Jimmie Johnson ‘s No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet will be highlighted Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway.
No, really. As in, the “48” will be highlighter yellow.
Hendrick Motorsports released photos of Johnson’s paint scheme for the Duck Commander 500 and showed how it will be difficult to miss No. 48 in the field.
It’s more than a number. #YellowIsBackhttps://t.co/WB3aTNdQeK
— Team Lowe’s Racing (@LowesRacing) April 5, 2016
RELATED: Click here to cast your ballot
Once again, NASCAR fans have an opportunity to participate in the 2017 Hall of Fame induction process by taking part in this year’s fan vote.
Beginning April 5, users can cast their votes online — multiple times per day, if you like. The top five vote-getting nominees will be turned into an actual Hall of Fame ballot — there are 54 total ballots, including the fan ballot. Voting closes May 23 and the 2017 class will be voted on and announced at the NASCAR Hall of Fame on May 25.
There are 20 nominees for this year’s class, including five new names: team owner Jack Roush, four-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday Jr., driver Ricky Rudd, engine builder Waddell Wilson and broadcaster Ken Squier. The nominees from the 2016 class who were not chosen last year rolled over to this year’s selection. All of the nominees were selected by a committee comprised of NASCAR/Hall of Fame representatives, track owners and media.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 5, 2016) — NASCAR fans once again have the power to put a driver of their choice in the 2016 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. The Sprint Fan Vote is now open, and will send one of 30 drivers into the annual star-studded event on May 21 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The race will be broadcast live at 7 p.m. ET, on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Fans can vote their favorite Sprint Fan Vote-eligible driver into the all-star race by casting votes daily now through 5 p.m. ET on Friday, May 20.
Votes shared via Facebook and/or Twitter will count double toward a driver’s total. Fans can vote daily with a maximum of one vote per day per unique email address by downloading the NASCAR MOBILE application or visiting www.nascar.com/SprintFanVote.
Among the drivers vying for votes are Danica Patrick — the first two-time Sprint Fan vote winner (2013, 2015) — and Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidates Chris Buescher, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott and Brian Scott.
The 30 drivers (as of April 5) eligible for the Sprint Fan Vote are AJ Allmendinger, Aric Almirola, Michael Annett, Trevor Bayne, Greg Biffle, Ryan Blaney, Clint Bowyer, Chris Buescher, Landon Cassill, Matt DiBenedetto, Austin Dillon, Ty Dillon, Chase Elliott, David Gilliland, Bobby Labonte, Kyle Larson, Michael McDowell, Casey Mears, Paul Menard, Danica Patrick, David Ragan, Robert Richardson Jr., Brian Scott, Regan Smith, Reed Sorenson, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Brian Vickers, Michael Waltrip, Cole Whitt and Josh Wise.
The winner of the Sprint Fan Vote will be announced in Victory Lane following the conclusion of the Sprint Showdown at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday, May 20 (7 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Any eligible Sprint Fan Vote driver who wins a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race during the 2016 season will automatically earn a spot in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and the driver’s name will be removed from the Sprint Fan Vote ballot with their existing votes voided.
To engage in the #SprintAllStar Race conversation throughout the #SprintFanVote window, fans are encouraged to follow @MissSprintCup, @CLTMotorSpdwy and @NASCAR on Twitter.
Ticket packages for the entire NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race weekend including the Sprint Showdown, Camping World Truck Series N.C. Education Lottery 200, Andy Grammer pre-race concert powered by Rayovac, NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race qualifying and the 32nd running of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race start at just $99. Fans can obtain tickets by calling Charlotte Motor Speedway at 1-800-455-FANS or visiting CharlotteMotorSpeedway.com.
You know how you can tell the reigning champ is locked in right now? Busch won both races this weekend at Martinsville, a track that he’d never landed in Victory Lane at in his entire career across any series.
MORE: Busch sweeps weekend
Johnson was a favorite heading into last weekend, and after sweeping Texas last season, that’s the case for this weekend as well.
