NASCAR night race at Martinsville: How to watch, starting lineup and predictions
Note: Live updates and results from the Martinsville race can be found here.
NASCAR returns for Wednesday night racing at Martinsville Speedway, where Cup Series drivers will compete under the lights for the first time at the concrete oval. The Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 starts at 7 p.m. on FS1.
Changes are happening on and off the track for NASCAR. As nationwide protests against racial injustice and police brutality continue into a third week, the sport and its drivers are making unprecedented moves to speak out against racism. On Monday, Bubba Wallace, the only African American driver in the Cup Series, said NASCAR should ban the Confederate flag from events.
“No one should feel uncomfortable when they come to a NASCAR race,” Wallace told CNN. “So it starts with Confederate flags. Get them out of here.”
Wallace also wore an “I Can’t Breathe/Black Lives Matter” t-shirt before Sunday’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway and will run a special paint scheme to honor the Black Lives Matter movement for Wednesday’s race. The paint scheme features a graphic of a black and white fist interlocked on the hood of Wallace’s No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro. Under the graphic and on the rear bumper are the words “Compassion, Love, Understanding” along with “#BlackLivesMatter” painted on both sides of the car.
During its pre-race ceremony at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, NASCAR president Steve Phelps delivered a message of racial equality, calling on the sport and the country to “do better.” Cup Series drivers also organized a video that was played as part of its pre-race ceremony, which included one official kneeling through the national anthem and invocation.
“I’m really proud of what our sport did the last week (with) the drivers coming together,” Denny Hamlin said of the driver video Tuesday.
Following the ceremony at Atlanta, NASCAR dove into four hours of racing on the intermediate track for the season’s 10th official event, which was won handily by Kevin Harvick.
This week, the series will run its second short track race of the season, this time at Martinsville, with a new, lower downforce rules package, new Goodyear tires and at a new time of the year (still without any practice or qualifying due to its COVID-19 event protocols).
Although temperatures will likely cool in the evening, the race is running later in the season than it normally would and will be hotter than what drivers have raced on in the past. As of Wednesday morning, temperatures were projected to remain in the high-80s to low-70s near the Martinsville track in Ridgeway, Va. according to the National Weather Service. On Sunday, Wallace fainted after exiting his car at Atlanta due to heat.
“I don’t think the (time of day) will be as big of a difference as the tire change and the actual outside temperature,” Hamlin said.
Here are the drivers we expect to handle the heat Wednesday evening.
DRIVERS TO WATCH
No. 2 Brad Keselowski (or any Penske driver)
A Team Penske car is a safe bet at the second short track of the modified Cup season. At Bristol — the latest short track of the series — Keselowksi finished first, and Logano ran in front during the final two laps before he was bumped to the back by Chase Elliott. Keselowski also has two Martinsville wins under his belt, while Logano has one. The three Penske drivers will also be starting in the top-10 with Ryan Blaney on the pole, Logano in third and Keselowski in sixth.
“It’s definitely one of those racetracks that as a NASCAR driver, you want to have a win at,” Logano said Tuesday. “Maybe it’s not Daytona or Indy, but to me, it’s right in the wheelhouse with Charlotte and Darlington (or) a road course.”
No. 24 William Byron
Byron could be a driver who sees his first official win of the 2020 season and his first win at Martinsville come Wednesday, along with other dark horse contenders Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and rookie Tyler Reddick. The new rules package and probability of more caution flags means a middle-of-the-pack driver could emerge as a race winner. Byron finished in second at Martinsville last year and won both short-track events during the iRacing Pro Invitational Series.
HOW TO WATCH NASCAR’S NIGHT RACE AT MARTINSVILLE
Race: Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500
Distance: 263 miles, 500 laps
Where: Martinsville Speedway
When: 7 p.m.
TV: FS1
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Who has pole position for Martinsville?
Ryan Blaney is on the pole, followed by Aric Almirola, Joey Logano and Clint Bowyer. Here’s the full starting lineup:
1. Ryan Blaney
2. Aric Almirola
3. Joey Logano
4. Clint Bowyer
5. Martin Truex Jr.
6. Brad Keselowski
7. Kyle Busch
8. Alex Bowman
9. Kurt Busch
10. Kevin Harvick
11. Chase Elliott
12. Denny Hamlin
13. Erik Jones
14. Tyler Reddick
15. William Byron
16. Ryan Newman
17. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
18. John Hunter Nemechek
19. Matt DiBenedetto
20. Matt Kenseth
21. Jimmie Johnson
22. Austin Dillon
23. Bubba Wallace
24. Chris Buescher
25. Corey Lajoie
26. JJ Yeley
27. Cole Custer
28. Ryan Preece
29. Michael McDowell
30. Ty Dillon
31. Brennan Poole
32. Christopher Bell
33. David Starr
34. Quin Houff
35. Garrett Smithley
36. Joey Gase
37. Daniel Suarez
38. Timmy Hill
39. Reed Sorenson
This story was originally published June 10, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
