April 2, 2013
- Testing the new car at Richmond UPDATE dates changed: #42-Juan Pablo Montoya, #1-Jamie McMurray, #43-Aric Almirola and #9-Marcos Ambrose are scheduled to be testing the new Gen-6 car on Tuesday, March 26, 2013 at Richmond International Raceway in advance of the Saturday, April 27, Toyota Owners 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Tickets for the Toyota Owners 400 can be purchased online at www.rir.com or by calling 866-455-7223.(RIR), the test is closed and NOT open to the public.(3-22-2013)
UPDATE: the testing has been moved to Monday and Tuesday, April 1-2.(RIR)(3-25-2013)
UPDATE 2: Although the much-anticipated debut of NASCAR’s Gen-6 car in a points-paying race at Richmond International Raceway is scheduled for the Saturday, April 27, Toyota Owners 400 Sprint Cup Series race, the first time it hits the pavement will be this Monday. Earnhardt Ganassi drivers Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya will be joined by Richard Petty Motorsports drivers Marcos Ambrose and Aric Almirola when they test at RIR, and the grandstands are open for fans to watch, for free. The test is scheduled for Monday, April 1. The Colonial Grandstands in Turn 4 will be open from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., free of charge. With many kids on Spring Break, this is a great opportunity to enjoy a fun-filled afternoon in Richmond. Fans coming out to Richmond International Raceway may enter at the Service Gate, located on Meadowbridge Rd., one gate away from the main entrance at the corner of Laburnum Ave. and Meadowbridge Rd. Attendants will guide fans to a parking area and will be instructed where to go to enter the grandstands.(RIR)(3-28-2013)
UPDATE 3: Four NASCAR drivers turned laps at Richmond International Raceway during a test session Monday, marking the first time NASCAR’s Gen-6 car has run at America’s Premier Short Track. #42-Juan Montoya, #1-Jamie McMurray, #9-Marcos Ambrose and #43-Aric Almirola will be back Saturday, April 27, for the Toyota Owners 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Cool track temperatures this morning made it easy for the drivers to find grip, resulting in blistering speeds that would challenge the official track qualifying record, which Brian Vickers set in 2004 (20.772 seconds, 129.983 mph). “The track is extremely fast,” said Almirola. “When we rolled out on the track at 9:00 this morning, it was still kinda cool and the track had a lot of grip. We were running lap times close to the pole speed in race trim. Really surprised at how fast the track was and how fast our cars were.” All four drivers will test again tomorrow at RIR, as they search for valuable data to be used at the upcoming April 25, 26 & 27 NASCAR weekend in Richmond.(RIR)(4-2-2013)
- News and Notes – Martinsville Speedway: • Opened in September 1947 by H. Clay Earles, Martinsville, originally a dirt track, is one of the oldest continuously-operating race tracks in the United States.
• The first NASCAR-sanctioned race at Martinsville was on July 4, 1948.
• The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was Sept. 25, 1949.
• The track was paved in 1955.
• The first 500-lap event at Martinsville was in 1956.
• Concrete corners were added atop asphalt in 1976.
• There have been 128 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway, one in the inaugural year and two races per year since 1950.
• 589 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville; 372 in more than one.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty has the all-time most NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at Martinsville with 67 starts; Terry Labonte has the most among active drivers with 53.
• Curtis Turner won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Martinsville Speedway in 1949.
• 57 drivers have Coors Light poles at Martinsville, led by NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip with eight; Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with seven.
• 11 drivers have won two or more consecutive Coors Light poles at Martinsville Speedway. Four of the 11 have won 3 consecutive poles at Martinsville: Glen Wood (Fall of 1959 and 1960 sweep); Darrell Waltrip (1979 sweep and spring 1980); Mark Martin (fall of 1990 and 1991 sweep); Jeff Gordon (2003 sweep and spring 2004).
• Youngest Martinsville pole winner: Ricky Rudd (4/26/1981 – 24 years, 7 months, 14 days).
• Oldest Martinsville pole winner: Morgan Shepherd (4/26/1987 – 45 years, 6 months, 14 days).
• 47 different drivers have won at Martinsville Speedway, led by Richard Petty (15); Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson lead the series among active drivers with seven wins each.
• 23 drivers have multiple wins at Martinsville Speedway only five active drivers have multiple wins: Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson (seven); Denny Hamlin (four); Tony Stewart (three) and Mark Martin (two).
• Hendrick Motorsports and Petty Enterprises are tied for the lead in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for the most wins at Martinsville Speedway with 19 each.
• 20 of 128 races at Martinsville Speedway have been won from the Coors Light pole; six of those 20 wins came from active drivers: Tony Stewart (2000), Jeff Gordon (2003 twice), Jimmie Johnson (2008, 2012) and Denny Hamlin (2010).
• The Coors Light pole is the most proficient starting spot in the field at Martinsville producing more wins than any other starting position in the field.
• 35 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Martinsville Speedway have been won from the front row: 20 from the pole and 15 from second-place.
• 93 of the 128 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Martinsville Speedway have been won from a top-10 starting position.
• Five of the 128 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.
• The deepest in the field that a race winner has started was 36th, by Kurt Busch in the fall of 2002.
• Youngest Martinsville winner: Richard Petty (04/10/1960 – 22 years, 9 months, 8 days).
