Posted on by Staff Report

Stage 2 stayed green for the 130-lap duration, and Joey Logano led every one of those laps. The Team Penske driver banked a playoff point and 10 race points for winning Stage 2 on Sunday at Martinsville. It was a strong start to the race for the playoff driver, who finished second in Stage 1 by nipping Kyle Busch at the start/finish line.

Logano couldn’t pass Jimmie Johnson to put the Hendrick Motorsports driver one lap down over the final five laps of Stage 2, and their battle allowed Hamlin to catch Logano for a thrilling last-laps duel. Logano took his No. 22 Ford to the outside and barely held off Hamlin for the stage win.

Busch, the polesitter, finished third in the second stage. Martin Truex Jr. (playoffs) and Kurt Busch (playoffs) rounded out the top five. Full Stage 2 results are below.

Truex Jr.’s run to fourth was especially impressive. A failed post-qualifying inspection Sunday morning sent Truex Jr. to the back of the pack to start Sunday’s 500-miler, and he spent the first half of the race chugging his way through the field.

Stewart-Haas Racing teammates and playoff drivers Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola both slipped outside the top 10 in Stage 2 after earning points in Stage 1.

Driver Team Race Points
1 Joey Logano Team Penske 10
2 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing 9
3 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing 8
4 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing 7
5 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing 6
6 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing 5
7 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports 4
8 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing 3
9 AJ Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing 2
10 Brad Keselowski Team Penske 1

 

Hamlin wins Stage 1 with late pass

Denny Hamlin passed polesitter and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch for the lead with less than 15 laps to go in Stage 1 on Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, and held on to win the opening stage. Busch led 100 laps in Stage 1, but lost the lead to Hamlin on two separate occasions.

Winning Stage 1 earned Hamlin 10 race points; the typical playoff bonus point will not go to Hamlin’s total in the standings, though, because he has been eliminated from the postseason.

RELATED: Stage 1 results

Busch, who was in first place in the standings entering the Round of 8 opener, finished third in the stage to earn eight race points and pad his lead over the cutline. Joey Logano passed Busch for position on the final circuit of the 130-lap stage to finish second.

Playoff drivers Clint Bowyer (Stewart-Haas Racing) and teammate Kurt Busch rounded out the top five. Full results are below.

Martin Truex Jr., who was sent to the rear of the field after failing post-qualifying inspection Sunday morning, appeared to be in jeopardy of finishing outside the top 10 in the opening stage, but rallied late to finish eighth and earn points. Chase Elliott, 11th in Stage 1, was the only playoff driver not in the top 10.

Stage 2 ends on Lap 260; the race is scheduled to end after 500 laps.

Driver Team Race Points
1 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing 10
2 Joey Logano Team Penske 9
3 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing 8
4 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing 7
5 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing 6
6 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing 5
7 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing 4
8 Ryan Blaney Team Penske 3
9 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing 2
10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing 1

 

Posted on by Zack Albert

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Jimmie Johnson has been unique, both in his accomplishments and his relationships with sponsors over the course of his NASCAR career. Johnson has carried a single brand — Lowe’s — as his lone full-season backer for 18 years.

A new chapter begins in 2019, but with another primary sponsor signing up for a full-season ride in the Monster Energy Series.

Hendrick Motorsports and Ally Bank made the joint announcement Sunday afternoon at Martinsville Speedway, revealing a two-year agreement that will put the financial service company on Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet for all 38 races (including exhibitions) of each season in the Monster Energy Series.

RELATED: Career highlights for JJ

“To enter this new chapter in my racing career and have one sponsor once again, it says a lot about Hendrick Motorsports and the value of this 48 car, then also our sport. As today unfolds with the media buys they’ve done and the way they’re going to advertise in our sport, as you see them engage next year and really using NASCAR as a marketing tool for their company, you’ll all be very, very impressed with their vision and the importance they see in NASCAR racing and the main reason why they’re here and involved.”

Ally was named GMAC until 2010 and has maintained a relationship with Rick Hendrick that has spanned his motorsports and auto sales ventures. The company’s investment with a multi-year package provides an extra layer of security for the team and its seven-time champion driver.

“I wasn’t worried about it because I had pieces, but what’s really so special about this deal is Jimmie’s had his car by one sponsor all these years, and now he’s going to have one sponsor,” Hendrick said. “It was kind of like it was from heaven. Just everything lined up.”

