He admits, however, that he’s impatient to get behind the wheel of his No. 8 Made In USA Brand (MIUSA) Chevrolet Silverado during a regular race weekend.
“I know it takes a team time to recover from Daytona, so the gap between races is understandable,” Gresham said while he prepared for Saturday’s Kroger 250 at the Martinsville Speedway. “But a driver just wants to race as much as possible. It’s hard to ask a racer to slow down for that long.”
Saturday’s race at the iconic .526-mile short track is one of the popular stops on the truck series schedule. The speedway has hosted NASCAR races since 1949 – many years before 19-year old Gresham was born.
“I really like Martinsville,” Gresham said. “Most NASCAR drivers have a true appreciation for short tracks. It’s where we all grew up. It’s where we all learned to race.
“The cars and trucks have evolved a lot through the years at Martinsville. But one thing never changes there – it’s still a track where a driver has to fight for every spot on the track.”
The paperclip-like raceway has been famously described as a pair of drag strips connected with a pair of u-turns. Martinsville is tough on brakes, tough on engines and tough on nerves. Every pass frequently involves some sort of contact. Statistically, it’s unlikely any of the 36 scheduled starters will finish without damage.
“The secret is to use enough bump-and-run to work your way to the front without making many enemies,” Gresham said. “That’s a delicate balance.”
With three career starts at the historic short tack, the Milner, Ga. native has more starts at Martinsville Speedway than at any other track on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule.
Gresham started 21st and finished a career-best 11th at Martinsville last October. He and crew chief Chris Showalter have set their sights on improving on that solid result.
“We try to set goals each week and our goal for this one is a top-seven finish for Martinsville,” Showalter said. “With six weeks to get ready, we’re as prepared as we can be for this race. Max quickly adapted to Martinsville last year and he made up a lot of ground in the final 50 laps. We aim to pick up where we left off.”
“Keep in mind,” Gresham said, “a win would be a top-seven finish, too.”
For Gresham, Saturday’s race also jumpstarts a stretch of three races in three consecutive weekends. Gresham and Eddie Sharp Racing will be at Rockingham, N.C., on April 14, followed by a trip to the Kansas Speedway on April 20.
“This is a busy stretch for us,” Gresham said. “And that’s the way I like it.”
About Eddie Sharp Racing
Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) (TeamESR.com) is a championship winning racing team housed in a 45,000 square-foot facility in Denver, N.C. After getting its start in the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) Racing Series, ESR has accumulated upwards of 20 race wins, the 2009 ARCA Racing Series Championship, and countless top-five and top-10 finishes in just five years of competition. By 2010, ESR began to make the transition into the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) with a partial schedule before racing in the series full-time in 2011. By 2012, the team expanded to be a multi-truck team and secured its first victory in just the team’s 35th NCWTS race. Additionally, ESR continues to build its driver development program fielding various drivers in the ARCA Racing Series, the United Auto Racing Association (UARA) STARS Series and other late model events across the southeast.
About Made In USA Brand
The Made In USA Brand Certification Mark is the only certification mark logo registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for labeling and identifying goods either made or grown in the United States.
The number of Made In USA Brand accredited companies has grown to over 900 in just over a year.
Companies interested in securing the Made In USA Brand Certification Mark to label their products and marketing materials are encouraged to log on to www.MadeInUSABrand.com.
Race fans interested in pledging along with Max Gresham to look for and purchase made in USA manufactured goods can take the pledge for FREE at www.PledgeForUSA.com.