After seeing Kyle Busch break his Martinsville winless streak this weekend, perhaps Harvick will be inspired to break one of his own — 26 Sprint Cup Series starts at Texas without a win.
Edwards’ three wins at Texas are tied with Atlanta and Bristol for the most wins he has at any track.
Logano has a recent win at Texas (spring 2014), but overall he has just five top-10s in 15 races there.
MORE: Logano fades out at Martinsville
Expect a motivated Keselowski this weekend after leading 312 of 334 laps from the pole in last fall’s Texas race, only to lose the lead to Jimmie Johnson late and squash his Chase chances.
Hamlin shocked everyone at Martinsville — a track he seemingly had mastered — by exiting the race after driver error ruined his No. 11 Toyota. Perhaps he can regain some posture at Texas, where he once swept both races (2010).
Junior rebounded tremendously after a dustup with David Ragan just five laps in put him a lap down. That determined patience is the mark of a championship contender.
Dillon continued his strong runs to open the season at Martinsville, despite some tense moments with his teammate Paul Menard on the track.
The defending pole-winner at Texas, Busch should have a fast ride this weekend again and will likely spend time near the front of the pack — or leading it.
For the first time this season, Truex improved his finishing position from the previous race, but 18th is nowhere near where this team wants to be.
Elliott vastly improved over his first Martinsville outing last year, but it could take some time for the young driver to master it. Expect him to have a good handle on the track this weekend at Texas, where his first XFINITY Series win came in 2014.
Kenseth has just one top-10 finish this season — which is fewer than rookies Chase Elliott (three) and Ryan Blaney (two). Good chance he rebounds at Texas, though, where he has 17 in 26 starts.
Blaney has two starts at Texas under his belt — but only has a total of 97 laps run at the Fort Worth facility after failing to finish both of them.
Stenhouse wasn’t expecting to come away with a great finish at Martinsville and didn’t, which is why he dropped three spots in the standings.
The person most surprised by Larson’s solid run at Martinsville was himself. Perhaps it’ll give a spark to a team that has struggled out of the gate.
Despite the mediocre finish (22nd), there was still a positive take away from the Martinsville weekend for the No. 5 team: It at least had a pulse, starting on the front row.
Almirola wound up dead-last after mechanical issues ruined his day. To make matters worse, he has just one career top-10 finish in 10 starts at Texas.
Martinsville was Newman’s first top-10 finish of the year — and just barely.
One of the most inspiring performances we’ve seen this year, ‘Dinger’s second-place run was a thing of beauty. It’ll be interesting to see where he takes it from here.
RELATED: Full race results | Updated series standings | Chase Grid
Below is a breakdown of how the 40-car field fared at Martinsville Speedway.
1. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Busch earned his first career NASCAR win at Martinsville on Saturday and completed the weekend sweep with a dominating victory on Sunday. He took the lead for the first time on Lap 32 and led five times for a total of 352 laps. Earning his second grandfather clock trophy in as many days, the defending Sprint Cup champion also punched his ticket to the Chase. Grade: A+
2. AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Chevrolet, JTG Daugherty Racing. Allmendinger was impressive all weekend long, and was a factor in the top 10 for much of Sunday’s race. Using aggressive moves, ‘Dinger was able to work his way to third with 25 laps to go, but was not content with that. He moved to second with less than 10 laps to go and put the pressure on Kyle Busch. Grade: A+
3. Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. After struggling in his first four Martinsville starts, Larson was fast all weekend and was a factor in the top 10 for much of the day. Getting aggressive late in the going, Larson worked his way to a third-place finish. Grade: A
4. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. While his RCR teammates were fast all weekend, Dillon struggled mightily in practice and qualifying. However, the team made gains overnight and Dillon raced his way into the top 10 and was inside the top five when the checkered flag flew. He also grew frustrated with teammate Paul Menard for putting him on the high side, but the teammates put their differences aside after the race. Grade: B+
5. Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Ford, Team Penske. Keselowski left pit road in second on the first stop of the day, but was forced to the rear for a speeding penalty, putting him in a hole early. By the halfway mark, Keselowski was back in the top five. With 125 laps to go he was in second. Fighting hard in the pack in the closing stages of the race, Keselowski came home fifth. Grade: B
