The irony is thick as the day closed on the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 at Martinsville Speedway.
Consider… Talladega was just one week ago. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. ran into some unfortunate luck in the final laps and was pushed out of contention for the CHASE and the Sprint Cup championship. During a pre-race presentation, Dale Jr. spoke of growing up with his father’s grandfather clock from Martinsville always in plain view.
With CHASE drivers pushing every limit, it was Dale Earnhardt, Jr. who drove the #88 to Victory Lane to earn his own Martinsville grandfather clock.
Team mate Jeff Gordon also had a good day to take a lead in the CHASE. Ryan Newman, an underdog coming into the CHASE, is sitting in the 2nd slot. Oddly enough, it was Newman who visited Martinsville High School as the CHASE was announced and getting under way. Joey Logano, Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin round out the top 5 in current Eliminator Round points.
The CHASE has been throwing drama at the tracks and the fans this season and Dale Jr.’s first win at Martinsville has added to it while shaking the grandstands at Martinsville to a post-race rumble. There is more on the way with 3 races to go…
The CHASE has come to Martinsville Speedway as the eight drivers remaining for the championship run enter the Eliminator Round. Some big names were dropped at Talladega. You can safely wager that will not alter any driver’s attitude of going for the win at the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500.
Practices went off Friday for VA Lottery Pole Day as teams made use of the one session to dial in the cars for qualifying later that day. The Camping World Series trucks also took up lap time practice for the Kroger 200 to run Saturday.
As Sprint Cup qualifying rolled through CHASE drivers found themselves starting in the field as Jamie McMurray captured the top spot for the Coors Light Pole Award.
Logano, Kenseth, Stewart and Hamlin rounded out the top five qualifying slots.
Practices for Sprint Cup will resume Saturday with qualifying and racing for the Kroger 200.
It’s just down the road and many don’t know it is there. Some very famous people have visited and praise it. It is Virginia International Raceway.
This year alone the most famous badges from iconic motorsports have turned laps. Exotic sports cars to American muscle… VIR is a showcase of motorsport.
Yet many still raise a question over what and where it is. Like its more famous racing cousin up the road in Martinsville, there is history. Martinsville has names like Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. VIR has names like Carroll Shelby and Paul Newman. Also, like the NASCAR icon, there is racing this weekend.
While Martinsville is hosting the Sprint Cup and the CHASE for the championship VIR will be hosting a 13 hour enduro known as the Charge Of The Headlight Brigade.. You may not recognize the drivers but that does not change the challenge or excitement of racing from the morning well into the night.
The field of cars is wide open with variety and intensity. The SCCA drivers and teams are all there for one thing. They want to survive the long day and go for a win.
Yes, it is real racing. The course is open and rolling and with Autumn colors coming into play the backdrop will be spectacular. The racing at VIR is set to start off the grid at 9:00AM Saturday and the checkered flag will fly at 10:00PM.
It is even possible to catch action at VIR, roll up the road and check out the NASCAR trucks at Martinsville and be back at VIR for many more hours of racing into the night. Plus, you still have the CHASE to catch back at Martinsville for Sunday. Virginia International Raceway is located just East of Danville. Is it worth it?
Yes.
The Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 is Sunday. The CHASE is on but that doesn’t mean that drivers and teams not in the line for the championship are going to give in and not go for the win. There will be some good racing and challenges to everyone on the track.
The Kroger 200 is Saturday with the Camping World Truck Series. The points and run for this series is full of challenges for the championship also.
Friday, Virginia Lottery Pole Day is a great day to see practice, qualifying and a better chance to catch a driver without the giant crowds.
Some other details to know:
The October NASCAR events at Martinsville Speedway will mark 50 years of racing there. In September of 1964 Fred Lorenzen crossed the line for the win and took home a grandfather clock. On this 50th anniversary of racing for the clock it is ticking on the CHASE and the next owner of one of these unique trophies.
The Marching Tar Heels of UNC-Chapel Hill will be performing the National Anthem. The Warbirds will perform a fly-over with five historic aircraft. The pre-race drivers’ meeting will also be held on pit road in view of the grandstands in order to give fans a bit more access to some of the race day activity. Ticket packages, Q&A sessions, track walks and more are available online at martinsvillespeedway.com.
Oh… This may be important… A fellow named Richard Petty will be the Grand Marshall for Sunday. Apparently, this gentleman holds the record of 15 wins at Martinsville…
Of course there will be plenty to see in the midway as well. All the drivers’ merchandise trailers will be out and many drivers will make appearances at various sponsor locations. Check your program on race day for these details. It is also late in the season. No guarantees but dare I say “close out sales”…
There is also a lot of evening activity with free concerts Friday and Saturday evening presented by Martinsville Speedway and the folks that put on the fantastic summer Roosterwalk music festival. Four bands each evening and the concession sales will be benefiting several local charities so go enjoy some tunes and support the community. For details on the Turn 5 concerts, check out roosterwalk.com
For the championship run that rolls out the Eliminator Round at Martinsville the drivers still in contention for the Sprint Cup Championship are Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman and Matt Kenseth. After the bangs and bumps of Talladega, some favorites were knocked off the grid. Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne were left out. However, don’t let that stop you from cheering for your favorite driver. Wouldn’t it be great, just as a for instance, if Dale Jr. put all those “Cup” runners in their place and won…? Or Johnson, or Busch… or even Kahne or one of the others that wasn’t even in the CHASE to begin with…?
