{"id":15587,"date":"2018-03-24T16:26:42","date_gmt":"2018-03-24T21:26:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=15587"},"modified":"2018-03-24T16:26:42","modified_gmt":"2018-03-24T21:26:42","slug":"nascar-saturday-martinsville-notebook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2018\/03\/24\/nascar-saturday-martinsville-notebook\/","title":{"rendered":"NASCAR: Saturday Martinsville Notebook"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service<\/em><\/p>\n

Over the hill? Jimmie Johnson doesn\u2019t think so<\/h4>\n

MARTINSVILLE, Va. \u2013 Jimmie Johnson<\/strong> hasn\u2019t won a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series<\/a> race since he triumphed at Dover on June 4 of last year.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet, sits in his car during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway on March 24, 2018 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Sarah Crabill\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

That constitutes a winless streak of 28 races, the longest drought of Johnson\u2019s career.<\/p>\n

But the seven-time series champion scoffed at the notion that his prolonged absence from Victory Lane represents a decline in his prowess on the track.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think that way,\u201d said the driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in advance of Sunday\u2019s STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway (2 p.m. ET on FS1). \u201cAt the end of last year, there were layers of high frustration and some embarrassment that we just couldn\u2019t get things going in the right direction. This year, we\u2019ve improved every week and have seen great strides. So I\u2019m very optimistic that success is out there in front of us and around the corner.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, through it all, I live in the moment and understand where I am and where our team is and what we\u2019re doing as a company. I know the journey that we\u2019re on. I know what\u2019s happening internally to build a better product and to better use our resources to build a better think tank, if you will, and how all the crew chiefs work together. So there\u2019s a journey of growth going on right now at the company.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson has 83 victories at NASCAR highest level, tied for sixth on the all-time list with Cale Yarborough and 40 ahead of Kyle Busch, who is second among active drivers. Accordingly, a 28-race winless streak doesn\u2019t have Johnson pulling out his hair.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway on March 24, 2018 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI\u2019m reminded every week of a streak that\u2019s not one that you want to be reminded of \u2013 but I\u2019m not losing sleep over it,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cI know I\u2019m going to win races. I know this team is going to win races. I know we\u2019re going to compete for championships. It\u2019s just getting all of our stuff right.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think people often take for granted how competitive pro sports are and how competitive this garage area is. And although we\u2019ve been able to do some pretty amazing things that have never been done before, I think it\u2019s unfair to believe that it can last forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chase Elliott, Johnson\u2019s teammate at Hendrick Motorsports, hasn\u2019t seen a decline in skill in the 42-year-old driver.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would like to have his slump,\u201d Elliott quipped. \u201cI don\u2019t know about everybody else. Look, everybody tries to ride on the age thing that is just so not true. You don\u2019t forget how to drive. You don\u2019t change your driving habits.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t just do all that in the course of a couple of years, and the guy is still one of, if not the greatest driver ever to ever come through NASCAR. I would probably say the best ever without question.\u201d<\/p>\n

Told of Elliott\u2019s assertion, Johnson said simply, \u201cI\u2019ll take it.\u201d<\/p>\n

DENNY HAMLIN LOOKS TO MOVE FORWARD FROM CHASE ELLIOTT INCIDENT<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even if you don\u2019t remember that Kyle Busch won last October\u2019s Playoff race at Martinsville Speedway, you probably recall that Denny Hamlin forcibly evicted Chase Elliott from the lead when Elliott was poised to claim his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory and advance to the championship race at Homestead.<\/p>\n

With Elliott the most likely candidate to take over Most Popular Driver honors from retiring Dale Earnhardt Jr., the reaction of fans to Hamlin\u2019s bump was swift and merciless. And two weeks later at ISM Raceway in Phoenix, Elliott returned the favor by roughing up Hamlin and ruining his chances to make the final race.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose type of incidents have happened for a long time in the course of NASCAR history by a lot of different people, and I think it really had a lot to do with the people in play,\u201d Hamlin said on Saturday at Martinsville. \u201cMaybe if the shoe was on the other foot, there would have been cheers.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s part of short-track racing, and it obviously gets used a lot for promos. Thank goodness this isn\u2019t Texas Motor Speedway, or we\u2019d have a boxing ring or something sitting outside. It\u2019s part of short-track racing and it has been for many, many years. It was just bad to be a part of it on that particular night.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Hamlin acknowledges it\u2019s pointless to dwell on something that happened nearly five months ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a mistake on my part, and I moved on from it \u2013 we both have,\u201d Hamlin said. \u201cWe\u2019ve raced each other quite a bit during the course of this year and been fine.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only bad memories are, really, it just kind of unraveled our chance to make the final four, to be honest with you. That part of it is frustrating, but it was so long ago that my focus had already shifted to this season, and I can\u2019t go back, so I\u2019ve got to go forward now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 5-hour ENERGY\/Bass Pro Shops Toyota, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway on March 24, 2018 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

SHORT STROKES<\/strong><\/p>\n

On his 24th lap of final practice, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. wheel-hopped into Turn 3 and slammed his No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford into the outside wall. The extensive damage that resulted required a backup car, and Stenhouse will start from the rear in Sunday\u2019s STP 500 at the .526-mile short track. \u201cWe had planned on doing like 40 laps and a long run and then come in, making a change and doing another one, but going in Turn 3, I got on the brakes and got wheel-hop, which we haven\u2019t had in two or three races here. When I first started coming to Martinsville in my career, I had a lot of wheel-hop and I actually did that a lot here, so it kind of caught me off-guard that we had it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Martin Truex Jr., last Sunday\u2019s winner at Auto Club Speedway, paced both Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practices on Saturday, running 95.752 mph in the morning session and 95.415 mph in Happy Hour. The defending series champion also had won consecutive pole positions at Phoenix and Auto Club. Truex also had the best consecutive 10-lap average speed in the first session and was third in that category behind Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch in final practice.<\/p>\n

Media Center Interviews: <\/h3>\n

Jimmie Johnson – <\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/MS_MENCS_Johnson_032418.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Kyle Busch – <\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/MS_MENCS_Busch_032418.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Martin Truex Jr. – <\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/MS_MENCS_Truex_032418.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Denny Hamlin – <\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/MS_MENCS_Hamlin_032418.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Brad Keselowski – <\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/MS_MENCS_Keselowski_032418.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Darrell Wallace Jr. – <\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/MS_MENCS_Wallace_032418.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chase Elliott – <\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/MS_MENCS_Elliott_032418.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service Over the hill? Jimmie Johnson doesn\u2019t think so MARTINSVILLE, Va. \u2013 Jimmie Johnson hasn\u2019t won a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race since he triumphed at Dover on June 4 of last year. That constitutes a winless streak of 28 races, the longest drought of Johnson\u2019s career. But the seven-time […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15592,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[11],"tags":[63,407,16,408],"class_list":["post-15587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-jimmie-johnson","tag-martinsville-speedway","tag-nascar","tag-stp-500"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/MS_MENCS_Johnson_032418.jpg?fit=4251%2C2743&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-43p","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15587","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15587"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15587\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15606,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15587\/revisions\/15606"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15592"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}