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Martinsville Speedway held its first NASCAR-sanctioned race in 1949, and “The Paperclip” track — as it is known — has been going strong ever since. Richard Petty’s 15 career race wins still stand as the venue’s record, and it’ll be tough for anybody to beat that mark in today’s highly competitive and technical circuit.
But there are standouts who top the NASCAR odds this week who have proven over the years to be very strong at the Virginia track, which is the shortest in the NASCAR Cup Series at .526 miles long. Bristol — the next shortest — stands at .533. The bumping and the banging of sheet metal is bound to entertain.
Let’s take a look at who could tame the short track:
THE FAVORITE
Martin Truex, Jr. (+400)
It makes sense that Martin Truex, Jr. tops the NASCAR betting lines for this weekend’s Martinsville race. Not only is he typically strong at short-track races, but he also has been dominant in recent years at the Virginia track.
He’s won two out of the past three NASCAR Cup Series races there while competing in Joe Gibbs Racing equipment, and he has six top-10 finishes in his last seven races there. Whether he was racing at Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Michael Waltrip Racing, Furniture Row Racing or Gibbs, he’s had success.
Again, on short tracks? At venues like Bristol, Martinsville, and Richmond? Truex has four career Cup wins, 15 top-five finishes and 28 top 10s. He’s a good driver to start with, but there’s something about the quick-lap tracks that he likes.
OTHERS: With that being said about Truex, the next guy you have to take a hard look at is Denny Hamlin (+500). He leads all current drivers there with five career wins and 21 top-10 finishes, has led more laps there than anybody else who is active — and he happens to take a lot of pride in doing well there since Virginia is his home state.
Granted, Hamlin hasn’t won at Martinsville since 2015, but he does have three top-five finishes in his past five races. He’s certainly a guy to watch, as is veteran Brad Keselowski (+600), who has 11 top-five finishes out of 22 career Cup races there.
THE DARK-HORSE THREAT
Ryan Blaney (+800)
Blaney has only won five career races in the Cup Series, but he very nearly added two more victories to that tally last year when he nabbed two runner-up finishes at Martinsville. He led a total of 70 laps in the two races and seemed within striking distance of claiming what could’ve amounted to his sixth and seventh career wins.
Add in Blaney’s two prior wins in NASCAR’s junior circuits (Xfinity and Trucks) at another half-mile track — Bristol Motor Speedway — and it shows he could be in the mix this weekend.
With his fourth-place starting position (based on this season’s COVID-19 pre-race formula), Blaney will be in a good position at the beginning.
OTHERS: Considering his status as one of NASCAR’s top veteran drivers, it’s hard to call Joey Logano (+800) a dark-horse candidate. He has six all-time wins on the shortest tracks on the circuit (Martinsville, Bristol and Richmond) and won the most recent race at Bristol when race organizers converted it to a dirt surface instead of concrete.
THE INTRIGUING LONG SHOT
William Byron (+2500)
He’s young, he’s in top-of-the-line equipment with Hendrick Motorsports — what else could you ask for in a long-shot candidate, right? Byron only has six Cup starts under his belt at Martinsville, but he does have two top-10 finishes there. Granted, two of his starts ended in wrecks. If he can avoid the typical calamities that take place at a track like Martinsville, he should do well.
Oh, one other thing — he starts third in the field thanks to this year’s qualifying setup. That doesn’t hurt, either.
OTHERS: Alex Bowman (+2500) is another guy who, like Byron, doesn’t have a whole lot of experience at Martinsville in the Cup Series. But when he has come to town, he’s performed well. With three top 10s in limited starts, he’s an outlier worth tracking — and the NASCAR race odds back it up.
Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville (⏰ 7:30 p.m. ET | 📺 FS1 | 📻 MRN, SiriusXM)
Everything you need to know for Sunday’s race, the eighth points-paying NASCAR Cup Series event of the 2021 season.
