Late season tensions proved to be less than contained with a race weekend showcase that brought a lot of Martinsville Speedway racing elements to the forefront. There were scuffles, there was history, there were surprises and there was close racing.
The Craftsman and Xfinity series had post-race confrontations. Taylor Gray challenged Christian Eckes after a bump to win move in the final laps in the trucks. Chandler Smith was up on Cole Custer following the Xfinity race. Eckes won Friday night (Nov 1) in the Craftsman – Zip Buy Now, Pay Later 200. Aric Almirola drove through the skirmish on the track to repeat his Xfinity win from April in the National Debt Relief 250 (Saturday Nov 2).
History was highlighted with Richard Petty and the entire Petty clan mixing with fans and presenting the “Start Your Engines” command as Grand Marshalls. The entrance way tunnel to the infield was lined with images of Petty and his runs and wins at Martinsville. A fan session in the midway with Richard and Kyle Petty and family members drew applause and laughter.
Racing on Sunday for the NASCAR Cup Xfinity 500 began with Martin Truex Jr up front in the pole position. Unfortunately, he was put back during the first stage from a pit speeding penalty. Six other drivers held the top spot with Brad Keselowski (170 laps) and Chase Elliott (129 laps) holding the most. Ryan Blaney ran up front for a total of 32 laps, including the payday lap for the win. It was a repeat from last fall as he also won then to secure his playoff advance.
Some other notes that put some oddity and flashback on the track… Kyle Busch brought on a caution as he left a wheel in turn four. Christopher Bell was penalized for running the turn 4 wall (A Chastain moment…) even as he argued he was bumped there by competition. Later penalties were handed to the teams of Ross Chastain, Austin Dillon and Bubba Wallace for, essentially, holding back or not allowing competition to get by to allow one or more other drivers to maintain position.
All in all, the Martinsville weekend as host for NASCAR before the championship at Phoenix was, well… all Martinsville. Racing is tight… Tempers get flipped… Personalities show up and show off… Martinsville remains as a cage match free for all. It’s a driver’s test measured 500 times.
Please check the photos from all three race days with the links below:
Friday Craftsman Trucks – Zip Buy Now, Pay Later 200
Saturday Xfinity – National Debt Relief 250
Sunday NASCAR Cup – Xfinity 500