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Tag: Martinsville

  • Marcos Ambrose Confident in Chances For First Oval Win at Martinsville

    Marcos Ambrose Confident in Chances For First Oval Win at Martinsville

    There is no doubt that Marcos Ambrose is one of the best road course racers in the world but as he enters his 5th full time year in the NSCS, he is still searching for that illusive oval track win. Marcos has been fast at the ovals throughout his career but in a sport where everything needs to go your way in order to win, luck has not been in the Aussie’s favor. His best result at an oval was 3rd at Bristol, 2009 and Dover, 2011. With a 15x Martinsville winner as his car owner and a front row starting position, the odds seem to be swaying in a more friendly direction for Marcos this weekend.

    The Australian born racer won the V8 Supercar title twice in just four years before he made the tough decision to leave his home in search of the NASCAR dream. He started his NASCAR career in the CWTS winning a pole and posting four top 10’s. In 2007, he moved to Nationwide  and finished a solid 8th in points posting one top 5 and six top 10’s. The following year, he won his first NASCAR sanctioned race at Watkins Glen which is an event he went on to win three years in a row.

    In 2009, he found himself with a full time Cup ride driving for JTG-Daugherty Racing and had a decent rookie season finishing 18th in the standings with four top 5’s and seven top 10’s. In 2010 at Sonoma, he was just a few laps away from his first ever NSCS victory before he made a blunder that instantly silenced the cheers of all his fans. In a shocking and heartbreaking turn of events, he stalled the car under caution costing him many positions and ultimately, the victory as he scrambled to get the car refired.

    Marcos finally won his first race at the Cup level at Watkins Glen in 2011 and again in 2012 where he was part of one of the most spectacular last laps in NASCAR history. Ambrose can certainty wheel a race car and he strongly believes that he can parlay this 2nd place qualifying effort into a victory this weekend. He was quoted saying in the media center, “I feel good about our race on Sunday, the car has been on a rail since we got here.” Winning at an oval would be such a monumental moment for him and seeing that he is all but guaranteed to win at least one of the road courses on the schedule unless something unforeseen happens, those two victories could easily secure him a WC catapulting him into the chase.

    Winning a bunch of road course races is nice but that’s not why Ambrose traveled around 10,000 miles leaving everything he’s ever known behind. He came to America to battle for wins every week and to one day be a legitimate championship threat in NASCAR. He has the car, he has the talent and just needs the right set of circumstances thrown his way and he can finally finish what he set out to accomplish so many years ago.

  • Martinsville is the Blueprint for NASCAR’s Future

    Martinsville is the Blueprint for NASCAR’s Future

    [media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”240″][/media-credit]Did anyone doubt that Jimmie Johnson would lead the Chase points after Martinsville? Earlier in the spring race, he and teammate Jeff Gordon were headed for a 1-2 finish before somebody got greedy and the result was Ryan Newman winning. Never mind that Hendrick Motorsports owns this place, and if for not a strange turn of events, HMS would have won both races at Martinsville Speedway. As usual.

    The only driver and team that have a chance against the Hendrick superstars is Denny Hamlin. Trouble was that Hamilton had electrical and pit speed problems that gave him little chance of winning on Sunday. These days, you can forget anyone else challenging. Despite that one thing, it was a good race and in fact competitive. Brian Vickers, who had qualified second, was competitive all day. Clint Bowyer was up front for the entire race. Even Jeff Gordon looked invincible at times, but in the end, everyone in the stands, even though many were scared off by Storm Sandy and the warnings of the Virginia Governor, knew that Johnson would be celebrating at the race’s end. It’s been that way for years. Those guys, led by Chad Knaus just have the Paper-Clip figured out, but that didn’t mean that it was a boring race. It was far from that.

    Martinsville, the oldest track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit, has become the showplace of what NASCAR is and what it should be. While track owners and corporations continued to build their mile and a half palaces, isn’t it funny that the best racing is always on shorter tracks? Sunday saw lead changes and spirited back and forth among several drivers. No fuel mileage problems here. Just hard racing was on the menu from start to finish. The race didn’t give fans any time to fall asleep or wander to another NFL game, if they were at home. Even the finish held some drama as Kyle Busch tried unsuccessfully tried to run down and pass Johnson. Compare that with other races this season.

