By Jared Turner Kyle Busch scored a long-awaited first career Sprint Cup win at Martinsville when he went to Victory Lane in the spring. Now, he returns as one of eight drivers in title contention. Joey Logano was out front and seemingly cruising to victory last fall at Martinsville before being deliberately wrecked by Matt Kenseth. Rest assured that the Team Penske driver hasn’t forgotten. Once dubbed “Mr. Martinsville” for his overwhelming success at the Virginia short track, Jimmie Johnson looks to punch his ticket to the Championship 4 with his ninth Martinsville win. Denny Hamlin, the last driver to transfer into…

By Jared Turner In college basketball, the final eight teams left standing each year are dubbed the “Elite Eight.” Good luck finding eight race car drivers who are more elite than the ones still in the hunt for the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. With the Chase field reduced by four with the running of last Sunday’s elimination race at Talladega Superspeedway, only Joey Logano, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin remain in the mix for NASCAR’s most coveted prize. And of those eight remaining contenders, there’s not a weak link to…

By Jared Turner Martinsville Should Be Jeff Gordon’s Last Race When Jeff Gordon won at Martinsville Speedway last fall, it seemed like a fairytale ending to the legendary driver’s illustrious career at the Virginia short track. One year later, Gordon is back for an encore – albeit in a No. 88 car instead of his familiar No. 24. Sunday’s race will likely be the 805th and final start of the four-time champion’s lengthy and extraordinarily fruitful tenure in NASCAR’s top series. Gordon, who had every intention of hanging up his driving helmet for good at the conclusion of the 2015 season, has…