At which Nascar Sprint Cup track is Qualifying the Most Important?

[Elvangelist]

In 88 Winston Cup races at Martinsville, 72 times the winner has started 10th or better, 24th is the furthest starting position to win. Lee Petty in 1959.

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[JH51]

Not interested in the road courses, just the ovals!
I'm asking this because I would expect it to be Martinsville? I can't find any data to support that!
PEACE!

 

[Rowdy's#1Fan]

i would say martinsville, bristol, and dover. all three because they are short (or short-ish) tracks. martinsville is probably the worst of the bunch to pass on and has cramped pit quarters. bristol has multiple grooves since the reconfiguration but still a good pit position and being up front is far better than the alternatives. and dover as it is like a "big bristol" and has only 42 pits, so someone has to share until someone else officially drops out. that caused lots of problems a couple years ago when jimmie johnson spun while qualifying, but was locked in. so he had to share a stall with scott wimmer. johnson's crew even offered to handle the stops for wimmer as long as he could pit first as long as they had to share. while going around the extra lap waiting for the stall to open, wimmer ran out of gas once, making for quite the mess.

but i think i'd have to agree, martinsville overall. as a side note, with the new car having the "get out in clean air and run away from the field" properties it has, qualifying has become more important at nearly every track, except maybe restrictor plate tracks. pit selection in general can be tricky as jeff gordon found out when robby gordon kept blocking him in, and as kasey kahne found out when roush teammates chose stalls in front of and behind him at richmond - the last chance he had to knock someone else out and put himself into the chase.

 

[Rowdy's#1Fan]

i would say martinsville, bristol, and dover. all three because they are short (or short-ish) tracks. martinsville is probably the worst of the bunch to pass on and has cramped pit quarters. bristol has multiple grooves since the reconfiguration but still a good pit position and being up front is far better than the alternatives. and dover as it is like a "big bristol" and has only 42 pits, so someone has to share until someone else officially drops out. that caused lots of problems a couple years ago when jimmie johnson spun while qualifying, but was locked in. so he had to share a stall with scott wimmer. johnson's crew even offered to handle the stops for wimmer as long as he could pit first as long as they had to share. while going around the extra lap waiting for the stall to open, wimmer ran out of gas once, making for quite the mess.

but i think i'd have to agree, martinsville overall. as a side note, with the new car having the "get out in clean air and run away from the field" properties it has, qualifying has become more important at nearly every track, except maybe restrictor plate tracks. pit selection in general can be tricky as jeff gordon found out when robby gordon kept blocking him in, and as kasey kahne found out when roush teammates chose stalls in front of and behind him at richmond - the last chance he had to knock someone else out and put himself into the chase.

 

[foxfire]

You could be right. Track position and pit position are all important at the shortest track in NASCAR...Martinsville. Who really needs data to support that? Just watch it happen! Can't wait for the race!

*JUJU*

 

[LennyD]

It would be any short track because starting in the back is going to get you lapped more quickly and the further back you are the most likely it is for you to get caught in a wreck that can't be avoided.

 

[mstrmmtmdgmFirefly]

Oh Darn I was about to say Infineon Raceway in Sonoma Valley.

Well Oval track, I got to say Auto Club Speedway and Martinsville