    It’s really interesting to note that a track designed in 1947 provides the best racing on the circuit. No progressive banking and nothing to take away from the racing like casinos or other distractions. Sue, the end result was what everyone figured would happen, but fenders were put on opponents and no car got so far out in front that no one could pass them. It was the perfect race and that’s as it should be.

    So, as far as I can see, the twice annual “Hendrick Invitational” should be the blueprint of what NASCAR should be. For too long, the sport has tried to emulate stick and ball sports. We now have a playoff system where the championship is the end all. If you find yourself in the top 12 before the playoffs, you get all the attention. The only problem is that in the other sports, only the playoff teams are playing. In NASCAR, the other 31 teams still compete, but go largely unnoticed. From Daytona to Homestead, the points are the only story. Who cares who wins a race? In the NFL or MLB, that works because you have a game that never changes. Everything changes in the Chase. Thou shalt not touch the Chase contenders. No one paid any attention to that, that I could see at Martinsville, but that is the exception. As we head to the final three races at tracks larger than Martinsville, that may come into play and that’s unfortunate. On Sunday, as I sat in the Press Box, I was rooting for anyone who was in the Dirty Dozen to win. It didn’t happen, but not for lack of effort. On a larger track, it might be hard to see that. Isn’t it time to see more of that?

    Regardless, last Sunday was a joy if you enjoy good racing. Thank goodness that tracks like Martinsville still exist after 65 years, and isn’t it time that we see more of that? The trend to go to larger tracks and less unique tracks (I hear Darlington and Rockingham calling) has led to the lack of television ratings and attendance, in my opinion. Folks want to see action, and they got it at Martinsville. Long may the little track in the small town somewhere between Roanoke and Greensboro continue to flourish. It’s the crown jewel of NASCAR.

  • Johnson secures victory and series points lead at Martinsville

    Johnson secures victory and series points lead at Martinsville

    [media-credit id=100 align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Jimmie Johnson continues his dominance at Martinsville winning from the pole position in the Tums 500. Johnson led 193 laps en route to his seventh win and 19th top ten finish in just 22 starts at the legendary track. More importantly, he leaves Martinsville with a two point lead over Brad Keselowski.

    “We just had a great race car. And I think we’ve also learned our lesson here in the past in not pitting late and that certainly came into play and we made the right decision there. I’m so torn with emotion right now with winning here; and I’m so happy to be in the point lead.” Johnson said.

    Keselowski minimized the expected damage in the points standings today with a fantastic run from the 32nd starting spot. The Miller Lite driver worked his way through the field and was leading on restart near the end of the race but had to settle for a sixth place finish. The Penske team seemed pleased to come away with minimal loss considering Johnson’s amazing stats at this track.

    Kyle Busch ends up with a hard fought second place, with Hendrick driver Kasey Kahne , who ran consistently in the top ten all day, taking the checkered in third spot.

    Richard Petty Motorsports driver Aric Almirola drove his No. 43 Gwaltney Ford to a solid fourth place finish, . Aric said after the race, “That was a good run for us. Todd Parrott made a gutsy call there. We were horrible at the beginning of this race, I mean horrible. I don’t know how we didn’t go several laps down, but we fought hard all day.” The Richard Petty team recently swapped personnel between the No.43 of Almirloa, and the No.9 driven by Marcos Ambrose. The move seems to be paying off for Almirola, as he has consistently ran stronger than before the switch.

    Chase contender Clint Bowyer shows that he is in this until the end with another strong effort in his No.15 Micheal Waltirp Racing Toyota. Bowyer led four times today for a total of 151 laps and wound up a respectable fifth at the end of the day. Bowyer leaves Martinsville with a 26 point deficit to leader Johnson.

    The big loser today was Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin. Hamlin overcame a early penalty and fought his way back toward the front, but an electrical problem that caused the car to shut down and bring out a yellow on lap 393, sent him to the garage area for repairs where he lost 33 laps. Hamlin ended the day 34 laps off the pace and finished a dismal 33rd. Hamlin now trails Johnson by 49 points and would appear that once again late in the season, his championship hopes have ended.

