Posted on by Staff Report

The No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Martin Truex Jr. passed post-race technical inspection Wednesday after winning the NASCAR Cup Series’ Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

RELATED: Official race results

Truex’s race-winning car was found to be compliant with the 2020 NASCAR Rule Book after the 263-mile event at the .526-mile Virginia short track.

With post-race teardown complete, the race results are official. Meanwhile, there were two cars with one lug nut not safe and secure in post-race inspection, the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Chase Elliott and the No. 18 JGR Toyota of Kyle Busch. Those safety infractions usually mean a $10,000 fine for the crew chief, according to guidelines in the NASCAR Rule Book.

This is the second year of a post-race process to bring a more timely approach to inspection for all three NASCAR national series. Competition officials announced before the 2019 season that thorough post-race inspections would take place shortly after the checkered flag at the track instead of midweek at the NASCAR Research & Development Center. Those inspections come with a stiffer deterrence structure that includes disqualification for significant rules infractions.

NASCAR will still inspect cars at the R&D Center as needed to monitor trends and parts compliance.

Posted on by Staff Report

Martin Truex Jr. won his second consecutive Martinsville Speedway race Wednesday night, ultimately cruising to a 4.232-second victory over a trio of Team Penske cars in the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500.

Compared to his dominating victory at the half-mile track last fall (when he led 464 of 500 laps), Truex had to negotiate and muscle his way to the front this time.

RELATED: Official results | SHOP for Truex gear

“We’ve been working a long time on trying to figure this place out and just been chipping away at it,” said Truex, who drives the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry.

“The last couple years we’ve been really strong; 2018 was a heartbreaker at the end of the race there. Last year to get the win and this year, hats off to the guys.”

All three Team Penske cars hounded Truex and kept him honest, ready to seize upon any late race lapse in concentration. But the 2017 series champion was strong and determined, earning his first victory of the season in the first official NASCAR Cup Series night race since the historic track installed lights in 2017.

Penske teammates Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano finished second, third and fourth. They combined to lead 273 laps with Logano’s 234 laps out front the most for any driver on the night.

RELATED: Watch Martin Truex Jr. do his victory burnout at Martinsville

Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman finished fifth and sixth. Matt DiBenedetto, whose iconic Wood Brothers Racing team hails from Virginia, finished seventh. William Byron, Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top 10.

Bubba Wallace, who drove the No. 43 for Richard Petty Motorsports, earned his career-best NASCAR Cup Series finish at Martinsville (11th) — he and Johnson had a close competition for the 10th position in the final laps.

“All in all, great job to come here and execute with no practice,” said Wallace, who has two NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series wins at Martinsville. “My favorite place and it just continues to show.

“I’ll tell you what was badass was to race with ole seven-time (Johnson) there at the end. You think Jimmie Johnson wins so many times here and we’re running him down. Hats off to my guys. Good job fellows.”

RELATED: Bubba Wallace reacts to racing close with Jimmie Johnson

At times it felt like three distinctive races in one. Logano won the first stage handily. Johnson won the second stage — his 70 laps out front the most he’s led in a single race since 2017. And then Truex took control of the third stage and was able to keep the field at bay and pull out to a comfortable lead. It was a tame night by short track standards with seven total caution periods — three for single-car incidents on track.

Truex’s good fortune was in stark contrast to his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates who suffered through a long night of frustration. Reigning series champion Kyle Busch went a lap down early and finished 19th, just ahead of teammate Erik Jones. Denny Hamlin — a two-race winner in 2020 — reported problems with his No. 11 Toyota almost immediately after the green flag dropped and went three laps down by night’s end, finishing 24th.

Tyler Reddick’s 16th-place finish in the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet made him the top-finishing Sunoco rookie.

Kevin Harvick’s 15th-place finish marked only the second time in the season’s 11 races that he did not finish among the top 10, but it was still good enough to retain the championship lead — by 28 points over Joey Logano and 47 points on third place Chase Elliott.