6. Carl Edwards, No. 19 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. While his JGR teammates spent the day at the front of the field, Edwards struggled throughout the first half of the race and fought for the free pass position for much of the afternoon. Once he got it, Edwards recovered nicely and was in the top 10 late in the going to finish sixth. Grade: B+
7. Brian Vickers, No. 14 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Vickers was fast throughout the weekend and that speed showed up late in the race. After knocking on the door of the top five, Vickers was seventh when the checkered flag flew. Grade: B
8. Paul Menard, No. 27 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Fast all weekend, Menard took the lead for the first time on Lap 22. He had multiple run-ins with his teammate Austin Dillon, but the two shook hands after the race after RCR put all three cars in the top 10. Grade: B+
9. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. The eight-time Martinsville winner fought hard with multiple drivers throughout the day, and was a constant factor in the top 10. Once dominant at the short track, Johnson’s last win at “The Paperclip” came in 2013. Grade: B-
10. Ryan Newman, No. 31 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Newman had a strong car all weekend and in the opening stages of Sunday’s race. He fell outside the top 15 just past the 200-lap mark, fell a lap down on Lap 206, but eventually got his lap back. Charging hard, Newman fought to the top 10 at the end of the day. Grade: B
11. Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford, Team Penske. Blistering fast early, Logano slipped from the lead to outside the top 20 by Lap 70 on worn tires and was put a lap down by Kyle Busch on Lap 74. Overcoming the early setback, Logano was just outside the top 10 by the halfway mark. Logano’s crew drew a penalty for an uncontrolled tire under the sixth caution of the day, dropping him to the rear of the field with 110 laps to go. He raced back to 11th with debris blocking his view in the closing laps. Grade: B-
12. Greg Biffle, No. 16 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Running in the top 15 for much of the afternoon, Biffle told the team he used the brakes up just past the halfway mark. Despite the issue, he scored his best Martinsville finish since 2013. Grade: B
13. Kurt Busch, No. 41 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. After a lackluster qualifying effort, Busch quietly made his way through the field and was a factor in the top 10. He slipped in the final stages of the event and ended the day 13th. Grade: B-
14. Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Starting mid-pack, Earnhardt Jr. brought out the first caution of the day after contact with David Ragan on Lap 4. Junior spent much of the day a lap down, but got the free pass on Lap 313. With 150 laps to go, he was inside the top 15 and brought it home 14th. Grade: B
15. Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Trying to put last fall’s wild race behind him, Kenseth was fast throughout the day and took the lead for the first time on Lap 132. Leading three times for 45 laps, Kenseth had one of the strongest cars in the field, but was hung on the high side on the final restart of the race and dropped to 15th. Grade: A-
16. Danica Patrick, No. 10 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Starting 28th, Patrick kept her nose clean and moved into the top 15 by the 100-lap mark. Patrick fell a lap down for the first time around Lap 210, fought with Ryan Newman for the lucky dog and got the free pass on the fourth caution of the day on Lap 221. With 100 laps to go, she was in the top 10 and fighting for more, but the handling went away. Grade: B+
17. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Starting 19th, Harvick was inside the top 10 by Lap 50. He took the lead for the first time on Lap 101 and remained a factor at the front the remainder of the day. Despite leading 72 laps, Harvick struggled on the final set of tires and slipped to 17th on the final run of the day. Grade: B-
18. Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 Toyota, Furniture Row Racing. The driver of the No. 78 Toyota had a quiet day at the paperclip-shaped short track, starting 16th and finishing 18th. Grade: C+
19. Ryan Blaney, No. 21 Ford, Wood Brothers Racing. Piloting the historic No. 21 Ford, Blaney was often caught in the high line and struggled with track position. He remained on the lead lap for much of the race, but was finally passed by the leader with 50 laps to go while running 18th. He got his lap back under the seventh caution of the day, and was the last car on the lead lap. Grade: B-
20. Chase Elliott, No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. His second Martinsville start went much better than his first, but the rookie driver still struggled a bit, running outside the top 20. He was hit with a pit road speeding penalty under the seventh caution of the day, but fought back to be the first car one lap down. Grade: C
21. David Ragan, No. 23 Toyota, BK Racing. Ragan was involved in the first caution of the day when contact sent Dale Jr. spinning. The BK Racing driver ran as high as 19th at one point and finished just outside the top 20. Grade: C
22. Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Battling a free car early, Kahne was unable to maintain his position at the front of the field and fell to 14th by the 50-lap mark. The No. 5 Chevy was lapped by Kyle Busch on Lap 84 and was never a factor. Grade: C-
23. Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. Fighting for the free pass much of the day, McMurray got back on the lead lap late in the going, but had a bad tire rub with 25 laps to go after contact with another car. The tire eventually let go and he spun to bring out the eighth caution of the day with 15 laps to go. Grade: C-
24. Michael McDowell, No. 95 Chevrolet, Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing. McDowell had a strong run going for much of the day, but fell a lap down and dropped outside the top 20. Still, a solid performance for the underdog team. Grade: B-
25. Clint Bowyer, No. 15 Toyota, HScott Motorsports. Early on it appeared it would be another rough weekend for Bowyer, but the No. 15 team fought hard and finished five spots ahead of where they started. Grade: C
26. Brian Scott, No. 44 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Making his first Martinsville start, Scott spent much of the day fighting to race inside the top 30. When the checkered flag flew, the rookie contender finished exactly where he started. Grade: C
27. Trevor Bayne, No. 6 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. The weekend got off to a rough start when Bayne wrecked in practice on Friday and went to a backup car. Despite the issues early in the weekend, Bayne avoided trouble on Sunday and finished 27th. Grade: C
28. Landon Cassill, No. 38 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Cassil started 33rd and worked his way to 28th when the checkered flag flew. Grade: C
29. Matt DiBenedetto, No. 83 Toyota, BK Racing. Engine issues brought DiBenedetto to pit road with 200 laps remaining, but he continued on. The team recovered and DiBenedetto finished inside the top 30. Grade: C
30. Cole Whitt, No. 98 Chevrolet, Premium Motorsports. Whitt started 31st and ran around there for much of the afternoon. While he finished five laps down to the race leaders, he was able to gain one spot by the time the checkered flag flew. Grade: C-
31. Casey Mears, No. 13 Chevrolet, Germain Racing. Starting 18th, Mears and the No. 13 team had higher hopes for Sunday’s race at Martinsville. By Lap 50, however, he was outside the top 30 and unable to recover. Grade: D
32. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. The No. 17 Ford was sent spinning after a hard-fought battle with Regan Smith to bring out the third caution of the race. That ruined the day for the RFR driver. Grade: C-
33. Chris Buescher, No. 34 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Making his second Martinsville start, the 2015 XFINITY Series champion finished nine laps down, but still made gains on where he started (36th). Grade: C-
34. Regan Smith, No. 7 Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing. Smith had a wild day at the rough-and-tumble short track, rubbing fenders with a number of other drivers. The No. 7 had an issue with the left front that sent Smith into the wall with 43 laps to go. Grade: D
35. Michael Annett, No. 46 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. Put multiple laps down early in the going, Annett was hit by Brian Scott and sent spinning to bring out the second caution of the day on Lap 92. He also spun off Turn 2 on Lap 384 to bring out the sixth caution. Grade: D-
36. Joey Gase, No. 32 Ford, Go Fas Racing. Gase had a close call when hit from behind by Clint Bowyer, but the young driver was able to keep his car going in the right direction. That was really the highlight of his day, though. Grade: D+
37. Reed Sorenson, No. 55 Chevrolet, Premium Motorsports. Piloting a second Premium Motorsports car, Sorenson did his best to stay out of the way of the lead lap car. Starting 40th, he finished the day 37th. Grade: D
38. Josh Wise, No. 30 Chevrolet, The Motorsports Group. Running 37th, Wise was ahead of a battle for 13th when Martin Truex Jr. sent him up the hill in Turn 2 to bring out the fifth caution of the day on Lap 313. He eventually took the car behind the wall. Grade: D
39. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. The Martinsville master was hit with a speeding penalty on the first stop of the day, forcing him to the rear of the field. Hamlin was able to work his way back into the top five, but he hit the wall hard on Lap 221 causing heavy damage to the No. 11 Toyota. Pit road problems and a self-inflicted wreck capped off an uncharacteristic day for the JGR driver. Grade: D
40. Aric Almirola, No. 43 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Almirola’s day went south just ahead of the Lap 175 mark that the engine was running on six cylinders. The engine continued to go sour, more cylinders failed and the No. 43 was forced behind the wall early. Grade: D
RELATED: Watch live stream here | Inside look on official NASCAR inspection
From 8-11 a.m. ET on Tuesday, NASCAR.com will live stream the post-race inspection process.
