NASCAR at Martinsville 2015: Race Schedule, Live Stream Info, Drivers to Watch
With the competitors in the Chase for the Sprint Cup halved, the event should change its name to Joey Logano's Chase for the Sprint Cup as the series heads into Round 3 and the Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 at Martinsville Speedway this Sunday.
Logano swept Round 2 with checkered flags at Charlotte, Kansas and Talladega, helping to see the reduction of the field to eight and waving goodbye to Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The last of those eliminated won this event last year, but it figures to be a different story this time around as Logano and the rest of those still in the running leave everything on the track.
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Here's everything to know about the event.
Viewing Details
Where: Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway, Virginia
When: Sunday, Nov. 1, at 1:15 p.m. ET
Watch: NBCSN
Live Stream: NBC Live Extra
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Sprint Cup Standings
| 1 | Joey Logano | 4000 |
| 2 | Kevin Harvick | 4000 |
| 3 | Martin Truex Jr. | 4000 |
| 4 | Jeff Gordon | 4000 |
| 5 | Brad Keselowski | 4000 |
| 6 | Carl Edwards | 4000 |
| 7 | Kurt Busch | 4000 |
| 8 | Kyle Busch | 4000 |
| 9 | Denny Hamlin | 2209 |
| 10 | Ryan Newman | 2194 |
| 11 | Matt Kenseth | 2191 |
| 12 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 2181 |
| 13 | Jimmie Johnson | 2161 |
| 14 | Jamie McMurray | 2159 |
| 15 | Paul Menard | 2148 |
| 16 | Clint Bowyer | 2123 |
NASCAR at Martinsville Lineup
| 1 | 22 | Joey Logano |
| 2 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr |
| 3 | 47 | AJ Allmendinger |
| 4 | 1 | Jamie McMurray |
| 5 | 24 | Jeff Gordon |
| 6 | 18 | Kyle Busch |
| 7 | 31 | Ryan Newman |
| 8 | 43 | Aric Almirola |
| 9 | 42 | Kyle Larson |
| 10 | 11 | Denny Hamlin |
| 11 | 2 | Brad Keselowski |
| 12 | 4 | Kevin Harvick |
| 13 | 14 | Tony Stewart |
| 14 | 19 | Carl Edwards |
| 15 | 41 | Kurt Busch |
| 16 | 10 | Danica Patrick |
| 17 | 15 | Clint Bowyer |
| 18 | 20 | Matt Kenseth |
| 19 | 13 | Casey Mears |
| 20 | 9 | Sam Hornish Jr |
| 21 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson |
| 22 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr |
| 23 | 51 | Justin Allgaier |
| 24 | 5 | Kasey Kahne |
| 25 | 16 | Greg Biffle |
| 26 | 27 | Paul Menard |
| 27 | 40 | Landon Cassill |
| 28 | 55 | David Ragan |
| 29 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr |
| 30 | 3 | Austin Dillon |
| 31 | 35 | Cole Whitt |
| 32 | 6 | Trevor Bayne |
| 33 | 38 | David Gilliland |
| 34 | 34 | Brett Moffitt |
| 35 | 23 | Jeb Burton |
| 36 | 83 | Matt DiBenedetto |
| 37 | 98 | Ryan Preece |
| 38 | 46 | Michael Annett |
| 39 | 26 | J.J. Yeley |
| 40 | 32 | Kyle Fowler |
| 41 | 7 | Alex Bowman |
| 42 | 62 | Timmy Hill |
| 43 | 33 | Alex Kennedy |
Drivers to Watch
Kyle Busch is still alive.
Somehow, at least. Busch has been downright sloppy at points during the Chase, starting off Round 2 on the wrong foot with a 20th-place finish in Charlotte. He rebounded for fifth in Kansas, only to slip to 11th in Talladega, just enough to help him avoid the cut line.
Which figures given the trajectory of Busch's injury-shortened season that saw him capitalize in a big way on a medical exemption gifted down by NASCAR after a broken leg. He spoke with the media about things to date, per Randy King of the Roanoke Times:
"I would certainly say that this year is a storybook, that’s for sure. Somebody asked me earlier if it’s like a Disney movie, and I said: ‘Well, Disney movies always tend to end with a happy ending, so I’m hoping so. I’m looking forward to that championship at Homestead. If the script is already written ... we just got to follow what’s written.’
"
There's no doubt Busch has the talent to reel in a checkered flag Sunday. He loves short tracks, and the allure of an automatic bid for some semblance of security will encourage a strong performance.
The question, though, is if it will be enough to overcome Logano.
So this is happening.
After an iffy season in which Jeff Gordon failed to capture a checkered flag on his farewell tour, he's now sitting among the eight finalists looking to hoist the trophy.
Talk about a way to go out, right?
Gordon posted top-10 finishes in each of the Round 2 events, although a pole in Talladega saw him drop to third place. Regardless, it was enough to get him through to Round 3 and to Martinsville, where he boasts eight wins.
"It can't help but give you a smile on your face that we made it further than maybe we even anticipated," Gordon said, per ESPN.com's Bob Pockrass. "It gives you that feeling that, 'Hey, maybe this could be our year.'"
It might just be Gordon's year. The abyss of retirement looks like one heck of a motivator, and a stab at an automatic bid comes at just the right time given Gordon's dominance at Martinsville.
A win No. 9 on a career and a season first might just be in the cards.
Joey Logano
Then again, Logano has something to say to all of those hoping for fairy tales and miracles.
Logano already has something of a miracle fit for Hollywood after outright sweeping Round 2.
It doesn't stop there, either—he just won the pole for Sunday's event and took the time to celebrate on Twitter:
The man's earned the right to celebrate, folks. The parallels aren't hard to see, as Christopher Kamka of Comcast SportsNet Chicago pointed out:
The Chase is Logano's to lose. He's red-hot and ruffled a few feathers along the way, but so it goes when fighting for a title.
With so much at stake, look for the favorite and pole owner to put on another strong performance as he etches his name into the history books.
Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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