The NASCAR Cup Series’ next race, the Dixie Vodka 400, is Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

MORE: Homestead-Miami Speedway weekend schedule

Posted on by Staff Report

Jimmie Johnson grabbed the lead from Joey Logano on Lap 202 and did not let go on the way to winning Stage 2 in Wednesday night’s Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. For Johnson, it was his first stage win of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Johnson, who is a nine-time winner at the short track, finished ahead of Ryan Blaney, the pole sitter to start the night. Logano was third, and Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman finished fourth. Kevin Harvick, in the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, rounded out the top five.

RELATED: Stage 2 results

Bubba Wallace, in the No. 43 Black Lives Matter Chevrolet for Richard Petty Motorsports, was sixth.

The top-ranking Toyota in the stage was Martin Truex Jr. in 15th, the last car on the lead lap. Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch, two laps down at the end of the stage, and Denny Hamlin, three laps down, were a couple of the surprise cars toward the back of the field.

Finish Driver Team Points
1 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports 10
2 Ryan Blaney Team Penske 9
3 Joey Logano Team Penske 8
4 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports 7
5 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing 6
6 Bubba Wallace Richard Petty Motorsports 5
7 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports 4
8 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports 3
9 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing 2
10 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing 1

Stage 1 recap

Joey Logano dominated the early going in Wednesday’s Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway, leading 104 of the first 130 laps to win Stage 1. For the driver of the Team Penske No. 22 Ford, it was his third stage win in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Logano pulled away from Clint Bowyer, who finished second in the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. Hendrick Motorsports’ Jimmie Johnson in third place was the top Chevrolet. Martin Truex Jr., the top Toyota in the stage, and Bubba Wallace rounded out the top five.

RELATED: Stage 1 results

Wallace, whose No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet was sporting a Black Lives Matter scheme, said this was the biggest race of his career in response to NASCAR’s announcement earlier in the day that it was banning the confederate flag at its events and properties. Wallace took two tires on the final pit stop to gain track position en route to the fifth-place showing.

Finish Driver Team Points
1 Joey Logano Team Penske 10
2 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing 9
3 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports 8
4 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing 7
5 Bubba Wallace Richard Petty Motorsports 6
6 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports 5
7 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing 4
8 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing 3
9 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing 2
10 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports 1
Posted on by NASCAR Statement

“The presence of the confederate flag at NASCAR events runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry. Bringing people together around a love for racing and the community that it creates is what makes our fans and sport special. The display of the confederate flag will be prohibited from all NASCAR events and properties.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Capitol Records recording artist Devon Gilfillian will sing the national anthem tonight prior to the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway (7 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: Starting lineup for Martinsville | Martinsville 101

NASCAR fans will recognize Gilfillian from his single “Get Out & Get It,” which was featured on the NASCAR on FOX broadcast last Sunday during the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 from Atlanta Motor Speedway. Gilfillian’s debut album, Black Hole Rainbow, is available now.

Wednesday’s race at Martinsville marks the seventh event in NASCAR’s return to racing following a pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the first-ever regularly-scheduled NASCAR Cup Series event at the speedway to be held under the lights.

 

Posted on by Staff Report

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Martinsville, Virginia, for the first time since the COVID-19 shutdown postponed its original scheduled date in May. Martinsville Speedway will play host to Wednesday night’s Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 (7 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

As with other events held since NASCAR returned to action after the coronavirus outbreak, the 263-mile race will take place without fans in attendance, and only a limited amount of essential personnel will be permitted on the track’s grounds. It will mark the seventh Cup Series race in NASCAR’s return and the 11th race overall this season.

Here’s everything you need to know with helpful information on the track’s first official race under the lights at NASCAR’s highest level.

RELATED: How to follow the races | Schedule for Martinsville

TRACK DETAILS

Martinsville Speedway is a .526-mile oval that held its first NASCAR Cup Series event on September 25, 1949, the oldest track on the circuit. Red Byron was the winner of the race.

With an 800-foot frontstretch and backstretch, each 588-foot turn is banked at just 11 degrees. The turns also feature a concrete preferred bottom groove, while the upper grooves and straightaways are asphalt.

