Mr. Martinsville, teammate see chance to break silence

MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- It is a title that truthfully has been held by precious few.

Mr. Martinsville.

Richard Petty was the original Mr. Martinsville, although Fred Lorenzen once won four consecutive races at Martinsville Speedway to at least temporarily lay claim to the Mr. M moniker. Oh, and did we mention that one Darrell Waltrip won here 11 times -- second only to the 15 races captured by the King himself? Rusty Wallace won seven Martinsville races, another impressive number.

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But since Wallace's last victory at the paperclip in the middle of nowhere, otherwise advertised as the Virginia countryside, no one has torn it up here like the boys from Hendrick Motorsports. Jeff Gordon was Mr. Martinsville before Jimmie Johnson, but both Mr. M's drive for Mr. H, so let's get that straight.

It was last year after Johnson swept both Martinsville races en route to his second consecutive Nextel Cup (now Sprint Cup) points championship that Gordon, who also has won seven races at the track, made a grand show of bestowing the title on the new and latest Mr. M.

On Friday, an attempt was made to ask Johnson about it. But just as Johnson was to begin a news conference behind his No. 48 hauler, Truck Series practice began on the track. A deafening roar ensued, drowning out virtually everything Johnson had to say.

A reporter attempted to shout a question to Johnson, and Johnson attempted to answer.

"I couldn't hear a thing you said, but I'm sure it was brilliant," the reporter shouted when Johnson appeared to complete the answer.

Johnson smiled. "Oh, it was brilliant, all right," he said, or something to that effect. No one could really hear.

The fact is, six races into the defense of his second consecutive championship, not much of anything Johnson has done this season has been brilliant -- and he knows it. He has finished higher than 13th only once, registering a second-place finish in the second race of the season at Fontana, and enters this Sunday's Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville at 13th in the point standings.

Gordon, who sits on the pole for Sunday's event, enters in 14th in points, only five behind Johnson. Yet both are outside the top 12 that is the cutoff point for getting into the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

Some are sounding the alarm. Is it time for them to make a last stand at the racetrack that has favored them so greatly in the past? Or is it way too early in the season for anyone to start talking in such dramatic terms? (Continued)