Where: Martinsville Speedway, a .526-mile oval located in Martinsville, Virginia Green flag: 4 p.m. ET (pushed from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon due to rain) TV/Radio: FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Forecast: A chance of showers, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 72. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 9 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a 10th of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms, according to NOAA.gov National anthem: Cy Young Award winner and two-time World Series champion Jake Peavy with his band Jake Peavy and the Outsiders Grand marshal: NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace, Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Bench & “I’m Your Grand Marshal” contest winner Kerry Sunvold Race Distance: 500 laps, 263 miles Stages: 130 | 260 | 500 Pit-road speed: 30 mph Caution car speed: 35 mph Martinsville 101: Get the full lowdown
Starting lineup: See the full lineup
Watch OSS Inspection: Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET
Pit stall assignments: See who is pitting where | Expert breaks down pit selections
Five to watch
Here are five big story lines we’ll be following.
1. It’s been one of the biggest story lines of the season, and that’s not about to change now — will we see another new winner to open 2021, for the eighth race in a row? Only twice before (2000 and 2003) were there eight new winners to open a season, and it’s plausible it happens again. Race favorite Martin Truex Jr. has already won in 2021, but the 2017 champ has had a fickle relationship with short tracks historically until recently, so a victory is far from a guarantee. Plus, the winner of the eighth race of the season got his first win in 12 of the last 19 years, including last season. Playoff spots are being snatched up quickly already, and another one could be off the books by Sunday morning.
2. Team Penske has been strong all year, and the chances are good that the Ford powerhouse adds a third victory of the season at Martinsville. Atlanta winner Ryan Blaney has been exceptional lately, and last year’s runner-up in both Martinsville races has a top five in each of the last four there. Former champ Brad Keselowski has flexed his muscle at “The Paperclip” in recent years, and the two-time Martinsville winner has 10 straight top 10s there, with nine top fives. Bristol winner Joey Logano is a threat everywhere he races, and he’s shown he’s willing to do whatever it takes at the Virginia track to win the battle — and the damn war. The trio finished in the top five in both races in 2020.
3. Penske’s biggest competition this weekend is likely to come from Joe Gibbs Racing (though don’t count out defending winner Hendrick Motorsports and reigning champ Chase Elliott, who’s yet to fully get cooking in 2021). MTJ is sure to be among the frontrunners, but this almost feels like a slam dunk opportunity for the season’s best driver, Denny Hamlin, to break out for his first win of the year. Not only has he spent the most time running in the top five in ’21, but the Virginia native is also regarded as perhaps the master of Martinsville more than any other active driver. The No. 11 Toyota driver has five victories at his home track, though none since 2015. Feels like that dry spell could shift soon.
4. The Camping World Truck Series provided most of the heated post-race action after Bristol’s dirt races, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t hurt feelings on the Cup Series side of things, as well. With three straight short tracks on the schedule (followed, coincidentally, by NASCAR’s biggest track), the chances of seeing bruised egos on the track turn into bruised body parts of off it is extremely high. At some point over the next two races, we’re bound to see some words exchanged and plenty of incidents uploaded into the memory banks as debt to be repaid now … or perhaps later, when the stakes are higher.
5. Kevin Harvick isn’t performing horribly by any standards other than the ones he’s set for himself, but his 2021 through seven races is a far cry from his stellar 2020 campaign. The nine-time winner a season ago has led just 17 laps so far (all in the Daytona 500) and has just two top fives compared to five at this point last year. It’s not a significant concern yet (if he hasn’t won by the All-Star Race, sound the alarms) but he’s unlikely to get things jumpstarted at Martinsville. Not only does he have just one top five in the past nine short-track races, his last one at “The Paperclip” came three years ago, and he finished 15th or worse in both ’20 races.
