Even before the race, the infamous short-track tempers were flaring with Kevin Harvick and Greg Biffle getting into it on and off the track during practice. Here is what was surprising and not surprising when the green flag flew for the 63rd annual Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway.
I’ve always loved the little village of Martinsville, Virginia and the half-mile racetrack there. It all started in 1964 when my father and his friends took me to the speedway to see the “big boys” run.
Jimmie Johnson and Brian Vickers are good friends but on Sunday Vickers took away another chance for Johnson to win a race. Vickers appeared to be in 95 percent of the cautions on Sunday as he hit everything but the pace car.
All the talk at Martinsville Speedway this weekend was about Talladega. It wasn’t just the drivers, who did their share of talking, but it also included some media members and fans. Of course, a lot of it revolves around the sport’s most popular driver and the son of NASCAR’s most favorite legend, Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Johnny Sauter, driver of the No. 13 Safe Auto/Curb/Carrier Chevy Silverado for ThorSport Racing, sits third in Camping World Truck championship points, just 14 points back from leader Austin Dillon and 11 points behind second place contender James Buescher.
Friday at Martinsville those opinions were expanded upon when many were asked about their views on integrity and ethics in the sport. Brad Keselowski, never one to back down from any question, called it as he saw it by saying that NASCAR had a rough week on the ethical side of the board.
What more fitting of a facility than Martinsville Speedway to travel to on this Halloween weekend. Martinsville Speedway has been known to create some very wild and down-right ere finishes.
Any NASCAR Sprint Cup driver, still in contention for the Sprint Cup Chase for the Championship, will tell you that the seven day gap between race number six and seven on the Chase schedule has been hectic.
So, team orders made the NASCAR news this week in a very big way. It's very likely that this concept is actually nothing new and has been utilized on occasions for quite a few years.
Clint Bowyer was also hoping that teammate Jeff Burton won too. The two were trying to outrun each other to the finish line in Sunday’s Good Same Club 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, which Bowyer ended up winning in a photo finish.
Tony Stewart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster team rallied to the first nitro victory for Elite Motorsports Sunday at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip. It was Stewart's third career Top Fuel victory and his first at Pomona Dragstrip.
Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 Discount Tire Ford Mustang Dark Horse team nearly came away with their second win of the season in Sunday's Food City 500 but ultimately settled for a second-place result in an overtime finish at Bristol.
After showing solid speed through the opening two stages of Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, Josh Berry and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team saw their strong run slip away in the closing stage, ultimately finishing 32nd.
It’s always a hard-fought race on the high-banked half-mile Bristol Motor Speedway and the Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing teams were up for the challenge Sunday.