_Did you miss an event during this busy week in racing? How about a late-night press release, an important sponsorship rumor, or a juicy piece of news? If you did, you’ve come to the right place! Each week, The Frontstretch will break down the racing, series by series, to bring you the biggest stories that you need to watch going forward for the week ahead. Let our experts help you get up to speed, no matter what series you might have missed, all in this edition of Pace Laps!_ *Sprint Cup: Johnson Reaches Martinsville Milestone* Jimmie Johnson’s dominance at Martinsville continued Sunday, and this win was a particularly memorable one for the 37-year-old Californian as he broke a tie with Jeff Gordon to become the winningest active driver at the Cup Series’ shortest track. Johnson’s win was his eighth, which also puts him third all-time at the track, behind Darrell Waltrip and Richard Petty. Gordon and Rusty Wallace are next on that list with seven apiece.

Sometimes NASCAR drivers are just impossible to understand. One minute they’re burning rubber on track, making three wide passes and proving why they’re in NASCAR in the first place. The next, they’re bitching on pit road about another driver racing them too hard with 10 laps to go. They go from zero to hero, shining to whining, in a matter of moments, and it’s disheartening. Take the post-race … er … “scuffle” on pit road between Kevin Harvick and Brian Vickers last Sunday at Martinsville (though it’s hardly a scuffle when they use their cars). I’ve watched the replay of the last few laps and, frankly, I just don’t get it. With just a few laps left, Vickers, Harvick, and Danica Patrick (!) were battling for right around the 12th position. Vickers blamed Patrick for blocking (which she was), and Harvick got upset with the way Vickers was blocking him (which he was). Nobody did anything _wrong_, but they were racing. It was Martinsville. It happens. width=”132″ height=”129″/>