RIDGEWAY, Va. (WFXR) — Time has come to decide who will make-up the Championship 4 Round this season, and the historic half mile Martinsville Speedway will once again play host to the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs’ Round of 8 elimination race, the Xfinity 500 on Sunday. Here are the 4 things you need to know about Martinsville.
1-Posititon ….as in on the schedule…….the Martinsville fall race has always been in the Round of 8 in the playoffs but since 2020….it has been the last race in the Round of 8 right before the Championship 4. Track president Clay Campbell is proud of Martinsville’s role in deciding the Championship 4.
“I love the placement. I love the beat being the announcement of the series. You know if I had a choice and I’ve said it time and time again I’d rather have this race in this part of the year rather than the championship because you could start out with like you said it’s around eight you leave here with the championship four so you kick four right out,” said Campbell.
“The track kind of it’s just that way you know when you have a small race track and it’s in the playoffs where it is you’re gonna have some some fireworks and perfectly placed, you know race,” said Team Penske Driver Ryan Blaney.
2-Length…..this weekends race will be longer….the spring race was 400 laps while the fall race will be 500 laps.
“The one big factor that is totally different than the spring is a new tire Goodyear bringing this week for this race brand new tire never been run before the softest compound tire ever to run at Martinsville,” said Campbell
“You just have to be really solid. Takes lotta effort and having a good car and and being able to perform for 500 laps,” said Hendrick Motorsports Driver William Byron.
“It is a very long grueling race and there’s a lot of strategy involved lots of pitstops so there’s a lot of opportunity for customers and goers and people to make mistakes,” said Joe Gibbs Racing Driver Christopher Bell.
3-Success….Denny Hamilin has the most Martinsville wins out of the 6 drivers not in the Championship 4 with 5…his last Martinsville win came in March of 2015, William Byron won this year’s spring race to give him 2 wins at the paperclip, Ryan Blaney won last year’s fall race, Christopher Bell won the 2022 fall race, while Kyle Larson won the spring 2023 race and Chase Elliott won the fall 2020 race.
“The one big factor that is totally different than the spring is a new tire Goodyear bringing this this week for this race brand new tire never been run before the softest compound tire ever to run at Martinsville. We just have to be really solid. Takes lotta effort and having a good car and and being able to perform for 500 laps very long grueling race and there’s a lot of strategy involved lots of pitstops so there’s a lot of opportunity for customers and goers and people to make mistakes,” said Joe Gibbs Racing Driver Denny Hamlin.
4-Win……6 drivers with a chance to punch their ticket to the Championship 4 with a Martinsville win…that is the goal in the playoff push!
“I really like Martinsville being the second to last race in the season the last race to get an opportunity to race for championship because you can kind of make your own destiny a little bit whether it’s using your front bumper or your strategy,” said Hendrick Motorsports Driver Kyle Larson.
“I mean it where it’s been you know so I think there’s if there’s been any consistency with the schedule obviously has changed a lot of the last couple years where Martinsville Falls has been one that has been,” said Hendrick Motorsports Driver Chase Elliott.
