Posted on by Brad Norman

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — It might be the first weekend of spring, but Martinsville Speedway had a visit from Jack Frost as NASCAR rolled into town.

MORE: Updated Martinsville schedule | Lineup for STP 500

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers were able to participate in two practices Saturday before the weather forced the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race to be postponed. The initial Sunday doubleheader turned into a full Monday slate after heavy snow Saturday night forced a quick postponement decision.

However, it’s not every day you get so see a snowy track during a race so drivers are taking advantage of the opportunity — including hometown kid Denny Hamlin.

 

Check out how others spent their snow days, including Ricky Stenhouse Jr. being the people’s champion cleaning off satellites in the driver lot and jumping on an Air Titan with help from Kyle Larson.

Some drivers even took Stenhouse Jr. up on his offer, although they tried to haggle the price. That includes Mr. ‘Seven-Time’ himself.

It’s a surreal view of Martinsville Speedway with kids going sledding and snow stacking up around the track. Here are some more tweets documenting this historic weekend of snow with pictures and video.

Ryan Blaney’s spotter Josh Williams gives the Twitter world an update. Starting to look like a snow globe in Martinsville.

Posted on by Zack Albert

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — The questions and notions that have surrounded Jimmie Johnson’s losing streak — the longest of his illustrious 17-year career — have been tough to broach. Among the theories: At age 42, he’s lost a step. His aggressive edge is gone. Competitive drive? Kaput.

The suggestions have been almost laughable, especially when posed to Johnson himself.

“I kind of chuckle,” said Johnson, who then kind of did. “Only 29 races, you know?  I mean, I won three last year. I guess so. I don’t think that way.”

Johnson’s drought will indeed reach 29 events without a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory if he’s unable to fill the void in Monday’s STP 500 (2 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM). But Johnson hasn’t dwelled on slumps often at the .526-mile track, either. He’s taken home nine grandfather clock trophies, tops among active drivers.

Though Johnson’s career portfolio is among the all-time greats with seven series championships, 83 victories and a string of 16 seasons with multiple wins, he acknowledges that his Hendrick Motorsports team is on what he termed a “journey of growth,” trying to right the ship toward peak performance. That’s made for a bumpy road since his last win, which came June 4, 2017 at Dover International Speedway.

“So sure, I’m reminded every week of a streak that’s not one that you want to be reminded of. But I’m not losing sleep over it,” Johnson said before Saturday’s practice sessions. “I know I’m going to win races. I know this team is going to win races. I know we’re going to compete for a championship. It’s just getting all of our stuff right. I think people often take for granted how competitive pro sports are and how competitive this garage area is. And, although we’ve been able to do some pretty amazing things that have never been done before, I think it’s unfair to believe that it can last forever.”

RELATED: Desire still burns in ‘old-timer’ Johnson

It’s been difficult to find sympathizers among his competitors. Still, almost every driver can relate to losing streaks, especially in a sport where winning percentages even for its legends hover in the teens.

“I don’t know, it’s hard to feel bad for a guy who has won 83 races,” said Brad Keselowski, the 2012 series champ. “There are a lot worse problems going on in the world, but that said, I do know how frustrating it can be to be on a stretch where not only are you not winning, but you’re not as competitive as you want to be. That happens. There are a number of reasons why that happens and trying to figure that out is quite honestly more exhausting than trying to figure out how to go from fifth to first.

“So, in a lot of ways I sympathize with the effort that I’m sure they’re putting in, but I also understand that this sport has ebbs and flows and guys that get ahead and guys that fall behind. It’s just the first time that group has really fallen behind probably in their existence to this extent. But I don’t expect it to last. With respect to that, I wouldn’t be too worried for them and I’m guessing they’re probably not too worried themselves.”

MORE: Johnson through the years

Count Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott among those without a significant degree of concern. One generation removed, the 22-year-old driver of the No. 9 took it a step further, saying Johnson’s status among the all-time best has not diminished. 

“I would like to have his slump. I don’t know about everybody else,” Elliott said. “Man, no, look everybody tries to ride on the age thing; that is just so not true. You don’t forget how to drive. You don’t change your driving habits. You don’t just do all that in the course of a couple of years and the guy is still one of if not the greatest driver ever to ever come through NASCAR. I would probably say the best ever without question. I just … to make accusations that he is not as good as he once was, is just simply not true for anybody.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Defending Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr,. would have preferred to earn his third straight official pole on Saturday, but with rain forcing cancellation of STP 500 qualifying at Martinsville Speedway, Truex is happy to take the result.

