Could we see a 1 v 1 in NASCAR at the Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Va. If so, it could be between two of NASCAR’s best at the track, Jeff Gordon vs Denny Hamlin. Even though the chances of this happening are highly unlikely, it would be fun to wonder how this event would unfold. Both drivers said they would be interested in making it happen.
The Drivers’ Comments
“Fox could probably get that done, a decent purse, some equal cars, Jeff, maybe? I’m in.”
Denny Hamlin on the idea
“We could probably make that happen. Listen, if he wins Martinsville this weekend and starts preparing for Homestead, I’m gonna start preparing my Martinsville car right now so I can compete with Denny Hamlin.”
Gordon’s response in the Studio
Jeff Gordon at Martinsville
Gordon is arguably one of the greatest, if not the greatest drivers at Martinsville. Here are Gordon’s stats at Martinsville:
- Starts: 47
- Wins: 9
- Top 5s: 29
- Top 10s: 38
- Laps Led: 3,779
- Avg Finish: 6.7
- DNFs: 0
The stats are unbelievable for Jeff Gordon at Martinsville. Gordon finished in the top 10 in 80.9% of the races he entered at Martinsville. That is compared to Richard Petty, a 15 time winner at the track who finished in the top 10 55.2% of the time. There was a 15 race stretch from 2003-2010 where Gordon finished in the top 10 every race at Martinsville and in the top 5 for 13 of those races. To top it off, Gordon completed 99.5 percent of the laps he ran. In his entire career he only missed 121 laps.
Denny Hamlin at Martinsville
Today, Denny Hamlin is considered one of the best if not the best at Martinsville. Here are Hamlin’s stats at Martinsville as of October 24th, 2019:
- Starts: 27
- Wins: 5
- Top 5s: 14
- Top 10s: 20
- Laps Led: 1,536
- Avg. Finish: 9.6
- DNFs: 2
These stats are remarkable as well for Hamlin. In 20 less starts than Gordon, Hamlin has around half the wins, top 5s, and top 10s. There have been a couple blemishes to Hamlin’s record at Martinsville as he did have electrical problems in 2012 and he gotten collected in accidents a few times in his career. Other than that, Hamlin is as consistent and as much of a threat to win at “the paperclip” as Gordon was.
Who Wins?
In a battle of Jeff Gordon vs Denny Hamlin at Martinsville, choosing a winner is not an easy choice. Both drivers are so talented at the track and its hard for anyone to compare to the numbers the numbers they have. In the end though, Jeff Gordon gets the nod as the winner. Even being out of the car for a few years now, Gordon has Martinsville down. His stats are alarming and when it comes to Martinsville, you cannot pick against Jeff Gordon. It would be a thrilling event and it could be an idea to have happen at Martinsville in the spring of 2020 as the Cup series has their first night race at the track.
