Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon have combined to win eight of the last 10 races in Martinsville. Johnson has won the last three runs, while Gordon has taken seven checkers and 24 top 10s in 30 career races at the Virginia short track.

The Car of Tomorrow did little to even the playing field. Last year, Johnson swept both events to cap a three-peat at the half-mile paper clip.

In April, the 48 and the 24 battled to the line, resulting in smoke clouds and paint chips filling the air for a classic Martinsville finish. Then in October, a record 21 caution flags were thrown in a race that ended with Johnson winning under caution just as Ryan Newman threatened to take first.

If Johnson wins the first race at Martinsville in 2008, he will become only the second driver to win four straight at the track, joining Fred Lorenzen, who loved Virginia from Sept. 1963 to April 1965.

Tony Stewart (2006) and Rusty Wallace (2004) are the only drivers besides Johnson and Gordon to win at Martinsville over the last 10 races. Stewart also won in 2000, while Wallace’s ’04 victory lap was the seventh of his career in Martinsville.

Before Johnson and Gordon seemingly purchased the historic track — which has hosted Cup races since 1949 — Kurt Busch won in ’02. But it is Kyle Busch who has experienced more consistent success, with three top-5 finishes in only six races, including two fourths in 2007 and a fifth in ’06 with Hendrick Motorsports.

FANTASY STALL
Looking at Checkers
It’s Jeff Gordon’s turn to sweep this year...
Pretty Solid Pick
...And Jimmie Johnson’s turn to finish second twice.
Good Sleeper Pick
See Kyle Busch’s name in the chart to the right? That will be Dale Earnhardt Jr. this year.
Runs on Seven Cylinders

Any rookie
Insider Tip
Can’t go wrong with HMS.

KEEP AN EYE ON...
Kyle Busch He’s already good at Martinsville, and the JGR equipment has worked for Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin in the past.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Junior is a fine short tracker, and if Jeff’s and Jimmie’s notes transfer, he could rack up his first career win in Martinsville.

Denny Hamlin Mr. Consistency has scored only one finish outside of the top 8 in his five Cup starts in his home state.

Juan Pablo Montoya The 2007 Rookie of the Year turned heads at Martinsville last year with a 16th in his first-ever visit. He followed that up with an even more impressive eighth-place run in October.

Ryan Newman This Penske pilot has never been stellar at Martinsville, but he is averaging a 10.1-place finish here since 2005. The key to that stat is a runner-up finish last fall.