Welcome back, Jeff Gordon, what will be your final race as replacement for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Gordon won this race in 2015.
Sunday's Martinsville race reminds NASCAR fans of two things: Kyle Busch's spring 2016 sweep and the notorious 2015 Matt Kenseth-Joey Logano run-in. Busch could well be the driver to beat again in the first leg of the Chase for the Sprint Cup's Round of 8. Don't look for another Kenseth-Logano mess. That's not to say something crazy won't happen.
MORE: Martinsville schedule | Junior back on TV | Gibbs stragglers
After all, Logano and Kenseth are in the Chase. Not that either man would risk his championship bid to settle a score.
Drivers take the track Friday for an 11 a.m. ET practice and qualifying at 4:40 ET. There were 41 entries, meaning one team will pack up and go home Friday night.
The track is open at @MartinsvilleSwy! Watch as cars roll out for opening #NASCAR Sprint Cup practice.
— FOX SPORTS: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) October 28, 2016
📊 🚗🚗🚗💨» https://t.co/emsuyYO4YP pic.twitter.com/n193XVJJHk
All Chase drivers begin this round with 4,000 points. The standings:
| Pos. | No. | Driver/ Team | Brand | Starts | Wins Top 5 | Top 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Joey Logano Team Penske | Ford | 32 | 2 13 | 22 |
| 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports | Chevy | 32 | 3 9 | 14 |
| 3 | 4 | Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevy | 32 | 4 15 | 24 |
| 4 | 20 | Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 32 | 2 7 | 16 |
| 5 | 19 | Carl Edwards Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 32 | 2 8 | 17 |
| 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 32 | 3 11 | 18 |
| 7 | 41 | Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevy | 32 | 1 8 | 20 |
| 8 | 18 | Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 32 | 4 14 | 21 |
After Martinsville, the old half-mile Paperclip, the Chase moves to the 1.5-mile track at Texas and finished the round on the mile at Phoenix. Four teams will advance to the Chase championship race at Homestead-Miami.
Winning one of these three races is critical. But don't discount the possibility of the four Gibbs teams working toward getting all four cars in the Homestead race.
Here are the entries for Martinsville. Chase drivers are in bold.
| No. | Driver Hometown | Brand | Sponsor Owner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamie McMurray Joplin, Mo. | Chevy | Credit One Chip Ganassi Racing | |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski Rochester Hills, Mich. | Ford | Alliance Truck Parts Team Penske | |
| 3 | Austin Dillon Welcome, N.C. | Chevy | Dow-Dow Corning Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing | |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick Bakersfield, Calif. | Chevy | Busch Light Chevrolet SS Stewart-Haas Racing | |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne Enumclaw, Wash. | Chevy | UniFirst Hendrick Motorsports | |
| 6 | Trevor Bayne Knoxville, Tenn. | Ford | Advocare Ford Fusion Roush Fenway Racing | |
| 7 | Regan Smith Cato, N.Y. | Chevy | Nikko RC/Toy State Chevrolet Tommy Baldwin Racing | |
| 10 | Danica Patrick Roscoe, Ill. | Chevy | Nature's Bakery Chevrolet SS Stewart-Haas Racing | |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin Chesterfield, Va. | Toyota | FedEx Freight Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| 13 | Casey Mears Bakersfield, Calif. | Chevy | GEICO Germain Racing | |
| 14 | Tony Stewart Columbus, Ind. | Chevy | Haas Automation Chevrolet SS Stewart-Haas Racing | |
| 15 | Clint Bowyer Emporia, Kans. | Chevy | 5-Hour Energy HScott Motorsports | |
| 16 | Greg Biffle Vancouver, Wash. | Ford | FordPass Ford Fusion Roush Fenway Racing | |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Olive Branch, Miss. | Ford | Fastenal Ford Fusion Roush Fenway Racing | |
| 18 | Kyle Busch Las Vegas, Nev. | Toyota | M&M's Halloween Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| 19 | Carl Edwards Columbia, Mo. | Toyota | Sport Clips Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| 20 | Matt Kenseth Cambridge, Wis. | Toyota | Dollar General Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| 21 | Ryan Blaney High Point, N.C. | Ford | Virginia Tech Wood Brothers Racing | |
| 22 | Joey Logano Middletown, Conn. | Ford | Shell Pennzoil Team Penske | |
| 23 | David Ragan Unadilla, Ga. | Toyota | Dr Pepper BK Racing | |
| 24 | Chase Elliott Dawsonville, Ga. | Chevy | NAPA Auto Parts Hendrick Motorsports | |
| 27 | Paul Menard Eau Claire, Wis. | Chevy | Dutch Boy/Menards Richard Childress Racing | |
| 30 | Gray Gaulding Colonial Heights, Va. | Chevy | Feed the Children The Motorsports Group | |
| 31 | Ryan Newman South Bend, Ind. | Chevy | Caterpillar Richard Childress Racing | |
| 32 | Jeffrey Earnhardt Mooresville, N.C. | Ford | Keen Parts/Rain-X GO FAS Racing | |
| 34 | Chris Buescher Prosper, Texas | Ford | Love's Travel Stops/Roller Bites Front Row Motorsports | |
| 38 | Landon Cassill Fairfax, Iowa | Ford | A&W All American Food Front Row Motorsports | |
| 41 | Kurt Busch Las Vegas, Nev. | Chevy | State Water Heaters Chevrolet SS Stewart-Haas Racing | |
| 42 | Kyle Larson Elk Grove, Calif. | Chevy | Target Chip Ganassi Racing | |
| 43 | Aric Almirola Tampa, Fla. | Ford | Smithfield Richard Petty Motorsports | |
| 44 | Brian Scott Boise, Idaho | Ford | American Red Cross Richard Petty Motorsports | |
| 46 | Michael Annett Des Moines, Iowa | Chevy | Pilot Flying J HScott Motorsports | |
| 47 | AJ Allmendinger Los Gatos, Calif. | Chevy | Kroger/Clorox JTG Daugherty Racing | |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson El Cajon, Calif. | Chevy | Lowe's Hendrick Motorsports | |
| 55 | Reed Sorenson Peachtree City, Ga. | Chevy | TBD Premium Motorsports | |
| 78 | Martin Truex Jr Mayetta, N.J. | Toyota | Auto-Owners Insurance Furniture Row Racing | |
| 83 | Dylan Lupton Sacramento, Calif. | Toyota | E.J. Wade Construction BK Racing | |
| 88 | Jeff Gordon Vallejo, Calif. | Chevy | Nationwide Hendrick Motorsports | |
| 93 | Matt DiBenedetto Grass Valley, Calif. | Toyota | E.J. Wade Construction BK Racing | |
| 95 | Michael McDowell Glendale, Arizona | Chevy | Malwarebytes Circle Sport-Leavine Family | |
| 98 | Cole Whitt Alpine, Calif. | Chevy | TBD Premium Motorsports |
This will be Gaulding's first Sprint Cup race.