    It would appear we now have a two man race for the championship. Johnson and Keselowski have been the most consistent competitors in the seven Chase races so far. Bowyer and Kahne still have an outside chance, but will need the two leaders to stumble in the final three races. Based on the results this season that is not likely to happen.

    Unofficial Race Results
    Tums Fast Relief 500, Martinsville Speedway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Cup/race.php?race=33
    =========================================
    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 – 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 48
    2 – 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 42
    3 – 5 Kasey Kahne Chevrolet 42
    4 – 43 Aric Almirola Ford 40
    5 – 15 Clint Bowyer Toyota 40
    6 – 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge 39
    7 – 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 38
    8 – 55 Brian Vickers Toyota 37
    9 – 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 35
    10 – 16 Greg Biffle Ford 34
    11 – 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 33
    12 – 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 32
    13 – 22 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge 0
    14 – 78 Kurt Busch Chevrolet 30
    15 – 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 30
    16 – 20 Joey Logano Toyota 28
    17 – 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 27
    18 – 99 Carl Edwards Ford 26
    19 – 83 Landon Cassill Toyota 25
    20 – 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 24
    21 – 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 23
    22 – 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 22
    23 – 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 21
    24 – 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 20
    25 – 13 Casey Mears Ford 19
    26 – 34 David Ragan Ford 19
    27 – 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 17
    28 – 51 AJ Allmendinger Chevrolet 16
    29 – 32 Ken Schrader Ford 15
    30 – 38 David Gilliland Ford 14
    31 – 93 Travis Kvapil Toyota 14
    32 – 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 12
    33 – 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 12
    34 – 33 Stephen Leicht * Chevrolet 10
    35 – 36 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 9
    36 – 10 David Reutimann Chevrolet 8
    37 – 195 Scott Speed Ford 7
    38 – 26 Josh Wise * Ford 6
    39 – 98 Michael McDowell Ford 5
    40 – 30 David Stremme Toyota 4
    41 – 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 0
    42 – 23 Scott Riggs Chevrolet 2
    43 – 191 Reed Sorenson Toyota 0
  • Business as usual for Keselowski at Martinsville

    Business as usual for Keselowski at Martinsville

    [media-credit id=100 align=”alignright” width=”224″][/media-credit]Since the end of Tums 500 qualifying session at Martinsville Speedway, media reports, social media and television have been buzzing about series points leader Brad Keselowski’s 32nd place starting spot. Making matters worse, Keselowski’s closest competitor, Jimmie Johnson, put his No.48 Lowes Chevy on the pole. Instantly there was a buzz through the garage area. Given Johnson’s amazing record at the flat half mile track, the question being asked is not whether he will takeover the points lead, but rather by how much.

    While Johnson’s record is phenomenal, six wins in 21 starts, Keselowski has five starts and just two top ten finishes. Keselowski, however, has ran extremely well this season and did finish a respectable ninth in the spring Martinsville event.

    Another interesting fact is that due to the poor qualifying effort, the team’s choice of pit spot is less than optimal. They did choose a spot immediately behind a team that was likely to be a start and park team. This morning however, the No.32 Ford of Ken Schrader had purchased a supply of tires from the Mike Bliss No.19 car that did not make the field, so it would now seem they are going to attempt to run the entire race. That makes one wonder who may have paid the bill on those tires.

    In garage area however, the team seemed relaxed and not bothered by the enormous amount of media hype. I spoke with a team representative and asked if there was a different strategy planned given the circumstances. He responded, “Just try to get some track position early, and once we get there stay out front as long as we can.” he also pointed out that they aren’t using anything different in chassis setup and, “It sorta simplifies things for us, we know we just have to go to the front.”

    Given the relaxed, business as usual attitude of the Penske team, they may leave Martinsville in the same position they arrived with, in the drivers seat of the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship!

  • Hamlin drives from rear of field to win the Kroger 200 at Martinsville

    Hamlin drives from rear of field to win the Kroger 200 at Martinsville

    [media-credit id=100 align=”alignright” width=”224″][/media-credit]Virginia native Denny Hamlin takes the checkered flag after driving from the rear of the field. Hamlin qualified fifth, but missed the drivers meeting which was taking place after the start of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) practice. Hamlin stated in the media center after the race that he hated to miss it and cause the team to start at the back, but his first priority is the NSCS.