BONUS: The next five races could prove to be crucial to shaping the season and a preview of what’s to come — and we felt it was worth adding a separate note on it here. With races at Martinsville, Richmond Raceway, Talladega Superspeedway, Kansas Speedway and Darlington Raceway, the next two months of racing will offer an early look at the postseason, as each of those tracks appears in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
Race-day staples
Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles. •Power Rankings: Stenhouse Jr. quietly one of 2021’s most consistent | See the ranks •Paint Scheme Preview: Check out the schemes taking to “The Paperclip” | See the schemes •Fantasy Fastlane: See which drivers to use, avoid | Full Fantasy advice | Set your roster •Preview Show: Jonathan Merryman and Alex Weaver preview the race | Watch the show
Get in on the action
Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy. • Betting odds for Martinsville race | See the odds • Who’s a dark horse bet to consider? | BetMGM’s preview • WynnBET Virginia-based deal benefits race fans | Full betting preview| Is this a race for long shots? • Take a shot at winning cash prizes with the free-to-play Jackpot Races app | Hit the jackpot • Full guide to 2021 NASCAR Fantasy Live game | Get the FAQ
Track history
Every track has a story to tell. Here’s what we’ve seen go down at Martinsville Speedway in the past. •Martinsville mayhem: Years of crumpled cars | See the wreckage •Martinsville masters: The best at “The Paperclip” | See the list •Take me to your leader: Top 10 lap leaders at Martinsville | See the list •Martins at Martinsville: A history of Martins | See the Martins •Martinsville mystique: Historic photos from timeless track | See the photos
Fast facts
Hard-hitting, race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights. • Fourth-place Bristol finisher Daniel Suarez (52 laps led) also owns a pair of top 10s at Martinsville in his career. • Most recent “Paperclip” winner Chase Elliott has led more laps at Martinsville than any other track. • Matt DiBenedetto is still in search of his first 2021 top 10, but notched one in each Martinsville race a season ago. • Upstart 2021 story Michael McDowell earned his best career Martinsville finish of 14th last June. • Full-time Cup Series driver Anthony Alfredo has never raced at Martinsville in any of NASCAR’s three national series.
Catch the pack
Read up on all the headlines from the week leading up to Sunday’s race.
• Tyler Reddick tests Next Gen at Darlington | Read more | Scenes from the test
• Hassler to serve as Matt DiBenedetto’s crew chief at Martinsville | Read more
• Which driver could extend streak of new winners? | Read our debate
• Daytona appoints Frank Kelleher as track president | Read more
Say what?
Notable quotes from the stars of the sport heading into Sunday’s race. “I really like Martinsville Speedway. It is one of those places where you go through so many emotions during the course of the race. Someone might bump you and that give-and-take can get frustrating. It’s a short little paper clip, with hard-braking corners. We’ve had some solid runs there, and I think that we can go back and do it again. We’d love to have a good run at Martinsville Speedway.” — Austin Dillon, driver of the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Getty Images
“Martinsville is probably one of my worst tracks — it’s been the toughest for me to figure out since there are so many challenges there. It’s a different style than what I grew up racing. You’re hard on the brakes and you need to be consistent with that while hitting your marks lap after lap. It’s such a challenge to do all that and keep up with the changing lines throughout the race. Hopefully, someday I can win a Martinsville clock.” — Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
“When we got out of Bristol I left with a smile on my face knowing that we had Martinsville, we had Richmond — those are two of my best race tracks. At Martinsville we’ve been just so solid the last few times, and then Richmond was kind of a dominant race for us last fall. I was super disappointed that Richmond in the spring got canceled because of COVID because I thought we would be really good, but I’m looking forward to going back and hopeful to have the same success we had last fall. It’s certainly a track that I’ve had circled. Jeremy Bullins, my crew chief, and the whole team did such a great job preparing the car for that race track, so hopefully we can repeat.” — Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford
“I think short-track racing at Martinsville Speedway with the lights is going to be awesome. NASCAR Cup Series cars, and especially our No. 47 Kroger/Crest Chevrolet, look better under the lights and we know fans love seeing the sparks fly. Martinsville always has a lot of contact and beating and banging so going into it expecting that, I think, is half the battle. Martinsville is not typically my favorite track, but we’re on a really strong momentum swing right now with strong runs at Bristol and Atlanta so I’m looking forward to racing after a week off and keeping that going.” — Ricky Stenhouse Jr, driver of the No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
Nagging rain has forced NASCAR officials to postpone Friday night’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Cook Out 250 to a Sunday finish at Martinsville Speedway.
