-10 finishes in the first six races of the Chase. Busch remained 10th in the point standings, but climbed to 142 points behind point leader Tony Stewart.

Seven of the 10 drivers who made it into the 2005 Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup are doing so for the second straight year: Greg Biffle, Rusty Wallace, and Carl Edwards are new to the Chase in 2005.

Nine of the 10 drivers competing in the 2005 Chase for NASCAR NEXTEL Cup have scored at least one victory in the 2005 season. Five of the 10 drivers have scored multiple victories led by Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle each with five. Rusty Wallace is the only Chase driver that is winless in 2005.

Three of the “Ford Five” of Jack Roush Racing finished in the top five: Kurt Busch (second), Greg Biffle (third), and Mark Martin (fifth). Carl Edwards finished 10th while Matt Kenseth was 26th.

Ryan Newman, Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Mark Martin each have scored four top-10 finishes in the first five races in the 2005 Chase for NASCAR NEXTEL Cup.

Jimmie Johnson, who also won at Dover, became the first driver to score multiple victories in the 2005 Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup.

Elliott Sadler (27th) climbed from 13th to 11th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. He leads by just 11 points over 12th-place Kevin Harvick..

A total of $1 Million will be paid to the driver who finishes 11th in the final NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. Additionally, the 11th-place driver will also join the top-10 drivers on the stage at the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Awards Banquet in New York in December.

The Chase Drivers at Martinsville - The Final Short-Track Race in 2005:

Greg Biffle has never scored a top-15 finish in five races at Martinsville Speedway.

Kurt Busch has scored one victory (October 2002) and three top-10 finishes in 10 races at Martinsville Speedway.

Carl Edwards has raced in only two races at Martinsville Speedway finishing 24th and 38th.

Jimmie Johnson has scored six straight top-10 finishes, including one victory (October 2004) at Martinsville.

Matt Kenseth has scored only three top-10 finishes in 11 races at Martinsville Speedway.

Mark Martin has scored two victories and 21 top-10 finishes in 39 races at Martinsville Speedway.

Jeremy Mayfield has scored five top-10 finishes in 20 races at Martinsville Speedway.

Ryan Newman has scored four top-five finishes in his last four races at Martinsville Speedway.

Tony Stewart has finished 14th or worse in his last three races at Martinsville Speedway.

Rusty Wallace has scored five top-10 finishes in his last six races at Martinsville Speedway.. Driver Milestones at Martinsville

Ricky Rudd.is expected to make his 784th consecutive start, extending the all-time record for consecutive races by a driver.

Dale Jarrett is expected to make his 375th consecutive NASCAR NEXTEL Cup start this week at Martinsville Speedway.

Ricky Rudd Expected to Set Mark at Martinsville Speedway
Ricky Rudd is expected to make his 53rd start at Martinsville Speedway. Rudd will tie Terry Labonte for third all-time in starts there behind Dave Marcis with 55 and Richard Petty who holds the record with 67 starts. Rudd has three victories at Martinsville Speedway.

Defending NEXTEL Cup Champion at Martinsville Speedway
Kurt Busch has competed in 10 races at Martinsville Speedway, scoring just one top-10 finish, in his last five races there.

Point Leader at Martinsville Speedway
Tony Stewart has competed in 13 races at Martinsville Speedway, scoring one victory (October 2000) and six top-10 finishes. Stewart has finished 14th or worse in his last three races at Martinsville Speedway.

Tough at Martinsville in 2004

Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Sterling Marlin, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman and Rusty Wallace all scored top-10 finishes in both races at Martinsville in 2004. Johnson and Newman scored top-five finishes in both races.

The streaks continued this past April with Newman scoring his fourth straight top-five at Martinsville Speedway, Johnson scored his sixth straight top-10 finish; Gordon scored his fifth straight top-10 finish; while Sterling Marlin and Rusty Wallace each scored their third straight top-10 finish.

Strong Starter at Martinsville Speedway
Ryan Newman has posted seven straight top-10 starts, including two Bud Poles in seven races at Martinsville.