With the field ordered according to owner points after the rainout, Truex will start from the top spot on the grid for the third straight week in Monday’s race (2 p.m. ET on FS1), having also won poles at both ISM Raceway in Phoenix and Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.

RELATED: See the full lineup

Though the Martinsville pole doesn’t count in official statistics, it does have its perks. Truex will pit his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota in the stall closest to the exit from pit road, a huge advantage in terms of potential track position.

“I would have liked to try to get three in a row, no doubt about,” said Truex, who was fastest in both Saturday practices before the rain arrived. “I think we would have had a shot at it. We’ve qualified well here in the past. I’d say that qualifying is probably the strongest thing we’ve done on average here.

“I would have liked to try, for sure, but that’s the way it goes. You can’t change the weather. I was actually really happy to get both practices in, because earlier today it looked really bad. … So it was nice to get that time on the track and let everybody get their full amount of practice in and hopefully get ready for Sunday.”

Kyle Busch, whose No. 18 Toyota is second in owner points, will line up next to Truex on the front row. Team Penske teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski will line up side-by-side on the second row in third and fourth, respectively, for the sixth points race of the season. Jimmie Johnson, whose nine wins at the track are most among active drivers, will start 18th.

RELATED: Weather halts Truck Series race 23 laps in

Posted on by Reid Spencer

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – NASCAR delayed the completion of Saturday’s Alpha Energy Solutions 250 after rain brought the proceedings to a halt after 23 laps at Martinsville Speedway.

The remainder of the race was initially moved to Sunday evening, but overnight snow that wiped away Sunday’s on-track schedule pushed the event to Monday. The 250-lap event will resume at 11 a.m. ET Monday, preceding the STP 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at the .526-mile short track. It will air on FS1.

Ben Rhodes started from the pole and led every lap of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event before the No. 1 truck of Mike Senica stalled on the track on Lap 15, causing the first caution.

RELATED: Updated schedule | Martinsville weather

The race never restarted, and NASCAR stopped the trucks on pit road after Lap 23 at 2:16 p.m. ET. Shortly thereafter, NASCAR postponed the race.

Rhodes will remain the leader when the race restarts on Monday, followed by his ThorSport Racing teammate Matt Crafton, who qualified second, and Kyle Benjamin, who advanced one position from fourth after the start on Saturday.

Monster Energy Series qualifying, slated for after the Truck Series race, was canceled. The Monster Energy Series race starts at 2 p.m. ET Monday (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

MORE: Monster Energy Series lineup

Posted on by Brad Norman

It’s no secret that Richard Petty and Martinsville Speedway go together like PB&J.

“Yeah, I’ve heard it a couple times,” Darrell Wallace Jr. joked when asked about his boss’s 15 wins at the Virginia short-track. “I’m only 13 away.”

MORE: Full Martinsville schedule | Fantasy sleepers: STP 500 

But having the iconic STP orange and ‘Petty’ blue paint scheme back on track wasn’t enough for Richard Petty Motorsports and STP this weekend. The two companies wanted to make sure everyone tuned in to Sunday’s STP 500 (2 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

They did just the trick with this video — which is already Internet gold.

It’s only fitting that ‘The King’ learns what ‘G.O.A.T.’ means, right?

Posted on by Staff Report

Take a look at which drivers led the way with the best 10-lap averages at Martinsville Speedway in this weekend’s practices ahead of Monday’s STP 500 (2 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

