As they gear up for some Saturday night short track racing, the NASCAR Cup Series drivers take to the track on Friday afternoon for a little practice and to qualify for the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400.
The Cup Series helps Martinsville Speedway celebrate 75 years of racing as they continue to short track swing in the season.
Cody Ware gets group A qualifying started but it is Chase Elliott with a time of 19.694 seconds who will sit on the pole and bring the field to the green flag. This is Elliott’s 10th pole of his career and first at Martinsville. Elliott said that he didn’t think he had put down a pole winning time; thinking that someone could beat it.
One name missing during the qualifying process was Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger whose number 16 car failed the inspection process three times. Not only was Allmendinger not get to qualify for the race and will have to start the race from the back of the field; he will also lose a crew member for the race and will have to serve a pass through penalty once the green flag has dropped.
No other teams had issues that earned a penalty during inspection.
The starting lineup for the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400:
Chase Elliott
Aric Almirola
Cole Custer
Chris Buescher
William Byron
Kevin Harvick
Christopher Bell
Kyle Larson
Brad Keselowski
Todd Gilliland
Kyle Busch
Ryan Blaney
Austin Cindric
Joey Logano
Alex Bowman
Michael McDowell
Justin Haley
Kurt Busch
Chase Briscoe
Martin Truex Jr
Bubba Wallace
Tyler Reddick
Austin Dillon
Erik Jones
Denny Hamlin
Corey LaJoie
Ross Chastain
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Harrison Burton
Daniel Suarez
Josh Bilicki
JJ Yeley
BJ McLeod
Ty Dillon
Cody Ware
AJ Allmendinger
Stages one is 80 laps in length, stage two is 100 laps in length, and stage three is 220 laps in length for a total of 400 laps around the half mile track. The drivers can run around 150 laps on a single load of fuel.
Chad Knaus returns to join Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer in the FOX Sports broadcast booth for the race.
There has been seven races so far in the Cup Series with seven different drivers; could there be an eighth different winner this week or will Martinsville be the first time the Cup Series will have a repeat winner?
Hendrick Motorsports has a total of 26 Martinsville wins with Geoff Bodine winning the first. HMS needs just 18 more laps of leading the race to reach 10,000 laps led.
The calendar says that it is spring, but Mother Nature has other ideas…it is cold and snowing in Martinsville. The track drying equipment is out on the track and working hard to get the track ready for racing.
Nearly an hour after the original starting time at 8:20pm the drivers were in their cars and the engines fired after a very rousing command.
There is a further chance of precipitation; NASCAR’s ruling is the race is official at halfway or the end of stage two.
Chase Elliott brings the field down for the green flag start of the race from the inside lane at 8:45pm. Elliott jumps out in front of Aric Almirola for the lead.
Chase Elliott leads lap one.
Lap three Chase Elliott already has a half second lead on Aric Almirola; Cole Custer, William Byron, and Christopher Bell round out the top five. AJ Allmendinger has served his pass through penalty and is a lap down.
Lap six, Chase Elliott has increased his lead to nearly a full second on Aric Almirola.
Lap eight, Cole Custer passes Aric Almirola for second with William Byron taking third.
Lap nine, the top five are Chase Elliott, Cole Custer, William Byron, Christopher Bell, and Aric Almirola.
Lap 10, Chase Elliott has a lead of over a second on Cole Custer.
Lap 12, Chase Elliott has a lead of over a second on Cole Custer; William Byron, Christopher Bell, and Aric Almirola round out the top five.
Lap 16, AJ Allmendinger remains the only car not on the lead lap.
Lap 18, Chase Elliott has just led the 10,000th lap for Hendrick Motorsports – the first team ever to do so. He has a second and a half lead on Cole Custer; William Byron, Christopher Bell, and Aric Almriola round out the top five.
Lap 22, Chase Elliott has led every lap so far.