Winning From Up Front at Martinsville Speedway
Thirty-one of the 113 races at Martinsville Speedway have been won from the front row. However, only two of the last nine races there were won from the front row.

Martinsville Dominator
Jimmie Johnson has finished ninth or better in his last six races at Martinsville Speedway, the longest top- 10 streak among active drivers.

Active Martinsville Dominators

Starts- Ricky Rudd (52)

Bud Poles - Jeff Gordon (five)

Victories - Rusty Wallace (seven)

Top Fives - Rusty Wallace (17)

Top 10s - Rusty Wallace (25)

Average Start (more than one) - Ryan Newman (4.0 in seven races)

Average Finish - Jeff Gordon (8.120 in 25 races)

Laps Led - Rusty Wallace (3,632)

Manufacturer Domination at Martinsville
A Chevrolet has won the four of the last five races at Martinsville Speedway.

“Last-Timer” at Martinsville Speedway
Rusty Wallace has scored seven victories and 25 top-10 finishes in his 43 races at Martinsville Speedway. He has scored top-10 finishes in five of his last six races there.

And Beat Goes On
Jeff Gordon has been running at the finish in all 25 of his races at Martinsville Speedway. No other driver has competed in 25 or more races at Martinsville without scoring a DNF there.

Owner Domination at Martinsville
Petty Enterprises has 19 victories at Martinsville Speedway, the most of all car owners. Junior Johnson and Rick Hendrick both have 12, tied for second among car owners.

Starting and Finishing Up Front at Martinsville Speedway

Ryan Newman has a 4.0 starting average and a 15.857 finishing average in seven races at Martinsville Speedway. His starting average is the best among active drivers at Martinsville.

Jeff Gordon has a 7.0 starting average and an 8.120 finishing average in 25 races at Martinsville Speedway. His finishing average is the best among all active drivers.

Sweeps at Martinsville Speedway
There have been nine sweeps at Martinsville Speedway since twice-a-year racing began there in 1950. Jeff Gordon (2003) posted the most recent Martinsville Speedway sweep since Rusty Wallace (1994), nine years earlier.

Don't Tell Me You Can't
Kurt Busch won the 2002 Old Dominion 500 from the 36th starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started in the 57-year history at Martinsville Speedway.

Leading the way at Martinsville Speedway
Rusty Wallace is the only driver to lead in each of the last seven races at Martinsville Speedway.

Would You Believe?
Rusty Wallace is just 59 laps shy of leading 20,000 laps in his career. Wallace has led 19,941 laps and ranks seventh all-time.

Winning Tougher than Ever in 2005
After 31 races in 2005, there are still three drivers who won in 2004 that have not won in 2005: Elliott Sadler, Rusty Wallace and Joe Nemechek. Wallace is the only driver ranked in the top 10 that has not won a race but is also the only driver among the top-50 drivers without a DNF this season. There are six drivers not in the top 10 that have scored at least one victory in 2005.

Who's Hot

Tony Stewart has scored 15 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes in 2005, both the most of all drivers.

Jimmie Johnson has scored two victories in the first five races in the 2005 Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup.

Ryan Newman, Carl Edwards and Mark Martin have each scored top-10 finishes in four of the five races in the 2005 Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup.

Rusty Wallace has scored 24 top-15 finishes in 31 races in 2005, the most of all drivers.

Carl Edwards has scored four straight top-10 finishes, the longest current streak among all drivers.

Brian Vickers has scored five straight top-15 finishes.

Ryan Newman has posted 25 top-10 starts in 31 races this season, the most of all drivers.

The “Ford Five” drivers of Jack Roush Racing have won 12 of the 31 races in 2005. Hendrick Motorsports drivers have won eight while Joe Gibbs Racing has five victories. Evernham Motorsports has two and Robert Yates Racing, Dale Earnhardt Inc., Richard Childress Racing and Penske Racing all have one each.