Wednesday night’s 500-lap race will be the 143rd race for NASCAR’s top division on the Virginia track.

RELATED: Historic moments at Martinsville

STAGE LENGTHS

Stage 1 is set to end at Lap 130, Stage 2 at Lap 260, and the final stage is slated to conclude on Lap 500.

STARTING LINEUP

Wednesday night’s Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 will be held without practice and qualifying as NASCAR tries to limit exposure for on-site personnel to control the spread of coronavirus. The lineup was determined by a random draw among groups in the team owner standings:

  • Positions 1-12: Random draw from charter teams in those positions in owner points
  • Positions 13-24: Random draw from charter teams in those positions in owner points
  • Positions 25-36: Random draw from charter teams in those positions in owner points
  • Positions 37-40: Open teams in order of owners points

Ryan Blaney will start on the pole in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford Mustang alongside Aric Almirola in the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang.

MORE: Starting lineup for Martinsville

Pit-stall selection will be ordered based on finishing positions from the NASCAR Cup Series’ previous race — last Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway — followed by new entries in order of points.

For more information about starting-lineup procedures for national-series races scheduled without qualifying, click here.

RULES PACKAGE

In March, NASCAR officials introduced a reduced-downforce package designed to enhance competition on road courses and the circuit’s shorter oval tracks. The changes include significantly smaller spoilers, splitters and other aerodynamic devices in an effort to place a greater emphasis on handling and driver input with less stabilizing downforce on those tracks. The package draws inspiration from similar rules used in the 2017-18 seasons.

Among the changes for those specific tracks:

  • A significantly smaller rear spoiler, which shrinks from an 8-inch height to 2.75 inches.
  • The front splitter’s overhang will now measure a quarter-inch (down from 2 inches), with approximately 2-inch wings (reduced from 10.5 inches).
  • Alterations to the radiator pan, removing its vertical fencing in an effort to reduce front-end downforce. The dimensions of the pan remain the same.

GOODYEAR TIRES

Unique set of challenges: Wednesday’s stop at the half-mile Martinsville Speedway presents one similar challenge and one that is quite different, compared to the series’ first short-track race of the year at Bristol Motor Speedway. Similar to Bristol, Martinsville’s corners are concrete, and the tread compounds Goodyear chooses to bring are specifically designed to lay rubber on that surface. The difference is the banking as Martinsville is virtually flat while Bristol is steeply banked. As a result, the constructions of these two tire codes have been designed to optimize the acceleration, deceleration and handling needed on Martinsville’s flat, tight turns. Also of note, since this is the first night race at Martinsville, the Goodyear test at this track last summer that yielded this tire setup was held partially under the track’s new lights.

“Moving the first Martinsville race later in the schedule will have an impact on tires and the track’s ability to take rubber,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “Originally scheduled for May and now being held in June, ambient temperatures will be warmer, which will help the cars’ ability to lay rubber in the concrete corners. Even though this race will be held at night, track temperatures should be warmer than what we ‘normally’ have for this event. In addition to the concrete corners, Martinsville’s lack of banking, long straightaways and tight turns combine for the other challenge teams face. Drivers are hard on the brakes entering the corners and hard on the gas exiting, so our constructions have to be very robust in handling those conditions.”

Goodyear debuts new tire setup: There are two new tire codes NASCAR Cup teams will run at Martinsville Speedway. Compared to what was run at this track last season, this tire setup features construction updates on both sides of the car and compound changes on both sides that will give the cars more grip and introduce more tire wear. This tire setup came out of a test at Martinsville last July. Drivers, and teams who participated in that test were Team Penske (Ryan Blaney), Stewart-Haas Racing (Clint Bowyer) and Wood Brothers Racing (Paul Menard). This is the only track where NASCAR teams will run either of these two tire codes. Also, like most NASCAR ovals one mile or less in length, teams will not run inner liners in their tires at Martinsville.

STATS TO KNOW

— Both Martinsville Speedway winners in 2019 swept all three stages. Brad Keselowski won both stages and the race in the spring and Martin Truex Jr. won both stages and the race in the fall.