• Oldest Martinsville winner: Harry Gant (09/22/1991 – 51 years, 8 months, 12 days).
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the series in runner-up finishes at Martinsville Speedway with seven; Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with four, followed by his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson with three.
• Richard Petty leads the series in top-five finishes at Martinsville Speedway with 30; Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 25, followed by Jimmie Johnson with 15.
• Richard Petty leads the series in top-10 finishes at Martinsville Speedway with 37; Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 32, followed by Terry Labonte (27) and Mark Martin (25).
• Jeff Gordon leads active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Martinsville Speedway with a 7.225. Ryan Newman is the only other active driver with an average starting position at Martinsville in the top 10 (9.045).
• Three active drivers have a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series average finish in the top at Martinsville: Jimmie Johnson (5.545), Jeff Gordon (7.075) and Denny Hamlin (8.200).
• There have been five NSCS green-white-checkered finishes at Martinsville Speedway: fall 2007 (500/506), fall 2008 (500/504), fall 2009 (500/501), spring 2010 (500/508), and spring 2012 (500/515).
• Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions eight times in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway; the most recent was the fall race of 2011.
• Jeff Gordon has participated in the most NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Martinsville Speedway without a DNF (40).
• Tony Stewart (4/18/1999) and Scott Riggs (4/10/2005) won their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light poles at Martinsville Speedway.
• Mike Bliss (09/27/1998), Travis Kvapil (10/24/2004), Michael McDowell (3/30/2008) and Scott Speed (10/19/2008) made their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career starts at Martinsville Speedway.
• 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers have posted consecutive wins at Martinsville Speedway. Fred Lorenzen won four NSCS races straight (the most) from the fall of 1963 through the spring of 1965.
• All 10 active NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers who have won at Martinsville Speedway participated in at least two or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Tony Stewart won at Martinsville with the fewest previous appearances (three).
• Ryan Newman competed at Martinsville Speedway 20 times before winning in the spring of 2012; the longest span of any the 10 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners.
• Four drivers have made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Martinsville Speedway: Mark Martin (12); Bobby Labonte (18), Kevin Harvick (19) and Ryan Newman (20).
• Terry Labonte leads the series with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at Martinsville Speedway without visiting Victory Lane at 53.
• Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory at Martinsville Speedway was the April 1, 2007 race won by Jimmie Johnson with a MOV of 0.065 second.
• This weekend will be Danica Patrick’s first attempt at Martinsville Speedway. If she makes the event, she will become the first female driver to compete at Martinsville in the NASCAR Sprint Cup.(NASCAR)(4-2-2012)
- NNS testing at Texas: Both Turner Scott Motorsports and JR Motorsports tested at Texas Motor Speedway on April 1. Participants were #31-Justin Allgaier, #32-Kyle Larson and #30-Nelson Piquet Jr. from TSM and #7-Regan Smith, #5-Brad Sweet and #5-Kasey Kahne from JRM(NASCAR)(4-2-2013)
- VMI Glee Club to perform National Anthem at Martinsville: The Virginia Military Institute’s Glee Club will perform the National Anthem prior to Sunday’s STP Gas Booster 500 at Martinsville Speedway. The group from VMI has performed the national anthem at Martinsville Speedway in the past, and has received accolades for its traditional rendition of the song. The VMI Glee Club, founded in 1852, has performed around the world in its 160 years of existence. It is the oldest Cadet organization in VMI’s 165-year history. The cadets in the Glee Club are enrolled in Reserve Officer Training Courses at VMI, located in Lexington, VA, and are available to commission in all branches of the US Armed Forces upon graduation. High Point University’s Pep Band, which has been performing since 1927, will play the national anthem before the start of the Kroger 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Saturday at Martinsville. The HPU Pep Band consists of 29 members from 10 different states, pursuing degrees in more than 17 fields of study.(Martinsville Speedway)(4-2-2013)
- Rogers in for Riggs in Rockingham: After six weeks away from the track, the Truck Series is entering a stretch of three races in three weeks. After Martinsville, the trucks return to Rockingham Speedway for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200. Due to Scott Riggs’ Sprint Cup commitment at Texas Motor Speedway, Clay Rogers will pilot the #92 Chevy at Rockingham Speedway. Rogers drove the #92 for 15 races in 2011 and posted a career-best NCWTS finish of third at Daytona. Since its reopening, Rogers has the most wins at Rockingham with four victories on the one-mile oval.(RBR Enterprises PR)(4-2-2013)
- Galloway to debut with SS Greenlight Racing, North Central Indiana Teen Challenge as sponsor: SS Green Light Racing is pleased to announce that 18-year old Indiana open-wheel standout Grant Galloway will join the team for the Camping World Truck Series Kroger 250 on April 6th at the Martinsville Speedway. Galloway will pilot the team’s No. 07 Toyota under the guidance of longtime driver, owner and crew chief Bobby Dotter. A unique sponsorship program has established with the North Central Indiana Teen Challenge, a faith-based men’s center in Elkhart, Indiana. Although it will be Grant’s first start in one of NASCAR’s premier series, the SS Green Light team will have plenty of experience to back the Indiana teen boasting one of the longest tenures in the NCWTS with 293 consecutive starts dating back to 2001. Dotter, co-owner and long-time NASCAR competitor will personally crew chief Grant in his debut.(SS Green Light Racing PR)(4-2-2013)
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