Martinsville Race Report

FINAL RESULTS:
1. Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet
2. Ryan Newman, Dodge
3. Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet
4. Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
5. Matt Kenseth, Ford
21. Kyle Petty, #45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge
22. Bobby Labonte, #43 Goody’s Headache Powders Dodge

OVERVIEW:

Bobby Labonte and the #43 Goody’s Headache Powders Dodge needed some relief following Sunday’s race after also receiving a hit from behind ending a top-10 run for Labonte. The team ran in the top-10 all afternoon, and for a long stretch in the second position. The Goody’s Headache Powders Dodge was easily in position for a top-10 finish and had a good chance for a top-five. A change in the chassis later in the race dropped Labonte out of the top-10, but they had adjusted back and were moving forward again. It was then when they were hit from behind and spun. Labonte had to start his charge over again, but only had three laps to work. Labonte finished 22nd.

“It’s going to come to us soon,” said Labonte. “We are going to get that good luck because, right now, we’re running well. The guys are doing a good job. I’m happy with that. Doug (Randolph) did a good job with the car today. I’m proud of my guys. They are working hard and now we just need to get the finishes to show for it.”

It’s a hat trick for Jimmie Johnson. He won his third consecutive race at the .526-mile Martinsville (Va.) Speedway on Sunday. Johnson battled with teammate Jeff Gordon for much of the race but came out on top at the end of the day. This is Johnson’s 30th career victory and his fourth win at Martinsville.

The Hendrick Motorsports duo of Jeff Gordon, who started from the pole, and Jimmie Johnson ran at the front of the pack for most of the 500 laps. Gordon slipped a few spots in the last leg of the race, but returned forward and salvaged a third-place finish. Ryan Newman took runner-up honors. He attempted to take the lead from Johnson in the last few laps but did not have enough to get around him. Johnson held the lead until the end of the race which concluded under a green-white checkered finish. The win helped Johnson close in just a little on Gordon who still holds the points lead by over 50 points with only four races remaining.

Kyle Petty and the #45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge team started in the 42nd position on Sunday. He steadily moved his way to the front after some early adjustments. Early in the race Petty had trouble getting the car to turn in the tight corners. It didn’t take long for the team to find a good setup and Petty started his ascent. As teams began to fall numerous laps down Petty stayed on the lead lap with the help of several lucky dog awards. Petty had moved into the 27th position with 125 laps to go and was still surging forward. His march however was abruptly halted when he was hit in the back by another car. The team was anticipating a top-10 finish, but Petty was forced to start at the tail end of the lead lap with the race coming to an end. In the final 30 laps Petty was able to recover and move from 25th to 21st. Petty scored a strong finish for the Dodge camp and moved up to 34th in owner points.

“The result today does not show the kind of day we had” said Petty. “We had a better run. We had a little trouble in the beginning of the race. Billy Wilburn and the guys made good adjustments and we were a lot better. We were happy with the way things were going then we got hit from behind. I think we did a good job recovering. We can move forward from this.”

The NASCAR Nextel Cup Series travels to the 1.5-mile Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway for Sunday’s Atlanta 500. It will be televised live on ABC and broadcast live on PRN Radio.