The three-hour look takes you behind the scenes as NASCAR officials inspect NASCAR Sprint Cup Series vehicles following Sunday’s STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway.
The cars being inspected this week are: the No. 18 Toyota of Kyle Busch (won Sunday’s race) and the No. 47 Chevrolet of AJ Allmendinger (finished second in Sunday’s race). There was no random car selected this week.
For more information on what the inspection process entails, click here.
RELATED: See all 35 of Busch’s Cup victories
MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Today’s NASCAR drivers live in a technology filled world where they can easily buy a wristwatch that provides them phone calls, e-mail access and GPS navigation. But twice a year, the sport’s stars chase a 7-foot-tall, antique wooden timepiece that only does one thing — tells time.
But more than that, it tells the motorsports world that the winners of Martinsville Speedway‘s coveted grandfather clock trophy haven’t strayed too far from their short-track upbringings, that they can still wheel it on the bullrings that form the sweet spot in the sport’s foundations.
Heading into the weekend, Kyle Busch was 0-for-30 in racing for the clock in NASCAR’s national series. After an unprecedented sweep of the Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series races helped Busch cross another pair of to-do items off his career list, the pressing question is no longer when will he finally win at Martinsville, but where will the double blessing of trophies find a home?
“Where they’re going to go, I don’t know yet,” Busch said after completing the weekend sweep in Sunday’s STP 500. “Maybe one on the main floor, maybe one on the other floor. That would be pretty cool. I’ve got to get them in sync though, so they go off at the same time so you’re not hearing these weird noises throughout the house. But (it’s) a good problem to have.”
Busch is full of good “problems” like where to place all his trophies, with very few gaps on his racing resume. His two-clock weekend helped Busch reach a staggering 159 victories in NASCAR’s three national series — 35 in Sprint Cup, a record 79 in XFINITY and 45 in trucks — all just a month shy of his 31st birthday. With checkered flags coming in bulk since Busch entered the NASCAR world in 2001, only a handful of tracks’ Victory Lanes have yet to open their gates for him.
In Sprint Cup, only Charlotte, Kansas and Pocono still rank as unchecked boxes. In XFINITY, only Watkins Glen remains as an active track where Busch is winless. In the Truck Series, Las Vegas is his only oh-fer. Cumulatively, Busch takes it as another “good problem to have.”
“There’s not very many left on the list, (and) we’ve certainly put some emphasis on that over the past few years,” Busch said. “Being able to try to do that last year was a big year for us, knocking off a couple of those, as well. I’m pumped when I’m able to do that.
“I don’t know that many guys have ever been able to accomplish being able to win at every single active track that they’ve made starts at, and I look forward to trying to complete that feat.”