This Week in The Chase - 2004
Week No. 6, Race No. 32 - Jimmie Johnson won the Subway 500 at Martinsville Speedway, his sixth victory in 2004 and his second in the Chase. Johnson gained four positions in the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, moving from eighth to fourth. Johnson and Ryan Newman both finished ahead of point leader Kurt Busch, but Dale Earnhardt Jr., suffered his first DNF of the Chase. Jeff Gordon moved into second in the point standings while Earnhardt Jr. dropped to third, 125 points off the lead. Elliott Sadler was involved in a late race accident and posted his first Chase DNF, which dropped him three spots in the standings.

Five of the 10 drivers in the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup posted top-10 finishes in the 2004 Subway 500.

Five drivers in the top-10 in points changed positions at Martinsville Speedway.

Top 10 in 2005 Points at This Track

First
Tony Stewart finished 25th in the UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway yet remained first in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. It was just the second time he had finished outside the top-10 in the last 17 races. Both of those finishes outside the top-10 came during the Chase and in the last four races. He remains at the top of the point standings for the 10th time in the last 11 races, falling to fifth after Dover. He has scored 15 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes this season, both the most of all drivers. He is tied in championship points with second-place Jimmie Johnson, each with 5,777 points. Stewart gets the first-place position because he has one more victory than Johnson this season. Stewart ranked sixth in the point standings after 31 races one year ago. He has competed in 13 races at Martinsville Speedway, scoring one victory (October 2000) and six top-10 finishes. Stewart finished 15th in this race one year ago and 26th there in April. He has posted three straight finishes of 14th or worse at Martinsville. Stewart has a 14.923 average finish at Martinsville Speedway and ranks fourth among the Chase drivers in average finish there. Stewart has led 611 laps at Martinsville Speedway which places him 23rd all time at Martinsville.

Second
Jimmie Johnson finished first in the UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway and climbed from fifth to second in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. He has scored top-10 finishes in four of the five races in the Chase for the 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. Johnson led the point standings after 17 of the 31 races this season. He has scored four victories in 2005 (Las Vegas, both Charlotte's and second Dover). He has scored 19 top-10 finishes in 2005, two less than Tony Stewart. Johnson ranked eighth in the point standings after 31 races one year ago. He has ranked among the top-10 drivers since Las Vegas in March 2004, 64 straight races. Johnson has competed in seven races at Martinsville Speedway, scoring one victory (October 2004) and six top- 10 finishes. Johnson has scored top-10 finishes in his last six races at Martinsville. Johnson has a 9.285 average finish at Martinsville Speedway ranking first among the Chase drivers in average finish there.

Third
Greg Biffle finished third in the UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway and remained third in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. He has scored top-15 finishes in eight of the last nine races. Biffle has ranked among the top five after 29 of the 31 races in 2005. Biffle is making his first appearance in the Chase. He trails first-place Tony Stewart by just 11 points after the fifth of 10 races in the 2005 Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. He has scored three top-10 finishes in the first five races in the Chase. He has scored five victories in 2005, tied with Tony Stewart for the most of all drivers. He has scored 18 top-10 finishes in 31 races this season. Biffle has competed in five races at Martinsville Speedway and has never finished better than 17th which occurred in this race one year ago. Biffle finished 29th there in April. He has never led a lap led at Martinsville Speedway. Biffle has a 23.6 average finish at Martinsville ranking ninth among the Chase drivers in average finish there.

Fourth
Ryan Newman finished seventh in the UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Newman has scored four top-10 finishes in the five races of the Chase. He dropped from second to fourth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings, just 17 points behind first-place Tony Stewart. Newman is one of four drivers that have scored four top-10 finishes in the first five races in the 2005 Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. Newman ranked ninth in the point standings after 31 races one year ago. He has scored 14 top-10 finishes in 31 races this season. Newman has competed in seven races at Martinsville Speedway scoring two Bud Poles and four top-10 finishes, all top-fives. Those four top-five finishes came in his last four races at the Virginia short-track. All seven of his starts at Martinsville Speedway have been from a top-10 starting position. He finished third in this race one year ago and fourth there in April. Newman's 15.857 average finish at Martinsville ranks fifth among the Chase drivers.

