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Penske seeking first Ford win at Martinsville since 2002

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series STP 500

MARTINSVILLE, VA - APRIL 03: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, leads Kasey Kahne, driver of the #5 Great Clips Chevrolet, and Paul Menard, driver of the #27 Libman/Menards Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway on April 3, 2016 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)

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It’s been a very long time since a Ford-powered car won at Martinsville Speedway.

How long?

When Kurt Busch took his No. 97 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing to victory lane at NASCAR’s oldest track in 2002, he was still two years away from winning his first Sprint Cup title. Jeff Gordon only had three of his eventual nine Martinsville wins and Jimmie Johnson was a rookie.

There have been 27 Cup races at the short track since then without Ford receiving the checkered flag first. Chevrolet has cleaned up with 20 wins, while Dodge earned one and Toyota took the remaining six.

Ford, which has won at Martinsville 26 times since 1961, has been teasing its next win at the track.

Joey Logano and Team Penske’s No. 22 Ford team have won the pole for the last three Martinsville races and led 336 laps in those races. The middle race, last October, ended with Logano in the wall after Matt Kenseth intentionally wrecked him.

Meanwhile, Logano’s Team Penske teammate Brad Keselowski has led 161 laps in the last three races and earned two top fives.

If Logano wins Sunday’s Goody’s Fast Relief 500 , it would clinch him a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship race. If either Penske car wins, it would be the team’s first Martinsville triumph since Rusty Wallace took a Dodge to victory lane in 2004.

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