Final practice results for Chase race at Martinsville Speedway
Formerly dubbed “Mr. Martinsville” for his overwhelming success at Martinsville Speedway, Jimmie Johnson has actually gone four races since his last win at the Virginia short track.
Johnson’s “drought," as it were, may be about to end, however.
The six-time Sprint Cup Series champion topped Saturday’s final Sprint Cup Series practice at Martinsville with a lap of 97.108 mph in his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
Johnson, who was eliminated from the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in the first round, was the only driver among 42 to eclipse the 97-mph mark.
Reigning Sprint Cup Series champion and Chase driver Kevin Harvick and fellow Chaser Brad Keselowski both turned a lap of 96.721 for the session’s second-fastest speed.
Paul Menard and Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- who led Saturday’s earlier practice -- completed the top five.
Chase drivers outside the top five finished “Happy Hour” as follows: Pole winner Joey Logano (seventh), Martin Truex Jr. (eighth), Jeff Gordon (12th), Kurt Busch (19th), Carl Edwards (21st) and Kyle Busch (26th).
Three-time Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart, who went to a backup car after wrecking his primary near the end of Saturday morning’s practice, was tied with Greg Biffle for 16th on the timesheet in "Happy Hour."
Check out the full results, along with the best 10-consecutive lap average, below:
