MARTINSVILLE: Preview
03-25-2009 12:41 am

Current standings leader J.R. Fitzpatrick (No. 7 Mammoet Chevrolet), who competed in last October's Kroger 200, only has three points separating himself from Ricky Carmichael. Not originally on his schedule, his strong showing out of the box has Carmichael and his No. 4 Oakley Chevrolet headed to Martinsville. Johnny Sauter (No. 13 Fun Sand/Rodney Atkins/Curb Records Chevrolet) has two previous starts in the series where he notched a 22nd and 23rd-place finish. The Wisconsin native also has one start in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and four in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Only nine points behind Fitzpatrick in fifth, perhaps his experience will give the 2002 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year runner-up an edge over the rest of the class.

After three races of the 2009 season:

1. J.R. Fitzpatrick 33

2. Ricky Carmichael 30

3. Tayler Malsam 28

4. James Buescher 27

5. Johnny Sauter 24

6. Chase Austin 16

7. Brent Raymer 6

8. Chris Jones 5

Manufacturer Battle Chevrolet holds on to the most wins with six at Martinsville Speedway. But it's been a little dry spell for the manufacturer. Their last win was in April 2005 with driver Bobby Labonte. Dodge and Toyota are pushing Chevy's record. Both are tied with five wins.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 2009 Manufacturers' Standings following Race 3 of 25 at Atlanta Motor Speedway:

Toyota 27

Chevrolet 18

Ford 12

Dodge 9

In The Loop

Johnny Benson, the defending NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion, sits 29 points out of the top 10 - a position he didn't figure to be in at the close of 2008. Now, after three races, Benson will likely take a "one race at time" mantra. The next race in his battle to regain standings prominence is Martinsville - and the last time the series visited the short track, Benson won. So optimism is high. Benson has been solid at Martinsville since the inception of Loop Data in 2005. In his last eight races there, Benson has a Driver Rating of 90.5, an Average Running Position of 12.8, 59 Fastest Laps Run and a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 66.8%.

But there's one problem. The man Benson's chasing is even better. David Starr, who is 10th in points, ranks above Benson in almost every key statistical category. Starr, who won at this race in 2006, has a Martinsville Driver Rating of 92.6, an Average Running Position of 12.6, 60 Fastest Laps Run, a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 65.7% and has been passed only 74 times in the last eight races, the fewest of any driver during that span. Starr struggled during the last Martinsville race, finishing 33rd, but has finished in the top 10 in four of the last six Martinsville races.

Director's Take: Wayne's Words

"Short-track racing is the very foundation of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Martinsville Speedway is such a historic track. It's also one of four tracks remaining on the schedule to host this series since its inaugural 1995 season. This will be the first short track we'll race this season so teams are looking at completely different factors and setups than the first three tracks. One of the biggest factors at this track will be brakes. You can have a great running truck but if you don't have the right brake set-up, it could keep you out of Victory Lane. A driver's track position is also key here. It is so hard to pass, you really want to start your day in a good position which places a big emphasis on your qualifying run. Not only will starting in a good position be important but teams' pit strategy will be key to keeping that good track position. It will be interesting to see what calls the crew chiefs make. "This paperclip-shaped track is like two drag strips with two corners. It gets tight. Drivers will have their hands full trying to keep their fenders on. Of course, that just gives the fans good action to watch."

Wayne Auton, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Director

Martinsville Speedway will host the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this weekend, the first of two visits to the short track for the series. This southern Virginia track and Texas Motor Speedway are the only two tracks on the schedule to host the series twice.

SOURCE: NASCAR Communications