NASCAR Cup Series

ARIC ALMIROLA, No. 10 SHAZAM/Smithfield Ford Mustang – IT’S BEEN A STRONG START TO THE SEASON. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT? “Yeah, it’s been a great start to 2019. I really feel like as a team we’ve picked right up where we left off at the end of 2018.

For the first time in 2019, the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series and the Gander Outdoor Truck Series teams are going short track racing. Here is the weekend schedule for the TruNorth Global 250 and the STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

Fresh off the end of the West Coast swing, Roush Fenway heads just a short trip north to Martinsville Speedway as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) converges on the shortest track on the circuit for a 500-lap event on Sunday. RFR has visited victory lane six times at the famed .526-mile track including four times in the Cup series.

Chevrolet has gone to Victory Lane more than any other manufacturer at the oldest track on the circuit, Martinsville Speedway. Since 1949, the Bowtie Brand has captured 56 of the 140 races at the .526-mile, paper-clip-style venue. Buck Baker took Chevrolet to Winner’s Circle for the first time in 1957 piloting the famous ‘Black Widow’ – a car based off the Chevy 150 Utility Sedan. Since then seven other iconic Chevy brands (Bel Air, Biscayne, Impala, Monte Carlo, Lumina, Impala SS and SS) have entered the hallowed ground of Winner’s Circle at Martinsville adding to the long tradition of racing.

Toyota Jump-Starts 2019… Toyota drivers have a 69 percent win rate in 2019 with drivers collecting nine wins across NASCAR’s three national series in Camry, Supra and Tundra race vehicles. In addition, Toyota leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) manufacturer standings with Christopher Bell, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Austin Hill all locked into their respective series playoffs.

Jimmie Johnson on Martinsville: “In Martinsville, the inside lane is so important, but so is having a strong race car. Passing is tough and you will see the ‘bump and run’ a lot – sometimes you just have to rough someone up to get by them, but you have to be smart, because as soon as you get by them, they will be right back on your bumper into the corner and could pay back the favor. It’s obviously one of my favorite tracks. I am looking forward to this weekend.”

Richard Childress Racing (RCR) announced today a promotional partnership with Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews. The popular, casual dining restaurant chain, and RCR, the storied NASCAR racing organization are both celebrating 50 years of business this year.

The championship three-car Team Penske organization already owns two wins through the opening five races of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season and has quite a strong recent history at this week’s stop, Virginia’s Martinsville Speedway. Already, Brad Keselowski has a victory at Atlanta and Joey Logano at Las Vegas. Their young teammate, 25-year old Ryan Blaney, posted his best effort of the season two weeks ago – third place – at Phoenix’s ISM Raceway and answered with another top-10 on Sunday in California.

IN ADVANCE OF THE FIRST SHORT TRACK RACE OF THE SEASON, RYAN PREECE, NO.47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 MET WITH MEDIA AND DISCUSSED THE YEAR TO DATE, HIS EXPERIENCE AND EXPECTATIONS OF RACING AT MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY, AND MORE. FULL TRANSCRIPT:

Martinsville Speedway, the smallest track on NASCAR’s Cup circuit, holds a big place in the hearts of the Wood Brothers, whose home base is just 30 miles away in Stuart, Va.