At the end, there was everything. Strategy on when to pit, crunch-time decision-making on which lane to pick on the restarts, hard-nosed and physical racing and, yes, plenty of emotion that spilled over even after the checkered flag.
Throw in a full field of Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series stock cars at a historic, flat .526-mile track that has been on the NASCAR schedule since 1949, in a race that finished under brand-new LED lighting, and the event becomes all the more memorable.
Days later, as the series prepares to unload at Texas Motor Speedway, there’s still a buzz.
“What an incredible race,” NASCAR President Brent Dewar said in an interview with NASCAR.com. “Each stage was like the end of a race. They’re racing so hard up on the wheel because it’s the race within the race, and it means something. I think we’re onto something really special with this format. I think it’s generating incredible moments for the fans.
“This really was a classic Martinsville race. The format just brought it to life. That was classic NASCAR short-track racing with lots of banging and bumping, and really incredible driving.”
Kyle Busch steered his way through the late-race drama, winning his third race of the Monster Energy Series Playoffs and clinching a spot in the Championship 4 for the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Busch initiated contact with teammate Denny Hamlin following the final restart; previously, Hamlin sent Chase Elliott spinning up the track to both take the lead and bring out the final caution.
That set the scene for Elliott confronting Hamlin on the backstretch following the cool-down lap as the two drivers spoke demonstratively face to face before giving interviews, with Elliott being awash in cheers.
“I think Chase handled himself very well,” Dewar said. “I would say what we’ve seen this year is our fan base getting behind our young guns. We saw it at Pocono with Ryan Blaney’s win, we saw it in Bristol in the summer when Erik Jones was leading with fans on their feet. We clearly saw it in Martinsville. Our young drivers are not only great personalities, they’re also really good drivers.
“You saw bumping and banging between Ryan Blaney and the veterans in Martinsville, and he wasn’t backing down. You saw how Chase handled himself. I think for our core fans, how these young drivers are representing the sport is incredible. And they’re being rewarded by building their fan base.”
Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) will again pit NASCAR’s young stars against its veterans, with an additional spot into the Championship 4 on the line.
Other topics Dewar discussed with NASCAR.com:
• The impact of stage racing in the playoffs: “I’ve enjoyed the stages right from the beginning. There’s some real strategy coming in. You can see the teams thinking through, ‘Is this important or not important? How is this going to play out?’ It manifests itself throughout the season, but it really comes through when you get into the playoffs and go from 16 drivers to 12 to now eight.”
• Enhanced race weekends in which Monster Energy Series teams begin practice on Saturday, qualify pre-race on Sunday and tracks host a Fan Fest event: “Our feedback has been really on the positive side. We’ve tried something different. I think there was kind of a mixed message early on, that we were cutting back the weekend. That’s the furthest thing from the truth. What we’re trying to do is be more thoughtful to having greater fan experiences. You’ll see more of this direction next year. The goal going forward is to keep innovating and try different things, and to do more of that direction.”
• Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. being named as driver of the No. 43 Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports starting in 2018: “Bubba is an incredible race car driver. He’s been with us right through the beginning, coming up through NASCAR Next and the Drive for Diversity initiative. We couldn’t be more thrilled. He’s got his own following in the sport, not only as a great race car driver, but he’s great in how he communicates and connects with his fans. We think we’ll see great things from that team next year.”
• Impending Drive for Diversity Class of 2018, to be announced next week: “Everyone in this year’s class already are accomplished drivers in their own right. They are incredible race car drivers. This gives them an opportunity to improve and find a pathway in racing, but also to learn the business side of motorsports. We think it helps as they find their own voice and not be a carbon copy of someone else but be themselves. That’s what fans want.”
