Matt Kenseth had little reason to be happy after Saturday's final practice. Credit: Autostock

Brake problem leaves No. 17 crew flustered

Vickers leads both practice sessions for DirecTV 500

MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Happy Hour at Martinsville Speedway turned into Confusing Minute for Matt Kenseth and his crew.

With less than 10 minutes remaining in the final practice for Sunday's DirecTV 500 (1:30 p.m. ET, FOX), Kenseth slid his No. 17 Ford deep into Turn 3 and came to a stop near the top of the 12-degree banked corner. It appeared Kenseth had tire issues as he rolled onto the concrete turn, but he had enough brake to keep it from hitting the wall.

Credit: Autostock

Happy Hour Speeds DirecTV 500 -- Martinsville Pos. Driver Make Speed 1. B. Vickers Chevy 94.903 2. T. Stewart Chevy 94.571 3. J. Johnson Chevy 94.552 4. M. Truex Jr. Chevy 94.548 5. J. McMurray Ford 94.467 6. D. Hamlin Chevy 94.439 7. K. Kahne Dodge 94.434 8. G. Biffle Ford 94.392 9. J. Nemechek Chevy 94.359 10. M. Kenseth Ford 94.340 • Complete Speeds, click here • 2nd Practice Speeds, click here

"They're still analyzing it," said crew chief Robbie Reiser. "It looks like we maybe had a brake bracket failure or something, I really don't know. The tire is flat and we've got some broken parts, so we've got to take a look at what happened."

After resting on the pavement while the red flag stopped practice, two of Kenseth's crew members went running onto the track under the direction of Reiser. But Kenseth, who saw the reaction of NASCAR officials when two of his mechanics stepped onto the track, radioed to the guys suggesting they go back to pit road.

When the crew members reached the car, they took a few looks before being escorted by officials to the NASCAR hauler. Reiser was not asked to report to the officials, although he displayed obvious frustration with them over his team's radio.

"They asked the official if they would be able to go out there, and the official said they could go," Reiser said, "but I guess that's a no-no ..."

A tow-truck hauled Kenseth's Ford off the track with the front wheels lifted and hood up.

NASCAR officials reprimanded the crew members. The team made no indication that Kenseth would go to a back-up car Sunday.

Brian Vickers led both practice sessions Saturday, posting a fast lap of 94.998 mph late to bump Jeff Gordon from the top spot in the early session. In Happy Hour, he paced the field from the green flag with a speed of 94.903 mph.

"[Sunday's] when it counts," Vickers said. "We were fast today but we can be better. We're going to need to be to win the race."

Tony Stewart (94.571 mph) was second during final practice, building off his fifth-fastest time during the morning. He'll start third on Sunday.

"We were happy with the way the times looked, but you're always conscious of making your balance better and whatever we can do to make it feel like the car is doing is what I want it to do," Stewart said. "In the second session we made some bigger changes that made me feel like, with the conditions as warm as they were, I felt like I had a really good balance."

Turn 3 was also where Dale Jarrett spun just nine laps into Happy Hour.

Leading Jeff Burton and Denny Hamlin into the corner, Jarrett got loose and turned the No. 88 Ford around. Burton backed off and scooted through on the bottom. But Denny Hamlin swerved to the top lane where Jarrett's car stopped and banged into him.

The contact with Jarrett's car was minimal, but the brush turned the rear of Hamlin's No. 11 Chevy into the wall. Hamlin's right-rear fender was slightly damaged, but the crew went to work immediately to repair the sheet metal. He had run the third-quickest lap (94.439 mph) before the accident. The crew got the rookie back out for nine more laps on the track, and he ended up sixth on the list.

Jarrett never got back on the track.

Jimmie Johnson, who will lead the field to green on Sunday, was third (94.552 mph) in final practice. Rookie Martin Truex Jr., who was 18th in the first practice, ended up fourth (94.548 mph) in Happy Hour. Jamie McMurray was fifth (94.467 mph).

Despite the confusion, Kenseth, who will start 16th on Sunday, posted the 10th-best lap of Happy Hour at 94.340 mph (20.072 seconds).

Early bird

Jeff Gordon led most of the morning session practice until Vickers scooted ahead of him late. Vickers, whose average finish at Martinsville is 27.8, ran 74 laps in the practice, well above the average for most drivers.

With Vickers' quick lap, Gordon was second-fastest at 94.974 mph, followed by McMurray, Kasey Kahne and Stewart.

Grandfathers

It's no coincidence that NASCAR's veterans fare well at the sport's grandfather racetrack. It's what the 40-somethings like.

Ken Schrader, 51, who qualified 19th for Sunday's race, posted the sixth-fastest speed in Saturday's morning practice (94.661 mph). He slid to 29th on the charts in Happy Hour.

Schrader only has one top-five at Martinsville, which came in 1988. But his average finish at the place is 16.0.

Sterling Marlin, 49, was eighth in the early practice with a speed of 94.661 mph following Friday's qualifying run that put him sixth on the starting grid -- his best start in 52 races.

If there was a week to pull this kind of run out of the bag for Marlin, this is it. The top-35 owners have guaranteed starting positions, and Marlin's team is 36th.

Marlin has 14 top-10s at the track, including a pair of runner-up finishes -- both before 1993. He had the 24th-fastest speed in Happy Hour.

Mark Martin, 47, was ninth in early practice with a speed of 94.552 mph. Martin is a two-time winner at the short track and had a stretch during the early 1990s when he won three consecutive poles. He finished third in this race a year ago. He will start 30th on Sunday.