NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: Blu-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400
The Place: Martinsville Speedway
The Date: Saturday, April 9
The Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $6,917,073
TV: FS1, 7 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 210.4 miles (400 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 80),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 180), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 400)
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Next Race: Call 811 Before You Dig 250 Powered by Call811.com
The Place: Martinsville Speedway
The Date: Friday, April 8
The Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $1,501,956
TV: FS1, 6:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 131.5 miles (250 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 60),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 120), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 250)
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Next Race: Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 200
The Place: Martinsville Speedway
The Date: Thursday, April 7
The Time: 8 p.m. ET
The Purse: $693,842
TV: FS1, 7 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 105.2 miles (200 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 50),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 100), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 200)
NASCAR Cup Series
Short Track Swing: Martinsville Speedway welcomes the NASCAR Cup Series
The NASCAR Cup Series finds itself amid a short track swing on the 2021 season schedule, tasking the teams to find the best setups for the Next Gen cars on three similar tracks in length (less than a mile) but vastly different competitive arenas. From last week‘s 0.75-mile asphalt paved Richmond Raceway, to this weekend‘s historic Martinsville Speedway that stretches 0.526-mile in length with asphalt paved straights and concrete corners, to next weekend‘s 0.5-mile Bristol Motor Speedway dirt track, the challenge through this portion of the schedule is immense.
Martinsville Speedway is the longest continuously running track on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, and the only currently active track that was a part of the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series season in 1949. Martinsville Speedway was originally a dirt track and the facility hosted 12 NASCAR Cup Series races on the then dirt surface before paving the track in the late summer months of 1955, between the track‘s two Cup races of that season. In total, there have been 146 NASCAR Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway, one in the inaugural year (1949) and two races per year since 1950. The first 500-lap event at Martinsville Speedway was in 1956 and the concrete corners were added atop asphalt in 1976.
The 146 NASCAR Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway are the second-most points-paying series events run at a facility behind Daytona International Speedway‘s 150 races.
Martinsville‘s 146 races have produced 61 different pole winners and 55 different race winners; nine of the Cup Series Martinsville Speedway race winners are entered this weekend.
Active Race Winners (9)WinsSeasonsDenny Hamlin52015, 2010 sweep, 2009, 2008Martin Truex Jr32021, 2020, 2019Brad Keselowski22019, 2017Kyle Busch22017, 2016Kurt Busch22014, 2002Alex Bowman12021Chase Elliott12020Joey Logano12018Kevin Harvick12011
The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway was on Sept. 25, 1949 and won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Red Byron driving an Oldsmobile for car owner Raymond Parks. NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Martinsville Speedway with 15 victories (1960, 1962, 1963, 1967 sweep, 1968, 1969 sweep, 1970, 1971, 1972 sweep, 1973, 1975, 1979) — the most any driver in the series has won at a single track; he also won 15 races at North Wilkesboro. Joe Gibbs Racing‘s Denny Hamlin leads the NASCAR Cup Series among active drivers in wins at Martinsville Speedway with five victories (2008, 2009, 2010 sweep, 2015).
This weekend‘s Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 on Saturday night, April 9, at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90) will be 400 laps (210.4 miles) and broken up into the three stages. The first stage is 80 laps, the second stage is 100 laps, and the final stage is 220 laps.
All the NASCAR Cup Series action at Martinsville Speedway begins this Friday, April 8 at 4:30 p.m. ET followed directly by Busch Light Pole Qualifying at 5:05 p.m. ET both will be televised on FS1.
Hot Streak: Trend of different winners to start the season could reach eight
Joe Gibbs Racing‘s Denny Hamlin gave Toyota its first win of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season and in the process kept the streak of different winners to start the season alive making the 2022 season the sixth different year in the NASCAR Cup Series‘ Modern Era (1972-2022) to start with seven different drivers in Victory Lane; joining 2021, 2014, 2003, 2000 and 1991.
Now the NASCAR Cup Series is heading to the historic Martinsville Speedway to see if the streak can make it to eight different winners. If the 2022 season sees an eighth different victor this weekend it will become just the third different season in the NASCAR Cup Series Modern Era (1972-Present) to start with eight different winners in the first eight races; joining 2003 and 2000. Last season, Martin Truex Jr. snapped the different winners streak to start the year by winning his second race of the 2021 season at Martinsville (Race No. 8).