Several drivers with NASCAR Hall of Fame credentials have fallen short of completing career sweeps of the schedule. Four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon retired with 93 premier series wins, but ended his driving days 0-for-5 at Kentucky. The ever-versatile three-time champ Tony Stewart has 48 Sprint Cup victories, but none at Kentucky or Darlington. Hall of Famer Bobby Allison ended with 85 (or 84, depending on your view of the record book) victories in NASCAR’s top division, but famously went 0-for-44 at Martinsville.
Crossing off more tracks and filling the bare spots in his portfolio clearly ranks as a priority for a driver who notched another career achievement with his first Sprint Cup championship last season. And after winning Saturday’s Truck Series race, Busch hinted that he had target numbers in mind for the milestones he wanted to reach before he would think about dialing back or ending his driving duties.
One-hundred Cup wins? Two-hundred national series wins or more? With so many milestones already in the books and no signs of slowing down at age 30, Busch seemingly has plenty of time.
And after this weekend, he has two more ways to tell it.
“We’ve got a long ways ahead of us. Let’s get to 50 first; how about that?” Busch said of his Sprint Cup aspirations. “Certainly I’d like to think that we can score 100 wins, but man, we’d better get to work.”
RELATED: Dillon seventh in standings post-race | Full race results
MARTINSVILLE, Va. — The heated No. 3 radio chatter and on-track bumping-and-shoving match and between Richard Childress Racing drivers Austin Dillon and Paul Menard on Sunday afternoon at Martinsville Speedway ended with a handshake and pat on the back.
“He just said, ‘Our cars are fast’ — we worked it out on the track,” Dillon said on pit road following the duo’s brief conversation after earning fourth, tied for his best finish in the Cup Series (2015 Pure Michigan 400). “I probably overreacted. I was racing AJ (Allmendinger), trying to race him clean and I kept bumping him and I was in the middle of a sandwich there.
“It’s just part of Martinsville and short-track racing.”
Indeed: Martinsville Speedway, the place where the only thing shorter than the .526-mile track are the flaring tempers. The Dillon-Menard squabble began at Lap 342 of the 500-lap event, when Menard’s No. 27 hit the back of Dillon’s No. 3 ride while making a pass.
“See what happens when you try and help people?” a fired-up Dillon said on his in-car radio. “I tried to let the 27 in.”
The duo continued to battle on-track, exchanging paint here and there. But they ultimately settled it out on the track, Dillon said, letting one another pass at two different points. They also ended the day on a positive note with their pit road exchange.
For the No. 3 team, it was just another pothole on the bumpy road of Martinsville that eventually led them to a hard-earned, top-five result at “The Paperclip.” In addition to the car falling off a jack during Sunday’s race, the team struggled in Friday’s qualifying session, posting a 29th-place qualifying run to go with recording the 28th-fastest speed in opening practice.
“I was really pretty much distraught, qualifying 29th — we hadn’t been that bad all year,” Dillon said. “We put a lot of focus into qualifying here and talked about where I’d messed up previous races and I just kind of backed it up and messed it up again.”
“Friday was a complete disaster. It was a very bad day for us and it brought out a lot of our colors on Friday,” crew chief Slugger Labbe said in the garage following the race, mirroring Dillon’s feelings. “We had a meeting — myself and Austin — Friday night, had a long discussion on the phone. We all decided Friday night that, hey, we’ve got to get our (stuff) together.
“And Austin, he came in here Saturday morning and he had the right mindset. Saturday was a completely different day and we made very little changes Saturday night after ‘Happy Hour’ coming into the race and just let him do his thing. He changed his driving technique and it really helped the performance of the race car and our team.”
Martinsville has never been Dillon’s strongest track. Before Sunday’s thriller, he had an average Cup finish of 21.5 here. The fourth-place finish — which Dillon credited to Labbe’s decision to remain on-track during the race’s final cycle of pit stops — was also a testament to the immense growth of the No. 3 team this season.
As the leader of the No. 3 team, Dillon has made strides as a driver, under the guidance of Labbe, whose experience lends a hand to the young Dillon. The two seem to balance one another out, as Dillon’s fiery personality meshes well with Labbe’s collected nature.
