NASCAR at Martinsville 2016: Start Time, Ticket Info, Lineup, TV Schedule, More
NASCAR returns to the site of the Matt Kenseth-Joey Logano fiasco for the first time Sunday at the STP 500.
The historic Martinsville Speedway doesn't need a hype machine to build fan interest for an event, but NASCAR isn't holding back in using the controversial wreck between two notable drivers that resulted in a suspension to advertise the event.
A few weeks removed from Jimmie Johnson's checkered flag in California, the spotlight doesn't hit the series leader as much as it does Kenseth, for better or worse.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Below, let's take a look at everything to know about one of the must-see events on the season's calendar.
Viewing Details
Where: Martinsville Speedway
When: Sunday, April 3, at 1 p.m. ET
Watch: Fox Sports 1
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Sprint Cup Standings
| 1 | Jimmie Johnson | 184 |
| 2 | Kevin Harvick | 195 |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | 170 |
| 4 | Brad Keselowski | 142 |
| 5 | Carl Edwards | 171 |
| 6 | Kyle Busch | 170 |
| 7 | Joey Logano | 165 |
| 8 | Kurt Busch | 148 |
| 9 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 145 |
| 10 | Austin Dillon | 139 |
| 11 | Martin Truex Jr. | 127 |
| 12 | Jamie McMurray | 125 |
| 13 | Aric Almirola | 120 |
| 14 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 119 |
| 15 | Matt Kenseth | 113 |
| 16 | Chase Elliott | 110 |
NASCAR at California Lineup
| 1 | Joey Logano |
| 2 | Kasey Kahne |
| 3 | Brian Vickers |
| 4 | Paul Menard |
| 5 | Ryan Newman |
| 6 | AJ Allmendinger |
| 7 | Kyle Busch |
| 8 | Denny Hamlin |
| 9 | Matt Kenseth |
| 10 | Chase Elliott |
| 11 | Brad Keselowski |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney |
| 13 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr |
| 14 | Greg Biffle |
| 15 | Jamie McMurray |
| 16 | Martin Truex Jr |
| 17 | Kyle Larson |
| 18 | Casey Mears |
| 19 | Kevin Harvick |
| 20 | Aric Almirola |
| 21 | Dale Earnhardt Jr |
| 22 | David Ragan |
| 23 | Kurt Busch |
| 24 | Jimmie Johnson |
| 25 | Carl Edwards |
| 26 | Brian Scott |
| 27 | Michael McDowell |
| 28 | Danica Patrick |
| 29 | Austin Dillon |
| 30 | Clint Bowyer |
| 31 | Cole Whitt |
| 32 | Trevor Bayne |
| 33 | Landon Cassill |
| 34 | Regan Smith |
| 35 | Matt DiBenedetto |
| 36 | Chris Buescher |
| 37 | Joey Gase |
| 38 | Michael Annett |
| 39 | Josh Wise |
| 40 | Reed Sorenson |
Drivers to Watch
Jimmie Johnson
A short-track master, Johnson owns Martinsville, boasting eight wins at the track.
Believe it or not, a ninth might go down Sunday, too, with the way Johnson has started the season. The man already has two checkered flags to his name with wins in Atlanta and the aforementioned win in California last time out.
Some might say Johnson figures to cool rather than keep it rolling, but interestingly enough, he's headed to a track he dominates and would like to someday surpass another short-track giant—Jeff Gordon.
Johnson spoke with FoxSports.com's Jared Turner about chasing the retired legend:
"If you start shooting goals like that, you can't do it. The thing you have to do, from my standpoint, is we have to worry about going to Martinsville and trying to win that race first. We have to worry about practicing well, qualifying well, winning that race. Then we have to do the same thing going to Texas, then so on and so forth throughout the rest of the season.
"
Think of it another way: Gordon out of the picture increases the odds Johnson can put up a fight for another checkered flag with his main competition off the track.
Does anyone want to bet against NASCAR's hottest driver?
Kyle Busch has had a rather drab start to the season in the sense he hasn't been able to secure a checkered flag just yet.
Not that Busch hasn't been competitive considering he's tallied four top-four finishes over the season's first five races. But things hit code red last time out in California, where the Joe Gibbs Racing superstar started the event sixth and spiraled all the way down to a 25th-place finish.
Not only that, Busch got hit with a fine from NASCAR for failing to meet with the media after the miserable outing.
Undeterred, Busch will take two chances at his first win at Martinsville, telling Jim Utter of MotorSport.com he'll race in the Saturday truck event:
"It will be especially helpful this weekend, since I haven’t raced in a Truck Series race at Martinsville since 2011. The last two or three times that I did race the trucks at Martinsville we came really close to getting a win and collecting a grandfather clock – hopefully we can finish it off this time.
"
Busch has never won at the track in any event, so his racing in trucks to get a feel for Sunday's event could create a career first.
Motivated both by history and his last outing, expect Busch to come out firing Sunday.
Matt Kenseth
Folks know the drill here.
For those who chose to wipe the controversial moment from their minds, NASCAR on NBC has the footage from last year:
For his part, Kenseth hasn't taken issue with his actions being used to promote Sunday's event, according to NASCAR.com's Zack Albert:
"I mean, yes and no. If it's so bad you get suspended from it, it seems like if it's maybe that bad of an act, then maybe it shouldn't be used to profit from, because I certainly didn't profit from it. On the other hand, the fans … a lot of people come to see controversy and action and wrecks. I mean, that's what the fans love.
I don't know. I understand. If I'm a promoter, I'd do the same thing obviously.
"
Controversy aside, Kenseth needs this win more than most.
Just 15th in the standings, Kenseth has one top-10 performance to his name this season and nothing much else to speak of, as he's finished 14th or worse in the other four events.
If Kenseth wants to turn things around, Sunday would seem like a poetic way to do so. Odds are he's going to remain in the Chase conversation, so why not start an upward climb Sunday?
Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
