NASCAR at Martinsville 2015: Latest NASCAR Team News, Top Drivers and More
The West Coast swing finished with a bang as Brad Keselowski clinched his first win of the season at a track where he barely ever finished inside the top 20. Now, the Sprint Cup circuit heads back east for the first short-track race of the year.
It's a drastic change just seven days apart. This past Sunday saw 43 cars spread out over a two-mile course with 32 finishing on the lead lap. In Martinsville, the entire series will be bottled up on the 0.526-mile course.
Known as The Paperclip, Martinsville tends to be one of the most entertaining races of the year for fans. Drivers, on the other hand, will be simply trying to keep a relatively clean car and find space to pull out a victory on the shortest track in the sport.
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Leading up to the sixth race of the season, here's a look at the schedule, latest team news and top drivers to watch in the STP 500.
Race Information
Where: Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway, Virginia
When: Sunday, March 29
Start Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV: Fox Sports 1
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go
Radio: Motor Racing Network
Latest Team News
Another week, another set of amusing headlines from Stewart-Haas Racing.
While Danica Patrick has remained mostly silent this season, her teammates have generated plenty of buzz. Kevin Harvick, of course, has been like a buzzsaw for the rest of the field, already winning two races and opening up a massive lead atop the points standings.
Meanwhile, the other two drivers have made the biggest splash over the last two weeks.
If it's hard to understand Tony Stewart in the video above, it's because he was mildly hot-tempered following the race. An on-track incident with Martin Truex Jr. caused Stewart to confront him with his transgressions. What followed was a profanity-laced tirade targeted at Truex in the pits.
Truex spoke about the issue and said it's been addressed with Stewart, via Jay Pfeifer of NASCAR Illustrated:
"I was clear, we were on the straightaway. It wasn't like I cut him off or anything. I just misjudged the run a little bit. And it just pissed him off. And he didn't let off. He just slammed into me. The reason he was mad is that it knocked a hole in his nose.
We're fine. We talked (Monday) night. We're all good. It's heat of the moment. I race Tony clean as anyone -- I always have. I mean, I race everyone clean. I don't block people. He was upset. He was frustrated. It's understandable.
"
Stewart is still sitting at 32nd this season and has a right to be frustrated with his finish. Instead of going on another Twitter rant—because he just loves those—Stewart chose to look ahead to making gains in Martinsville:
Kurt Busch, just two races removed from his suspension from NASCAR, is already back in position to secure a Chase berth. Though he doesn't have the win to get him there, Busch is already 28th in points with two top-five finishes this season.
Fox Sports 1 noted just how massive the jump was for Busch in the standings:
Luckily for both Busch and Stewart, the regular season is a long one before the postseason gets underway. Stewart will need more help to get in than Busch, but both could clinch with victories the rest of the way forward as they climb up in the points.
Regardless of the outcome, it's always interesting in the SHR garage.
Drivers to Watch
Laying it all on the line last fall, Dale Earnhardt Jr. pulled out a win to secure his first grandfather clock. Though the circumstances are different, Junior needs to take a similar philosophy into Martinsville this weekend to clinch a Chase spot.
He was already out of the Chase the week prior when he won during the last race in Virginia, with all of the pressure off. Earnhardt spoke about just how important winning the race in Martinsville was, via Reid Spencer of NASCAR.com:
"Oh, man, we've been trying to win here for so many years. This place is so special to me. I’ve wanted to win here so bad. We brought the good cars. I'm out of breath from celebrating more than driving. It's a real emotional win. ...
I love that [Rick Hendrick's] cars are good (enough) here to get the victory. So this honors them. I'm just real proud to be able to win at Martinsville in a Hendrick car. They always win here.
"
Who's to argue with Junior? In fact, Hendrick Motorsports typically does wind up in Victory Lane at short tracks. Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon have a combined 28 wins at short tracks to pair up with Earnhardt's five overall wins, a few that came with DEI.
If Earnhardt can keep his car up near the front like he did in Fontana, California, he might just add to his collection of grandfather clocks on Sunday.
Kurt Busch
Since his return, only one driver is as hot as Busch. While his teammate Harvick has bested him at the last two tracks, Busch can erase any doubt of a Chase spot with a victory on Sunday.
Harvick believes The Outlaw will do just that:
Last season, Busch only led 23 laps, but he pulled away on the most important one. Even with the pressure of Johnson and Earnhardt in its rearview mirror, the No. 41 car held strong at the end to give Busch his only win of the season.
In this era of NASCAR, that's simply all a driver needs. Showing strength and determination since his suspension was lifted, expect another strong outing from Busch and a potential repeat in the spring race at Martinsville.
Jeff Gordon
Coming off two straight top-10 finishes, it appears Jeff Gordon is finally getting back on track. Holding a record 16 wins among active drivers, the No. 24 machine will be looking to claim a ninth career checkered flag at Martinsville.
The season didn't start off great for Gordon after wrecking in the Daytona 500, but he's turned things around. Another win at Martinsville would just add to his lore at one of the most difficult tracks to dominate in the sport.
His entire Hendrick Motorsports team tends to fare well on short tracks, so Gordon should have friends at the front of the pack. Whether he pairs up with Johnson—who led 296 laps at Martinsville last spring—or Junior, Gordon should be able to maintain a relatively clean car near the front.
Suffice to say, Gordon's penultimate race at Martinsville might be a special one.
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