— Team Penske (three) and Joe Gibbs Racing (two) won five of the last six at Martinsville Speedway.

— Ford drivers have won four of the last six races at Martinsville Speedway after the manufacturer failed to win any of the prior 28 races. Brad Keselowski won two of the last six Martinsville races and is the only repeat winner in the last seven races there. Chevrolet has 56 Martinsville wins but has won only once in the last eight races.

— The last five Martinsville Speedway races were won by the driver who led the most laps, while the last five winners led a stretch of over 100 laps in each of their victories. Two of the last five races ended with a last-lap pass; the final lead change in the other three races was with 114 laps to go or more.

— Only once in the last seven Martinsville Speedway races has a driver earned their first win of the season. Clint Bowyer accomplished the feat in the spring 2018 race.

— The past five races at Martinsville Speedway have produced five different winners — Kyle Busch (fall 2017), Clint Bowyer (spring 2018), Joey Logano (fall 2018), Brad Keselowski (spring 2019) and Martin Truex Jr. (fall 2019).

Source: NASCAR statistics, Racing Insights 

LIVE COVERAGE

Tune in Wednesday night at 7 p.m. ET to television coverage from Martinsville Speedway on FS1 and the FOX Sports App. For full radio coverage, listen in to MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on-air. 

RELATED: Ways to follow the races

For a more interactive experience, head over to NASCAR.com or the NASCAR app to check out an enhanced Race Center, live Lap-by-Lap coverage, the customizable live leaderboard with Scanner (which is FREE for both races), and the return of Drive (featuring in-car cameras).

Be sure to set your lineup in Fantasy Live and make your picks in the NASCAR Finish Line App.

2019 RACE WINNER

Brad Keselowski, who has already won two races in 2020, took his No. 2 Team Penske Ford to Victory Lane in last season’s first of two trips to Martinsville Speedway. Keselowski led a dominating 446 of the 500 total laps and finished with a .594-second margin of victory over Chase Elliott. Keselowski also won the spring race at the track in 2017.

RELATED: 2019 STP 500 recap

ACTIVE MARTINSVILLE WINNERS

Jimmie Johnson (nine); Denny Hamlin (five); Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch (two); Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman (one)

Posted on by PJ Walsh

The Action Network specializes in providing sports betting insights/analytics and is a content partner with NASCAR. Check out more NASCAR betting analysis here.

Martinsville Speedway is my favorite racetrack on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule. Whenever someone asks for my perfect hypothetical Cup Series schedule, my reply is, “36 races at Martinsville.” Martinsville is old school in every way: short, flat, tight and bumpers are not only encouraged, they’re required to make passes.

Wednesday’s Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 (7 p.m. ET, FS1) will also be the first Cup Series night race at Martinsville, so expect plenty of bumping and banging under the lights.

In order to zero in on my best for Martinsville, I’m leaning heavily on results from 2018, which were run with a race package similar to what teams will use.

Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@PJWalsh24) for any additional bets I add for Martinsville.

NASCAR at Martinsville Odds, Betting Picks

*Odds as of Wednesday at 7 a.m. ET

Kyle Busch (+460) to win at Martinsville

When it comes to Martinsville, Kyle Busch is the first name that comes to mind. Over his last nine races at the track known as “The Paperclip,” Busch has two wins and eight top-five finishes.

More specifically, Busch also had the best car at Martinsville in 2018.

In those two races, Busch had the best average finish, ran the most fast laps, had the best average running position and the best driver rating.

And the icing on the cake? Busch finished second at Atlanta Motor Speedway last Sunday, meaning his team will have the second pick when selecting its pit stall. Considering the importance of track position and Martinsville’s tight pit road, this could be the difference between winning and losing.

Denny Hamlin (+700) to win at Martinsville

I’m having a hard time separating Hamlin and Brad Keselowski. If two options are viewed equally, it makes sense to simply take the one with the best odds/potential payout. In this case, that option is Hamlin.

In 2018 at Martinsville, Hamlin had the second-best average running position, ran the second-most fast laps and led the fourth-most laps.

