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NOTES: Jimmie Johnson will attempt to become the first back-to-back winner of this race since Rusty Wallace ran off four straight from 1993-96, as he defends his title this week in Martinsville. With 16 laps remaining, Johnson overtook Denny Hamlin and held on for his 41st career Sprint Cup title, defeating Hamlin by 0.774 of a second. Johnson grabbed the lead for the first time on lap 430, when he beat Hamlin off of pit road during a caution for an incident involving Jeremy Mayfield. He held the top spot until a restart on lap 456, when Hamlin passed him after the green flag waved. Hamlin held off Johnson for two more restarts, but the four-time Sprint Cup Series champion drove underneath Hamlin and moved him up the track while making the winning pass. Johnson's win total now stands at 50, after winning at Bristol last week, his third victory of the season. Johnson has dominated at Martinsville Speedway, winning five of the last seven races and has posted a top-10 finish in 15 straight at the track. Overall, Johnson has six wins, a pair of runner-up finishes, two thirds and two fourth- place finishes at the Virginia oval. His average finish in 16 trips is 5.125. Back in 2008, Hamlin reclaimed the lead on lap 427 of the 500-lap race and took the checkered flag in front of Jeff Gordon for his fourth career Sprint Cup title. Starting on the front row next to pole-sitter Gordon, Hamlin led on three separate occasions for 82 laps, while Gordon led for 90 laps. Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr dominated most of the race, each leading five times, Johnson for 135 laps and Earnhardt Jr for 146 laps. The two drivers finished fourth and sixth respectively. Hamlin's win over Gordon was by .398 of a second. In 2006, Tony Stewart outraced Jeff Gordon to the finish line, clipping "Speed Racer" by just over a second for his 25th career Sprint Cup title. Gordon, who is a seven-time winner on this track, has dominated this race in recent years, posting a pair of wins, three seconds and a sixth-place finish the past six seasons. Stewart reclaimed the lead on lap 474 of the 500-lap event to clip Gordon by 1.083 seconds. Stewart led the race on five separate occasions for a race-high 288 laps, while pole sitter Jimmie Johnson, who placed third, led four times for 195 laps. Darrell Waltrip, an 11-time winner at Martinsville, is the all-time pole- winner with eight poles at the Virginia track. Richard Petty had registered 15 of his 200 career wins at this track. In fact, nine of those wins were at this race. Lee Petty holds the record for the driver that started the farthest back and won this race, when he captured the 1959 Virginia 500 from the 24th position. The pole sitter has won at Martinsville 18 times in 122 races, the most recent in this race in 2003 when Jeff Gordon took the checkered flag. The top-10 positions have accounted for 88 wins. Opened in September 1947 by H. Clay Earles, Martinsville Speedway, originally a dirt track, is one of the oldest continuously-operating racing facilities in the United States. The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on Sept. 25, 1949. NASCAR legend Buddy Baker will be the Grand Marshal of the race. The VMI Glee Club will sing the national anthem. The next Sprint Cup Series race is the April 10 Subway Fresh Fit 600 at Phoenix International Raceway. Mark Martin is the defending race winner. 03/23 16:59:33 ET