Lap 32, Chase Elliott continues to lead the race; his lead is over two and a half seconds on Cole Custer; William Byron, Christopher Bell, and Aric Almiroa round out the top five. There are 31 cars on the lead lap with all 36 drivers still on the track.
Lap 36, Chase Elliott puts Ty Dillon one lap down for 30 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 40, Chase Elliott has a lead of over three seconds on Cole Custer and William Byron who are battling for second.
Lap 41, the top five are Chase Elliott, William Byron, Cole Custer, Christopher Bell, and Aric Almirola. There are 29 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 47, Ross Chastain and Martin Truex Jr make contact but the track stays green.
Lap 48, Chase Elliott has a lead of two and a half seconds on William Byron as he continues to encounter traffic and put cars a lap down. There are 28 cars on the lead lap.
Aric Almirola reports some brake issues with the car but reports that he is so busy in the car that he cannot reach the adjustment lever.
Lap 54, Chase Elliott has led every lap of the race so far; William Byron, Cole Custer, Christopher Bell, and Aric Almirola round out the top five.
Lap 60, Chase Elliott continues to dominate the field with a lead of over two seconds on William Byron.
Kyle Larson, who has dropped six spots since the start of the race, is reporting a very loose condition in his car.
Lap 65, Chase Elliott has put Daniel Suarez a lap down as William Byron closes the gap to under half a second. There are 24 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 72, Chase Elliott holdsa narrow lead on team mate William Byron; Cole Custer, Christopher Bell, and Aric Almorla round out the top five. Denny Hamlin is fighting to stay on the lead lap.
Lap 76, Chase Elliott finally passes Denny Hamlin to put Hamlin one lap down.
Drivers are getting three wide across the track.
Lap 78, Since passing Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott increases his lead on William Byron to over half a second.
Chase Elliott wins stage one for his first stage win of the season.
The top 10 at the end of stge one:
Chase Elliott
William Byron
Cole Custer
Christopher Bell
Aric Almirola
Kevin Harvick
Ryan Blaney
Joey Logano
Austin Cindric
Kurt Busch
Michael McDowell is the “lucky dog”.
Drivers come down pit road for service with Chase Elliott winning the race off of pit road.
Cody Ware was caught speeding on pit road. Bubba Wallace’s crew had a member come over the wall too soon. Justin Haley and Brad Keselowski were charged with having equipment over the wall too soon.
Chase Elliott brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two on lap 92 with Ellitt getting out in front for the lead. Cole Custer and William Byron battle for second.
Lap 97, Chase Elliott has a lead of over half a second on William Byron; Cole Custer, Christopher Bell, and Joey Logano round out the top five. There are 23 cars on the lead lap. Bubba Wallace is the last car on the lead lap.
Lap 101, Chase Elliott continues to dominate the race with a lead of nearly a second on William Byron.
Lap 107, William Byron has closed the gap on leader Chase Elliott to just under half a second; Cole Custer, Christopher Bell, and Joey Logano round out the top five.
Lap 112 William Byron is on leder Chase Elliott’s bumper and looking to battle for the lead. There are 23 cars on the lead lap.
The Hot Dog Stand is OUT of hot dogs!!!!
The Hot Dog Stand has resupplied!!!
Lap 124, Chase Elliott has a half second lead on William Byron; Cole Custer, Christopher Bell, and Joey Logano round out the top five. Bubba Wallace is the last car on the lead lap in 23rd.
Lap 130, halfway through stage two, and Chase Elliott has dominated the race by leading every lap. He has a one second lead on William Byron.
Lap 136, Chase Elliott has caught up to Bubba Wallace – the last car on the lead lap.
Lap 141, BJ McLeod gets slowed on the track but makes it to pit road and the track stays green. He reports that something broke in the car.
Lap 143, leader Chase Elliott is in heavy traffic.