The race will resume Sunday at noon ET with coverage on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Brandon Jones is scored as the leader with 91 of a scheduled 250 laps complete.
Noah Gragson won Stage 1 of the race, and the second stage was near its halfway mark when a rain shower halted the event at 9:32 p.m. ET. Track-drying efforts continued until storms intensified late in Friday evening. The start of the race was also delayed roughly a half-hour due to an early evening shower at the track.
The race at the 0.526-mile track marks the seventh Xfinity race of the season and the first in the 2021 Dash 4 Cash program. Justin Allgaier, AJ Allmendinger, Harrison Burton and Gragson are the four drivers competing in the race within a race. The highest finishing driver among those four takes the $100,000 prize. The winning driver also advances on to compete for the prize with the three highest finishing drivers running for Xfinity points in the next event at Talladega Superspeedway on April 24.
Burton, who won last fall in the first Xfinity race here since 2006, started on the pole with Allgaier lined up along side of him. Burton led the first 53 laps at Martinsville. Allmendinger had an issue early in the race and had to pit under green, leaving him a lap down.
After long shots took the first three races of the 2021 NASCAR Cup season, there’s been a return to form over the last four, as top drivers on top teams have finished out front. That pattern figures to continue Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, a track that demands a high level of skill and one on which drivers residing near the top of the oddsboard typically win.
The betting favorites for the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 (4 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) are drivers with past success at Martinsville. Martin Truex Jr. (+500 at WynnBET, or bet $100 to win $500), who has won two of the past three races at this half-mile layout — the shortest on the circuit — has the leanest price. Truex is followed by Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski, both at +600, and then Ryan Blaney (+700), Denny Hamlin (+750) and Joey Logano (+750).
Bettors looking to take a chance in the outright market on a driver to win the race are advised not to look too deep. This is not a track made for long shots.
“This is just not one of those races that underdogs really have too big of a fighting chance at,” said Zack White, a professional bettor who specializes in NASCAR. “You’re going to have guys at the top with the best equipment and starting up front, and they’re going to be at the front at the end almost all the time at Martinsville. You’re not going to see those Michael McDowells or Cole Custers or people like that coming out and finding a way to win here usually.”
White doesn’t bet every race. For example, he tends to stay away from superspeedways, where more randomness comes into play, and sticks to tracks where he’s better able to find edges in the betting markets.
“This is a track where driving talent definitely has to come into play. You have to be able to wheel it, you have to be able to break it, and you have to have your equipment hold up. You not only have to be a top-tier driver, you’ve gotta be a top-tier driver on the top-tier team,” he said.
A prop to consider
A prop with juicy odds bettors may want to look at is whether a driver will win both Stage 1 and 2 and win the race. DraftKings prices the “yes” side of this prop at +650. At Martinsville, one driver often dominates throughout, making the “yes” enticing.
Last November, Elliott led 236 of the 500 laps en route to victory. In the 2019 fall race, Truex Jr. led 464 laps. In spring of that year, Keselowski led 446 laps, including the one under white. Logano, the 2018 fall race winner, led 309 laps.
“That’s just a fast car dominating, getting out front, staying out front, putting cars between them and the slower cars in the back of the pack, maybe finish with 12, 15 cars on the lead lap,” White said. “That’s just the way Martinsville runs.”
How about Hamlin?
Denny Hamlin used to own this track. He’s won here five times, including a stretch of four of six Martinsville races from 2008-10. He’s also been stellar this season, sitting first in the standings while finishing in the top five in six of seven races.
While Hamlin is one of the six drivers with single-digit odds, he’s a significant underdog in several matchups posted at SuperBook USA in Las Vegas. He is +145 vs. teammate Truex (-165, or bet $165 to win $100), +125 vs. Keselowski, Blaney and Elliott (all of whom are -145 against the No. 11), and +110 vs. Logano (+130).
None of these numbers have moved off their openers, an indication oddsmakers priced them correctly.
Despite Hamlin’s success this season, it’s his recent mediocrity at Martinsville that has him a dog against the strongest competition.