Martinsville will be a race for the championship or to get digs in on those that are still in it. There is a lot of history (Petty, Warbirds, 50 years…) and music (UNC, Roosterwalk Turn 5) and a lot of racing to prove out the weekend.
To sum up… Go Racin’!
It’s hard to say which generated more heat.
Was it the ABC network not getting the race on air until lap 27?
Or…
Was it the antics of Brad Keselowski post race bouncing on competitors’ cars on the exit?
First… ABC… Really??
Baylor & Texas Christian…? I’m sure it means something that Baylor is ranked #4 on polls but for NASCAR fans tuning in for racing it meant very little. They didn’t care. The comments on the ABC Facebook page were less than kind and understanding.
Throw in that ABC had one race, just one, on the schedule from the sister network of ESPN which was also covered up with college football and it makes it extra silly. Granted, it’s the finish that counts and perhaps that also applies to the football game. However, if you have just one event, and it’s pivotal in the sense of equating to the “playoffs” and it is “do or die” for the CHASE contendors wouldn’t there be some sense of urgency and precedence?
They kicked the start of the Bank of America 500 to ESPN3, which they say is available in 95 million homes. Of course, most of them that do have it only have it because they are subscribed to some “sports” package because they like “ball” sports and NASCAR doesn’t fit their “game”. So ESPN3 having the start is irrelevant.
Split screen… I know it’s available. The very network of ABC promotes “NASCAR NONSTOP” (not “NONSTART”, which they did) and airs the race side by side with sponsor commercials. From the couch, the obvious question was “why not show both on the split screen?”.
Too obvious? Too simple?”
ESPN (partner, sister, brother, whatever with ABC) has the remainder of the CHASE and the season.
…if they can manage to get them to air on time. 2015 is a non-issue as ABC/ESPN doesn’t have the deal.
Brad Keselowski. Kevin Harvick had crossed for the win and the race should be over but Keselowski brought the office home with a tag on Hamlin, and Stewart and brought Kenseth along between haulers. The tension of The CHASE is high but is it enough to bang cars after the checkered has waved?
For the driver of the #2 on this occasion, apparently, it was. How much of this tension is carried to Talladega by the ones who caught the tag of the #2 is yet to be seen. One week may not be long enough for the tempers to cool.
We’ll see…
The NASCAR Sprint Cup CHASE is well under way. Team Penske was quick out of Richmond to pick off wins in the first two of the ten “playoff” races. Brad Keselowski tagged his Richmond win with a top run at Chicagoland. Joe Logano took the next at New Hampshire.
Hendrick’s teams have hung on with Jeff Gordon taking the win at Dover. Johnson, Earnhardt, Jr. and Kahne have run well enough to stay on it.
Gibbs has their teams chasing forward with Kyle Busch, Hamlin and Kenseth. Rousch has Carl Edwards and Stewart-Haas has Harvick. Childress has Newman.
Biffle, Allmendinger, Almirola and Kurt Busch have faded from The CHASE following the the first cut out of Dover.
The Contender Round is next up with the races at Kansas, Charlotte and Talledega. This next set will set the stage for the Eliminator Round which brings The Chase to Martinsville Speedway.
But first….
While The Chase is gearing up for Kansas the regional late model drivers are looking closer at Martinsville and the MDCU 300 which warms the racing in advance of The CHASE.
In many ways, this race is as big as The CHASE and is often referred to as the Daytona 500 of late model stock car racing. These drivers have been running fender to fender all season and practically every weekend at tracks such as South Boston Speedway, Motor Mile Speedway, Caraway, Hickory, Langley… and many more in the region. The purse is large and the draw is as well. If you are a “race” fan that only goes to races when the Big Top is in town you are missing out if you skip the MDCU 300. While the Sprint Cup NASCAR races are always a big deal these drivers are your neighbors, your business owners and dedicated racers scraping to make the next race with the same car they drove last weekend…. and the weekend before…
And it is always a show! They scrap and scrape and race every lap. These weekend short tracks run shorter races so every lap and every pass counts. Transfer that to the Martinsville Speedway and the MDCU 300 and you have a lot of drivers racing to get in and a lot of drivers racing to make their efforts pay off. One big weekend to tie an entire season into a win and a grandfather clock. It’s the weekend these drivers bring their best to.
Peyton Sellers has driven a lot of fast things and has won with them. Late models, Whelen, NASCAR K&N, Camping World and Nationwide Series… Series champion at South Boston Speedway and this season just a tick off the mark for picking it up at the Motor Mile also. With all of this he has yet to get the grandfather clock from Martinsville. From him, he says he could be on one of his best seasons ever and is heading to Martinsville Speedway with a mission to win. From his NASCAR experience he brings possibly a better head for patience in longer races such as the MDCU. He knows most of the contendors and who to run with and who to give a bit more space. Peyon is a driver who has the foundation to make him, perhaps, just a step above the “racers”.