And while this is certainly more subjective than the numbers above, Goodyear is bringing a softer tire to Martinsville with the goal being more wear and falloff later in green-flag runs.

A high-horsepower, low-downforce race with excessive tire wear is right in Hamlin’s wheelhouse at Martinsville, making him a very attractive option at 7-1.

Clint Bowyer (+2000) to win at Martinsville

Since joining Stewart-Haas Racing prior to the start of the 2017 season, Bowyer has one win and four top-seven finishes in six races at Martinsville.

And more importantly, that win came in the spring of 2018. In fact, Bowyer had the third-best driver rating over both Martinsville races that season.

Bowyer also finished fifth at Phoenix Raceway earlier this year, another flat track that used the same package teams will race at Martinsville.

Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. AND RALEIGH, N.C. (June 10, 2020) – As NASCAR Weekly Series sanctioned events begin to return at select tracks across North America, NASCAR and Advance Auto Parts (NYSE: AAP), a leading automotive aftermarket parts provider, today announced a multiyear official partnership, designating Advance Auto Parts as the series entitlement sponsor. As part of the agreement, Advance also becomes the “Official Auto Parts Retailer of NASCAR.”

“It’s great to have Advance join us in welcoming the return of NASCAR-sanctioned grassroots racing,” said Ben Kennedy, vice president, racing development, NASCAR. “Advance’s commitment to our Weekly Series will develop some of the brightest NASCAR talent across North America. Advance has a long history in racing, and we’re thrilled to see its expanded presence from the grassroots all the way through our national series.”

MORE: Full Grassroots coverage

The NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series is one of the oldest series in NASCAR, where champions are crowned at NASCAR-sanctioned Home Tracks. The NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series was paused in mid-March due to COVID-19 and recently returned with sanctioned events at select tracks beginning June 6.

The series is run at nearly 60 NASCAR-sanctioned Home Tracks throughout the United States and Canada. NASCAR Home Tracks are a group of local short tracks sanctioned by NASCAR.

“Drivers and race fans in North America have not been able to attend their local tracks due to COVID-19. We are excited to be partnering with NASCAR and the NASCAR Weekly Series to support tracks, drivers and fans as they resume live racing this year,” said Jason McDonell, Advance’s chief marketing officer. “We are committed to helping our customers advance in our stores, online and with this multiyear partnership with NASCAR. We are passionate about advancing local communities where we serve, and through this sponsorship we’ll be able to help grow racing at the grassroots level while supporting the next generation of champions.”

Race fans can catch select NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series races live and on-demand via TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold, the new streaming service from NASCAR and NBC Sports. NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series races are part of the NASCAR Roots package for $2.99/month or $19.99/annually. The full TrackPass package, which includes NASCAR Roots, IMSA and American Flat Track events is available for $4.99/month or $44.99/year. TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold will be available on desktop web browsers and via the NBC Sports app on iOS and Android phones and tablets, Apple TV (Gen 4), Roku, Amazon Fire TV, AndroidTV, Xfinity X1, Xfinity Flex and Chromecast devices connected via HDMI.

Posted on by Terrin Waack

Just like it did with essential personnel this past month, NASCAR will require guests attending the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series races at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway to follow strict at-track safety precautions as the world continues to battle the COVID-19 outbreak.

Guests have not been allowed into any national series events since the coronavirus forced a pause on all three schedules back in March. The sanctioning body announced Tuesday a limited number of guests will be permitted to attend the Dixie Vodka 400 on Sunday in Florida and the GEICO 500 on June 21 in Alabama. All guests will be screened before entering, required to wear face masks, mandated to social distance and are forbidden from the infield, among other new safety protocols.

RELATED: NASCAR reveals plan to welcome back guests

“The race-day experience will be different, it’s just different times, and fans will have to adjust that,” said Daryl Wolfe, NASCAR’s Executive Vice President, Chief Operations and Sales Officer. “We will have to adjust on how we’re addressing these issues for fans. We think we have a very, very good plan in place — a very detailed plan — but make no mistake, I’m sure there will be some key learnings coming out of Homestead that then we will reapply and adjust for Talladaga.”

