Denny Hamlin leads active Cup Series field in wins at Martinsville

Among the 36 starters for Saturday night’s Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway, nine drivers have won a points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race at the Virginia short track.

Denny Hamlin: 5 Martinsville wins
In 32 starts at Martinsville, Hamlin has amassed four poles, five victories, 16 Top-5 finishes, 22 Top-10 finishes, 1,987 laps led and an average finish of 10.2 — the best among all active drivers.

Hamlin most recently visited Martinsville’s victory lane in March 2015. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver finished third last April.

Martin Truex Jr.: 3 Martinsville wins

Like Hamlin, Truex has 32 starts at Martinsville. Truex has won three of the last five races at the short track, dating back to his first win there in Oct. 2019.

All three wins came driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. Truex’s stats include one pole, nine Top-5 finishes, 15 Top-10 finishes, 1,016 laps led and an average finish of 16.1.

Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski: 2 Martinsville wins each

A trio of former champions – the Busch brothers and Keselowski – have each earned two wins at the 0.526-mile track.

Kurt Busch’s last victory came in March 2014 driving for Stewart-Haas Racing. His other win was in Oct. 2002 while driving for Jack Roush.

Kyle Busch won the Oct. 2017 playoff race, his most recent win at the track. He also won in April 2016.

Keselowski’s most recent Martinsville victory was in the March 2019 event. He also won the March 2017 event.

Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano: 1 Martinsville win each

Alex Bowman is the most-recent winner at Martinsville. The Hendrick Motorsports driver won the October playoff race last season.

Teammate Chase Elliott’s lone victory was his walk-off win in the 2020 playoff race, which ultimately propelled him to the NASCAR Cup Series championship that year.

Like Elliott in 2020, Joey Logano’s win in Oct. 2018 ultimately helped propel Logano to his championship run that year.

In 41 starts at Martinsville, Kevin Harvick has one victory – in April 2011. Harvick has not lead a lap at the track since April 2016.

OUTLOOK
The Blue Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 is scheduled for Saturday, April 9 (7:30 p.m. ET; TV: FS1; Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

SOURCES
Racing-Reference.info