Matt Bowling is young yet driven. He has put together wins and this year he is pulling a train of success into the gates at Martinsville. A strong season includes finishing in front of NASCAR veterans like Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin at South Boston and the Hamlin Short Track Showdown. He won there and has several more since. His eyes are set on the MDCU 300 and his determination is worn like a comfortable shirt. For those NASCAR fans who only make the trip when Sprint is in town he says they are missing some of the best on track action by skipping on the local weekend tracks and even more at the MDCU 300. The stars filling the seats of Sprint Cup cars in a few years may be racing right here. For Matt, tomorrow is this weekend and the next race. It’s a big one.
Michael McGuire could be a young gun at the MDCU 300 and he admits his seat time doesn’t compare this season to many others coming to Martinsville. However, he has made moves from local runs to the more advanced K&N Series. McGuire continues to chase his dream of driving and his eye is focused on Martinsville. He is young but has gained a lot of experience from his first win at the age of 14 and seems comfortable with the idea of bringing it on at the MDCU 300.
Peyton, Bowling and McGuire, along with Dennis Holdren, Scott Lancaster and Brian Reedy, were all together for a friendly gathering in Roanoke at Center in the Square in advance of the MDCU 300. The event was set in motion by the folks at Martinsville Speedway to give some attention to these drivers in attendance and to all the drivers, teams and families that put it all together to haul a race car to their local track. Martinsville will be full of them this weekend as the Saturday round of practice and qualifying gets under way. Sunday, the heat racing for remaining spots gets the green flag. Before is a driver autograph session at 10AM and after is the feature race for those that make it in. For race fans it is a weekend of local stars on the big field.
It will be interesting to see the difference from casual dinner conversation about racing to track day and real racing.
The Sprint Cup will be hear soon enough with The CHASE and the championship in motion. For the teams in the region this weekend is their show and they are ready to race at Martinsville.
MDCU 300 – 10/4-5/2014 | Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500/Kroger 200/VA Lottery Pole Day – 10/24-25-26/2014
Drivers Michael McGuire, Scott Lancaster, Dennis Holdren, Peyton Sellers, Matt Bowling, Brian Reedy ready to see the fans and race for the win at the MDCU 300. Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell (center)
The NASCAR season has crossed over the lip of racing in and is now racing on to the Sprint Cup. The CHASE has been set following the checkered flag at Richmond and is ready to be set loose on the first race at Chicagoland.
Between Richmond and Chicago, the drivers who made The CHASE were busy with strategy and planning and cars and teams and chasing themselves across America and the towns they will be racing in. Dale Jr. was in California, Johnson was in New York and in between were all the others including Ryan Newman who was put through some paces in Martinsville.
At Martinsville High School on Wednesday, September 10th, Newman drove the #31 Caterpillar RCR Chevy around the running track that circles the football field. He drove a wheeled robot designed and built by the students. He stepped with the cheerleaders… sort of. He threw a football. He kicked a football… sort of. He fed a bulldog (the school mascot) a microphone… sort of.
The party with the MHS Bulldogs was a showcase of the pride of the school and, like Martinsville Speedway, a history with the town. Newman also spoke to the current class from the Speedway stage brought in next to the field he had previously driven around. He has an engineering degree and not only knows how to drive the car but also knows how it works. He stressed the importance of school and finding the interests within and seeking the drive to pursue goals and dreams. He talked about racing from an early age and being lucky enough and driven enough to be able to pursue that love and turn it over to a career. Newman is not loud or particularly animated when speaking yet he held the students’ attention with knowledgeable authority. He spoke from experience and it came through.
Following the track, field and cheers at the high school the mood changed to the business of racing as the venue changed to Martinsville Speedway. Here, in more familiar surroundings, Newman elaborated on The CHASE and how Martinsville plays into the strategy. The history of racing there, the fact it is the only short track in The CHASE and the challenge of racing there all come together to make Martinsville a focal point of the post season. So much so that Hendrick’s teams have already tested there. Several more, including Newman and RCR, are planning on Martinsville tests before October race day.
Newman already has one grandfather clock (the traditional trophy of winning at Martinsville) and would like nothing better than another on the way to a possible championship. The chips, realistically, are not stacked in his favor. Although an accomplishment to make The CHASE with his first season at RCR the points, position and strength of other teams Newman will be up against is huge. The possibility is there and, listening to Newman speak, so is the determination. The reality of getting there may be the thing as there is so much that would have to fall into place with good runs of the #31 and a little bad luck falling to competitors.
As Ryan Newman said, The CHASE is a series of races and overall strategy is good but week to week focus is key. Looking ahead to Martinsville on the weekend of October 26th is several races away. To capitalize on a good run at the historic speedway some momentum needs to be brought into the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500.
As the engines set ready for the drivers’ “start” command at Chicago, time is turning like the hands on a grandfather clock towards Martinsville. In time, we’ll see how Ryan Newman and the others in The CHASE are stacked as the engines start again in Virginia.