When handicapping this race, White suggests, don’t give too much weight to what has happened so far this season and don’t look too hard for comparable tracks. Martinsville is unique.
“You’re going to have a completely different chassis, you’re going to have a completely different setup (than previous races this season),” White said. “A lot of people try to compare Martinsville to other tracks like Loudon. It’s really not similar to Martinsville. … Sometimes people even say Dover or Phoenix, but Martinsville is its own beast.”
There’s always a price, however, that gets a sharp bettor’s attention.
“He’s that big of a dog against Truex because Truex’s most recent performances here at Martinsville have just been dominant, and it would be really hard to fade him,” White said. “(But) I don’t hate Hamlin at all, and if he gets to be too big of a dog, I’ll certainly take the chance there.”
Marcus DiNitto is a writer and editor living in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has been covering sports for nearly two-and-a-half decades and sports betting for more than 10 years. His first NASCAR betting experience was in 1995 at North Wilkesboro Speedway, where he went 0-for-3 on his matchup picks. Read his articles and follow him on Twitter; do not bet his picks.
After a one year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sonoma Raceway will welcome fans back to the grandstands for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR race weekend, June 5-6.
“We are thrilled to be able to open our gates and welcome fans back to the raceway for our annual NASCAR race weekend in June,” said Sonoma Raceway Executive Vice President and General Manager Jill Gregory. “We are fortunate to have a beautiful, outdoor facility that is perfect for social distancing and will provide a safe and memorable race-day experience for our guests. We look forward to welcoming the greatest fans and drivers in motorsports back to Northern California.”
The NASCAR weekend in wine country will feature the 90-lap Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday as well as the ARCA Menards Series West General Tire 200 50-lap race on Saturday. Fans who wish to attend the Toyota/Save Mart 350 weekend are encouraged to purchase tickets and camping packages soon as availability is limited due to social distancing requirements.
Sonoma Raceway provides some of the best racing action on the NASCAR circuit and fans, as well as competitors, look forward to returning to the 12-turn, 2.52-mile road course. Martin Truex Jr. will attempt to defend back-to-back race wins in wine country in addition to his visit to Sonoma’s Victory Lane in 2013.
“I’ve been waiting for a while to go back to Sonoma and try to get the three-peat,” said Martin Truex, Jr., driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. “I’m excited to hear that we’ll have fans in attendance. Sonoma is such a fun track and it’s a great part of the country. It’s beautiful and always great weather. I can’t wait to get there in June and see all of our fans in California that we haven’t seen in quite a while.”
Sonoma Raceway continues to work with local health officials and is dedicated to following all state, local and CDC health guidelines. COVID-19 safety protocols, including face mask requirements, social distancing and cashless transactions, will remain in place for the June race weekend.
The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series event was relocated to Charlotte Motor Speedway.
For tickets and more information, visit www.SonomaRaceway.com, call 800-870-RACE and follow on social media @RaceSonoma.
MARTINVILLE, VA. — Eric Goodale made his first career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour start at Martinsville Speedway as a 22-year-old in 2008, bringing home a 10th-place finish.
Fast forward to 2021 and Goodale made his 176th career start in the tour’s long-awaited return to the historic flat-track, and walked away as the winner of Thursday’s Virginia Is For Racing Lovers 200. But for Goodale, it was more than about taking the checkered flag.
“To finally win one feels pretty damn sweet,” said Goodale of taking the Martinsville Grandfather Clock back to Long Island. “It is about that clock. I’ve wanted one for so long.”
“We had this one circled on the schedule as soon as it came out.”
It’s Goodale’s fourth career win. Of the first three, one came at his home track of Riverhead Raceway in New York, one was at Bristol Motor Speedway and one was at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway. Martinsville, though, comes with a little extra incentive to win.
Goodale’s #58 GAF Roofing Chevrolet held off fellow New Yorker Tyler Rypkema and defending tour champion Justin Bonsignore over a final 10-lap dash to the checkered flag.
Rypkema, last year’s Sunoco Rookie of the Year, finished .245 seconds behind Goodale. Bonsignore started at the back of the field after post-qualifying mechanical issues.