Lap 146, Joey Logano passes Christopher Bell for fourth. Chase Elliott continues to lead the race but has not been able to get around Bubba Wallace. William Byron is just two tenths of a second behind Elliott.
There are 22 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 157, Chase Ellitt continues to lead the race with a lead of just under half a second on William Byron; Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, and Cole Custer round out the top five.
Lap 166, Chase Elliott has a half second lead on William Byron; but it is over four seconds back to third place driver Joey Logano with Ryan Blaney and Cole Custer rounding out the top five.
Alex Bowman is reporting some shaking in his car.
Lap 171, Christopher Bell and Aric Almirola battle for sixth with Almirola taking the spot.
Lap 175, Chase Elliott has increased his lead to over a second on William Byron. Austin Dillon passes Christopher Bell for seventh.
Lap 178, Bubba Wallace has managed to hold off leader Chase Elliott.
Lap 179, Austin Dillon passes Aric Almirola for sixth.
Coming to the green and white checkered flag, Daniel Suarez bumps Chase Elliott trying to get one his laps back.
Chase Elliott wins stage two for the stage sweep after leading all 180 laps so far.
The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Chase Elliott
William Byron
Joey Logano
Ryan Blaney
Cole Custer
Austin Dillon
Aric Almirola
Austin Cindric
Christopher Bell
Kevin Harvick
Chase Elliott leads the field down pit road for service. William Byron edges out Chase Elliott in the race off of pit road.
Todd Gilliland is the “lucky dog”.
The tire bouncing around pit road belonged to Cole Custer’s team.
Boss man Tony Stewart is in the pits checking out the tires of his driver Aric Almirola.
For the first time in the race, William Byron is the leader and brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three. Byron takes the lead with Chase Elliott and Joey Logano in a battle for second.
Lap 194, the top five are William Byron, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, and Austin Dillon.
BJ McLeod is out of the race.
Lap 200, half way, William Byron has a lead of over half a second on Chase Elliott; Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, and Austin Dillon round out the top five.
Lap 225, William Byron has a lead of over half a second on Chase Elliott; Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, and Austin Dillon round out the top five with 22 cars on the lead lap.
After setting a new record for leading at least 10,000 laps at a single track, Hendrick Motorsports and Chase Elliott set a record for leading the most laps in a race with 185. Now HMS is looking to lead every lap in the race.
Lap 236, William Byron has a half second lead on team mate Chase Elliott with third place driver Joey Logano over four seconds back; Ryan Blaney and Austin Dillon round out the top five.
Daniel Suarez and Chase Elliott make contact again but the track stays green. Suarez had just come off of pit road for service after staying out on the track at the end of stage two.
Lap 252, William Byron had a lead of just under half a second on Chase Elliott; Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, and Austin Dill round out the top five.
With 145 laps remaining in the race, the drivers are in their pit window to make it to the end of the race.
Lap 258, Cole Custer is the last car on the lead lap in 21st place.
Lap 260, Joey Logano has closed the gap to under two seconds on Chase Elliott.
Lap 264, William Byron passes Cole Custer to put Custer a lap down.
Lap 270, in 20th place, Bubba Wallace is once again the last car on the lead lap.
Lap 280, Joey Logano passes Chase Elliott for second; with Ryan Blaney and Austin Dillon coming on right behind Logano to put Elliott in fifth place.
Lap 284, William Byron has a lead of nearly two seconds on Joey Logano.
Chase Elliott is reporting a loose condition; saying that the car is hard to handle.
Lap 290, Kyle Busch is the first driver to come down pit road to begin the cycle of green flag pit stops. Busch reports a continual tight condition on his car.
La 293, there are just 18 cars on the lead lap.
After making his pit stop, Martin Truex Jr is having some issues. He has a flat tire and has to make his way back to pit road.
Lap 297, Chase Elliott makes his green flag pit stop.
Christopher Bell’s crew is charged with coming over the wall too soon, he will have to serve a pass through penalty.
