Martinsville winners and losers

Clearly Jimmie Johnson was the big winner at Martinsville, winning the pole, leading the most laps and then scoring his second victory of 2013. But there were other winners as well. And just as there are those who excelled, obviously, there are those who failed to meet expectations.

Tony Gibson

If Chad Knaus is to be believed when he said that success at Martinsville is predicated more on having a good car than a good driver, then give a nod to Tony Gibson. It was Gibson’s adjustments and calming presence that played a pivotal role in Danica Patrick coming back from two laps down to finish 12th. And it’s no coincidence that Gibson was Ryan Newman’s crew chief a year ago when he went to Martinsville’s Victory Lane.

Jeff Gordon

A win would have been ideal, but when you’ve had the year Jeff Gordon has had, it’s hard to quibble with a third-place finish. The result jumped him up six spots in the standings to 12th and the black cloud that had been hanging over the 24 team has momentarily vanished.

Jamie McMurray

With a contract set to expire at the end of the year and future star Kyle Larson and EGR developmental driver impressing in the Nationwide Series, it doesn’t take a rocket science to figure out that Jamie McMurray is under pressure to perform. And perform is what he has done as of late with a seventh-place run at Martinsville, which jumped him up to 13th in points -- the highest he’s been since Halloween 2010.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

It wasn’t the fact that he finished 24th or that his streak of top 10 finishes came to an end at four. No, what had to be disconcerting to Junior Nation was seeing their driver go from being as strong as he was at the beginning of the race to being a backmarker in the final 100 laps. It looked eerily similar to the days when Tony Eury Jr. and Lance McGrew manned the 88 team’s pit box.

Stewart-Haas Racing

While Danica Patrick turned in a fine outing at Martinsville, the same can’t be said for her two Stewart-Haas Racing teammates.

Ryan Newman finished six laps down in 31st after assorted troubles, including a blown tire and a penalty for deliberately stopping on the track. Meanwhile, Stewart slugged though an afternoon with an average running position of 15th and was scored in 17th.

And with Stewart and Newman 22nd and 23rd in points, respectively, the reality facing SHR is that unless either turns up the wick soon, for the first time since Stewart assumed ownership, the organization will be on the outside looking in come the Chase.

Ford

For the 21st-straight race Ford’s Martinsville misery continued as not only did the manufacturer again failed to win, but out of 500 possible laps, drivers with a blue oval on their hood combined to lead just a lone lap. That’s not good.