Max McLaughlin and Kyle Bonsignore were fourth and fifth, respectively.
Doug Coby finished sixth, followed by Tommy Catalano, Patrick Emerling, Woody Pitkat and Jamie Tomaino.
Ryan Preece won the Mayhew Tools Pole Award and led the first 110 laps, but faded late and finished 12th. Fellow NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ryan Newman was fastest in practice and qualified second, but finished 29th after early race mechanical woes.
The tour will return to the track on Sunday, April 25, for the NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler at Stafford.
The Virginia Is For Racing Lovers 200 streamed live on TrackPass on NBC Gold, and will air on NBCSN on Thursday, Aril 15 at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Eric Goodale, driver of the #58 GAF Roofing Chevrolet, wins the Virginia Is For Racing Lovers 200 for the Whelen Modified Tour at Martinsville Raceway in Martinsville, Virginia on April 8, 2021. (Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)
MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Ryan Preece already has one grandfather clock from Martinsville Speedway. He’s in a prime spot to get another.
The NASCAR Cup Series driver earned the Mayhew Tools Dominator Pole Award in Thursday’s Virginia Is For Racing Lovers 200 qualifying at the flat half-mile in record time. Preece qualified for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour opener in the No. 6 Riverhead Raceway Chevrolet in 18.607 seconds (101.768 mph).
He broke the track mark set by Greg Sacks in 1986 of 101.014. Preece won the 2008 tour race at Martinsville. It’s the 17th career pole for Preece, the 2013 tour champion.
Fellow NASCAR Cup driver Ryan Newman, who was fastest in the afternoon practice, qualified second at 18.676 (101.392). Tour regular Eric Goodale was third quick at 18.755 (100.965).
Tommy Catalano qualified fourth and Woody Pitkat fifth.
MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Ryan Newman hasn’t won a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race since 2011. And the tour hasn’t been to Martinsville Speedway since 2010.
The return of the tour to the historic flat half-mile may suit the NASCAR Cup Series star. Newman piloted the No. 53 Curb Records Chevrolet to the top of the charts Thursday in the one and half hour practice session.
Newman’s time of 18.698 came late in the session and he was the only driver to break the 19-second mark.
Tyler Rypkema was second fastest at 19.573 seconds, followed by Kyle Ebersole at 18.876. JB Fortin and Ronnie Williams were fourth and fifth, respectively.
Patrick Emerling, Justin Bonsignore, Eric Goodale, Ryan Preece and Craig Lutz completed the top 10.
Newman won four of his first eight NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts at Bristol Motor Speedway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway between 2008-11. Since, his best finish is a runner-up at New Hampshire in 2013 and a third third two years ago.
Qualifying is at 6 p.m. ET, with the Virginia Is For Racing Lovers 200 at 8 p.m. The race will stream live on TrackPass on NBC Gold and air on MRN Radio.
Ward, Jeff and Harrison Burton all have NASCAR Xfinity Series victories at Martinsville Speedway. This weekend, Jeb Burton looks to do continue the family tradition.
Martinsville holds a special spot in the hearts of the Burton family, who hail from the South Boston area. Jeff won what was then the Busch Grand National Series race at the .526-mile paperclip-shaped short track in 1990 driving the No. 12 Buick for team owner Sam Ard. Ward earned his victory in 1993, leading 227 of the 300 laps in the No. 2. Jeff recorded a total of 27 race victories during his time in the series, while Ward drove into Victory Lane on four occasions.
Then fast forward to last year when the Xfinity Series made its first stop to Martinsville since 2006 when Kevin Harvick triumphed. It was Jeff’s son, Harrison, who took home the grandfather clock in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Jeb finished fourth during his part-time effort in the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.
“I know I can do it and I know my team can do it,” Jeb said. “That’s my best track so that would be pretty awesome. Harrison definitely had a really good car last time. I didn’t have anything for him that last race. I think that would be pretty special if we could get that done. Four different family members to do that, I don’t think anybody would ever do that again.”
