Jeff Green: Advance Auto Parts 500 preview

MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- After a weekend off in observance of the Easter Holiday, Jeff Green and the #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge team head to the flat, paper-clip shaped, .526-mile Martinsville Speedway for Sunday's Advance Auto Parts 500. It will be NASCAR's first stop at a short track since tempers flared recently at the first short-track event of the season at the high-banked, .533-mile Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

"There are not many guys in the Nextel Cup garage that haven't, while coming up through the ranks, raced on a short track a time or two. A lot of us have a background that traces back to a lot of short track experience. We should all know what to expect out of them by now. This weekend at Martinsville will be no different. We know that it's going to be close quarter racing. It's those close quarters that can bring out the best and worst in a driver.

"Martinsville is a tight oval with very sharp turns. There just isn't much room or opportunity to cleanly pass somebody. There is always going to be someone beating and banging. It's a tough situation to get around, especially at Martinsville. It's the nature of the beast and you just can't control it. How you act and react to the situations that come up, however, are things you can control.

"A few weeks ago at Bristol we saw a lot of things that we normally see at Bristol. It was a typical Bristol race, and we saw some guys get pretty upset. A track like Martinsville is prone to produce some of those same feelings. Emotions are going to run high this weekend. You always have to keep that in mind.

"In this day and age, you just have to control your emotions the best you can at a short track. Guys are getting fined and getting docked points. NASCAR is taking this very seriously, and well they should. We just can't have guys getting knocked all around. It's not good for the sport, the drivers, teams, or for the sponsors like Cheerios.

"I don't think anyone is out here to intentionally wreck another driver. There is too much at stake. NASCAR really made a lot of people pay attention when they started taking owner and driver points away. It really makes a difference when your actions can affect the entire race team and not just yourself. Tempers can rise, and in the heat of battle it can get pretty intense on the track, but you have to keep your emotions in check. You can't hurt your team and all the people that support you because you get mad.

"It's tough. There are times during a race, and it happens a lot at Martinsville, when you might be faster than the guy in front of you, but there is just not enough room to pass. You're working really hard to get around the guy, but it's just tough short track-style racing. The best thing you can do is try to 'ease' him up out of the way. You have to get that front-end underneath his quarter-panel and slide in there. It's about the only way to pass them unless you can go around on the outside.

"It's almost an art to pass at Martinsville. You try to 'ease' the guy up the track while at the same time not trying to tear up your equipment or his. If you get into a beating and banging match with someone you're only going to ruin the aerodynamics and handling of your car. It's not worth it. A track like Martinsville you have to keep your car clean for the end of the day. It's not easy, but to win you have to save your car for the end of the day.

"Martinsville, like Bristol, can bring out the best and worst in people. It's fun to watch, but it's important that you race like a professional. We all work really hard to win. We have a lot of great supporters like General Mills who want to see us race hard and have a chance for victory. We don't want to let emotions get the better of us and not let that happen. We're going into this weekend prepared to race clean and race hard. It's going to be a tough race at Martinsville, but this Cheerios team is going to remember what it takes to win."