    Hamlin was second with nine laps to go, with only leader Matt Crafton starting inside him. Crafton quickly jumped out front into turn one, Hamlin dropped in behind him and headed off to turn three. When entering three Crafton washed up slightly and Hamlin took advantage. Hamlin got into the rear of Crafton and pushed him up the track. After assuming the lead, Hamlin had no challengers. Crafton got caught on the outside line and fell to fourth after leading 33 laps.

    “I love this place and, man, that’s short track racing at its finest. I gave the 88 (Matt Crafton) extra room on the outside. I went to the second lane and didn’t want to crowd him into (turn) one and tried to pass him on the outside and he shoved up into me and pushed me into the third groove. I just got back to him, so I didn’t wreck him or anything like that, you’re going have contact at Martinsville.” Hamlin said.

    After the race Crafton was upset with Hamlin. He made his way down pit road to victory lane where he caught Hamlin still in his truck. Crafton stuck his head inside the No.51 truck and angrily pointed his finger in Hamlin’s face. I spoke with Crafton after the incident asking about the pass and the conversation, “Just got moved, that’s all there is to it. I mean it don’t take a whole lot of talent to run into the back of you, he’s a great race car driver but at least try to race me for a lap or two before you just run half a lap and run into the back me and drive through me.” As far as the conversation in the truck, “I told him what goes around comes around, he’ll race another truck race and he’ll remember what it feels like.”

    Nelson Piquet Jr and Joey Coulter battled hard for second place beating and banging down the backstretch with Piquet coming out on top. Coulter had to settle for third. Regarding short track racing, Piquet commented, “..there is a learning curve around here and I am starting get better at it.” “The more I do it , the more I like it.”

    The points standings also had a big shake up at Martinsville. Ty Dillon appeared to be in very good shape, running solidly in the top ten with second place James Buescher having problems and going a lap down early. Dillon had the opportunity to expand his points lead to a much more comfortable margin. The RCR driver’s fortune took a turn for the worse on lap 151, blowing a tire due to a melted bead, and tagging the wall in turn one. To make matters worse a broken sway bar joint would cause the No.3 to go 6 laps down and finish a dismal 28th place.

    Buescher on the other hand got the free pass to get back on the lead lap and after a pit stop improved the truck dramatically. Buescher drove his No.31 Great Clips Chevy to a solid sixth place finish. He will leave Martinsville with a 21 point lead over Dillon and a 25 point lead over Peters with three races to go.

    Unofficial Race Results
    Kroger 200, Martinsville Speedway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/truckseries/race.php?race=19
    =========================================
    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 5 151 Denny Hamlin Toyota 0
    2 4 30 Nelson Piquet Jr. Chevrolet 42
    3 14 22 Joey Coulter Chevrolet 41
    4 7 88 Matt Crafton Toyota 41
    5 23 92 Scott Riggs Chevrolet 0
    6 10 31 James Buescher Chevrolet 38
    7 1 17 Timothy Peters Toyota 38
    8 11 29 Ryan Blaney Ram 36
    9 13 7 Parker Kligerman Toyota 35
    10 3 18 Brian Scott Toyota 0
    11 21 8 Max Gresham * Chevrolet 33
    12 2 2 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 0
    13 27 23 Jason White Ford 31
    14 8 13 Johnny Sauter Toyota 31
    15 20 32 Miguel Paludo Chevrolet 29
    16 19 81 David Starr Toyota 28
    17 24 5 Josh Richards Ford 0
    18 26 9 John Wes Townley * Toyota 26
    19 14 6 Justin Lofton Chevrolet 25
    20 36 60 Peyton Sellers Chevrolet 24
    21 9 7 Jeff Agnew Chevrolet 23
    22 12 11 Todd Bodine Toyota 22
    23 31 8 Ross Chastain * Toyota 21
    24 29 275 Caleb Holman * Chevrolet 20
    25 30 168 Clay Greenfield Ram 19
    26 28 39 Ryan Sieg Chevrolet 18
    27 33 93 Tim George Jr. Chevrolet 17
    28 6 3 Ty Dillon * Chevrolet 16
    29 32 99 Bryan Silas * Ford 15
    30 25 202 Tyler Young * Chevrolet 14
    31 35 57 Norm Benning Chevrolet 13
    32 17 27 Ryan Truex Chevrolet 0
    33 16 9 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet 11
    34 18 135 Matt Merrell Chevrolet 10
    35 22 33 Cale Gale * Chevrolet 9
    36 34 84 Chris Fontaine Chevrolet 8
  • Peters captures the Kroger 200 pole at Martinsville Speedway