Lap 303, grren flag pit stops continue including leader William Byron. Ryan Blaney is the new leader.
Currently the air temperature at Martinsville is 39 degrees, causing some issues for the drivers coming out of pit road on cold tires.
Kyle Larson was caught speeding on pit road.
Lap 307, leader Ryan Blaney makes his gren flag pit stop.
William Byron retakes the lead with Joey Logano a second and a half back; Austin Dillon, Chase Elliott, and Kyle Busch round out the top five.
The caution flag comes out on lap 311 for debris on the track. This is the first caution flag of the race for an on track incident. Brad Keselowski is the “lucky dog”. Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch are among the half dozen drivers who come down pit road for service.
Lap 313, pit road was not yet open when Denny Hamlin made a pit stop because he was out of fuel.
During his green flag pit stop, a member of Christopher Bell’s crew came over the wall to soon and he has to serve a penalty.
With 80 laps remaining in the race, William Byron brings the field down for the green flag restart from the inside lane and goes nose to nose with Austin Dillon. William Byron takes the lead.
Drivers are getting three wide back in the field.
Lap 322, William Byron leads the race with Austin Dillon in second; Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
Seventy five to go, drivers are getting aggressive as they battle for position.
Lap 330, William Byron has a half second lead on Austin Dillon; Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
Lap 335, Kurt Busch is closing the gap on third place driver Joey Logano; but leader William Byron is slowly increasing the gap on second place driver Austin Dillon.
Lap 345, William Byron has increased his lead on Austin Dillon to over a second; Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
Kevin Harvick reports that he is plowing tight.
Brad Keselowski is the last driver on the lead lap in 18th place.
Lap 355, Joey Logano has caught up to Austin Dillon and is looking to pass for second. William Byron has a lead of over a second and a half on Austin Dillon.
Just 40 laps remain in the race, William Byron has a lead of nearly two seconds on Austin Dillon; Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five. After dominating the first half of the race, Chase Elliott is mired back in the field in eleventh.
Thirty to go, William Byron has led every laps of stage three except during green flag pit stops. He has a near two second lead on Austin Dillon; Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five. There are 18 cars on the lead lap.
Twenty to go, William Byron’s lead on Austin Dillon is down to a second and a half; Joey Logano, Kurt Busch and Ryan Blaney round out the top five. Chase Elliott has finally made it back into the top 10.
Mired in traffic, Austin Dillon is now over two seconds behind leader William Byron.
Ten to go, drivers are pushing each other in a battle for position. William Byron has a lead of over two and a half seconds on Austin Dillon; Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
The caution flag comes out with just seven laps to go when Todd Gilliland hits the wall.
Kyle Larson is the “lucky dog”.
Some of the drivers come down pit road; Kyle Busch in ninth is the first driver to come down pit road.
The race goes into overtime.
William Byron has led 206 laps – the most he has ever led in his career.
In the first attempt at a green/white/checker overtime shootout, William Byron brings the field down from the inside lane and edges out Joey Logano for the lead.
William Byron takes the white flag.
After winning the Truck Series race on Thursday night, William Byron becomes the first driver in the Cup Series to be a repeat winner.
The unofficial results of the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400:
William Byron
Joey Logano
Austin Dillon
Ryan Blaney
Ross Chastain
Kurt Busch
Kyle Busch
Aric Almirola
Chase Briscoe
Chase Elliott
Austin Cindric
Alex Bowman
Erik Jones
Kevin Harvick
Chris Buescher
Bubba Wallace
Brad Keselowski
Tyler Reddick
Kyle Larson
Christopher Bell
Cole Custer
Martn Truex Jr
Ty Dillon
AJ Allmendinger
Michael McDowell
Harrison Burton
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Denny Hamlin
Daniel Suarez
Todd Gilliland
Justin Haley
Corey LaJoie
Cody Ware
JJ Yeley
Josh Bilicki
BJ McLeod