Dover might have the coolest trophy in all of auto racing with the replica of Miles the Monster, but Martinsville has a trophy you can actually use.  The winner at Martinsville gets to take home a grandfather clock, possibly signifying that you won because you took your time at this track.  It's the shortest, tightest, narrowest track on the circuit.  A drag strip with 2 hairpins for corners is what makes up this little 1/2 mile oval.  Just because it's small though doesn't mean there's a shortage of action.  You'll see a lot of beating and banging here.  Track position is key.

Jimmie Johnson has owned this track as of late, but today he won't be up front from the drop of the green flag as he'll start 15th.  He'll have to show some patience, don't expect him to be leading by lap 10 because as we all know, passing is quite the adventure here, and it's not easy to do.  Meanwhile his teammate Mark Martin rolls off 4th.  Let's not forget the other 2 HMS drivers either.  Dale Jr. will start 12th, he's done everything BUT win at this track, and Jeff Gordon who has won his share of clocks starts on the front row.  Rocketman lived up to his name once again, Ryan Newman starts on the pole, but after Mark Martin in 4th, you have to go back to Tony Stewart in 13th to find the next Chase driver on the grid!  Qualifying was a nightmare for some drivers, especially the Busch brothers.  Kurt starts 37th and Kyle starts 41st, YIKES!

Martinsville is the oldest track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule, yep, older than Darlington by just a few years, opening in 1947.  There's so much history at this track, and I'm sure we'll add to the storied history of this track today.  A memorable moment was here back in 1998.  This race was run in September back then, and Ricky Rudd won his final race as an owner/driver that day.  It was hot as hell that day and the heat was getting to Rudd.  In victory lane, it wasn't the announcer but the doctor with the microphone, as he laid down in victory lane, Punch did a quick interview with him, and then gave him oxygen right there.  They won' have to deal with that type of extreme heat today, but there will certainly be heated battles on the track.  So with all that in mind, who wins this race?

My Pick: It almost pains me to say it, but I'm going with Jeff Gordon.  Johnson as I said has owned this track in recent memory, but this time it's Gordon who is starting on the front row.  As you know, Gordon is chasing history of his own.  The next trip to victory lane will be #83 for Jeff, which would tie him for 5th on the all-time wins list with the great Cale Yarborough.


Dark Horse: I'm taking a gamble and going with the man who starts 3rd, Martin Truex Jr.  It's been 2 1/2 years since his one and only win in the Cup Series, June 2007 in front of his home crowd at Dover.  He's been running strong lately, and who knows, he could spoil the party for all the Chasers this afternoon.


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