    Peters captures the Kroger 200 pole at Martinsville Speedway

    [media-credit id=100 align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Timothy Peters who was born just down the road in Danville, Va, held on through two short rain delays to capture the pole for Saturdays Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway. Peters who finished fifth here in the spring turned a lap of 19.641 sec at 96.411 mph and bested Cup Series regular and spring race winner, Kevin Harvick by only .027secs. Brian Scott, Nelson Piquet Jr, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five. Peters currently sits third in the point standings, 26 markers out of the lead.

    Championship points leader Ty Dillon will start sixth with James Buescher , who trails Dillon by only one point starting tenth. The left Talladega with the same margin that they entered with. Each driver will be trying to gain an advantage this weekend. A points battle this close is a recipe for great action on the flat half mile track.

    Midway through qualifying a small rain shower dampened the track. Camping World Truck Series rookie, Caleb Holman was on track when the rain began. Holman’s Food Country Chevrolet slipped up the track in both corners, leading NASCAR officials to temporarily halt time trials. Luckily for Holman, officials gave him a second chance at qualifying, however, did require him to bolt on four new Goodyears. The team who had no sticker tires left, had to purchase four new tires in order to make a second qualifying attempt. The expensive purchase paid off as Holman qualified 29th easing their concerns about the fact that there were 41 trucks attempting to make into the 36 truck field.

    Other notables: Denny Hamlin will start fifth in the Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota. Peters Red Horse Racing teammate, Parker Kligerman, who earned his first win at Talladega will take the green in 13th spot. Ryan Truex will make his Camping World Truck Series debut starting in the 17th spot.

    Grant Enfinger, Brennan Newberry, Dennis Setzer, Jake Crum, and Todd Peck did not qualify for the event.

    Starting Lineup
    Kroger 200, Martinsville Speedway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/truckseries/qual.php?race=19
    ===========================================
    Pos. No. Driver Make Speed Time
    ===========================================
    1 17 Timothy Peters Toyota 96.411 19.641
    2 2 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 96.278 19.668
    3 18 Brian Scott Toyota 96.068 19.711
    4 30 Nelson Piquet Jr. Chevrolet 95.83 19.76
    5 151 Denny Hamlin Toyota 95.815 19.763
    6 3 Ty Dillon* Chevrolet 95.757 19.775
    7 88 Matt Crafton Toyota 95.752 19.776
    8 13 Johnny Sauter Toyota 95.699 19.787
    9 7 Jeff Agnew Chevrolet 95.675 19.792
    10 31 James Buescher Chevrolet 95.448 19.839
    11 29 Ryan Blaney Ram 95.434 19.842
    12 11 Todd Bodine Toyota 95.319 19.866
    13 7 Parker Kligerman Toyota 95.309 19.868
    14 6 Justin Lofton Chevrolet 95.299 19.87
    14 22 Joey Coulter Chevrolet 95.194 19.892
    16 9 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet 95.189 19.893
    17 27 Ryan Truex Chevrolet 94.96 19.941
    18 135 Matt Merrell Chevrolet 94.922 19.949
    19 81 David Starr Toyota 94.751 19.985
    20 32 Miguel Paludo Chevrolet 94.718 19.992
    21 8 Max Gresham* Chevrolet 94.623 20.012
    22 33 Cale Gale* Chevrolet 94.557 20.026
    23 92 Scott Riggs Chevrolet 94.538 20.03
    24 5 Josh Richards Ford 94.477 20.043
    25 202 Tyler Young* Chevrolet 94.397 20.06
    26 9 John Wes Townley* Toyota 94.153 20.112
    27 23 Jason White Ford 94.101 20.123
    28 39 Ryan Sieg Chevrolet 93.826 20.182
    29 275 Caleb Holman* Chevrolet 93.798 20.188
    30 168 Clay Greenfield Ram 93.678 20.214
    31 8 Ross Chastain* Toyota 93.664 20.217
    32 99 Bryan Silas+* Ford 92.294 20.517
    33 93 Tim George Jr.+ Chevrolet 92.016 20.579
    34 84 Chris Fontaine+ Chevrolet 91.918 20.601
    35 57 Norm Benning+ Chevrolet 89.897 21.064
    36 60 Peyton Sellers Chevrolet 93.47 20.259
  • Trucks on the short track, where they should be!

