NASCAR at Martinsville 2014 Results: Winner, Standings, Highlights and Recap
It might have been one week too late for Dale Earnhardt Jr. to advance in the Chase, but the Hendrick driver notched his fourth win of the season in the Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500. Holding off teammate Jeff Gordon, Earnhardt laid claim to his first Grandfather Clock with the victory at Martinsville Speedway.
After deciding to pit late in the race to take four tires, Earnhardt easily moved past Tony Stewart and took the checkered flag.
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The No. 88 driver was eliminated from the Chase for the Sprint Cup last week but still clearly has a car to beat nearly every race. Even with the new format in place, Junior was exuberant after the win and danced with his team in Victory Lane.
Geoffrey Miller of Athlon Sports provided his thoughts on Earnhardt's season:
Not only was the win special for Earnhardt, but it was also an important one for team owner Rick Hendrick. Sunday marked exactly 10 years and two days since a Hendrick Motorsports plane crashed on the way to Martinsville, killing 10 people, including Hendrick's son, brother and two nieces.
Junior's win also leaves an interesting dynamic in the Chase, per Alan Cavanna of NASCAR.com:
Despite not being able to seal the win at the end, Gordon sits alone atop the Chase standings after the first race of the Eliminator Round. Gordon was an early contender on the track but had a setback that was costly and might have resulted in the loss.
With the Sprint Cup circuit now heading to Texas, here's a look at the final order and Chase standings from Martinsville. The full leaderboard can be found at NASCAR.com.
| 1 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 79 |
| 2 | Jeff Gordon | 130 |
| 3 | Ryan Newman | 0 |
| 4 | Tony Stewart | 18 |
| 5 | Joey Logano | 60 |
| 6 | Matt Kenseth | 2 |
| 7 | Clint Bowyer | 33 |
| 8 | Denny Hamlin | 68 |
| 9 | A.J. Allmendinger | 0 |
| 10 | David Ragan | 0 |
| 11 | Kyle Busch | 0 |
| 12 | Austin Dillon | 0 |
| 13 | Greg Biffle | 0 |
| 14 | Paul Menard | 0 |
| 15 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 0 |
| 16 | Jamie McMurray | 84 |
| 17 | Justin Allgaier | 4 |
| 18 | Cole Whitt | 0 |
| 19 | Landon Cassill | 0 |
| 20 | Carl Edwards | 0 |
| 1 | Jeff Gordon | 4044 | 4 | 13 | 21 |
| 2 | Ryan Newman | 4041 | 0 | 4 | 15 |
| 3 | Joey Logano | 4040 | 5 | 16 | 21 |
| 4 | Matt Kenseth | 4039 | 0 | 12 | 20 |
| 5 | Denny Hamlin | 4037 | 1 | 6 | 15 |
| 6 | Carl Edwards | 4024 | 2 | 7 | 13 |
| 7 | Brad Keselowski | 4013 | 6 | 14 | 17 |
| 8 | Kevin Harvick | 4011 | 3 | 11 | 17 |
Early on, the driver to watch was pole-sitter Jamie McMurray. Despite not being in contention for a title, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver stayed out front during the first portion of the race.
McMurray led nearly all of the first 83 laps, with Matt Kenseth getting out front for one. The No. 1 machine opened up a huge lead at one point, but the rest of the field eventually closed the gap on the short track.
It would be Gordon who finally overtook McMurray, with the two drivers easily moving past the rest of the pack. Jeff Gluck of USA Today noted the margin between them and the field at Lap 131:
Gordon and Earnhardt Jr. may have been competing for a win, but it wasn't all great for Hendrick drivers.
Already out of the Chase after missing the cut in Talladega, Jimmie Johnson is driving for pride at this point. The Lowe's car had issues early in the race with a reported vibration and would have to climb back up the leaderboard late.
Johnson was forced to pit during a green-flag stop and quickly fell behind, as noted by Team Lowe's Racing:
Matters would only get worse for JJ as he sustained heavy damage on the track when he hit Casey Mears. Bob Pockrass of Sporting News passed along comments from crew chief Chad Knaus and more information on the accident:
Though this is normally a strong track for Johnson, who has eight wins at Martinsville, it simply wasn't a great run for the six-time champion. He would later go to the garage and was unable to put together a strong run at the short track.
Issues for Hendrick would continue as Gordon was penalized on pit road while leading the race. Both Gordon and Ryan Newman would be penalized, but it hurt Gordon more as he'd have to fight back to the front.
Fox Sports: NASCAR and Dustin Long of Motor Racing Network noted the penalties and reaction:
"#NASCAR … Jeff Gordon on speeding on pit road: "Big mistake on my part. I apologize." #AskMRN @MRNRadio
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) October 26, 2014"
Prior to Newman and Gordon, it was Talladega winner Brad Keselowski who was caught for speeding. The Penske driver has been a contender to take the title along with teammate Joey Logano all season, but he barely made the Eliminator Round.
Even with the issue, team owner Roger Penske was positive with his driver, per Nate Ryan of USA Today:
Issues wouldn't be limited to just current or former Chase drivers, though, as Danica Patrick went for a spin. She was involved in an incident with Martin Truex Jr. earlier to move ahead of him, with Truex repaying the favor later in the race.
NASCAR on ESPN passed along what happened on the track:
"Truex got into Danica -- "politely" settling a score from earlier in the race.
— NASCAR on ESPN (@ESPNNASCAR) October 26, 2014"
Patrick was not happy with the situation, to say the least, as Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press notes:
Shortly after Patrick's spin, she was involved in yet another accident. But this time, she had nothing to do with it.
Keselowski had already experienced issues on pit road but lost control of his car with just 68 laps remaining. The No. 2 car slowed dramatically in the middle of the track and fell back as Edwards, Patrick and several others were caught up in the accident.
Gluck provided comments from Keselowski and a look at Kasey Kahne's car after the wreck:
The Sprint Cup circuit now heads to Texas Motor Speedway for the second race of the Eliminator Round. Of the Chase drivers remaining, only Edwards, Kenseth and Denny Hamlin have multiple wins at the track.
Back in April, however, it was Logano pacing the field as the checkered flag waved at Texas. Given his recent success throughout the season, Logano could punch his ticket with another win to advance to the next round of the Chase.
Just four spots can be sealed for the final four at Homestead-Miami Speedway, so the pressure will remain at an all-time high next weekend. Three races separate us from a new NASCAR champion, but nothing is secured for any driver remaining.
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