NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: STP 500
Martinsville Speedway Distance: 263 miles (500 laps)
Sunday, March 29 1 p.m. (ET) TV: FOX Sports 1, 11:30 a.m. (ET)
Radio: MRN, Sirius XM Ch. 90
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Kroger 250
Martinsville Speedway Distance: 131.5 miles (250 laps)
Saturday, March 28 2:30 p.m. (ET) TV: FOX Sports 1, 2:30 p.m. (ET)
Radio: MRN, Sirius XM Ch. 90
NASCAR XFINITY Series: O’Reilly Auto Parts 300
Texas Motor Speedway Distance: 300 miles (200 laps)
Friday, April 10 8:30 p.m. (ET) TV: FOX Sports 1, 8 p.m. (ET)
Radio: PRN, Sirius XM Ch. 90
NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
Car 4 Kevin Harvick Jimmy John’s/Budweiser Chevrolet
The Car 4 Chevrolet driver now has two wins and three second-place performances this season and leads Joey Logano by 27 points in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings.
This Sunday, Harvick returns to the venue at which he last finished outside the top two – Martinsville Speedway – for the STP 500 (1 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1). (Kevin, if you’re reading, don’t watch this.) Harvick finished 33rd at “The Paperclip” in last year’s opener of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup’s Eliminator 8 Round. His lone top-two finish at Martinsville was a victory in spring of 2011. “Happy” continues to chase Richard Petty’s record of 11 consecutive top-two finishes set in 1975.
Car 2 Brad Keselowski Wurth Ford
Running fifth with two laps left in the Auto Club 400 on Sunday, Brad Keselowski’s Car 2 Ford team made the gutsy decision to take four fresh tires, moving Keselowski all the way back to 14th on the Lap 202 restart. The decision paid off with a ticket to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Keselowski engulfed the field like a wave, moving up to fifth for the next restart on Lap 207 and tracking down Kurt Busch on the 209th and final lap of the race – the only go-around Keselowski led all day – to take the victory.
Keselowski, who paced the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with six wins last season, will attempt to continue his momentum by taking the checkered flag at Martinsville Speedway for the first time in his career. The 31-year-old claims one top five and five top-10 finishes in 10 starts at the .526-mile track.
Might As Well Call Martinsville “Hendrickville”
Hendrick Motorsports’ 22 wins at Martinsville Speedway not only rank first in track history, they mark the most victories by an owner at a specific track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series annals.
The organization goes for its 23rd triumph of “The Paperclip” this weekend with five race entries: Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne and Chase Elliott.
Martinsville mavens Johnson and Gordon will lead the way. Both rank first among active drivers with eight wins at the storied short track. The pair also claims the most runner-ups at Martinsville among active drivers – Gordon with five and Johnson with four.
Unsurprisingly, Johnson boasts the top driver rating in the series at Martinsville (122.5), while Gordon’s is second-best (119.8).
Reigning NASCAR XFINITY Series champion Chase Elliott starts his ‘Jeff Gordon Replacement’ march this Sunday at Martinsville, driving the No. 25 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. It’ll be the first of five races in 2015 before hopping in the No. 24 Chevrolet fulltime in 2016 (his other races this season are Richmond, Charlotte, Indianapolis and Darlington). And, if history is any indication, it’ll be a tough task. The last driver to score a top-10 finish in his first career start was Carl Edwards’ 10th-place finish at Michigan in 2004. Only three drivers have scored a top 10 in their debut since 1990: Edwards, Matt Kenseth (6th at Dover in 1998) and Kenny Irwin Jr. (8th at Richmond in 1997). The last driver to score a top five in his premier series debut: NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace, who finished second at Atlanta in 1980. And one last note…to best his father – NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott – Chase will have to finish 32nd or better. Bill Elliott finished 33rd in his NASCAR Sprint Cup debut, at Rockingham in 1976.
Car 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Chevrolet
After being suspended for the first three races of the season, Kurt Busch has collected a fifth and a third-place finish in his first two starts, respectively.
Busch looked like he was going to pull off the ‘perfect weekend’, leading qualifying, all practices and the race at Auto Club on Sunday, but was tracked down by Brad Keselowski on the final lap and finished third.
This weekend, Busch will attempt to defend his win in last year’s Martinsville spring race in the STP 500. Busch claims two victories at Martinsville and his victory from the 36th position there in 2002 is the deepest in the field a race winner has ever started.
Busch’s recent success coincides with his crew chief switch to Tony Gibson for the November race at Texas Motor Speedway last season. In five races with Gibson, Busch claims two top fives, four top 10s, a 6.5 average finish and an average driver rating of 111.5. His driver rating ranks second over that span, and his average running position of 6.8 ranks third.
NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES
Custer To Pilot JR Motorsports’ No. 00 Chevrolet Silverado In Team’s Trucks Debut
Fresh off its first NASCAR XFINITY Series driver championship – powered by the efforts of then-18-year-old wunderkind Chase Elliott (the youngest title-winner in NASCAR national series history) – JR Motorsports makes its first foray into the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, debuting at Martinsville Speedway with another teenage prodigy – Cole Custer (the youngest NASCAR national series race and pole winner).
Custer, 17, will pilot the No. 00 Haas Automation Chevrolet Silverado in Saturday’s Kroger 250 (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1), the first of 10 scheduled races he will run for JRM this season. Last year in his first NCWTS campaign, he amassed one victory, two poles, two top fives, six top 10s and 150 laps led in nine starts.
JR Motorsports, owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr., has fielded race teams since 2002 and launched its XFINITY Series program in 2006. The team boasts 23 XFINITY Series wins and 42 late model victories, including track championships in 2012 and 2014. Elliott’s XFINITY Series championship paired with Regan Smith’s runner-up showing in points marked the first time in JRM’s history it secured a one-two finish atop the standings.
Kyle Busch Motorsports Looks To Continue Martinsville Streak
For the last four years, Kyle Busch Motorsports has been a fixture in Victory Lane at Martinsville Speedway. The Mooresville-based racing team has won one race each season at “The Paperclip” from 2011-14 (Denny Hamlin, 2011-12; Darrell Wallace Jr., 2013-14). Each of those races was in the fall though; none were won in the spring. KBM rival ThorSport has taken the last two checkered flags in the spring Martinsville showdowns (Johnny Sauter, 2013; Matt Crafton, 2014). Furthermore, Hamlin is not entered in Saturday’s Kroger 250 and Darrell Wallace Jr. has moved on to the XFINITY Series with Roush Fenway Racing, so a fresh face will have to continue KBM’s streak.
Three drivers will attempt to pilot their KBM Toyota Tundra’s past the finish line first: Erik Jones (No. 4), Daniel Suarez (No. 51) and Justin Boston (No. 54). Only Jones has competed at Martinsville. He claims finishes of ninth, 18th and fourth at the .526-mile track. Jones made his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut at Martinsville in April 2013.
Moto Family: John Hunter Nemechek Takes Father “Front Row” Joe’s Place For 2015 Debut
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series got a taste of “Modern Family” at Auto Club Speedway last weekend when actor Eric Stonestreet served as the race’s Official Pace Car driver.
This Saturday, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will witness the third episode of its “Moto Family” when John Hunter Nemechek makes his 2015 debut in relief of his father “Front Row” Joe Nemechek.
As a driver under the age of 18, Nemechek is limited to racing on tracks that are road courses of 1.25 miles or less in length. Last season, he ran a split schedule with his father, logging six top-10 finishes in 10 starts, with a best showing of fourth. Expectations are high for the younger Nemechek this season after his win at the Snowball Derby – one of the most prestigious events in short-track racing – in December.
Following this weekend’s race, Joe will compete in three of the next four events, lending the seat to John Hunter again at Dover. John Hunter turns 18 on June 11 and will take over the No. 8 NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet full-time at Gateway on June 13.
Standings Snapshot
After a month-long layoff, the high-octane NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is back in action at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday.
Tyler Reddick is its current standings leader. The 19-year-old Brad Keselowski Racing driver is followed by Matt Crafton (-2), Erik Jones (-7), Johnny Sauter (-15) and James Buescher (-24).
Crafton is the two-time defending series champion. Jones leads all Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidates in the standings. Buescher took the Truck Series title in 2012.
Rounding out the top 10 are Bryan Silas (-27), Ben Kennedy (-29), Ray Black Jr. (-29), Joe Nemechek (-29) and Korbin Forrister (-31).
Rookies Readied For Martinsville At Test
At times, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series can be unkind to rookies. The inexperienced drivers often struggle having to keep up with grizzled veterans like Matt Crafton, Jonny Sauter and Timothy Peters.
Saturday’s Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway marks the first race of the season that drivers between the ages of 16 and 18 can compete. Wheelmen from that age group can only race on road courses or tracks 1.25 miles or less in length. Seventeen year olds Cole Custer, Gray Gaulding and John Hunter Nemechek will all make their 2015 NCWTS debuts this weekend. Although the youngest, they are not the only youthful drivers in the series. Erik Jones, Cameron Hayley, Brandon Jones and Matt Tifft, all 18 years old, are also entered at Martinsville. Series points lead Tyler Reddick turned 19 in January.
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
The new crop of youth in NASCAR continues to blossom and this week’s average age of the top five in the NASCAR XFINITY Series point standings is a fresh 21.2. The young contingent’s success continues to emphasize that the NASCAR XFINITY Series is the place that ‘names are made.’
