Ah, Martinsville. The paper clip-shaped short track that’s famous for its hot dogs and grandfather clock trophy. Here’s why we’re raising our thumbs up (and down) after a snow-delayed 500 laps.
Thumbs Up: YRB
Ryan Blaney’s blinding-neon Ford claimed Stage 2 at Martinsville — Blaney’s first stage win at a short track. While he ended up third by the end of the day, the No. 12 looked awfully sporty, leading 145 of 500 laps Monday.
https://twitter.com/BubbaWallace/status/978424632612147200
Thumbs up to Young Ryan Blaney for looking not-so-shabby. But that’s what Ryan Blaney does oh-so well. So dreamy.
Thumbs Down: Snow
As of last Tuesday, it’s spring. That’s supposed to mean warm temperatures and flowers, right? Not the case in Virginia, apparently.
Every now and then, a race gets delayed for weather. Whatever; it happens. Can’t race on a rainy track. But, snow? When it’s April next week? Not cool, Mother Nature.
But, hey, it’s not a first.
https://twitter.com/Christian_Racin/status/976462657904676865
Thumbs down for snow. In the spring. On race day.
Thumbs Up: Bowman the Snowman
Speaking of snow, it’s interesting to see who performed after Martinsville’s surface was graced by Old Man Winter.
That list of performers includes Alex Bowman, who scored his his first top-10 finish this season for Hendrick Motorsports.
No wonder he wants to race more short tracks.
https://twitter.com/AlexBowman88/status/978418108296818689
After an impressive post-snow performance, doesn’t this earn Bowman a new nickname? Does “Bowman the Snowman” work?
https://twitter.com/steveluvender/status/978418597084192768
Thumbs Down: Rough day for Roush Fenway Racing
Martinsville’s a tough track. Cramming three-dozen-plus race cars into a tiny half-mile race track for 500 laps is a test of equipment, resilience, and patience.
However, for Roush Fenway Racing, Monday’s STP 500 wasn’t the weekend for which the team had hoped.
First, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. crashed in practice, sending the No. 17 team to a backup car. Then, as Monday’s race quickly showed, the backup car didn’t quite take to the “Paper Clip” as well as Stenhouse may have hoped. Stenhouse limped home to a 37th-place finish, 19 laps off the pace.
That wasn’t the only part of Roush Fenway Racing’s tough outing to Martinsville. Trevor Bayne struggled throughout the race, and ultimately pitted under the green flag late in the race after contact to his Ford cut a tire.
https://twitter.com/PRNlive/status/978378483347984390
That’ll happen at Martinsville, and it wasn’t Roush Fenway Racing’s day. Thumbs down for a rough day — Mondays, am I right?
Biggest Thumbs Up of the Week: Snapping a winless streak
One-hundred ninety races. Over five-plus seasons. Multiple teams. It’s been a long time since Clint Bowyer’s visited Victory Lane — since the 2012 fall race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, when everybody was rocking out to “Call Me Maybe” and “Gangnam Style.”
Bowyer finally snapped his winless streak Monday, though, leading 215 laps en route to his first victory for Stewart-Haas Racing, and his first victory in a Generation 6-style race car. (His last win was in a Car of Tomorrow-style race car — remember those?)
https://twitter.com/StewartHaasRcng/status/978382946120949761
https://twitter.com/ClintBowyer/status/978440717583437826
We knew it was going to happen, but we didn’t know when. Apparently, all it took was a snow-delayed 500-lap brawl in Virginia. A Kansas-sized thumbs up for Clint Bowyer and snapping a winless streak that dates back to when LMFAO was on the Billboard Top 100 songs list.