MARTINSVILLE(WSLS 10 SPORTS) -Joey Logano grabbed the pole at Martinsville and completed the season sweep at the SW Virginia track with another great effort on Friday. The Penske driver is coming off a three-race win streak and didn't hesitate to bring his Chase momentum to the series oldest active track. Here's a look at your top ten qualifiers for Sunday's Martinsville Cup Race:
1. Joey Logano, 2. Martin Truex Jr. 3. AJ Allmendinger, 4. Jamie McMurray, 5. Jeff Gordon, 6. Kyle Busch, 7. Ryan Newman, 8 Aric Almirola, 9. Kyle Larson, 10. Denny Hamlin.
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Meanwhile, we caught up with NASCAR.com reporter Jonathan Merryman at the track. for a breakdown of the Martinsville favorites coming in.
"The beauty of Martinsville is it simplicity. It's a flat oval track. It's always been a flat oval track. So your normal guys are going to be up front. However Carl Edwards, has historically struggled here-- but Matt Kenseth did too before he came over to Gibbs. So so in that respect and I think that we are going to see Carl succeed here which means that-- He was to--he's in the Eliminator eight. But another one to a watch out for, Brad Keselowski. He hasn't broken through here yet, he';s somebody you don't think about being fast here, but he's gonna be fast here," explains Merryman.
Jeff Gordon's press conference included a special presentation by Clay Campbell--as Jeff Gordon was honored with a train to remember Martinsville by. The engine is a replica of the engine that roars past the track daily, and the cars represented all of Gordon's eight victories at the track.
"One of the things that gets brought up a lot here that people are asking me about-- 'Are you ever going to come back? are you ever going to come back? The one track that comes to mind about maybe coming back and I don't know if it would be coming back in the Cup car or not, it's going to be right here. This race means that much to me.I don't know maybe an old guy could still get in done in this place," says four-time champ Jeff Gordon.
Merryman weighed in on Gordon's chances. "They(the Hendrick Drivers)are all on the 24 bandwagon, in my opinion and I mean the guy won here just a couple races ago. I was working for you guys in victory Lane interviewing Gordon not thinking that in a couple of years he would be about to retire. He really wants to go higher he really wants to be on top. I know the clock would mean the world to him and if he got himself in position to run for a title, in the championship race, that's motivating him, that's motivating this team, and with Hendrick equipment at Martinsville Speedway. Can you really go against that?, continues Merryman.
The Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 is set for Sunday at 1:15 eastern.
{Merryman worked at WSLS-TV for three years as the weekend sports anchor from 2012-2015.}