Official Release

Martinsville Preview: The third Round of the 2017 NASCAR Playoffs – the Round of 8 – begins this Sunday at Martinsville Speedway with 500 laps around Virginia half-mile. Denny has visited Victory Lane five times in 23 starts at the ‘Paperclip’, leading 1,387 laps along the way. He’s also finished within the top-three in his last five visits to the flat track, including a third-place finish at Martinsville during last year’s Playoffs run.  

Heading into the Round of 8 this weekend at Martinsville Speedway, Chevrolet still has two representatives in championship contention.  Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and nine-time Martinsville winner, Jimmie Johnson is the fifth seed as the 2017 season races toward a close.  Johnson has made the final round of the championship Playoffs only once since the knock-out style format was introduced in 2014.  The only time he made it – 2016 -  when he became a seven-time Cup Series champion.

MDM Motorsports and Rheem®, the global leader and only manufacturer to produce a full suite of heating, cooling, water heating, pool/spa heating and commercial refrigeration products, today announced the sponsorship of the No. 99 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series entry this weekend with driver Cale Gale.  Gale, who has 35 career Truck Series starts that includes a thrilling last-lap victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2012 by edging Kyle Busch, will mark his return to series action behind the wheel of the No. 99 Rheem Chevrolet Silverado in Saturday's Texas Roadhouse 200 at Martinsville Speedway.

NASCAR veteran Andy Petree will assist Richard Childress Racing in an advisory role in the competition area. Petree, who has held numerous roles in his 30-year stock car racing career, will be retained as an outside resource. Petree has experience as a championship-winning crew chief, driver, team owner and most recently, as an analyst for Fox Sports.

Erik Jones and the No. 77 SiriusXM Toyota team look to hit the reset button at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series First Data 500.

On Sunday, Nov. 19, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s storied career as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver will come to an end at Homestead-Miami Speedway and The Dale Jr. Foundation and Whisky River are partnering to provide JR Nation the opportunity to watch as part of an exclusive, private event. For just $20, fans can purchase a ticket to the JR Nation Appreci88ion Tour Race Watch Party and view the Homestead-Miami Speedway race from Dale Jr.’s own Whisky River location in the Charlotte Epicentre.

Leavine Family Racing (LFR) and Michael McDowell are looking forward to returning to Martinsville Speedway, the site of McDowell’s first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) start.

GMS Racing announced today that technology pioneers Zeality Inc. have signed-on to partner with rookie Justin Haley for multiple races, beginning this weekend at Martinsville Speedway.

Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing team needed a strong performance at Kansas Speedway last weekend to advance to Round 3 of the NASCAR Playoffs and got it. They’ll need another one Sunday in the First Data 500 at Martinsville to keep their championship hopes alive.

In one of the organization's most anticipated moments in its history, Richard Petty Motorsports announced today Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr. as the new driver of the No. 43 made famous by team co-owner, "The King" Richard Petty. Wallace, 24, will compete full-time in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and for the Sunoco Rookie of The Year beginning at the 2018 Daytona 500.