April 2, 2011
- Race Coverage of the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway is scheduled for Sunday, April 3, 2011.
Television (TV): FOX at 1:00 pm/et; pre-race show at 12:30 pm/et; green flag approx 1:13pm/et
Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio 128
Scheduled Race Re-Airs:
SPEED, Wednesday, April 6 at 12:00pm/et
- McMurray wins Martinsville pole: #1-Jamie McMurray won the Coors Light pole for the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 Sprint Cup race at Martinsville Speedway with a speed of 96.509mph. It is his 1st pole of the season, his first pole at Martinsville and 8th of his career [he failed to win from the pole the 7 other times]. #39-Newman starts 2nd followed by #4-Kahne, #20-Logano, #11-Hamlin, #43-Allmendinger, #47-Labonte, #00-Reutimann, #29-Harvick and #78-Smith.
The go-or-go homers who made the race (8): #36-Blaney, #38-Kvapil, #66-McDowell, #87-Nemechek, #60-Skinner, #37-Raines, #46-Yeley and #71-Sadler.
The go-or-go homers who failed to qualify for the race (1): #92-Setzer who withdrew after wrecking in practice.
See the starting lineup, qualifying speeds and notes on my Martinsville Starting Lineup/Qualifying Results page.(4-2-2011)
- Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway have been made.
Pole sitter #1-McMurray chose pit stall 1 [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole sitter #39-Newman took pit stall 11, the next stall with an opening in front of it.
#4-Kahne, who starts 3rd took the 10th pit stall, the first stall with an opening behind it.
The 43rd and final pit stall was taken by #27-Menard, who starts 16th.
To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on the Pit Stall Selection chart.(4-2-2011)
- Qualifying Fast Facts – Martinsville:
#1-Jamie McMurray won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 62nd Annual Goody’s Fast Relief 500 with a lap of 19.621 seconds, 96.509 mph.
This is his eighth pole in 300 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his first pole and second top-10 start in 2011.
This is his first pole in 17 races at Martinsville Speedway. This is also McMurray’s first career short track pole.
#39-Ryan Newman (second) posted his third top-10 start of 2011 and his 13th in 19 races at Martinsville Speedway.
#4-Kasey Kahne (third) posted his fifth top-10 start at Martinsville Speedway. It is his third in six races this season.(NASCAR Statistics)(4-2-2011)
- Bayne may have sponsor to run All-Star race: The Wood Brothers are close to a sponsorship deal that will put Daytona 500 champion #21-Trevor Bayne into the May 21 All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “I think it will work,” said Len Wood, one of the co-owners of the team. “There’s been interest in the last 36 hours.” Wood said he should know something for sure early next week, but wouldn’t identify the sponsor other than to say it was a familiar name in racing. “We’ve got somebody who wants to run the race,” Len Wood said. On Tuesday, Eddie Wood said the team didn’t plan to enter the non-points event without sponsorship. Len Wood said the publicity did not spark the interest from the sponsor that has stepped forward, but acknowledged a number of people want the team in the race. Among those are Charlotte Motor Speedway, which hosts the race, and Ford, the team’s manufacturer.(ESPN.com)(4-2-2011)
- JGR pinpoints some engine issues: #18-Kyle Busch says Joe Gibbs Racing has determined that problems with two of its engines last weekend at Auto Club Speedway in California were valve-related. #20-Joey Logano’s team switched his the morning of Sunday’s race when valve leakage was discovered. Logano’s team didn’t think the engine would last for 400 miles. #11-Denny Hamlin’s engine failed 105 laps into the race due to an unrelated value train issue, leaving last year’s Chase runner-up with a 39th-place finish that dropped him to 21st in points. Busch said Friday that identifying the problem is a huge step in the right direction for JGR, which has had engine issues in all five races this season. “Is there concern? Of course,” Jimmy Makar, JGR’s senior vice president of race operations, said earlier this week. “We’ve had a lot more issues than we’d like to see, this early in the season especially. Probably the bigger issue is for the most part they are non-related. That makes things harder to figure out. If you had the same thing happening over and over again you could focus on it.” Makar said only Hamlin’s failure on Sunday showed signs of a potential bad part. He said the batch that the part came from would be quarantined for this weekend’s race at Martinsville to see if any issues arise.(Associated Press)(4-2-2011)
- TBR Teams Up with Veteran Rehab School: Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) announced support of Manpower to Horsepower through a campaign leading up to Memorial Day Weekend. Manpower to Horsepower, a disabled veteran’s vocational rehabilitation program, will have the organization logo on the #36 Allsport Body Quencher Chevy beginning at Martinsville Speedway this weekend. TBR and Manpower to Horsepower will work together in the upcoming weeks to show support to members of the military with the culmination of the partnership to include festivities during Memorial Day Weekend.(TBR)(4-2-2011)
- Kimi Raikkonen to run Truck races for Kyle Busch: Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) announced that they have signed former Formula 1 champion Kimi Raikkonen to drive a limited schedule in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series during the 2011 season. Raikkonen is scheduled to make his NASCAR debut as a teammate to owner Kyle Busch in the N.C. Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 20.
Raikkonen comes to NASCAR with a resume that includes the 2007 Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship. Over his nine year career in Formula 1, the Finnish driver registered 18 wins and 62 podium finishes. The 31-year old is currently competing for a World Rally Car Championship for his own team, ICE 1 Racing.
“We are honored that Kimi Raikkonen, a former Formula 1 World Drivers’ Champion and proven winner, has chosen to start his career in NASCAR with Kyle Busch Motorsports,” said Busch. “Adding one of the most talented drivers in the world is a continuation of building a team of proven winners and champions at KBM. I look forward to assisting in Kimi’s transition to NASCAR as both an owner and teammate.”
“I am really excited to have the opportunity to start my venture into NASCAR with Kyle Busch Motorsports,” said Raikkonen. “Kyle is one of the best in NASCAR, and being able to draw on his knowledge will be a valuable asset as I make my transition to a new form of racing. He has put together an experienced team that builds fast race trucks. I look forward to being a part of a team that has proven to be a winner on and off the race track.”
“We are extremely excited to have Kimi Raikkonen begin his transition to NASCAR behind the wheel of Kyle Busch Motorsports’ Toyota Tundra’s,” said KBM General Manager Rick Ren. “As NASCAR looks to expand their fan base and generate further interest in certain demographics, having a former Formula 1 Champion with worldwide appeal is a huge deal not just for KBM but for the sport as a whole.” Details of sponsorship and a schedule of races that Raikkonen will compete in will be released at a later date.(KBM)(4-2-2011)
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