While many know and love his famous father Joe, John Hunter Nemechek is now ready to step out into his own spotlight as he makes his debut in the Camping World Truck Series this weekend at Martinsville.
The cliché holds true this week as “it all comes down to this”. Six guys have already claimed their top-10 spots when The Chase begins next week at Chicago – Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, and Matt Kenseth…that’s 2 Chevy’s, a Ford, and 3 Toyotas in case you're keeping score.
“He was as good as they come,” Petty said. “There have been very few guys who had more confidence in what he could do than Herb. He was so strong-minded that he ‘willed’ his wins and what he was doing on the track. He was going to beat the guys on the track no matter what was going on. That was his mind set.”
Turn on the lights and turn up the heat this week as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races under the lights for the first time this season. Texas Motor Speedway needs no introduction as it has produced some of the fastest speeds and exciting finishes we’ve seen over the past few seasons.
Refreshed from an off-weekend and ready to go short track racing, here is what was surprising and not surprising when the Cup drivers returned to racing in the STP Gas Booster 500 at Martinsville Speedway.
There is no doubt that Tony Stewart, three-time NASCAR champion, is a fierce competitor. This past weekend, however, Stewart was more successful on the local short track circuit, including Williams Grove and Selinsgrove Speedway, than he was in the Cup race at Martinsville.
It has been a couple weeks since you have heard from me, and I am excited for my opportunity to spout off my thoughts before tomorrow's STP Gas Booster 500. Martinsville Speedway is one of my favorite stops on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series each year due to its storied history and true short-track persona.
Martinsville is one of NASCAR's oldest venues and has been around since the beginning of stock car racing. It was one of the eight original tracks on the 1949 Strickly Stock Schedule which is now known as the Sprint Cup series. At 0.526 miles in length, it is the shortest track on the circuit and arguably the toughest to pass at.
With the championship Chase looming and all the talk focusing on other drivers like Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards potentially scrapping their way in, one driver, Paul Menard, sits quietly in contention.
