Hendrick Motorsports engines dominated this race. With 22 laps to go, the entire top five was composed of them. Three Hendrick Motorsports drivers — Martin, Johnson and Gordon — and the two Stewart-Haas Racing cars, which also use those engines, battled for the lead.
But it was a call by Martin’s crew chief, Alan Gustafson, that gave the driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet his second victory of the season! Stay Out, no fuel, no tires! Johnson would also stay out with Martin.
With 21 laps to go, the race returned to green for the final time. Mark Martin held the lead over Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman.
Martin and Johnson got a small lead and looked to settle it between themselves. Johnson haunted Martin on the restart and was able to close the gap a few times but couldn’t get past. It would give Martin his second win of the season and second out of four races.
Are the Hendrick engines the ones to watch here? Let’s crunch the numbers and see who’s hot and who’s on a wave of momentum this current season by the numbers.
Continue reading “Darlington – Statistically Speaking“