Martinsville "Mayhem"

                                              "Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500”

MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA- Race seven of ten, the Chase is getting closer to the finally, and this short track will be a great test to the drivers ability to keep their cars and their attitudes in one piece. They will race 500 laps on the “Paperclip” they call Martinsville. During practice at Martinsville, both Danica Patrick and Boyfriend Ricky Stenhouse Jr. crashed their primary cars. The RPM famous 43 car will not be on the track for the first time since 2003. The car will be replaced with a commemorative car number 41 for engine builder Maurice Petty. In qualifying, Denny Hamlin (11) was able to take the Pole position ahead of Jimmie Johnson (48). Fireworks happened in the Truck Race on Saturday as Grandson of RCR Ty Dillon (3) decided to spin out Kevin Harvick (14) intentionally. Harvick voiced his distaste for the act, stating that was the reason he was leaving RCR, because the spoon fed kids did not care about the veterans in the sport. Dillon blames Harvick for the spin, claiming he brake checked him. On the other hand, Darrell Wallace Jr. (54) was able to get his first win in the Truck Series. He is only the second black driver to ever take a victory in the sport. Joe Gibbs Racing has three of the top four spots at the start of the race.

In other news this week, during testing at Texas, Points contender Matt Kenseth crashed his race car. Richard Petty Motorsports has more bad news to deal with, as NASCAR has forced one of their drivers to attend sensitivity training due to a tweet that was written. Corey Lajoie posted a comment, “TSA should do cavity searches on any man wearing a turban”

During the pre-race ceremonies, Mike Hatfield provided the Invocation. North Carolina University Marching Band played the National Anthem. Five CJ-6A’s Affordable Warbirds flew over the track in a V formation. The Grand Marshall for the race was Junior Johnson (winner of 50 races). The In-Race Reporter was Clint Bowyer (15).

On lap 7, Jeff Burton (31) was spun out by Carl Edwards (99). Dave Blaney (7) also received damage, dropping oil and headed to the garage. Travis Kvapil (93) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (17) as well had damages to them. The early laps were led by Hamlin, with Johnson taking the lead before the caution flew. A second caution happened when Edwards ran over Kvapil and spun him out.

Another caution came out on lap 140, when David Reutimann (83) pulled down in front of Bobby Labonte (47) and was not clear, so it spun him out.

On lap 170, Kyle Larson (51) had an engine failure that sent him spinning around. He did not hit anything, but his day was shortened. Everyone made stops except Burton, as he stayed out to take the lead.

During the restart, the fifth caution came out for a multi-car incident. Kasey Kahne (5), Denny Hamlin (11), Martin Truex Jr. (56), Aric Almirola (41), Ken Schrader (32) and Travis Kvapil (93) all received damage from the pile-up that was started back in sixteenth spot.

Caution number six flew on lap 204, for Kurt Busch (78) and Mark Martin (14) getting in a wreck. Busch was trying to get under and pass Jamie McMurray (1) who was falling back on the outside. The rear of Busch’s car got loose and he spun around, right in front of Mark Martin who ran into his ran. Only the top nine cars stayed on track, while the rest of the lead lap cars made stops under the caution.

Travis Kvapil spun out again near lap 220, bringing out the seventh caution. Kurt Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88) were the only two cars that made a stop under this caution.

On lap 228, Truex Jr. struck the curb and slid up into Reutimann, causing Reutimann to spin out in front of the field. Earnhardt Jr. received damage to his front end, as he tried to get past the spinning car ahead of him.

At the midway part of the race, the top ten were: Bowyer (15), Burton (31), Gordon (24), Newman (39), Kenseth (20), Harvick (29), Lagono (20), Earnhardt Jr. (88), Hamlin (11) and Kyle Busch (18).

On lap 284, Reed Sorenson (95) stalled on the track to bring out the ninth caution. The way that Sorenson stopped on track when all tires were up could make it a little suspicious. The tenth caution came out on lap 297, when a piece of debris flew off the front of Earnhardt’s car. Truex Jr. also had a piece of someone’s car stuck on his hood. Twenty-six cars are on the lead lap at this point in the race, as Edwards just received the lucky dog.

On lap 309, Landon Cassill (40) was spun out by Kahne. Tempers are starting to show up more, and drivers not giving one another a little room, as in the beginning is really able to be seen more now. Ryan Newman (39) brought out the next caution on lap 318, when he tried moving over into a spot that already had a car, as he clipped his front end and spun. Kevin Harvick (29) was the car in the spot Newman tried to take. This was caution number twelve.

During the restart laps, Juan Montoya (42) ran hard into the corner, making it three wide and shoving Marcus Ambrose (9) up and into Truex Jr., causing Truex to spin out for the thirteenth caution. Caution fourteen was for debris on the front-stretch on lap 337. A Ford grill was laying on the track.

On lap 353, Danica Patrick (10) was running in tenth spot, having another great race. The all-time record for cautions in a race is twenty-one.

On lap 364, the fifteenth caution flew for Cole Whitt (30) spinning out, after having a tire blow out. Everyone except Elliott Sadler (55) made pit stops at this caution.

On lap 380, JJ Yeley (36) was spun out by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (17). There was plenty of contact between Yeley and Stenhouse Jr. before the car driven by Yeley was finally spun out. Greg Biffle (16) was intentionally trying to wreck Jimmie Johnson just before the caution flew for Yeley. Biffle was forced to make a pit stop to get the rear panel removed from his car, due to it flapping in the wind for numerous laps.

Another debris caution for crap out of the running lane was thrown on lap 415. There have been seventeen caution for 111 laps up to this point, with only four more needed for the record to be tied. Only four cars are out of the race due to engine issues.

With just twenty laps to go, Jeff Gordon (24) took the lead from Matt Kenseth, who led the most laps on the day with nearly 200 led.

Gordon was able to keep his car out front for the remainder of the race, to beat Kenseth for his eighth victory at Martinsville, and his eighty-eighth of his career.

The rest of the top ten were: Clint Bowyer (15), Brad Keselowski (2), Jimmie Johnson (48), Kevin Harvick (29), Denny Hamlin (11), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88), Greg Biffle (16) and Jamie McMurray (1). Danica Patrick finished in seventeenth spot.

Points now: Kenseth and Johnson are tied for the lead, Gordon (24) (-27), Harvick (29) (28), Busch (18) (-36), Bowyer (15) (-55), Earnhardt Jr. (88) (-56), Biffle (16) (-58), Busch (78) (-75), Edwards (99) (-76), Lagono (22) (-85), Newman (39) (- 106) and Kahne (5) (-124).

CHEVY won the Manufacturers Championship for the season with Gordon’s Win.

The next race will be on Saturday for the Nationwide Series at Texas on ESPN2 at 3:30 PM EST.

The next Cup race is at Texas on Sunday at 2 PM on ESPN.