These young gentlemen are the new wave of drivers raising the level of competition in one of NASCAR’s national series. Points leader Ty Dillon, who just turned 23 years old on Feb. 27th, is the eldest of the youth movement; second in the standings belongs to Roush Fenway Racing’s Chris Buescher (22 years old), followed by the youngster and 2014 series champion Chase Elliott at the age of 19. Fourth in points belongs to Ryan Reed (21 years old), and rounding out the top five is Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Darrell Wallace Jr. at the age of 21.
Chase Elliott has climbed the standings leaderboard from 20th to third in the last four races – a gain of 17 positions. As a result the 2014 series champion is right back in the mix for this year’s title just 15 points back from standings leader Ty Dillon and 10 points behind second-place Chris Buescher.
Elliott turned red hot last season from the second to the eighth race on the schedule when he strung together seven consecutive top-10 finishes including his two wins at Texas and Darlington. This season he is looking to do the same and his last four consecutive top 10s have him on track to do just that.
This season Elliott has posted three top fives, four top 10s and an average finish of 9.8. Elliott’s ascension up the standings is due to stellar performance on the track. He has the third best average running position (8.6), fifth best driver rating (100.0), and has the second-highest percentage of laps run on the lead lap this season (97%).
There will be no rest for young Elliott this off weekend, the 19 year old will be making his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut for Hendrick Motorsports at Martinsville Speedway.
Sunoco Rookie Standout: Darrell Wallace Jr.
Watch out for Darrell Wallace Jr. this season. Right out of the gate, Wallace has been the man to beat in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings and five races into the season he still holds the lead.
Eight points separate Wallace (57 rookie points) and second-place Daniel Suarez (49) following last weekend at Auto Club Speedway where the top two rookies finished 12th and 13th respectively.
Wallace is also doing well in the overall NASCAR XFINITY Series driver standings. He is currently fifth, three points behind fourth–place Ryan Reed and 22 points back from the standings leader Ty Dillon.
In the first five races of the season, Wallace has posted one top 10 and an average finish of 11.4. He is the head of his rookie class in every season-to-date Loop Data category and rivals the rest of the series quite nicely. He is ranked sixth in the series in average running position (10.2), eighth in driver rating (92.0), and sixth in percentage of laps completed in the top 15 with 87.2%. He is also averaging a +7.8 place differential through the first five races of the season.
Next week in Texas, Wallace will be making his series track debut. Wallace is familiar with the 1.5-mile speedway though; he has made four NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at TMS posting three top 10s.
Sunoco Rookie Standings following Auto Club Speedway: Darrell Wallace Jr. (57), Daniel Suarez (49), Ross Chastain (46), Cale Conley (41), Harrison Rhodes (31) and Josh Reaume (16).
Owner Standings Tight After First Five Events
Following the first five races of the season, Team Penske’s No. 22 Ford Mustang team leads the JR Motorsport’s No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro team by eight points in the NASCAR XFINITY Series owner points standings.
Kevin Harvick’s win last weekend at Auto Club Speedway jumped the No. 88 team to second in the owner standings, leapfrogging the two Richard Childress Racing (Nos. 3 and 33) teams.
Penske’s No. 22 Ford team led by crew chief Greg Irwin with drivers Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano took the owner standings lead following Logano’s win at Phoenix, and have held on to it thanks to Keselowski’s top 10 last weekend at Fontana.
Both the No. 22 Ford team (3.6) and the No. 88 Chevrolet team (5.4) have posted notable average finishes this season.
Roger Penske is looking to capture his third consecutive NASCAR XFINITY Series owner title this season. If he can accomplish the feat he will become the third owner in series history to win three in a row joining Joe Gibbs (2008-10) and William Baumgardner (1995-97).
Below is a list of 12 NASCAR XFINITY SERIES races on FOX and FOX Sports 1 for which NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers are scheduled to serve as guest analysts:
Race Date/Airtime Network Driver/guest analyst
Texas April 10 (8:30 PM ET) FOX Sports 1 Jeff Gordon
Bristol April 18 (1:30 PM ET) FOX Sports 1 Jeff Gordon
Richmond April 24 (7:30 PM ET) FOX Sports 1 Brad Keselowski
Talladega May 2 (1:30 PM ET) FOX Jeff Gordon
Charlotte May 23 (2:30 PM ET) FOX Clint Bowyer
Dover May 30 (2:30 PM ET) FOX Kevin Harvick
Michigan June 13 (1:30 PM ET) FOX Sports 1 Danica Patrick
*subject to change
This season, FOX Sports adds coverage of the NASCAR XFINITY SERIES for the first 14 races of the year. FOX Sports 1 telecasts 10 of the events while FOX broadcasts the races from Phoenix, Talladega, Charlotte and Dover.
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Graphics & Photos Courtesy of NASCAR