As for the full-season buy-in, Hendrick was overjoyed. “You don’t get me speechless sometimes, but that kind of got me speechless.”

RELATED: All of Jimmie’s wins

Ally CEO Jeffrey Brown attended Sunday’s First Data 500, watching Johnson’s No. 48 tackle Martinsville with his company’s logo as an associate backer. For Brown, the decision to align itself more closely with Johnson through a full-time sponsorship package was a crucial component.

“I think it’s simple. I talked about our philosophy and our mantra is really, ‘Do it right,’ ” Brown said. “And if we’re going to do something, we’re going to do it right. We’re going to control, so ultimate control for the full season was very important.”

With four races left in the season, talks are already underway for the partnership’s goals for 2019 and beyond. That includes a national advertising push, plus the exposure from Johnson’s social media outreach and his personal interests.

“I feel that this is really, really a good fit and they really want to support me as an individual and the things that I’m into and why I love racing,” Johnson said. “So I think out of the gate from a primary standpoint, this is a home run and it can only get better from here if I can loop in either endorsement or associate sponsors from here.”

RELATED: Knaus to move to No. 24 team

Posted on by Staff Report

Ever wonder what goes on in a driver meeting? We’re here to help.

This year, we’ll publish the actual rules video your favorite Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers will watch before climbing into their stock cars. Above is the video for the First Data 500 (Sunday, 2:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Martinsville Speedway.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR Playoffs driver Martin Truex Jr. will start from the rear of the field for Sunday’s First Data 500 (2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Martinsville Speedway after the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota failed pre-race inspection on Sunday morning.

RELATED: Starting lineup | See every car in Sunday’s field

Truex was slated to start sixth in Sunday’s race as the defending Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion looks to break a 0-for-77 drought on short tracks in NASCAR’s top series. Truex’s qualifying speed from Saturday was disallowed and the team will forfeit their place in the order for pit-stall selection. He will now start 33rd, his worst starting position since Chicago in July.

Truex enters the race third in the standings and +23 over the cutline before the three-race Round of 8 begins. The other seven playoff cars passed pre-race inspection on the first try.

Early on Sunday afternoon, it was announced that the No. 2 Team Penske Ford of Brad Keselowski would also be forced to the rear after undergoing unapproved adjustments. He had qualified seventh. Landon Cassill’s No. 99 Chevrolet also will go to the rear for the same reason.

Five other cars outside the playoff picture failed the mechanical measurements portion of Sunday’s inspection: The Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet of nine-time Martinsville winner Jimmie Johnson, the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford of David Ragan, the No. 23 Toyota of JJ Yeley, the No. 51 Chevrolet of Jeb Burton and the No. 66 Toyota of Timmy Hill. Ragan was set to start 14th on the grid, with Johnson originally qualifying 23rd. Yeley, Burton and Hill posted speeds in qualifying that had them at 34th, 36th and 37th on the grid initially.

The cars for Ragan and Hill failed twice, forcing the team to lose a crew member, typically a team’s car chief, at NASCAR’s discretion.

Two additional cars going to the rear: The No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet of Bubba Wallace and the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford of Paul Menard. Wallace wrecked in qualifying and has to go to a backup car, while Menard’s car changed engines. Wallace’s backup car also did not pass inspection on the first go round.

Martinsville is an impound race and cars must pass on the first attempt to keep their starting spot since this inspection serves as both post-qualifying and pre-race inspection. The first failure results in a loss of starting spot and the qualifying time disallowed. Additional failures result in the loss of a car chief and the loss of points.

Posted on by RJ Kraft

Kyle Busch will lead the field to green for Sunday’s First Data 500 (2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and the two-time Martinsville winner is absolutely a part of my lineup. After two practice sessions and qualifying determining the starting order, we’ve dissected the numbers to offer a suggested lineup worthy of your Fantasy Live consideration as you make roster decisions.

PLAY NOW: Set your lineup | How the playoff game works

Remember that the garage locks at the end of Stage 2. Also, your garage play can only be swapped for a driver of similar classification. (A playoff garage driver can only be swapped for a playoff driver in your lineup; a non-playoff garage driver can only be swapped for a non-playoff driver in your lineup.)

Cars to the rear: Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, David Ragan, Jimmie Johnson, Bubba Wallace, JJ Yeley, Jeb Burton, Timmy Hill and Paul Menard. More info on those here.