That’s how NASCAR has gone about every race since the sport returned to action on May 17 at Darlington Raceway — adjusting where needed, when needed with a scrutinous eye on safety. There have been six Cup Series events since then. None of them had practice. Only one had qualifying. A revised 2020 schedule has been planned out through Aug. 2, featuring midweek shows and weekend doubleheaders.

Homestead will invite up to 1,000 South Florida service members. The 1.5-mile track’s grandstand has 55,000 seats.

Talladega will welcome 5,000 fans. NASCAR’s longest oval at 2.66 miles can hold about 80,000 people in its main grandstand alone.

“It is so dependent on the local communities, advice from medical experts, working directly with governor’s offices,” Wolfe said. “Candidly, frankly, in some states there is more flexibility than in other states. ​Having said that, we can probably be more aggressive with some of these numbers, but we’re choosing not to. We want to start very small, learn and then adapt.”

Concessions will be open since outside coolers will not be allowed for safety reasons. Face masks will be available to guests who do not bring their own. Hand sanitizing and washing will be encouraged with stations easily accessible. There will be a cleaning team visibly working throughout the event in public areas.

Modified event procedures, specifically when it comes to health safety, have been finalized with guidance from multiple credible sources — inside and outside the industry.

“What we’ve been doing is we’ve reached out and have an infectious disease physician and epidemiologist. We’ve actually talked to several of those,” NASCAR Vice President of Racing Operations John Bobo said. “​What we find is we also need our physicians that we’ve worked with for years through our consulting group that understand racing.  We can get the best advice from infectious disease specialists, but also talk to physicians who are actively treating COVID patients and apply it to racing.

“​A lot of sets of eyeballs, a lot of people weighing in. We try to be thoughtful, listen, put that all together. ”

NASCAR officials have not determined whether guests will be allowed beyond the Talladega event. Wolfe said he knows it has been announced that Pocono Raceway, which is next on the schedule after Talladega, will not have outside attendees, but that the issue will be addressed further when the time comes.

Wolfe and Bobo both acknowledged how important it is to get this next step in NASCAR’s return-to-racing plan right. They also know fans are probably the most important step back toward normalcy.

“Oh, I miss them a lot,” Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin said before the return announcement. “To me, I miss the pre-race stuff as much as anything. … Going out to driver intros, fans are either rooting you on or cussing you out. I mean, I’ll take a few cuss-outs here now. I don’t even care. I just want to hear something.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Bubba Wallace and Richard Petty Motorsports revealed a #BlackLivesMatter paint scheme for the No. 43 Chevrolet on Tuesday. Wallace, who has been outspoken about the civil unrest centered around racial inequality and NASCAR’s place in the national conversation, will run the paint scheme for the NASCAR Cup Series race on Wednesday night at Martinsville Speedway (7 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Wallace had significant input on the paint scheme that was revealed on RPM’s social media channels.

“I’m excited for this opportunity to run #BlackLivesMatter on the car for Martinsville,” Wallace said in a video posted on Richard Petty Motorsports’ Twitter handle.

“This statement that we have right here. … Running this race car. Being on live television. I think it’s going to speak volumes for what I stand for, but also what the initiative that NASCAR, the whole sport, is trying to push.”

“I think the two fists — the black fist and the white fist — going hand in hand speaks volumes, says a lot. Has a lot of power behind it,” Wallace said.

The Virginia track affectionately known as the “Paperclip” was where Wallace, who came up through NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program, won his first national series race in 2013 while driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series.

Martinsville also is significant historically in that it is near the home of Danville, Virginia, native Wendell Scott, the only African-American driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race and a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Wallace has been a leader in the discussions among NASCAR drivers about social justice. Wallace and Ty Dillon held such a talk last week on Instagram Live, and Dillon later said he would not be afraid on his platforms to stand up for his beliefs.

Before the Cup Series race on Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, drivers collaborated on a video titled “I will listen and learn,” and NASCAR President Steve Phelps took a moment before the start of the competition to discuss the need for change.