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Thursday, April 7
3 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Practice/Qualifying at Martinsville Speedway, FS1
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Practice/Qualifying at Martinsville Speedway, FS1
8 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Blu-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 200 at Martinsville Speedway, FS1
On MRN
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Blu-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 200 at Martinsville Speedway
Friday, April 8
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Practice/Qualifying at Martinsville Speedway, FS1
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Call 811 Before You Dig 250 powered by Call 811.com at Martinsville Speedway, FS1
On MRN
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Practice/Qualifying at Martinsville Speedway
7 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Call 811 Before You Dig 250 powered by Call 811.com at Martinsville Speedway
Saturday, April 9
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 at Martinsville Speedway, FS1
On MRN
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 at Martinsville Speedway
Short Track
Since the first NASCAR Cup Series season in 1949, short tracks – a track less than a mile in length – have graced the competitive schedule and been part of the fabric that makes up the sport.
NASCAR Hall of Famer aptly nicknamed ‘The King,’ Richard Petty scored 138 of his record 200 NASCAR Cup Series victories on short tracks – the series-most short-track wins all-time. He also holds the record for the most wins at a single NASCAR Cup Series track posting 15 victories at this weekend’s venue – Martinsville Speedway and North Wilkesboro.
Among the active drivers this weekend, 10 have posted wins on short tracks in the NASCAR Cup Series, led by Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch with 16 short-track Cup victories. Team Penske’s Joey Logano is the only driver to win at all four of the currently active short tracks on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule with his victory last season at Bristol Dirt.
Different Winners to Start the Season
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin gave Toyota its first win of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season and in the process kept the streak of different winners to start the season alive making the 2022 season the sixth different year in the NASCAR Cup Series’ Modern Era (1972-2022) to start with seven different drivers in Victory Lane; joining 2021, 2014, 2003, 2000 and 1991.
Now the NASCAR Cup Series is heading to the historic Martinsville Speedway to see if the streak can make it to eight different winners. If the 2022 season sees an eighth different victor this weekend it will become just the third different season in the NASCAR Cup Series Modern Era (1972-Present) to start with eight different winners in the first eight races; joining 2003 and 2000. Last season, Martin Truex Jr. snapped the different winners streak to start the year by winning his second race of the 2021 season at Martinsville (Race No. 8).
Past Winners
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. has won the last two consecutive Martinsville Speedway NACAR Cup Series spring races. In total, Truex has made 32 series starts at Martinsville posting one pole, three wins (2019, 2020, 2021), nine top fives and 15 top 10s. He has also led 1,016 laps at the Paperclip shaped track.
Denny Hamlin leads the NASCAR Cup Series in victories at the historic Martinsville Speedway with five wins (2008, 2009, 2010 sweep, 2015) and has all the intentions of making it six in Saturday night’s Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400.
Among active drivers, Hamlin is one of the most prolific active short track competitors in the series. He is ranked second in short track Cup wins with 11 victories.
At Martinsville, Hamlin has made 32 series starts posting four poles, five wins, 16 top fives and 22 top 10s. But his Martinsville Speedway accolades don’t stop there. The NASCAR Cup Series pre-race Loop Data has him leading every category among active drivers heading into Saturday night – Average Finish of 10.156 (series-best), Average Running Position of 9.375 (series-best), Driver Rating of 105.7 (series-best), 1,101 Fastest Laps Run (series-best), 12,917 Laps in the Top 15 (80.5%) (series-most), 1,084 Quality Passes (series-most).
And finally …
NASCAR Cup Series Featured Matchups: 2022 Martinsville Speedway – Below is a close look at the featured matchups fans can bet on heading into this weekend’s event.
