This week, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series comes off the Easter holiday and rolls into Ridgeway, Virginia to run the STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway. The 500 lap race on the .526 mile (.847 km) short track will be the sixth race of the 2016 season.
What I saw at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday made me sick to my stomach. It ruined what otherwise was a good weekend at the track, the marvelous speedway that should be a blueprint for what racing should be. Everyone knows the story by now. Matt Kenseth decided to retaliate and knock the leader out of the race—on purpose. You may say I can’t prove that, but actions speak louder than words.
We're less than 24 hours removed from the race at Martinsville and there is once again a commotion in the media and in fan circles. Is it about Jeff Gordon punching his ticket to the chase playoffs in dramatic fashion? Nope. Is it about the risk versus reward of tires versus track position? Nope.
Whether you believe the wreck was intentional or not, there is no definitive proof to back up either claim or to establish intent. But Kenseth, who is no longer in contention for the Chase, may have committed the one mistake that NASCAR won’t ignore; taking out someone contending for the championship.
It's time to put a nice little bow on everything that happened yesterday at the Virginia paperclip. Let's start with the race winner Jeffrey Michael Gordon. The driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet scored his 93rd career win after taking the lead from A. J. Allmendinger with 21 laps to go and also held off a final two lap charge by Jamie McMurray to take the checkered flag.
In race number 33 of the 2015 NASCAR season here is what was surprising and not surprising after the completion of the 67th Annual Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 at Martinsville Speedway.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 19.522 and a speed of 96.998 mph. Martin Truex Jr. was second with a time of 19.546 and a speed of 96.879 mph.
Joey Logano was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 19.161 and a speed of 98.826 mph. Jeff Gordon was second with a time of 19.251 and a speed of 98.364 mph.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the Camping World Truck Series travel to Martinsville Superspeedway this weekend while the XFINITY Series is off. On-track action for the Sprint Cup Series can be seen on NBCSN, CNBC and NBC Sports Live Extra.
One driver could grab the "Golden Ticket" to Homestead Sunday at NASCAR's last original track.
This week, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rolls into Ridgeway,...