“Today’s a good example of how (Dillon) is willing to change his driving style and look at our tools and use all the people that he has around him,” Labbe explained. “RCR has a tremendous amount of talent and he’s using resources like we are to get better.
“I’m the old guy, you know, being 48. But it’s fun to teach these kids and Austin with my experience to help everyone get better. So, it’s a good team and a good group of guys and Austin’s doing a good job working with the engineers, myself and his driver coach — he’s doing all the right stuff right now.”
As for the radio meltdowns? Labbe says that’s a work in progress.
“Well, that’s been a problem of his, you know?” Labbe said. “When adversity hits, he loses his mind. The last couple weeks we’ve done a really good job trying to get his mind back right and focus on his job of driving a Sprint Cup car. We’ve had some good meetings in the past few weeks about adversity and how to handle it.
“But (today) he got his composure back and gathered himself back up and by him doing that, it gave us the opportunity to make a pit decision like we did today and get a good top-five finish out of it.”
Defending STP 500 champion Denny Hamlin went to the garage and saw his day end early after his No. 11 Toyota sustained significant damage when he lost control in Turn 1 and slammed into the outside wall.
Hamlin was running in fifth place at the time of the wreck, on Lap 220 of 500.
JGR’s official Twitter account would confirm that the No. 11 team is done for the day. Hamlin finished 39th in the 40-car field with 221 laps completed.
Hamlin said he “wheel-hopped” into the turn.
“That’s the first time I’ve ever done that here,” Hamlin told FS1 in the .526-mile track’s garage. “A little embarrassing, but we were the best car those last 30 laps. We had gotten back to the top five and was picking up a lot of my speed on entry. As the tires wear, the rears get hotter, less grip, you can’t brake at the same amount, but it was really out of the blue. Never had a hint of it up until that moment.
“Bit of a rookie move on my part. I’ve been around here too much to do something like that. But learning for the fall and I’m really encouraged about how good our car came up through the pack. I really thought we had a car that could win.”
Hamlin, who was considered a favorite to repeat at Martinsville Speedway, had qualified eighth for Sunday’s race. He has won five Sprint Cup races at Martinsville Speedway.
Oh what a humbling sport @NASCAR is. Feel really bad for my @FedEx team. Hopefully one of the @JoeGibbsRacing cars can bring it home
— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) April 3, 2016
RELATED: Find FS1 in your area
All times ET
Monday, April 4
6:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Alpha Energy Solutions 250 (re-air), FS1
8:30 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: STP 500 (re-air), FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
Tuesday, April 5
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
Wednesday, April 6
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., The 600: History of NASCAR’s Toughest Race (re-air), FS1
Thursday, April 7
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
5 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series practice, FS1
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, FS1
7 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice, FS1
8 p.m., Beyond the Wheel (re-air), FS1
Friday, April 8
3:30 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice (re-air), FS1
5 a.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series practice (re-air), FS1
7 a.m., NASCAR America (re-air), NBCSN
2:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FS1
4 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Weekend Edition, FS1
4:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Weekend Edition, FS1
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice, FS1
8 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: XFINITY, FS1
8:30 p.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series: O’Reilly Auto Parts 300, FS1
11:30 p.m., NASCAR K&N Pro Series Race: Kern County (taped), NBCSN
Saturday, April 9
2 a.m., NASCAR K&N Pro Series Race: Kern County (re-air), NBCSN
3:30 a.m., NASCAR XFINITY Series: O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 (re-air), FS1
6 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifing (re-air), FS1
7:30 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice (re-air), FS1
5 p.m., One Hot Night: The NASCAR 1992 All-Star Race (re-air), FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay, FS2
7 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series FOX Pre-Race Show, FOX
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Duck Commander 500, FOX
12:30 a.m., NASCAR Victory Lane, FS1
Sunday, April 10
5 a.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Duck Commander 500 (re-air), FS1