While Jeb wasn’t even a year old when his father won Martinsville, his most special moment at the track came in 2013 when he earned the pole and finished third, noting it was a really emotional day for the father-son duo.
Jeb Burton and his father Ward Burton stand on the grid during Cup Series qualifying at Martinsville Speedway on October 30, 2015. Credit: Todd Warshaw/NASCAR via Getty Images
Jeb looks to make more Martinsville family memories in the Cook Out 250 (resuming Sunday at noon ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.) The Halifax, Virginia native is in his first full-time season driving the No. 10 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing, currently sitting sixth in the drivers’ standings with three top-five and five top-10 results in six races.
If you need a seal of approval that Jeb is setting himself up for long-term success, look no further than his teammate AJ Allmendinger, who raced with Ward in the Cup Series for a period of time.
“He’s (Jeb) very passionate,” Allmendinger said. “I’ve followed his career over the duration of me being in NASCAR. … He’s an easy guy to get along with, that’s the biggest thing that stands out to me.
“It’s hard to fit into a race team when you’re the new guy. I’ve been there off and on for obviously three years. Justin (Haley) has been there for three years. …When there’s no practice for the most part and you don’t have any testing, it’s a challenge to get up to speed right away and he hasn’t been full time in a while. I think he’s doing a fantastic job.”
As he continues to jell with a new team heading into Martinsville, Jeb feels that it would almost be a disappointment if he doesn’t win given how he’s in a more secure position than sharing a part-time ride a year prior. Now he looks to reverse the roles and beat his cousin to make history.
“The last time I went there I knew I had a job for next year,” Jeb said. “We’d hadn’t announced our deal yet, but I knew I had this opportunity, so that helped me a lot there. Now, if something happens, we can go get ‘em next week. Where before, if something happens, I have to wait for two months to drive again. That was the biggest thing.
“It just relieves a lot of the stress, but the pressure is still there. I want to perform for me, my family and all my partners. I’m doing everything I can on and off the track to be better.”
The first seven races of the NASCAR Cup Series season have produced seven different winners, and there’s a good chance that streak will survive Sunday’s Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway (4 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Only twice before in NASCAR’s Modern Era (1972-Present) has a streak of different winners to start a season reached as many as eight—in 2000 and 2003. In the latter year, the string reached nine before Kurt Busch ended it with his second victory of the season at Auto Club Speedway.
The 2000 season produced a record 10 different winners before Dale Earnhardt Jr. broke the streak by winning for the second time that year at Richmond.
On the surface, the numbers would seem to favor an eighth different winner in the 145th Cup event at the .526 mile track, whose races in NASCAR’s top division date to 1949, when Red Byron triumphed in the inaugural event there.
After all, seven of the 10 active short-track winners in the Cup Series have yet to take a checkered flag this season, a group that includes Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman and Chase Elliott.
The first five drivers on that list also are the top five active drivers in career short-track wins, led by Kyle Busch with 16. Denny Hamlin, a seven-time winner last year, has five victories at Martinsville, but he hasn’t claimed a grandfather clock trophy since 2015.
Elliott, the reigning series champion, has only one short-track win on his resume, but he’s the most recent victor at Martinsville, where he won last fall to advance to the Championship 4 race at Phoenix.
Keselowski won the spring races at Martinsville in 2017 and 2019, and he’s optimistic as the schedule turns to back-to-back races at two of his favorite tracks—Martinsville and Richmond.
“I’m pumped,” Keselowski said. “When we got out of Bristol, I left with a smile on my face, knowing that we had Martinsville, we had Richmond — those are two of my best race tracks. At Martinsville, we’ve been just so solid the last few times, and then Richmond was kind of a dominant race for us last fall.”
When it comes to snapping the streak of different winners, the most likely candidate is Martin Truex Jr., who triumphed in the fifth race of the season at Phoenix. In the fall of 2019, Truex got a breakthrough victory at Martinsville and backed that up with a win in last year’s June race.
“Martinsville has become one of our better tracks,” Truex said. “I just feel like, working with the same group for so long, we’ve hit on something the past few years and been able to keep fine-tuning that and put ourselves in position to run up front.
