After two miserable weeks that have taken him out of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, Denny Hamlin may kiss the concrete in the turns when he gets to Martinsville Speedway this week for the TUMS Fast Relief 500.
He’s coming home, back to a comfort zone, back to the track he cut his teeth on, a track he’s won on, a track he almost won on a second time last spring.
“I think some drivers just adapt to certain racetracks quicker than others and Martinsville has been that for us,” said Hamlin, who won on the half-mile oval in the spring of 2008 and finished second last spring after being bumped aside by Jimmie Johnson late in the race.
“I think Martinsville is just a racetrack where the driver can make a little bit of difference if his car’s not 100 percent. I’ve got a lot of laps at that racetrack, so the extra experience always helps.”
Hamlin was in the thick of the Chase race until two weeks ago when his own mistake forced him into a wreck. His free-fall to 11th in the Chase standings continued last week when he suffered transmission woes.
“I’m going to look back on it (this year’s Chase) and obviously be very disappointed,” said Hamlin. “Because we came into the Chase with so much momentum and have performed extremely well on the racetrack. If they gave points for us running up front for most of the time, we’d maybe have a shot at this championship. But they don’t. It’s only on finishing position. That’s bitten us right at the very end.”
UPTOWN FRIDAY NIGHT: After qualifying quiets at the speedway late Friday afternoon, it will get loud in Uptown Martinsville when the Band of Oz takes the stage for TGIF.
The Band of Oz, one of the biggest names in Beach Music, will play from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on the big stage Uptown. Admission is just $7 with children 12 and under free. For more information, visit www.martinsvilleuptown.net.
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: There won’t be any wild animals running around the Virginia Museum of Natural History Saturday night, but there will be plenty of good chili cookin’.
The Virginia Museum of Natural History Chili Cook-Off is set for 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the museum on Starling Avenue in Martinsville.
Hermie Sadler, who will be racing in the Kroger 200 Saturday, will be the special guest judge and there will be music by the Part-Time Party Time Band.
Admission is $10 in advance, $15 at the door. Anyone 18 and under gets in for $5.
THE SCHEDULE: Thursday is set up day – everyone, from vendors to NASCAR to the teams, getting everything set up for the first on-track action on Friday. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams will off-load their race trucks and equipment beginning at 9 a.m. Thursday with the NASCAR Sprint Cup haulers rolling into the infield late in the day.
The first on-track action will be NCWTS practice at 10 a.m. Friday, followed by Sprint Cup practice at 11:30 a.m. The truck series has a second practice session at 1:10 p.m.
Qualifying for the TUMS Fast Relief 500 will begin at 3:10 p.m. and time trials for the Kroger 200 will start at 4:40 p.m.
The Sprint Cup cars hit the track at 10 a.m. Saturday and will have a second practice session at 11:15. The NASCAR Camping World Series Kroger 200 takes the green flag at 1 p.m.
The TUMS Fast Relief 500 will get underway at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Fan gates open at 9 a.m. each day.
Tickets for the TUMS Fast Relief 500 on Sunday, October 25, the Kroger 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Saturday, October 24 and the Farm Bureau Insurance Pole Day on Friday, October 23 are on sale and can be purchased by calling 1.877.RACE.TIX or by visiting www.martinsvillespeedway.com.
Ticket prices range from $25 to $77 for the TUMS Fast Relief 500.