9 – Chase Elliott vs. 11 – Denny Hamlin
o Two of NASCAR’s very best short track racers square off in a rematch of their infamous dustup in the 2017 Martinsville Playoff race, in which Hamlin wrecked Elliott on a late restart, costing Elliott a shot at advancing to the Championship 4 Round of the ’17 Playoffs.
o Hamlin has the best all-time stat line at Martinsville among active drivers, with a 10.16 average finish and a stout five wins to his credit at the facility.
o Elliott is no slouch at Martinsville either. Elliott won the 2020 Fall Martinsville race in dramatic fashion – a win which cashed him a ticket to the 2020 Championship 4 Round. Since 2019, Elliott has led the second- most laps at Martinsville (575) among active drivers.
o Elliott enters the weekend as one of the most consistent drivers in NASCAR in 2022, as he is currently tied for the points lead with Ryan Blaney. Hamlin sits 20th in points and is coming off a short track win this past weekend in Richmond.
o In the matchup, Blaney would appear to have the early edge, as he has the best average finish among active drivers at the track since 2019 (5.83).
o Chastain however continues to buck statistics and has run well in nearly every race this season. His limited stat profile for Martinsville shows a 26.75 average finish since 2019, but recent stats have not been a good indicator of results for Chastain in 2022.
19 – Martin Truex, Jr. vs. 24 – William Byron
o Truex and Byron went toe-to-toe over the course of the final stage of last week’s race in Richmond in a battle of tire strategy, with both drivers coming up just short of a victory after Denny Hamlin shocked the field in the closing laps and passed the leaders via a tire gamble.
o Both drivers figure to be in the mix for the win on Sunday, as both have shown recent speed at Martinsville.
o Truex in particular is among the best in the series at The Paperclip, having won three of the last five Cup races at the track.
o Byron has three top-five finishes at Martinsville in his last six starts at the track
18 – Kyle Busch vs. 5 - Kyle Larson
o It’s the Kyle and Kyle Show in the final matchup of the week, in a battle between two drivers who, despite having great records at short tracks, have not seen much success in recent events at Martinsville.
o Larson has oft-described Martinsville as one of his weakest tracks, but his 11.50 average finish since 2019 at the facility suggests he has a better handle on the track than he gives himself credit for.
o Busch has two Martinsville wins to his name in his career, but none have come in the last 4 years. He’ll look to change that after a disappointing showing in Richmond in which a strong run was undone by a pit penalty late in the race.
3 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Practice/Qualifying at Martinsville Speedway, FS1
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Practice/Qualifying at Martinsville Speedway, FS1
8 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Blu-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 200 at Martinsville Speedway, FS1
On MRN
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Blu-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 200 at Martinsville Speedway
Friday, April 8
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Practice/Qualifying at Martinsville Speedway, FS1
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Call 811 Before You Dig 250 powered by Call 811.com at Martinsville Speedway, FS1
On MRN
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Practice/Qualifying at Martinsville Speedway
7 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Call 811 Before You Dig 250 powered by Call 811.com at Martinsville Speedway
Saturday, April 9
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 at Martinsville Speedway, FS1
On MRN
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 at Martinsville Speedway
Short Track
Since the first NASCAR Cup Series season in 1949, short tracks – a track less than a mile in length – have graced the competitive schedule and been part of the fabric that makes up the sport.
NASCAR Hall of Famer aptly nicknamed ‘The King,’ Richard Petty scored 138 of his record 200 NASCAR Cup Series victories on short tracks – the series-most short-track wins all-time. He also holds the record for the most wins at a single NASCAR Cup Series track posting 15 victories at this weekend’s venue – Martinsville Speedway and North Wilkesboro.
Among the active drivers this weekend, 10 have posted wins on short tracks in the NASCAR Cup Series, led by Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch with 16 short-track Cup victories. Team Penske’s Joey Logano is the only driver to win at all four of the currently active short tracks on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule with his victory last season at Bristol Dirt.
Different Winners to Start the Season
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin gave Toyota its first win of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season and in the process kept the streak of different winners to start the season alive making the 2022 season the sixth different year in the NASCAR Cup Series’ Modern Era (1972-2022) to start with seven different drivers in Victory Lane; joining 2021, 2014, 2003, 2000 and 1991.
Now the NASCAR Cup Series is heading to the historic Martinsville Speedway to see if the streak can make it to eight different winners. If the 2022 season sees an eighth different victor this weekend it will become just the third different season in the NASCAR Cup Series Modern Era (1972-Present) to start with eight different winners in the first eight races; joining 2003 and 2000. Last season, Martin Truex Jr. snapped the different winners streak to start the year by winning his second race of the 2021 season at Martinsville (Race No. 8).
