STP 500
Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, Va.
Chris Buescher | No. 34 A&W All American Food Ford
“I’ve only had one test session at Martinsville, and I know how tough it was by myself to get around that racetrack. So, putting 43 cars on a track that small, it’s going to get tight in a hurry. I just need to be patient and try to take care of my equipment.
“I think last week’s race, my Cup debut, went extremely well. I had a lot of fun, and learned a bunch about the cars and the people we’re racing with. That will definitely help going into Martinsville. Being that it’s an off weekend on the XFINITY Series side, we can really focus on this Cup race and have a little more time to work with everybody on the 34 team again.”
JUST THE FACTS: Sunday’s STP 500 will be Buescher’s first start at Martinsville Speedway … The race will be the 22-year-old’s second race with Front Row Motorsports, filling in while David Ragan subs for the injured Kyle Busch in the No. 18 car … Buescher finished 20th in his Sprint Cup debut last week at Auto Club Speedway behind the wheel of the No. 34 Ford … A&W All American Food makes its first appearance of the 2015 season on the No. 34 Ford.
Cole Whitt | No. 35 Front Row Motorsports Ford
“Our last race at Martinsville in the fall went pretty well, better than the spring race. So, we’re getting better. I can go over those same notes and put those same things to work this week. Martinsville is always fun, and it gives us a good chance. There are always things that can happen, and that’s just what short-track racing always comes back to. A lot of these guys grew up doing that, where I didn’t. So, it’s kind of different for me, but it’s fun.
“You feel like you’re going faster on these little tracks than what you might think. For tight little corners like that, and being able to do what we do with those heavy cars, it’s pretty good speed for what it is. The crazy thing is, you can be a tenth (of a second) off and be last, and go two-tenths quicker and pick up 20 or 30 spots just because the whole field is within four tenths of each other. We’ll do what we can and make the most of it.”
JUST THE FACTS: Whitt has three Sprint Cup career starts at Martinsville Speedway … His top finish at the .526-mile oval is 18th (2014) … Whitt is coming off his second straight top-25 finish Sunday at Auto Club Speedway.
David Gilliland | No. 38 Love’s Travel Stops Ford
“Martinsville is a lot like the short tracks that we grew up racing on. It’s good old-fashioned short-track racing. Your emotions go through a roller-coast ride there. You’re constantly getting run into or you’re running into somebody. You’ve just got to control those emotions for four hours and 500 laps. It’s tough. Whoever can do that the best comes out on top.
“Wow, 300 Cup starts for me this weekend. It sure doesn’t seem like I’ve had 300 starts. It’s gone by fast. But I’m proud of that, and proud of being here for that long. That makes it a special weekend. I’m glad Love’s Travel Stops is on our car to help mark the milestone. The last couple races we’ve run at Martinsville have been our best races at that track. So, hopefully that trend continues this week.”
JUST THE FACTS: Gilliland has 17 Sprint Cup starts at Martinsville Speedway … His best finish is 19th (2010) … Love’s Travel Stops returns as primary sponsor of the No. 38 at the .526-mile oval … Sunday’s race will be Gilliand’s 300th start in the Sprint Cup Series.
About Front Row Motorsports
Front Row Motorsports is a race-winning organization competing in NASCAR’s premier Sprint Cup Series, fielding the No. 34, the No. 35 and the No. 38 Fords. The team is owned by Bob Jenkins and is headquartered just outside of Charlotte, N.C. FRM was named to INC Magazine’s “INC 5000” list in 2012, recognizing the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. The team’s partnership base is representative of more than $200 billion of the U.S. economy and includes organizations such as Ford Motor Company, Love’s Travel Stops, Colgate-Palmolive, CSX Transportation, Taco Bell and Long John Silver’s. Visit teamfrm.com.