RJ Kraft’s Fantasy Live lineup for race-day at Martinsville:
Playoff driver 1: Kyle Busch
Playoff driver 2: Clint Bowyer
Non-playoff driver 1: Ryan Blaney
Non-playoff driver 2: Denny Hamlin
Garage: AJ Allmendinger

MORE: Fantasy analysis for Martinsville | Driver stats | 10-lap averages | Lineup

Analysis: The Fantasy Live Playoff Game is in Week 7! My two playoff starters are the same I planned on heading into the weekend — Kyle Busch and Clint Bowyer. They both have looked strong, finished 1-2 (Bowyer than Busch) in the spring and will start 1-2 on Sunday (Busch then Bowyer).

My main two non-playoff plays are Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney. Hamlin is a five-time winner at Martinsville and had the fourth-best 10-lap average in final practice. He knows how to get around this track. My one concern is his penchant for speeding penalties on pit road which will influence my garage pick (see further below). Blaney gets the nod due to his solid speed this weekend — he’ll start fourth — and his back-to-back top 10s at Martinsville. He was particularly impressive this spring leading 145 laps and scoring 52 points.

I was all set to put Brad Keselowski in my lineup but with the No. 2 car going to the rear for unapproved adjustments, that has scared me off and I will be slotting in AJ Allmendinger as my garage play. He is only owned by 1 percent of players so I am taking a risk based on his Martinsville history and a lack of ownership elsewhere. This move is also motivated by some trouble I’ve had of late with one of my non-playoff driver spots so I am giving myself an added option in that regard. It is also a sign of the confidence I have in Busch and Bowyer as my playoff drivers.

RELATED: What to do with your garage play? | Who to avoid in Fantasy Live

For the stages and the race win, I’m going with Kyle Busch across the board. He has been a machine of late at Martinsville — four top-two finishes in his last five starts there — and he seems to be just a hair faster than Bowyer.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR announced before the season that it will standardize at-track team rosters across all three national series in 2018, providing a structure for the number of personnel working on each vehicle during the course of a race weekend.

Official team rosters for Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) have been released. Click the print icon above, or the link below.

ROSTERS: Martinsville fall race

RELATED: Overview of 2018 rules updates

Posted on by Reid Spencer

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Hoping to reverse the outcome of this year’s spring race at Martinsville Speedway, Kyle Busch took the first step Saturday, winning the pole position for Sunday’s First Data 500 (2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the first race in the Round of 8 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

Driving the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Busch navigated the .526-mile short track in 19.673 seconds (96.254 mph) in the final round of knockout qualifying to edge fellow title contender Clint Bowyer (96.122 mph) for the top starting position by .027 seconds.

RELATED: See every in the field | Qualifying results

The series leader entering the penultimate round of the playoffs, Busch earned his fourth Busch Pole Award of the season — which became official after inspection Sunday morning finalized the starting order — his third at Martinsville and the 31st of his career. But it was only a first step.

Now comes the business of trying to beat Bowyer, who nipped Busch by 1.146 seconds in the sixth race of the regular season. After taking the top spot from Busch on Lap 387, Bowyer led the final 114 laps to seal the victory.

To start the process of swapping finishing positions with Bowyer, Busch claimed the No. 1 pit stall, the closest to the exit from pit road.

“Obviously, track position is important, but what’s more important is the opportunity to have that pit box,” Busch said. “That No. 1 pit box will hopefully do us good, we can have a great day, run up front much of the day and finish there, more importantly.

“Earlier this year, with Clint here, we were role-reversed, and hopefully we can keep it the way it is right now, this time 24 hours from now.”

With an average starting position of 14.0 this season, Bowyer was elated to put forth a strong effort in time trials.

“Good God, after the way I have been qualifying lately, it feels like I’m sitting on four poles,” said Bowyer, who enters the race tied for fifth in the series standings, facing a cut to the top-four drivers in two weeks at ISM Raceway. “We’re on the front row, man.

“When you won here in the spring, you know you have a shot. It is cool weather, kind of the same conditions. Obviously, it wasn’t the pole and Kyle was faster. Kyle is really good at laying laps down. I like the Sunday afternoon drives.”

Bowyer barely made it to the front row, edging Denny Hamlin (96.112 mph) for the second spot on the grid by .002 seconds. Ryan Blaney, who ran the fastest lap of time trials in the first round, qualified fourth, followed by playoff driver Aric Almirola.