Past Winners
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. has won the last two consecutive Martinsville Speedway NACAR Cup Series spring races. In total, Truex has made 32 series starts at Martinsville posting one pole, three wins (2019, 2020, 2021), nine top fives and 15 top 10s. He has also led 1,016 laps at the Paperclip shaped track.
Denny Hamlin leads the NASCAR Cup Series in victories at the historic Martinsville Speedway with five wins (2008, 2009, 2010 sweep, 2015) and has all the intentions of making it six in Saturday night’s Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400.
Among active drivers, Hamlin is one of the most prolific active short track competitors in the series. He is ranked second in short track Cup wins with 11 victories.
At Martinsville, Hamlin has made 32 series starts posting four poles, five wins, 16 top fives and 22 top 10s. But his Martinsville Speedway accolades don’t stop there. The NASCAR Cup Series pre-race Loop Data has him leading every category among active drivers heading into Saturday night – Average Finish of 10.156 (series-best), Average Running Position of 9.375 (series-best), Driver Rating of 105.7 (series-best), 1,101 Fastest Laps Run (series-best), 12,917 Laps in the Top 15 (80.5%) (series-most), 1,084 Quality Passes (series-most).
And finally …
NASCAR Cup Series Featured Matchups: 2022 Martinsville Speedway – Below is a close look at the featured matchups fans can bet on heading into this weekend’s event.
9 – Chase Elliott vs. 11 – Denny Hamlin
o Two of NASCAR’s very best short track racers square off in a rematch of their infamous dustup in the 2017 Martinsville Playoff race, in which Hamlin wrecked Elliott on a late restart, costing Elliott a shot at advancing to the Championship 4 Round of the ’17 Playoffs.
o Hamlin has the best all-time stat line at Martinsville among active drivers, with a 10.16 average finish and a stout five wins to his credit at the facility.
o Elliott is no slouch at Martinsville either. Elliott won the 2020 Fall Martinsville race in dramatic fashion – a win which cashed him a ticket to the 2020 Championship 4 Round. Since 2019, Elliott has led the second- most laps at Martinsville (575) among active drivers.
o Elliott enters the weekend as one of the most consistent drivers in NASCAR in 2022, as he is currently tied for the points lead with Ryan Blaney. Hamlin sits 20th in points and is coming off a short track win this past weekend in Richmond.
- 1 – Ross Chastain vs. 12 – Ryan Blaney
o In the matchup, Blaney would appear to have the early edge, as he has the best average finish among active drivers at the track since 2019 (5.83).
o Chastain however continues to buck statistics and has run well in nearly every race this season. His limited stat profile for Martinsville shows a 26.75 average finish since 2019, but recent stats have not been a good indicator of results for Chastain in 2022.
19 – Martin Truex, Jr. vs. 24 – William Byron
o Truex and Byron went toe-to-toe over the course of the final stage of last week’s race in Richmond in a battle of tire strategy, with both drivers coming up just short of a victory after Denny Hamlin shocked the field in the closing laps and passed the leaders via a tire gamble.
o Both drivers figure to be in the mix for the win on Sunday, as both have shown recent speed at Martinsville.
o Truex in particular is among the best in the series at The Paperclip, having won three of the last five Cup races at the track.
o Byron has three top-five finishes at Martinsville in his last six starts at the track
18 – Kyle Busch vs. 5 - Kyle Larson
o It’s the Kyle and Kyle Show in the final matchup of the week, in a battle between two drivers who, despite having great records at short tracks, have not seen much success in recent events at Martinsville.
o Larson has oft-described Martinsville as one of his weakest tracks, but his 11.50 average finish since 2019 at the facility suggests he has a better handle on the track than he gives himself credit for.
o Busch has two Martinsville wins to his name in his career, but none have come in the last 4 years. He’ll look to change that after a disappointing showing in Richmond in which a strong run was undone by a pit penalty late in the race.
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