2022 NASCAR Cup Series Season Recap:
LocationPole WinnerRace WinnerPoints LeaderPts Lead1DaytonaKyle LarsonAustin CindricAustin Cindric02Auto ClubAustin CindricKyle LarsonAustin Cindric83Las VegasChristopher BellAlex BowmanKyle Larson64PhoenixRyan BlaneyChase BriscoeJoey Logano45AtlantaN/A – WeatherWilliam ByronChase Elliott76COTARyan BlaneyRoss ChastainChase Elliott137RichmondRyan BlaneyDenny HamlinRyan Blaney0
The Modern Era record of different winners to start a NASCAR Cup Series season is 10 set back in 2000. NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. snapped the different winners streak by winning his second race of the 2000 season at Richmond (Race No. 11).
SeasonRace No.WinnersTrackDate20001Dale JarrettDaytonaSunday, February 20, 200020002Bobby LabonteRockinghamSunday, February 27, 200020003Jeff BurtonLas VegasSunday, March 5, 200020004Dale EarnhardtAtlantaSunday, March 12, 200020005Ward BurtonDarlingtonSunday, March 19, 200020006Rusty WallaceBristolSunday, March 26, 200020007Dale Earnhardt JrTexasSunday, April 2, 200020008Mark MartinMartinsvilleSunday, April 9, 200020009Jeff GordonTalladegaSunday, April 16, 2000200010Jeremy MayfieldAuto ClubSunday, April 30, 2000
The next longest streak of different winners to start a season in the NASCAR Cup Series Modern Era belongs to 2003 with nine consecutive different winners. Kurt Busch snapped the streak of different winners by winning his second race of the 2003 season at Auto Club Speedway (Race No. 10).
SeasonRace No.WinnersTrackDate20031Michael WaltripDaytonaSunday, February 16, 200320032Dale JarrettRockinghamSunday, February 23, 200320033Matt KensethLas VegasSunday, March 2, 200320034Bobby LabonteAtlantaSunday, March 9, 200320035Ricky CravenDarlingtonSunday, March 16, 200320036Kurt BuschBristolSunday, March 23, 200320037Ryan NewmanTexasSunday, March 30, 200320038Dale Earnhardt JrTalladegaSunday, April 6, 200320039Jeff GordonMartinsvilleSunday, April 13, 2003
In the Modern Era (1972-2021), the record for the most different NASCAR Cup Series winners in a single season in its entirety is 19 set back in 2001. The series has also seen a total of 18 different winners (second-most) in a single season twice — in 2002 and 2011. Last season, the series produced 16 different winners.
Short Track Showmen
Since the first NASCAR Cup Series season in 1949, short tracks — a track less than a mile in length — have graced the competitive schedule and been part of the fabric that makes up the sport.
NASCAR Hall of Famer aptly nicknamed ‘The King,‘ Richard Petty scored 138 of his record 200 NASCAR Cup Series victories on short tracks — the series-most short-track wins all-time. He also holds the record for the most wins at a single NASCAR Cup Series track posting 15 victories at this weekend‘s venue — Martinsville Speedway and North Wilkesboro.
Among the active drivers this weekend, 10 have posted wins on short tracks in the NASCAR Cup Series, led by Joe Gibbs Racing‘s Kyle Busch with 16 short-track Cup victories. Team Penske‘s Joey Logano is the only driver to win at all four of the currently active short tracks on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule with his victory last season at Bristol Dirt.
Active Short Track WinnersTotalMartinsvilleRichmond BristolBristol DirtKyle Busch162680Denny Hamlin115420Kurt Busch102260Brad Keselowski72230Kevin Harvick71330Joey Logano61221Martin Truex Jr63300Alex Bowman21100Kyle Larson20110Chase Elliott11000
Seven of the 10 active NASCAR Cup Series short track winners entered this weekend are looking for their first victory of 2022, and all seven are former winners at Martinsville — Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott and the track‘s defending spring race winner Martin Truex Jr.