FINAL PRACTICE: RESULTS

Pos Car Driver From Lap To Lap Avg Speed
1 2 Brad Keselowski 5 14 94.579
2 18 Kyle Busch 5 14 94.523
3 78 Martin Truex Jr. 4 13 94.501
4 14 Clint Bowyer 4 13 94.214
5 10 Aric Almirola 4 13 94.212
6 31 Ryan Newman 4 13 94.201
7 1 Jamie McMurray 2 11 94.150
8 19 Daniel Suarez 7 16 94.109
9 3 Austin Dillon 4 13 94.066
10 22 Joey Logano 38 47 94.028
11 9 Chase Elliott 3 12 93.980
12 4 Kevin Harvick 5 14 93.886
13 12 Ryan Blaney 8 17 93.836
14 21 Paul Menard 9 18 93.817
15 13 Ty Dillon 4 13 93.733
16 6 Trevor Bayne 9 18 93.703
17 41 Kurt Busch 24 33 93.696
18 42 Kyle Larson 14 23 93.641
19 38 David Ragan 3 12 93.624
20 47 AJ Allmendinger 4 13 93.599
21 11 Denny Hamlin 4 13 93.433
22 24 William Byron # 3 12 93.380
23 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 5 14 93.377
24 20 Erik Jones 3 12 93.375
25 88 Alex Bowman 6 15 93.365
26 95 Kasey Kahne 12 21 93.232
27 48 Jimmie Johnson 9 18 93.088
28 43 Darrell Wallace Jr. # 2 11 92.764
29 34 Michael McDowell 27 36 92.458
30 23 Gray Gaulding 5 14 92.337
31 72 Cole Whitt 1 10 92.119
32 15 Ross Chastain(i) 16 25 92.061
33 32 Matt DiBenedetto 6 15 91.852
34 96 * DJ Kennington 46 55 91.325
35 51 Harrison Rhodes 23 32 87.811

PRACTICE 1: RESULTS

Pos Car Driver From Lap To Lap Avg Speed
1 78 Martin Truex Jr. 3 12 95.054
2 18 Kyle Busch 6 15 94.790
3 42 Kyle Larson 6 15 94.675
4 11 Denny Hamlin 8 17 94.506
5 9 Chase Elliott 3 12 94.479
6 14 Clint Bowyer 10 19 94.399
7 13 Ty Dillon 6 15 94.138
8 1 Jamie McMurray 5 14 94.104
9 12 Ryan Blaney 6 15 94.086
10 19 Daniel Suarez 20 29 94.072
11 41 Kurt Busch 18 27 94.024
12 10 Aric Almirola 6 15 94.011
13 4 Kevin Harvick 4 13 93.995
14 22 Joey Logano 4 13 93.987
15 24 William Byron # 7 16 93.976
16 48 Jimmie Johnson 34 43 93.973
17 47 AJ Allmendinger 8 17 93.962
18 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 7 16 93.827
19 20 Erik Jones 35 44 93.781
20 31 Ryan Newman 21 30 93.690
21 2 Brad Keselowski 12 21 93.631
22 21 Paul Menard 14 23 93.510
23 95 Kasey Kahne 6 15 93.455
24 3 Austin Dillon 25 34 93.252
25 34 Michael McDowell 5 14 93.218
26 43 Darrell Wallace Jr. # 23 32 93.169
27 38 David Ragan 5 14 93.149
28 88 Alex Bowman 8 17 93.022
29 37 Chris Buescher 6 15 92.971
30 23 Gray Gaulding 14 23 92.827
31 6 Trevor Bayne 28 37 92.744
32 55 * JJ Yeley(i) 2 11 91.137
33 15 Ross Chastain(i) 1 10 89.051

#-Indicates rookie in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
(i)-Indicates driver is not running for Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points

Posted on by Staff Report

For the second time today, the No. 78 and No. 2 were 1-2 on the Martinsville leaderboard.

Auto Club winner Martin Truex Jr. propelled his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota at 95.415 mph to notch the top spot, while Brad Keselowski’s No. 2 Team Penske Ford came up second with a 95.280-mph lap during Saturday’s final practice at the “Paperclip.”

FINAL PRACTICE: Full results | Best 10-lap averages

Sophomore Joe Gibbs Racing driver Daniel Suarez was third-fastest (95.242 mph) in his No. 19 Toyota, while fall 2017 Martinsville winner Kyle Busch ranked fourth in his No. 18 JGR Toyota (95.122 mph). After ranking fourth in opening practice, Ryan Newman landed the final spot in the top five during final practice, his No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet notching a fast lap of 94.756 mph.

JTG Daugherty Racing’s AJ Allmendinger ranked sixth in his No. 47 Chevrolet (94.746 mph).

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will go to a backup car for Sunday’s race following heavy damage to his No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford after he wheel-hopped and hit the wall midway through the session. He was 27th-fastest in final practice.

Both Chase Elliott (No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet) and Paul Menard (No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford) served 15-minute practice holds for inspection violations.  Elliott came up 15th-fastest, while Menard ranked 17th.