With just under nine minutes left in the opening round, Bubba Wallace wheel-hopped the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet into Turn 3, spun into the outside wall and damaged the car beyond repair. Wallace will start from the rear of the field in a backup car.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Qualifying aside, Saturday at Martinsville Speedway belonged to Johnny Sauter, who earned another shot at the NASCAR Camping World Series championship with a dominating victory in the Texas Roadhouse 200.

After inheriting the lead when pole winner and race leader Todd Gilliland came to pit road with 11 laps left in Stage 1, Sauter was out front for 148 of the remaining 161 Laps, sweeping both stages and the race win to grab a berth in the NCWTS Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

In winning a series-record fourth time at the .526-mile short track, the sixth time this season and the 23rd time in his career, Sauter, the 2016 series champion, assured himself of a sixth straight finish of fourth or better in the final standings.

With practice wiped out by rain on Friday, Sauter had to scramble from the eighth-place starting position he earned Saturday morning in the No. 21 GMS Racing Chevrolet.

RELATED: Playoff standings | Race results

“These guys busted their tails – everybody at GMS Racing,” Sauter said. “We came here, and we had done a lot of work with a new setup and we had it all ready to go. And we came here, and it was raining (on Friday) and I was like, ‘Now what?’

“And they said we’d run the old stuff because we couldn’t run that now. Just so proud of everybody at GMS Racing. I’m going to Homestead to fight for a championship. That’s what it’s all about.”

Brett Moffitt worked his way through the field from his 17th-place starting position to finish a distant second, 4.572 seconds behind Sauter. Moffitt heads to the second race in the Round of 6 third in the standings, 15 points ahead of fifth-place Justin Haley, who ran sixth on Saturday at a track he considers one of his worst.

Playoff driver Noah Gragson was second in each of the first two stages, finished seventh and holds second in the standings, 24 points above the cut line for the Championship 4, which will be set in two weeks hence at Phoenix.

Moffitt fought his way past third-place finisher Myatt Snider on Lap 187 of 200 to secure second place, but he couldn’t gain ground on Sauter. 

“Obviously, we didn’t qualify this morning where we wanted to or expected to,” Moffitt said. “We had to be patiently aggressive. That was our game plan before the race. Fortunately, we stayed out of trouble and (crew chief) Scott (Zipadelli) did a great job adjusting on the truck and telling the guys on pit road what to do to make the truck faster.

“We weren’t where we needed to be at the start of the race. It’s Martinsville, so I guess survival is great, but losing another one to Johnny is not.”

Championship contender Grant Enfinger rallied from a costly spin on Lap 160 to finish 14th and maintain fourth place in the standings, two points up on Haley. Two-time champion Matt Crafton is sixth in the Playoff standings after running 13th on Saturday.

Ben Rhodes, bounced from the Playoffs at Talladega two weeks ago, came home fourth, followed by Kyle Benjamin, who scored his second top-five showing at Martinsville in only his second start in the series.

Posted on by Jonathan Merryman

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Over the past six races at Martinsville Speedway, Kyle Busch has yet to finish outside of the top five, the only driver still alive in the NASCAR Playoffs sporting that stat.

However, that wasn’t always the case at the “Paperclip.” By the numbers, Busch’s Martinsville stats were ho-hum before 2015 — he ran middle of the pack.

So, what changed?

In 2015, the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team faced plenty of challenges and obstacles. Busch missed the first third of the season with leg injuries suffered in the Xfinity Series season opener in Daytona. But perhaps the longer-reaching change was the assignment of first-year Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series crew chief Adam Stevens, who Busch credits for his recent success at the half-mile Virginia track.

RELATED: Active drivers with short-track wins | Closer look at Busch’s 2017 win

“You know this track changes quite a bit throughout the entirety of the event and through 500 laps so I think being able to give better feedback,” Busch said Saturday after opening practice for Sunday’s First Data 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM). “I think having Adam not scared to make adjustments as he knows what’s going to happen and what he feels is right in his gut that allows us to be up front.”

The numbers don’t lie. Since the 2015 season, Busch has racked up two wins at Martinsville and six top-five finishes. He will start Sunday’s race from the pole position.

The slate of races after Martinsville in the postseason’s Round of 8 line up well for the No. 18 team as well. Busch came away from Texas this spring with a victory. He has a string of six top-10 finishes at Phoenix, and in the last three events at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Busch has finishes of first, sixth and second.

“We know we go into some of these race tracks maybe a little bit behind,” Busch said, “but I feel like with Adam and myself with the way we are able to work together and the things we are able to do together, we can have solid runs and solid finishes and even try to chase for wins.”