Additionally, Stewart-Haas Racing‘s Kevin Harvick is the only NASCAR Cup Series driver to win in all three NASCAR national series at Martinsville Speedway (NCS: 2011, NXS: 2006, NCWTS: 2009, 2010, 2012) and the only active driver with an Xfinity win at the track. Five other drivers entered this weekend have won in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Martinsville Speedway – 23XI Racing‘s Bubba Wallace has two wins (2013, 2014), Joe Gibbs Racing‘s Denny Hamlin (2011, 2012) and Kyle Busch (2016, 2019) each have two wins, Hendrick Motorsport‘s driver Chase Elliott has one Truck win (2017) and Team Penske‘s Joey Logano also has one win (2015).
Joe Gibbs Racing‘s Martin Truex Jr. has won the last two consecutive Martinsville Speedway NACAR Cup Series spring races. In total, Truex has made 32 series starts at Martinsville posting one pole, three wins (2019, 2020, 2021), nine top fives and 15 top 10s. He has also led 1,016 laps at the Paperclip shaped track.
Virginia native Denny Hamlin returns to one of his favorite tracks – Martinsville Speedway
Joe Gibbs Racing‘s Denny Hamlin returns to Martinsville Speedway, one of his most successful tracks, just after securing his first win of the 2022 season at Richmond Raceway.
The Chesterfield, Virginia, native leads the NASCAR Cup Series in victories at the historic Martinsville Speedway with five wins (2008, 2009, 2010 sweep, 2015) and has all the intentions of making it six in Saturday night‘s Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 (April 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Among active drivers, Hamlin is one of the most prolific active short track competitors in the series. He is ranked second in short track Cup wins with 11 victories.
At Martinsville, Hamlin has made 32 series starts posting four poles, five wins, 16 top fives and 22 top 10s. But his Martinsville Speedway accolades don‘t stop there. The NASCAR Cup Series pre-race Loop Data has him leading every category among active drivers heading into Saturday night — Average Finish of 10.156 (series-best), Average Running Position of 9.375 (series-best), Driver Rating of 105.7 (series-best), 1,101 Fastest Laps Run (series-best), 12,917 Laps in the Top 15 (80.5%) (series-most), 1,084 Quality Passes (series-most).
Next Gen car performance is worth noting
The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season schedule and the debut of the Next Gen have combined for some outstanding on-track performance and the metric are here to back up what the fans are raving about through the first seven races of the year.
Lots of competition parity this season and most notably is the seven different winners in the first seven races; with three of them being first-time winners. The 2022 season is only the sixth season in the Modern Era (1972-Present) the NASCAR Cup Series has started with seven different winners in as many races; joining 1991, 2000, 2003, 2014, 2021. It is also just the second time in the Modern Era and the first-time since 2001 the series has had three first-time winners in the first seven races of a season.
But what is even more impressive is the 2022 season has produced the closest finishes through seven races to start a season since the advent electronic scoring in 1993. The average Margin of Victory of the first seven races of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season is 0.458-second; the closest average Margin of Victory through the first seven races of a season since advent of electronic scoring in 1993; next closest was 2001 with 0.486-second. The 2022 season has six of the first seven races concluding with a Margin of Victory of less than a second — just the second time since 1993 it has occurred joining 2001.
2022 has also produced the most passes for the lead during green flag racing since the statistic was invented in 2007; up 136% year-over-year through seven races. Through the first seven races the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season has produced a total of 387 green flag passes for the lead; the most through the first seven races since the Loop Data statistic was initially tabulated in 2007 (the last 16 seasons). Plus, the 2022 season is up 136% in a year-over-year comparison in green flag passes for the lead – 2021 (164) and 2022 (387).
And on top of all that, the Next Gen car keeps setting new track records in passing providing more action for fans during races. The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season has set three track records in green flag passes for the lead – producing more green flag passes for the lead than ever before at Las Vegas (57), Atlanta (141) and Circuit of the Americas (30).
Circuit of The Americas also produced a NASCAR Cup Series record for green flag passes for the lead on road course-type tracks with 30 green flag passes for the lead. The previous record for total green flag passes for the lead on a road course in the NASCAR Cup Series was held by Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course with 22 green flag passes for the lead in 2021.
