Martinsville Chase preview: Who will advance to the Championship 4?

Of the remaining drivers in the playoffs, five have wins at the half-mile track. But Jimmie Johnson’s total of eight victories stands high above the records of the other drivers.

Although Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon earned his ninth victory in last year’s Goody’s 500 to break a tie with Johnson, it took the driver of the No. 24 Chevy 42 starts to reach eight wins. Johnson accomplished the same feat in 23 races. Gordon’s 6.8 average finish is still best among current drivers (current, at least, for this week). But among the Chase contenders, Johnson’s average finish of 7.5 is two positions better than any of his competition.

Here’s how the Round of 8 stacks up at Martinsville Speedway:

Jimmie Johnson

Six-time has eight wins, 18 top fives, 23 top 10s and three poles in 29 starts. Only once has Johnson not been running at the finish of a Martinsville race, and he’s finished on the lead lap 26 times. His average running position is eighth and he’s accumulated the second most points (341) in the last 10 races behind Gordon (359). He’s completed 99.1 percent of the 14,534 possible laps raced and led 2,746 circuits.

Denny Hamlin

Hamlin has scored five wins, 11 top fives and 16 top 10s in 21 starts. His average running position of 9.697 and average finish of 9.5 is third highest. In Hamlin’s 10,028 laps raced, he has a 95.2-percent completion rate and has led 1,315 circuits. Despite finishing 39th in the spring, Hamlin has amassed the most points (128) in the last four races bolstered by his most recent Martinsville win in spring 2015. Perhaps Hamlin’s greatest contribution — and regret — with regard to the half-mile track, is the know-how he has passed along to his fellow Joe Gibbs Racing teammates.

Kyle Busch

Busch earned his first win at Martinsville in April after leading 352 laps, including the final 174 circuits. Since joining JGR, Busch has led 723 of his 839 career laps run at the point. His average finish of 14.5 is third highest among the Chasers. In 22 starts, he has posted 10 top fives, 11 top 10s and completed 96.8-percent of his 11,034 laps raced. With a top five in this race last year and his win in the spring, Busch has amassed the most points (84) over the last two races.

Joey Logano

Logano is looking for his fourth consecutive pole this weekend at Martinsville Speedway. Prior to Matt Kenseth punting the No. 22 Ford in this race last year, Logano had finished all 13 of his races run at the track and completed all but 10 laps. Still, he has a remarkable 99.3-percent completion rate and an average finish of 14.6. Logano’s best result was second with JGR, but all of his 435 laps led have been with Team Penske over the last five races. In 15 starts, Logano has four top fives and five top 10 finishes. Although Logano is the last Ford remaining in the Chase, it should work to his advantage to have all of the Blue Oval’s resources behind him.

Matt Kenseth

Before joining JGR, Kenseth had led just 73 laps at Martinsville in 26 starts. In his last seven races in the No. 20 car, Kenseth has raced at the front for 392 circuits and scored the second most points (227). The only race Kenseth has not led at the half-mile was this event last year, when he was parked for dumping Logano. Kenseth is still looking for his first win at the track. He tied his career-best result of second in the Goody’s 500 in his first season with JGR. In 33 career starts, Kenseth has five top fives, 12 top 10s and an average finish of 15.1. His average lap completion rate is 98.9-percent.

Carl Edwards

Edwards leads the JGR contingent in short track wins this season with victories at Bristol and Richmond in the spring. Gibbs cars have won four of the five short-track races completed his year. Could this be the year Edwards turns his luck around at Martinsville? He has just one top-five finish (third in 2008) and six top 10s on the half-miler, and all but one came while he was still at Roush Fenway Racing. In 2011, Edwards started from the pole on points since time trials were rained out. His sixth-place finish this spring was his first in nine races. Edwards has completed 98.5-percent of laps raced and has led just 44 circuits in 24 starts.

Kevin Harvick

Harvick’s sole win at the track came in the spring race in 2011. In 30 starts, Harvick has three top fives, 14 top 10s and an average finish of 15.9. He has a 97.7 percent lap completion rate and has been running at the finish in all but one race--a DNF resulting from an engine failure in 2012. Of Harvick’s 628 laps led, 264 circuits have been run at the point in the last three races with Stewart-Haas Racing.

Kurt Busch

Busch’s Martinsville experience has been a mixed bag. Although he’s one of just three of the remaining Chase drivers with multiple wins at the half-mile track, his average finish is 21.2. In 32 starts, Busch has finished 30 times but has only been running on the lead lap in 14 of those races. His second win came in just his sixth start with Stewart-Haas Racing which improved his stats to three top fives and five top 10 career finishes. He’s led 464 circuits and enjoys a lap completion rate of 97.2-percent.