5 drivers who could end long winless streaks at Martinsville
NASCAR is a big sport fueled by big legends and sometimes big myths.
One of the biggest myths is that on any given Sunday 25 different cars can win. The numbers simply don't bear that out.
Over the last 10 years, the average number of different winners in any NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season has been 14.3. The largest number of different winners in that period was 18 in 2011; the smallest was 12 in 2008 and again last year.
And yet, this weekend at Martinsville Speedway presents an interesting situation: Several of the fastest cars here are ones being piloted by drivers with long winless streaks -- guys who in some cases have gone nearly three years without a victory but figure prominently in the mix to win the STP 500.
5. KYLE LARSON -- Now in his third full season of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing, Larson is winless in 80 career Cup starts. But at Martinsville on Saturday, he was a beast, leading the way in Happy Hour and winding up second in 10-consecutive lap average. He will start Sunday's race 17th in his Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.
4. RYAN NEWMAN -- It's been 85 races since Newman last found Victory Lane in the 2013 Brickyard 400. This weekend, Newman's looked great at Martinsville, qualifying fifth on Friday and running the fourth-fastest lap in Happy Hour. And don't forget, Newman won here in 2012, when Clint Bowyer wrecked leaders Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson on a green-white-checkered finish.
3. PAUL MENARD -- Like his Richard Childress Racing teammate Ryan Newman, Menard's last victory came in the Brickyard 400 -- in 2011, 165 races ago -- and like Newman, Menard is fast this weekend. He qualified fourth for the STP 500 and was fifth in Saturday morning's first practice.
2. KASEY KAHNE -- The last time Kahne won a Sprint Cup race was at Atlanta in 2014, 52 long races ago. This weekend, he looks great qualifying second behind Joey Logano for Sunday's STP 500. Saturday morning, Kahne was fastest in the morning practice and he's shown good speed all weekend.
1. BRIAN VICKERS -- The big shock of the weekend has been Vickers, who so far at Martinsville consistently has been far faster than all three of his Stewart-Haas Racing teammates. Vickers qualified third and was first, fourth and third in the three practices here, where he is subbing for Tony Stewart. Vickers' last win came at New Hampshire in July 2013.
