Green-Flag Conditions Dominant in 400-Lap Event
RIDGEWAY, Va. (April 9, 2022) – Green flag conditions dominated much of Saturday night’s 400-lap race from Martinsville Speedway as Brad Keselowski drove his Fastenal Ford Mustang to a 17th-place finish.
A two-time winner at ‘The Paperclip,’ Keselowski put himself in a solid position in Friday’s qualifying session, advancing to the final round to qualify ninth. Weather played a large factor in Saturday’s action as unexpected rain delayed the initial start of the race, while near-freezing temperatures had an effect on the quality of racing and tire wear.
Keselowski kept his No. 6 machine inside the top-10 for much of the opening 80-lap stage, but conditions fell off late in the run as he would cross the line 13th for stage one. Following a penalty for stopping in the wrong pit stall in his first opportunity of the evening, Keselowski would restart tail end of the field, but worked his way back from it to 20th by the end of the second stage that saw no breaks.
From there, just two yellow flags were displayed – one on lap 313, and another with five laps to go – as Keselowski battled to gain much of his track position back, before ultimately going on to finish 17th.
The No. 6 team is back in action for yet another short track race next week, with the return to the dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway. The weekend schedule features a full Friday schedule with two Cup practices, followed by heat races Saturday night to determine the starting lineup for Sunday’s race, set for 8 p.m. ET on FOX. Race coverage can also be heard on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
