The Frontstretch Newsletter: Paige Decker to Attempt Camping World Truck Series Debut at Martinsville

THE FRONTSTRETCH NEWSLETTER
Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!

Mar. 27, 2015

Volume IX, Edition XLI

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What to Watch: Friday

- Today, the Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series will be on-track for practice sessions, assuming that the rain in Martinsville moves out and the track can be dried.  Sprint Cup teams will qualify this evening.  Meanwhile, the Verizon IndyCar Series teams have their first practice sessions of the season this afternoon in Florida.

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FRONTSTRETCH AT THE TRACK! We're at the track at both Martinsville for NASCAR action and ZMax Dragway for the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals this wekeend. Follow our Social Media Director/Senior Writer Amy Henderson at @Writer_Amy for updates from Martinsville and our NHRA Editor Toni Montgomery at @ToniLMontgomery for updates from Concord.  Also, be sure to check our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for all the latest news, reaction, and results from a full day of racing, no matter your preference.

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This weekend's TV Schedule can be found in Couch Potato Tuesday here.

Top News
by The Frontstretch Staff

Paige Decker Plans Truck Debut at Martinsville

Super Late Model driver Paige Decker has acquired the necessary funding in order to attempt her Camping World Truck Series debut this weekend at Martinsville Speedway.  She will drive the No. 74 Chevrolet for Mike Harmon Racing.  Read more

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Considering Hotel for Turn 2?

The Indianapolis Business Journal is reporting that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is considering the construction of a hotel outside of turn 2 of the 2.5 mile oval.  Read more

Have news for The Frontstretch?  Don't hesitate to let us know; email us at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com with a promising lead or tip.

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FRONTSTRETCH JOB: WEBMASTER
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Frontstretch Folio: STP 500

by Phil Allaway

The Sprint Cup Series rolls into Martinsville Speedway this weekend for a classic rough and tumble battle. Television coverage of the STP 500 begins with NASCAR RaceDay at 11:30 a.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.  The show will flow directly into FOX NASCAR Sunday since Sunday's race will be the first points race to air on FOX Sports 1; the race can also be heard on your local MRN affiliate and SiriusXM channel 90. Drivers will compete for 500 laps (263 miles) en route to the checkered flag.

Records and Facts

Kurt Busch is the defending champion of the STP 500.  He rebounded from an early collision on pit road under caution with Brad Keselowski to take the lead away from Jimmie Johnson with 11 laps to go to give Stewart-Haas Racing's fourth team their first and only victory.

Joey Logano set the track record during the first round of group qualifying for last year's STP 500.  Logano's lap of 100.201 mph was good enough to top the charts in the first round of qualifying.  Logano eventually qualified third in the final round, then finished fourth in the race.

Track Facts

Track / Race Length: 0.526-mile paper clip-shaped oval; 500 laps (263 miles)
Pit Road Speed: 30 mph
Degree of Banking: 12 degrees
Frontstretch: 800 ft., no banking
Backstretch: 800 ft., no banking
Grandstand Seating: 55,000
Website: http://www.martinsvillespeedway.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MartinsvilleSpeedway
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MartinsvilleSwy

Pre-race Schedule

Practices: Friday, March 20, 12 - 1:25 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1
Saturday, March 21, 10 - 10:55 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1
Happy Hour: Saturday, March 21, 1 - 1:50 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 2
Qualifying: Friday, March 20 at 4:45 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1

Race Day Forecast

Sunday: Partly Cloudy
High: 56
Low: 24

Best Bets: Top 10 Driver Ratings at Martinsville Speedway (courtesy of NASCAR)
No. 48-Jimmie Johnson............................122.5
No. 24-Jeff Gordon..................................106.2
No. 11-Denny Hamlin................................110.1
No. 88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr..........................101.2
No. 14-Tony Stewart...................................97.6
No. 15-Clint Bowyer....................................95.0
No. 4-Kevin Harvick....................................91.8
No. 31-Ryan Newman................................87.4
No. 22-Joey Logano...................................85.1

No. 1-Jamie McMurray...............................85.1

 

Editor's Note: Kyle Busch was sixth on this list with a driver rating of 96.2.