    Trucks on the short track, where they should be!

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series visits the legendary Martinsville Speedway this weekend and that leads me to reminisce about “the good ole days”. The series began in 1995 and during that first season, the trucks competed primarily on short tracks. Venues like Saugus, Evergreen, I-70 and Mesa Marin are just a few of the fantastic short tracks that the trucks visited. They also visited Martinsville that first season as well, with Joe Ruttman taking the win that day. Fifteen of the twenty races scheduled that first season were short tracks, two races on road courses and just three on superspeedways. That is a great mix. There is just something amazing about seeing 36 trucks beating and banging around the great short tracks we have around the country. Obviously, the trucks at Daytona and Talladega are great, but it just doesn’t compare to a race at Portland or Tuscon.

    In the beginning, the truck series brought us back to the rough and tumble Saturday night racing we grew up with at legendary tracks like Hickory or Bowman Gray, yet had that appeal of the “big time”. The drivers had character flaws and attitudes, they weren’t polished and toned down. When a driver got interviewed after a wreck, their remarks were always unpredictable and exciting.

    While working in the pits on late models the weekends, we loved when a NASCAR touring series came to town. It was the big time, the series we wanted to be in someday. We admired these guys, despite the fact that they weren’t perfect, in fact, that may have strengthened our admiration. They were real people. This is the same feeling we had with the trucks series in it’s early years.

    In recent years, the series schedule has moved away from the small bullrings with imperfect surfaces and more toward following the Cup and Nationwide series on very nice raceways with new surfaces and no bumps. Those tracks are great and definitely have their place on NASCAR, but the trucks should be back on the bullrings where they started.

    Recently, rumors have been swirling that NASCAR is going to move the schedule back to the shorter stand alone tracks. The Kroger 200 at Martinsville this Saturday will be a look back to the past. Hopefully, the powers that be will be paying attention and see how great the racing action is and it will help push the trucks back to their roots.

  • Morris takes the win in the VA is for Racing Lovers 300

    Morris takes the win in the VA is for Racing Lovers 300

    [media-credit name=”Roger Holtsclaw” align=”alignright” width=”224″][/media-credit]Phillip Morris drives his Clarence’s Steak House Chevy to the victory in the VA is for Racing Lovers 300 at Martinsville Speedway. Morris held off NASCAR Whelen All American Series national champion Lee Pulliam in the closing laps to secure his third win at the prestigious event.

    During the first half of the race, Morris seemed to have everything under control with very little challenges from anyone. As the halfway break neared, BJ Mackey began to close on Morris and appeared to have the stronger car. Garrett Campbell went into the intermission in third after running strong for the first 75 laps.

    Morris lost several positions during the break, with several strong cars now in front of him. Campbell had problems as well. The crew discovered a bad radiator hose that was causing an overheating issue. The team restarted at the back of the pack after the break and only completed one lap before falling out. A few laps later another strong contender, Matt McCall, headed to the garage area with an apparent engine problem.

    Triple Crown contender Matt Bowling took the top spot and appeared to have the car to beat, Pulliam and Morris used strategy with the restart cone to put themselves in the right position to work their way back to the front. Mackey, who was very strong before the back began to fade and couldn’t hold off the challenge of Morris and Pulliam. One by one lead cars began to fall back, Morris and Pulliam made it back to the top two spots. The two battled each other through several yellows that lined them up side by side, but in the end, Morris was able to hold off the champ.

    Morris said after the race, “I knew the last five laps was going to be like qualifying laps because Lee is so good.”

