Sprint Cup entry list has 47 cars for Martinsville
There are 47 entries for the Goody’s Cool Orange 500, and from the looks of the entry list, Bill Elliott is guaranteed a spot in the field Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.
Elliott, whose Wood Brothers Racing team has made only one race this year, is the only past champion entered in a car that is outside the top 35 in owners points.
There are no surprises on the entry list. There are the 46 teams that have entered every race plus the No. 08 EM Motorsports team with Tony Raines entered.
As expected, Michael McDowell is entered in the No. 00 Michael Waltrip Racing car, with David Reutimann replacing Dale Jarrett in the No. 44 MWR entry. Aric Almirola, as scheduled, is in the No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc. ride he is sharing with Mark Martin.
This will be the first race where 2008 owners points are used to determine the 35 guaranteed drivers, and with Elliott in the field (barring any unforeseen points swaps), there are seven spots open for the 11 remaining drivers.
Those drivers competing for those seven spots will be Raines, DEI’s Regan Smith, Gillett Evernham’s Patrick Carpentier, Bill Davis Racing’s Dave Blaney, Roush Fenway Racing’s Jamie McMurray, Front Row Motorsports’ John Andretti, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Dario Franchitti, Petty Enterprises’ Kyle Petty, BAM Racing’s Ken Schrader, Furniture Row Motorsports’ Joe Nemechek and Red Bull Racing’s Mike Skinner.
