NASCAR

NASCAR Martinsville 2013: Lineup, starting grid for Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500

The three drivers atop the Chase standings came up just shy of the pole and will start along the first two rows.

Oct 27, 2013, 3:00 PM UTC

Streeter Lecka

Jimmie Johnson will begin Sunday’s race atop the Chase standings, but if he’s going to stay there he’ll have to overcome an interesting starting position. Johnson qualified second and will begin the race surrounded by three Joe Gibbs Racing teammates.

More: Johnson, Kenseth prepare for showdown Complete race coverage

Matt Kenseth, who is second in the Chase standings, will start from the No. 4 position, while Kyle Busch -- third in the Chase -- will start from the No. 3 position. Busch and Kenseth will be joined at the front of the starting grid by teammate Denny Hamlin who won the pole. Hamlin did not qualify for the Chase, but said he may try to push the pace early on to possibly help out his teammates.

“I could make his life tougher in the sense of setting a pace that he has to chase or something like that,” Hamlin said. “If we can get our car pretty good in race trim, I think that you could force someone to push the envelope.

“Obviously, he’s won many championships -- he knows how to win ‘em. He’s finished second to me here before, but yet won the championship, so he knows what he’s doing. I think he probably won’t let me goad him into doing something that he wouldn’t normally do -- he’s too good for that-but, obviously, with my teammates right there on him, they’ll probably be putting a lot of pressure on him to set a fast pace.”

Although Johnson may be at a slight disadvantage to begin the race, the pressure in on Kenseth. Kenseth led the Chase for the first six races, before losing the lead last week. He will need to keep up with Johnson on Sunday if he’s going to have a chance to regain the lead and win the Sprint Cup. Johnson has won the last two races at Martinsville and has eight career victories at the track, the most of any active driver.

“Very happy to be here, the week was a comfortable week, one from having a decent finish at Talladega and taking the points lead,” Johnson said Friday. “Then, two, rolling into a track that is historically really good for the No. 48. It’s been a good week, but again that doesn’t guarantee anything for the weekend. We have to go out here and get the job done and work hard.”

While Johnson has excelled at Martinsville, Kenseth has struggled. He has just eight top-10 finishes in 23 career starts and has never won a race at the track. If he struggles, Johnson’s four-point lead in the Chase could grow substantially.

“It’s certainly a place that I know we need to come in and perform and we need to run up front and we need to get a good finish,” Kenseth said. “You can almost pencil the (No.) 48 in -- anything can happen, but past history shows that they’re pretty hard to beat here.”

Clint Bowyer will round out the top five and he will be joined on the third row by Joey Logano. Jaime McMurray, David Ragan, Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick round out the top 10. Here is a complete look at Sunday’s starting grid:

Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 Powered by Kroger starting lineup

1. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 99.595 mph.

2. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 99.344 mph.

3. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 99.344 mph.

4. (20) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 99.183 mph.

5. (15) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 99.162 mph.

6. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 99.084 mph.

7. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 99.007 mph.

8. (34) David Ragan, Ford, 98.815 mph.

9. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 98.790 mph.

10. (29) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 98.774 mph.

11. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 98.748 mph.