    CE Falk secured the Virginia Triple Crown Championship with a sixth place finish. Falk said he struggled all day, but “…the crew worked on the car all day and finally got it right at the end.”

    Another exciting event at Martinsville has come to a close. The Virgina is for Racing Lovers organization has re-signed to sponsor the race again next year. It should prove to be just as exciting!

  • Changes in VIFRL 300 format seem to be a success at Martinsville

    Changes in VIFRL 300 format seem to be a success at Martinsville

    [media-credit id=100 align=”alignright” width=”224″][/media-credit]The annual 300 lap Late Model race at Martinsville Speedway implemented a few changes this year, going away from the traditional qualifying format.  This seasons race will be seeded using heat races. On Saturday, drivers were divided into groups of ten cars and sent out on the track to run five laps at speed. The best lap turned of the five becomes the official “qualifying” lap. This lap time seeds the drivers into their perspective heat race with the fastest starting on the pole in heat race 1, second fastest lap will start from the pole in heat race 2 and so on.

    Obviously, this format was a great idea.  After the dust settled Saturday the two fastest drivers were tied down to the thousandth of a second! The fastest “qualifier” had to be determined by the NASCAR Whelen All American Series national points standings. That tiebreaker gave the pole to the 2012 National Champion, Lee Pulliam. Matt McCall will officially be second and will start from the pole in heat race 2. Mike Darne will start up front in heat race 3, and Garrett Campbell will be leading the way in heat race 4.

    Other notables in the field: Dennis Setzer starting second in heat 3, who had a successful career in the top 3 divisions of NASCAR. Late Model veteran Frank Deiny will be starting fourth in heat 2. Former NASCAR Whelen All American Series National Champion Phillip Morris starts second in heat 4. Triple crown contender CE Falk starts ninth in heat 2, with his closest triple crown competitor Matt Bowling starting second in the same heat.

    Each heat consist of twenty cars and drivers must finish in the top eight in their heat to make the main. Heat race results will seed 32 cars, a last chance qualifier race will be held with the top ten finishers completing the 42 car main event. If Saturday’s results are any indication, the racing Sunday will be phenomenal.

  • $25K, a clock and a crown up for grabs at Martinsville

    $25K, a clock and a crown up for grabs at Martinsville

    [media-credit id=100 align=”alignright” width=”231″][/media-credit]The Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 set for Sunday, Oct 21 at Martinsville Speedway.  Come see 42 cars take the green with one goal, to win the clock. The infamous grandfather clock has been a longstanding traditional trophy given to Martinsville Speedway race winners for many years. For the Late Model racers that are here this weekend , it may be their only chance to earn one. Many of these racers will never compete at a higher level in the NASCAR ranks, but are highly competitive in the Late Model world.

    To compliment the prestigious trophy, a nice check for $25,000 also goes to the winner. It will be a much larger payday than most of these teams are used to. Many weekly short tracks only pay $1,500 to $2,000 to win, so this weekends purse will definitely go a long way to recover some of the cost the teams incur during the season.

    Another interesting prize for this weekends race will be the crown, yes and actual crown, given to the Virginia Triple Crown winner. The Triple Crown consist of three major Late Model races in the state of Virginia throughout the year. The Triple Crown tracks are South Boston, Langley Speedway, and wrapping up at Martinsville. Points are awarded at each event, with the driver accumulating the most points in the three races being crowned the champion. In addition to an actual crown, the winner champion will also receive a $5,000 bonus check and of course bragging rights!

    The contenders for for the triple crown are, the leader with 83 points, CE Falk III, who was the winner of the South Boston race, Matt Bowling, the winner of the Langley event just four points back and Nick Smith, the self proclaimed underdog who is 19 points behind leader Falk. All three drivers expressed confidence at the track Saturday as they prepared for practice. Laughter erupted in the media center when referring to winning the triple crown, Falk asked Bowling, “Does that mean you bump me out of the way if I was running third?”, Bowling replied, “I would bump you out of the way if we were running tenth!”

    Given all the pressure the drivers are under this weekend, they seem loose and relaxed and ready for 300 laps of competition,and with a total of 86 cars trying to secure one of the 42 starting spots, it will be very tough 300 laps of competition.