Fifth
Mark Martin finished fifth in the UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway and climbed from seventh to fifth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings, now 51 points behind point leader Tony Stewart. He has scored four top-10 finishes in the first five races in the 2005 Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. Martin ranked fifth in the point standings after 31 races one year ago. He has posted 16 top-10 finishes in 2005. He has competed in 39 races at Martinsville Speedway, scoring two victories and 21 top-10 finishes. His last Martinsville victory came in the April 2000. He finished 12th in this race one year ago and third there in April. Martin has a 12.641 average finish at Martinsville which ranks third among the Chase drivers.

Sixth
Carl Edwards finished 10th in the UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway and remained sixth in the point standings. One year ago he ranked 41st in the point standings after competing in nine races in 2004. Edwards has scored 18 top-15 finishes in 31 races in 2005 including 14 top-10 finishes. Edwards has scored four top-10 finishes in five races in the Chase for the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup, all in the last four races. He trails first-place Tony Stewart by just 54 points. He finished 24th in this race one year ago and 38th there in April, his only races at Martinsville. Edward's 31.0 finishing average at Martinsville ranks 10th among the Chase drivers.

Seventh
Rusty Wallace finished 24th in the UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway and dropped from fourth to seventh in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. He trails first-place Tony Stewart by 92 points. He has scored 24 top-15 finishes in 31 races this season, the most of all drivers. He is making his first appearance in the Chase. Wallace has scored three top-10 finishes in the first five races in the 2005 Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. He has competed in 43 races at Martinsville, scoring seven victories and 25 top-10 finishes. His seven Martinsville victories are the most among active drivers. His last victory there came in April 2004. Wallace has led 3,632 laps at Martinsville Speedway and ranks second all-time behind Cale Yarborough. He finished 10th in this race one year ago and fifth there in April. Wallace has scored top-10 finishes in last three races at Martinsville. Wallace has posted seven DNFs in his 43 races at Martinsville Speedway but has not had a DNF in his last 17 races there. Wallace's 11.767 average finish ranks second among the Chase drivers in average finish at Martinsville.

Eighth
Jeremy Mayfield finished 11th in the UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway and climbed from ninth to eighth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. He has scored only one top-10 finish in the 2005 Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, finishing seventh at Dover. Mayfield has scored only eight top-10 finishes but has 19 top-15 finishes in 31 races in 2005. Mayfield ranked 10th in the point standings after 31 races one year ago. He has competed in 20 races at Martinsville Speedway, scoring five top-10 finishes. He finished sixth in this race one year ago and 15th there in April. Mayfield finished fourth in April 1996, his best Martinsville finish. Mayfield has a 21.250 average finish at Martinsville and ranks seventh among the Chase drivers in average finish there.

Ninth
Matt Kenseth finished 26th in the UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway and dropped from eighth to ninth in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. He trails first-place Tony Stewart by 124 points. He has scored three top-five finishes in the first five races in the 2005 Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. Kenseth ranked seventh in the point standings after 31 races one year ago. Kenseth has scored 18 top-15 finishes including 14 top-10 finishes in 2005. Kenseth has competed in 11 races at Martinsville Speedway scoring three top-10 finishes. He finished 16th in this race one year ago and 11th there in April. Kenseth's best finish and only top-five at Martinsville, second, came there in April 2002. Kenseth has a 17.090 average finish at Martinsville Speedway and ranks sixth among the Chase drivers.

10th
Kurt Busch finished second in the UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway and remained 10th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings. Busch is now 142 points behind first-place Tony Stewart. One year ago Busch started the 2004 Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup by scoring a victory at New Hampshire and then scored top-10 finishes in the first six races of the Chase. Busch ranked first in the point standings after 31 races one year ago and went on to record his first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup championship by just eight points over Jimmie Johnson. He has scored 16 top-10 finishes in 31 races this season. Busch has competed in 10 races at Martinsville Speedway scoring one victory (October 2002) and three top-10 finishes. He finished fifth in this race one year ago and 19th there in April. That fifth-place finish was his only top-10 in his last five races at Martinsville. Busch has a 21.8 average finish at Martinsville Speedway and ranks eighth among the Chase drivers in average finish there.

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