Posted on by Reid Spencer

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — In a race delayed for two days by a freak snowstorm in southern Virginia, John Hunter Nemechek charged to the front on a restart with 31 laps left on Monday and held off Kyle Benjamin to win the Alpha Energy Solutions 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race by a mere .106 seconds.

The victory was the first at Martinsville for Nemechek, who had two previous runner-up finishes at the .526-mile short track. This time, despite Benjamin pounding his rear bumper in the final corner, Nemechek earned the grandfather clock trophy that goes to the race winner. 

“I’ve finished second here multiple times so, tick, tock – we finally got a clock,” Nemechek said. “It’s going to be awesome to take that thing home.”

RELATED: Race results | Series standings | At-track photos

Nemechek picked up his sixth career win in the Truck Series in his third start of the season, and he did it with a skeleton staff at the race shop owned by his father, Joe Nemechek.

“I can’t thank everyone on our staff enough – everyone who pours their heart and soul into this deal,” Nemechek said. “There’s only four guys in our shop this year, so it’s really cool to be able to come back over here to the Truck Series …

“Congrats to all these guys – these guys deserve it.”

 After Nemechek grabbed the top spot on Lap 220 of 250, he held it through three subsequent cautions. Nemechek cleared Benjamin after the final restart on Lap 244, and though Benjamin closed on the No. 8 Chevrolet over the last seven laps, finally getting to the bumper in the final corner, he needed a few more laps to make a concerted run at the victory. 

“We had a really good truck, mostly for long runs, and unfortunately, it came down to a short run,” said Benjamin, who was making his Martinsville debut. “It’s Martinsville, so I figured I had to give him a run for his money in the last corner.”

RELATED: Benjamin on what he thought about moving Nemechek

Benjamin had a lead of more than one second over Todd Gilliland when a debris caution slowed the race on Lap 214 and gave Nemechek the chance he needed on the subsequent restart. The shuffling of the order, at least, alleviated one case of divided loyalties.

David Gilliland was co-owner of the No. 54 Toyota Benjamin was driving, and his son Todd was behind the wheel of the No. 4 Toyota of Kyle Busch Motorsports. After the restart on Lap 220, Todd Gilliland brushed the wall and lost track position with a pit stop under caution on Lap 234. He finished 14th. 

Pole winner Ben Rhodes led the first 23 laps on Saturday before rain and snow halted the race. With heavy snow falling Saturday night and early Sunday morning, NASCAR was forced to postpone the finish until Monday.

Rhodes won both the first and second stages of the race, collecting two playoff points, but severe trouble with his right front tire on a Lap 145 pit stop after the second stage dropped him to 15th in the running order. 

Rhodes never recovered from the loss of track position and came home 12th. 

Johnny Sauter lost two laps changing a battery after losing power on Lap 224 and getting rear-ended by Matt Crafton. Sauter finished 19th but retained the series lead by 29 points over Grant Enfinger, who ran fourth on Monday.

Brett Moffitt, who pitted late for new tires, fought his way up to third at the finish and is third in points, 31 behind Sauter.

Noah Gragson, Myatt Snider, Timothy Peters, Harrison Burton, Austin Hill and Justin Haley completed the top 10 in Monday’s race. 

Posted on by RJ Kraft

With qualifying being rained out and set by owner’s points, Martin Truex Jr. will start from the top spot for the third straight week for Monday’s STP 500 (2 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). After two practice sessions for this race in the books, we’ve dissected the numbers and 10-lap averages to offer a suggested lineup worthy of your Fantasy Live consideration as you go to make roster decisions for the sixth Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race of 2018.

PLAY NOW: Set your Fantasy Live lineup | How the new Fantasy Live works
MORE: Fantasy analysis for Martinsville | Driver stats | Full lineup | 10-lap averages

RJ Kraft’s revised Fantasy Live lineup following practices and the lineup being set:
1: Kyle Busch
2: Denny Hamlin
3: Brad Keselowski
4: Clint Bowyer
5: Joey Logano
Garage: Jimmie Johnson

Analysis: With the field set by owner points after rain washed out qualifying, I am going hard after stage points. That means minimum changes for me in my original lineup and it’s in the name of track position. I am swapping out AJ Allmendinger for Joey Logano. Allmendinger will start 25th, while Logano will line up third and has a solid Martinsville history. I feel pretty confident in the Team Penske driver’s ability to bag some stage points — he has the sixth-most in the series through five races.

I am setting my lineup by starting position, which means Johnson to the garage. However, having a nine-time winner at “The Paperclip” is a really nice insurance policy to have tucked away to swap in. Busch, Hamlin and Keselowski were picks I was not moving away from this weekend, and Bowyer was in the top six 10-lap averages in both practice sessions to firm up my belief that he will be in the mix here.

My bonus picks will include a stage win for Martin Truex Jr. and one for Kyle Busch. I am leaning toward Ford for the manufacturer winner, but still very much debating the race-winner pick.


Posted on by Staff Report

What channels are NASCAR races on this week? We answer that and provide all the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule.

Note: All times are ET.

MORE: Get the NBC Sports App |  How to find FS1, FS2 | Get FOX Sports GO | How to find NBCSN

Monday, March 26
11 a.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Alpha Energy Solutions 250, FS1
1 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Pre-Race Show, FS1
2 p.m.: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series STP 500, FS1 (Canada: TSN 1)
5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1

Tuesday, March 27
4:30 a.m.: NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FS1
5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m.: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Alpha Energy Solutions 250, FS2 (re-air)

Wednesday, March 28
5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m.: K&N Pro Series West: NAPA Auto Parts Tucson 150, NBCSN

Thursday, March 29
2:30 a.m.: NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FS1
5 p.m.: NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m.: NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m.: NASCAR The Decades: The 1980s, NBCSN

Friday, March 30
3:30 a.m.: NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FS1
4:30 a.m.: Classic NASCAR: 1988 Daytona 500, FS1

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR officials have postponed Sunday’s scheduled Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race and conclusion of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway to Monday following persistent snowfall throughout the night.

The Monster Energy Series race at the historic .526-mile venue was slated to begin at 2 p.m. ET, with the remainder of the Truck Series race following — and under the lights. But conditions worsened overnight, causing NASCAR officials to make a quick decision to postpone early Sunday morning.

RELATED: Updated Martinsville schedule

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race is scheduled to resume at 11 a.m. ET. The Monster Energy Series will follow, at approximately 2 p.m. ET. Both races will be televised on FS1.

Martinsville Speedway posted a video message to fans from track president Clay Campbell.

Fans with a ticket to either the Truck Series or Monster Energy Series race will be good for both races.

MORE: Monster Energy lineup | Truck Series running order

Defending Monster Energy Series champion Martin Truex Jr. will start from the top spot on the grid for the third straight week after Saturday’s scheduled qualifying was canceled.

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.”

RELATED: NASCAR’s Monday winners

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.

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

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

Rhodes will remain the leader when the race restarts on Sunday, 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.

PHOTOS: Cold weekend at the track

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