PRACTICE 1 RECAP: Full results | Best 10-lap averages

Wheeling his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota at 95.752 mph, Martin Truex Jr. flew to the top of the leaderboard at Martinsville Speedway during Saturday’s opening Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice. Truex is coming off his first win of the 2018 season at Auto Club Speedway.

Brad Keselowski’s No. 2 Team Penske Ford was second-fastest, clocking in at 95.646 mph. Martinsville’s most recent winner Kyle Busch ranked third, his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota propelling around the short track at 95.213 mph. The 2012 Martinsville winner Ryan Newman was fourth-quickest (95.199 mph) in his No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, while 2014’s paperclip oval victor Kurt Busch rounded out the top five in his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford with a top speed of 95.094 mph.

Posted on by Zack Albert

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — The promotional videos, TV commercials and social-media chatter have been almost unavoidable this week for Chase Elliott. The run-up to Monday’s STP 500 (2 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) has been chock-full of clips from his role in a confrontational finish and face-off with Denny Hamlin here last fall.

In terms of building up any sense of drama, Elliott hasn’t really bought in.

“My reaction is everybody’s got to try to write a story, right?” Elliott said. “It’s been a long time ago, last October to now has been a good while back. … I can’t do anything about it. So for me, when I think about that night, I try to make myself think about things that our car was doing that made us good and just try to run laps in my head.”

RELATED: Memorable Martinsville moments | See what happened last fall

Hamlin says he’s also done his part to try to turn the page, even though the visuals of their post-race showdown have been tough to avoid.

“It’s part of short-track racing and it obviously gets used a lot for promos,” Hamlin said. “It’s part of short-track racing and it has been for many, many years. It was just bad to be a part of it on that particular night.”

RELATED: Hamlin: Bump and run is ‘part of short-track racing’

Elliott and Hamlin clashed in the late going of the track’s annual fall race last October. Hamlin’s nudge from behind sent Elliott spinning from the lead, relegating him to a 27th-place finish. More importantly, it denied Elliott a shot at his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory and a final four spot for a championship berth in last year’s playoffs.

The two exited their cars and squared off on the backstretch on the cool-down lap. Their heated exchange of words and budding rivalry carried over two weeks later at ISM Raceway in Phoenix, where the two made contact again nearing the race’s end.

Having had nearly five months to reflect on the events of last fall, Elliott said he hasn’t played through any hypothetical scenarios.

“I mean, the coulda, woulda game doesn’t really matter,” Elliott said. “There was a lot that was laying on that race. It wasn’t just a win, it was a chance to win a championship. That obviously had a lot of implications. It doesn’t matter. It didn’t happen. I can’t turn back time. We all know the implications of the things that could have been, but they weren’t. No point in really getting caught up in it too much.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Timothy Peters says he isn’t looking beyond this weekend at Martinsville Speedway and his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race of the year, though the temptation to do so might still be there.

A fixture in the series for more than a decade, Peters lost his ride last year when Red Horse Racing disbanded after the fifth race of the season and has competed in the series only three times since then.

Born in nearby Danville, Virginia, Peters returns to his home track with what has to be a modicum of nostalgia. After all, he scored the first of his 10 NCWTS victories at the .526-mile paper-clip-shaped speedway in 2009.

RELATED: Timothy Peters’ career statistics

In the Alpha Energy Solutions 250 (resuming at 11 a.m. ET Monday on FS1), he’ll be running a one-event deal for owner Ricky Benton. Though his focus will be on the race at hand, Peters can be forgiven if he’s hoping for more.

“I’m just glad to be back — first start of the year,” said the affable 37-year-old. “I cut my teeth on tracks around here with Late Model Stocks, so I just thank Ricky Benton for the opportunity to come up here with the BTS Ford F-150 to a place that I call home.

“I can’t wait to get out there and mix it up.”

A strong performance on Saturday could lead to additional opportunities in the series.

“Right now our focus is on (Saturday’s) race, and again, I’m thankful for what he (Benton) has done to let me drive this truck and work with (crew chief) Mike Hester,” said Peters, who finished in the top 10 in the series standings for eight straight years before last season’s abrupt hiatus.

“As far as going forward, we’ll just have to see how (Saturday) goes. Hopefully, there’s more opportunities to be back in the Trucks, and I’d really love to do it with Ricky Benton Racing.”

The race will mark Peters’ 239th NCWTS start, but it will be his first in a Ford. Previously, Peters had driven Dodges, Chevrolets and Toyotas.