They Said It:

"Certainly, Martinsville is a track that we circle on our calendars each year as a race we feel we can win at. It's a track that really adapted to my style early on in my career, and we have run up front and led a lot of laps there. We haven't had the finishes we expect at Martinsville the last few races there, but I think we'll come with a strong FedEx Express Camry that hopefully we can get up to the front and battle for the win." - Denny Hamlin

"Even on the bad days, it can be fun. And when you have a good day, it's great. The grandfather clock you get for winning is one of the cooler trophies in our sport. Normally, 20-year-old kids don't get too excited about grandfather clocks, but you realize it's more than that at Martinsville. There's a lot of pride and lot of history with this sport at Martinsville.

 

"One thing about Martinsville is there is no lack of excitement. I don't care how flawlessly your day goes, you're going to bump into somebody at some point, even on a perfect day. You put 43 cars on this half-mile track and it's always going to be exciting. You will never have a race there where you don't have some sort of drama during the day. I think every driver will say they will have some drama at some point. When you have 43 drivers with 43 dramatic moments, that's a lot of action going on." - Tony Stewart

"Martinsville is a lot like the short tracks that we grew up racing on. It's good old-fashioned short-track racing. Your emotions go through a roller-coast ride there. You're constantly getting run into or you're running into somebody. You've just got to control those emotions for four hours and 500 laps. It's tough. Whoever can do that the best comes out on top.

"Wow, 300 Cup starts for me this weekend. It sure doesn't seem like I've had 300 starts. It's gone by fast. But I'm proud of that, and proud of being here for that long. That makes it a special weekend. I'm glad Love's Travel Stops is on our car to help mark the milestone. The last couple races we've run at Martinsville have been our best races at that track. So, hopefully that trend continues this week." - David Gilliland

Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer at Frontstretch.  He can be reached via e-mail at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com.

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TODAY ON FRONTSTRETCH:

Eyes on XFINITY: The State of the XFINITY Series, 5 Races In

by Joseph Wolkin

Four Burning Questions at Martinsville: Dastardly Debris & Kurt Busch's Chance to Cash In

by Matt Stallknecht

Holding A Pretty Wheel: Getting On Track(s)

by Amy Henderson

Tech Talk: Tony Gibson on Kurt Busch's Hot Start & What to Expect at Martinsville

as told to Mike Neff

NASCAR 101: Why Drivers Under 18 Have a Shot in the Trucks

by the Frontstretch Staff

IndyCar Preview: Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

by P. Huston Ladner

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FRONTSTRETCH TRIVIA:

Q: In 1990, the then-Busch Grand National Series held three races at Martinsville.  Tommy Houston won the March race, while Steve Grissom won the October race.  The other event was a quick 150-lapper held as primary support to the Cup Series. Jeff Burton won it to claim his first career victory.  How did he do it?

Check back Monday for the answer, here in the Frontstretch Newsletter!

Thursday's Answer:

Q: In 1989, Dale Earnhardt started his No. 3 Goodwrench Chevrolet on the pole position in the Goody's 500 at Martinsville.  Familiar territory for sure.  However, Earnhardt didn't qualify the car.  Who did, and why?

A: Earnhardt was one of a number of drivers who could not make it Martinsville in time to qualify due to Hurricane Hugo, which made landfall in the Carolinas the day before qualifying.  Martinsville did not have any damage, but did receive torrential rains and 50 mph winds.  Richard Childress tapped Jimmy Hensley, who lived just a couple of miles away in Ridgeway, to qualify Earnhardt's car.  Hensley then plopped the No. 3 on the pole.  At the time, NASCAR did not a rule forcing a car to the rear for changing drivers, so Earnhardt started from pole.  The beginning of ESPN's race telecast has some video from qualifying.

COMING MONDAY

In The Frontstretch Newsletter:

We'll have recaps of both NASCAR races this weekend from Martinsville, along with any notable news that breaks.

On Frontstretch.com:

We'll have a series of post-race commentaries breaking down the STP 500.  With cool weather predicted, expect tires to be a big story.
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