Kevin Harvick Wins Second Straight NASCAR Sprint Cup Race At Martinsville Speedway

Kyle Busch is your new NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader following the Martinsville race, with his third-place effort moving him up three spots to take over the No. 1 position.

Former points leader Carl Edwards slipped one spot to second, with Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch and Sunday’s race winner Kevin Harvick rounding out the top five.

Martinsville saw a wide variety of emotions from the drivers in Sunday’s race. Here’s a sampling of some of them:

Marcos Ambrose (29th)

Kevin Harvick became the first person not named Denny Hamlin or Jimmie Johnson to win a Martinsville race since 2006 with his victory on Sunday.

But how did Hamlin (three straight Martinsville wins) and Johnson, the previous masters of the paperclip-shaped track, fare in this year’s race?

Dale Earnhardt Jr. knew this was his day. With five laps to go, Earnhardt Jr. was leading the Martinsville race and appeared to be finally ready to snap his 98-race winless streak.

He could see the fans going crazy in the stands. He could sense that his long drought in the Sprint Cup Series was finally over.

It’s time for another race chat, and we’ll be using the CoverItLive format again this week (in lieu of finding something better). As with the last two weeks, please be patient as you wait to be “approved” as a commenter.

This seems to be the best format for now, though feedback is always appreciated. It sounds as if there will be a lot to talk about with the race today, so let’s get started:

Good morning from Martinsville Speedway, where it’s a bit chilly to start the day. Things are expected to warm up later, though – both on and off the track.

Here’s what you need to know heading into today’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville.

Jamie McMurray won the Martinsville pole on Saturday afternoon, resulting in his eighth career No. 1 starting spot and first of the season.

McMurray, who had a career-high four poles last year, picked up the first-ever Martinsville pole for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said the tire situation at Martinsville Speedway this weekend was “pretty disappointing” and that the tire was “really crappy,” but that NASCAR and its race teams were stuck with what they had.

Teams discovered Friday that the new race tire Goodyear had brought to Martinsville was not laying rubber down on the track and was instead coming apart, leaving marbles in the upper racing groove.