Drivers Believe Chase Excitement Will Reach Peak At Martinsville

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The 16 drivers in the 2014 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup don’t know exactly what to expect out of the new format. They do know that the seventh stop in the Chase will be filled with action and excitement.

The seventh race in the Chase is the Goody’s® Headache Relief Shot® 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 26. It is the only true short track in the Chase, and kicks off the Eliminator Round.

“Martinsville is a big deal (in the Chase),” said Carl Edwards, who is seeded seventh in the Chase field with two wins this season. “I’ve looked forward to coming to Martinsville more and more. It’s a fun time. The last time we were there I actually made the comment to someone if I was buying a ticket to a race, it would be this one.

“It’s all right there in front of you. You’ve got 43 guys battling it out right there in front of you, banging into each other. It’s as good as it gets.”

Brad Keselowski earned the top seed in the Chase with a win Saturday night, his fourth of the season. He’s followed by Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Joey Logano with three wins apiece in 2014. Then come Kevin Harvick and Edwards, both with two wins, and Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne, Aric Almirola and A.J. Allmendinger with a win each. Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle and Ryan Newman round out the Chase field, all three earning berths on points.

Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson have the most Martinsville success of drivers in the Chase with eight wins apiece on the half-mile oval. Gordon is the Goody’s® Headache Relief Shot® 500 defending champion.

Hamlin has four Martinsville wins while Kurt Busch has two and Ryan Newman and Kevin Harvick have one win each.

Earnhardt  doesn’t have a Martinsville Speedway victory, but has a good idea what it takes to win on the tough track after two runner-up finishes and four third-place efforts.

“It’s gonna be tough and hard racing, but good racing,” said Earnhardt. “This is a short track. You can get yourself in trouble if you’re not careful. You gotta run smart and hard and try to run as clean as you can protecting your brakes and saving your car for the end of the race when you need to press hard. Hopefully you have enough left in the car to give you the speed you need at the end.”

Martinsville Speedway PR

Speedway Digest Staff
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