NASCAR – TUMS Fast Relief 500
Jamie McMurray, who is not a part of the Chase this season, took the checkered flag for the third time this year with a victory in the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway last Saturday night. Four-time defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson remained in first place in the standings with 5843 points after finishing third.
This Sunday afternoon, Oct. 24 NASCAR heads back to Martinsville Speedway in Virginia for the TUMS Fast Relief 500. The race is scheduled for a 1 p.m. (ET) start. Johnson along with Denny Hamlin are the current odds-on-favorites to win this week but there are 10 other drivers still in the Chase that might have something to say about that.
Here is a look at the top seven drivers in the Sprint Cup point standings along with their odds to win this week at Martinsville.
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Jimmie Johnson 3/1
Johnson continues to hold the lead with 5843 points after another top five finish in the Chase. Earlier this season at Martinsville, he finished ninth after starting third. Last year in this race he started 15th and finished second ending a three year winning streak dating back to 2006. Johnson has won six times in his 17 career races at this track and has an amazing 16 top 10 finishes.
Denny Hamlin 3/1
A fourth place finish at Charlotte last week gives Hamlin 5802 points, leaving him just 41 points out of first. He will be going for his third straight victory at this track with a win in the first race here this season after starting 19th and a win in last year’s race after starting 17th. Hamlin has raced at Martinsville nine times in his career and has eight top 10 finishes including three trips to victory lane.
Kevin Harvick 12/1
Last week’s eighth place finish leaves Harvick with 5766 points, 77 points out of the lead. Earlier this season at this track he started on the pole but ended up 35th. Last year in this race, he started and finished 10th. Harvick’s best effort in this race is a couple of seventh place finishes in 2003 and 2008. He has seven top 10 finishes here with six of them coming in this race.
Jeff Gordon 6/1
Gordon finished all the way back in 23rd last week in Charlotte but he remains fourth in the standings with 5687 points and is now 156 points back. After starting 11th in the first race here this season he finished third. Last year in this race he finished fifth after starting second. In a long and storied career at Martinsville, Gordon has 29 top 10 finishes including six victories overall and four victories in this race. He last took the checkered flag in 2005 after starting 16th.
Kyle Busch 12/1
A second place finish at Charlotte vaulted Busch to fifth place in the standings with 5666 points, leaving him 177 behind Johnson. In the first race at this track this year he finished 22nd after starting 10th. Last year in this race he started all the way back from the 41st position and raced to a fourth place finish. He also finished fourth in this race in 2007 after starting sixth. Busch has five career top 10 finishes here with three of them coming in this race.
Tony Stewart 10/1
Stewart is also 177 points out of the lead with 5666 points after a 21st place finish last week. He started fifth in the first race at Martinsville this season but ended up 26th. Last year in this race he started 13th and finished ninth. Stewart’s only win in this race was in 2000 when he went wire to wire after starting on the pole. He has 13 top 10 finishes at this track including five in this race.
Carl Edwards 25/1
A 12th place finish in last week’s race gives Edwards 5643 points in the Chase, an even 200 points out of the lead. Earlier this season here he finished eighth after starting 13th. Last year in this race, he finished 29th after starting 20th. His best career finish in this race was third in 2008 after starting fourth. Edwards has only three top 10 finishes at Martinsville in 12 career starts.
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