NASCAR Sprint Cup at Martinsville: Stunning Highlights at Crashfest

The seventh race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase at Martinsville was expected to be a wild one and it certainly didn't disappoint with odd happenings that left few cars unscathed and more points swapping.

Tony Stewart captured the win in a bold move to the outside of Jimmie Johnson with three laps remaining. The driver of the myLowes No. 48 looked to be set to win the 200th Cup race for Hendrick Motorsports, but it was not to be.

The caution flag flew often and many times for the same driver. The Chase drivers were tested over and over with trips from the back to the lead pack.

Wrecks created havoc and some real disappointment for drivers who needed to run well and were expected to do so.

The Tums Fast Relief 500 was short-track racing at its best. Let's take a look at some of the more stunning moments that stood out in this race.

The "Big One" at Martinsville

It wasn't the typical big wreck that you see at Talladega, but considering it was only eight laps into the race and several Chase drivers were involved along with others, it could have been a game-changer.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. tried to go under Kurt Busch, but got up on the pink curbing and caused Busch, himself and Jeff Gordon to go spinning. Gordon sustained the heaviest damage to the front of his car.

Gordon made numerous trips to his pit stall and they did a masterful job of keeping is car competitive. The driver of the No. 24 led 113 laps and finished the race in third place.

Junior ran in the top 10 much of the day despite having to go to the rear for entering pit road before it was open.

He had a fun day on the old school track and he wasn't afraid to be aggressive. The driver of the No. 88 finished in seventh place and remains ninth in the points.

Brian Vickers Caused the Most Cautions

Brian Vickers had his Red Bull Toyota facing the wrong direction three times by lap 50. He found his way to the top 10 early in the race, but his mission of destruction continued.

Matt Kenseth had tangled with Vickers several times. Kenseth finally jacked up the back end of Vicker's car and sent him into the wall ending his day.

Vickers looks to be a free agent next year, but after his performance today he may not have too many offers coming his way anytime soon. He was scored with a 30th place finish.

Help! I've Lost Power

Brian Vickers caused Jamie McMurray to spin and McMurray attempted a payback move on Vickers. What the driver of the No. 1 Chevy didn't know was that his batteries had fallen out of the back of the car.

He attempted to make his way to pit road, but found he had lost power and relayed the message over the radio to his team.

They explained his lack of power to him. It was an odd sight indeed to see the batteries hurled out of the car's rear end.

Lady Luck Rides with Carl Edwards

The legendary golden horseshoe that certain drivers have been reported to have may currently reside with Carl Edwards.

Following the Martinsville race, Edwards remained atop the point standings. The driver of the No. 99 Aflac Ford ran 20th or worse for the first half of the race.

It looked to be a bad day for Edwards in the point standings, but somehow his crew kept clawing away with adjustments to the car and though he was never a contender for the win, he finished ninth.

An amazed Edwards said during a post-race interview aired on SpeedTV, "I didn't expect the car to run that bad. I should not be the points leader."

It is still possible for this Roush Fenway Racing driver to have finishes in the top five, remain winless and capture the series title if luck holds for him.

Those hot on his tail, namely, Tony Stewart, may have other ideas about that.

Tony Stewart Is the Real Deal in the Chase

Owner/driver of the No. 14 Chevy, Tony Stewart, not only won the Martinsville race in fine style, but he has two other wins in the 2011 Chase.

The first half of the race was tough for Stewart and he did a lot of complaining about his car. His crew chief, Darian Grubb, kept throwing big changes at the car until he got it right.

In a post-race interview on ESPN, Stewart spoke of Carl Edwards stating, "He better be worried." Stewart moved up two slots to second in the point standings, eight markers behind Edwards.

This driver has two championships in NASCAR's top series, one prior to the Chase and one prior to Jimmie Johnson's five consecutive titles under the Chase format in 2005.

Stewart is very optimistic about his performance at the upcoming three races and momentum just may carry him to a third NASCAR Sprint Cup title.

Stewart gave the beautiful grandfather clock that he was awarded for the win to his crew chief, Grubb.

You Picked a Fine Time to Leave Me Loose Wheel

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M's Toyota, headed to Martinsville sixth in the standings. The race appeared to be going his way with him leading 126 laps.

A pit stop didn't go too good when all of the lug nuts were off his left front wheel. As he pulled off pit road and on to the track his wheel went elsewhere.

Busch finished in 27th place and dropped one slot to seventh in the points, 57 markers out of the lead and effectively out as a contender for this year's title.

Boys Will "Have at It"

When NASCAR told the drivers to "have at it", some may have wondered just how far the aggressive driving would go.

At Martinsville, the "have at it" policy was alive and well. Nearly every car sustained damage of some kind and it appeared the drivers had little or no respect for one another.

The Chase has tempers running high and there is no reason to think some hard feelings and paybacks won't continue to show up in the remaining three races.

Matt Kenseth Takes a Hit

Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Crown Royal Ford, is the other shining star in the Roush Fenway Racing stables who hoped to capture the Cup series title this year.

He has been consistent in the Chase and headed to Martinsville second in the point standings, 14 markers behind his teammate, Carl Edwards.

Kenseth was involved in a crash with heavy damage to his car including a broken track bar that sent him to the garage.

He did return to the track, but finished in 31st place. Kenseth took the biggest hit of any Chase driver, dropping three slots to fifth in the standings. Currently he is 36 points out of the lead.