Atlanta Motor Speedway produced a NASCAR Cup Series record for green flag passes for the lead on 1.5-mile tracks with 141 green flag passes for the lead. The previous record for green flag passes for the lead on a 1.5-mile track in the NASCAR Cup Series was held by Texas Motor Speedway with 57 green flag passes for the lead in 2019.
Then this past week the NASCAR Cup Series set the all-time track record for the most total green flag passes throughout the field during a race at Richmond Raceway with 3,072 total passes throughout the field during green flag conditions. It was also the most total green flag passes on a short track since the stat has been tabulated in 2007.
NASCAR Cup Series, Etc.
NASCAR Cup Series Featured Matchups: 2022 Martinsville Speedway — Below is a close look at the featured matchups fans can bet on heading into this weekend‘s event.
9 — Chase Elliott vs. 11 — Denny HamlinTwo of NASCAR‘s very best short track racers square off in a rematch of their infamous dustup in the 2017 Martinsville Playoff race, in which Hamlin wrecked Elliott on a late restart, costing Elliott a shot at advancing to the Championship 4 Round of the ‘17 Playoffs.Hamlin has the best all-time stat line at Martinsville among active drivers, with a 10.16 average finish and a stout five wins to his credit at the facility.Elliott is no slouch at Martinsville either. Elliott won the 2020 Fall Martinsville race in dramatic fashion — a win which cashed him a ticket to the 2020 Championship 4 Round. Since 2019, Elliott has led the second- most laps at Martinsville (575) among active drivers.Elliott enters the weekend as one of the most consistent drivers in NASCAR in 2022, as he is currently tied for the points lead with Ryan Blaney. Hamlin sits 20th in points and is coming off a short track win this past weekend in Richmond.1 — Ross Chastain vs. 12 — Ryan BlaneyThis past weekend in Richmond, Blaney and Chastain, two of the hottest drivers in the sport entering the weekend, feuded throughout the race, making contact numerous times with each other battling in the top five throughout the race. With another short track race on deck in Martinsville this weekend, will these two find each other on track again?In the matchup, Blaney would appear to have the early edge, as he has the best average finish among active drivers at the track since 2019 (5.83).Chastain however continues to buck statistics and has run well in nearly every race this season. His limited stat profile for Martinsville shows a 26.75 average finish since 2019, but recent stats have not been a good indicator of results for Chastain in 2022.19 — Martin Truex, Jr. vs. 24 — William ByronTruex and Byron went toe-to-toe over the course of the final stage of last week‘s race in Richmond in a battle of tire strategy, with both drivers coming up just short of a victory after Denny Hamlin shocked the field in the closing laps and passed the leaders via a tire gamble.Both drivers figure to be in the mix for the win on Sunday, as both have shown recent speed at Martinsville.Truex in particular is among the best in the series at The Paperclip, having won three of the last five Cup races at the track.Byron has three top-five finishes at Martinsville in his last six starts at the track18 — Kyle Busch vs. 5 – Kyle LarsonIt‘s the Kyle and Kyle Show in the final matchup of the week, in a battle between two drivers who, despite having great records at short tracks, have not seen much success in recent events at Martinsville.Larson has oft-described Martinsville as one of his weakest tracks, but his 11.50 average finish since 2019 at the facility suggests he has a better handle on the track than he gives himself credit for.Busch has two Martinsville wins to his name in his career, but none have come in the last 4 years. He‘ll look to change that after a disappointing showing in Richmond in which a strong run was undone by a pit penalty late in the race.
Brief history of the unique NASCAR trophy at Martinsville Speedway — There is nothing else out there like it and that‘s what makes it so unique, the Martinsville Speedway trophy that is. The seven-foot-tall trophy is known as the ‘Grandfather Clock‘ or the Ridgeway Clock. It was presented for the first time in 1964 to NASCAR Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen. Back then, and for many years, the trophy was manufactured just down the road from the iconic short track. Clockmakers Howard Miller then bought Ridgeway, who were the manufacturers of the clock, and started making them in their unit in Zeeland, Michigan.
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Joe Gibbs Racing‘s Ty Gibbs willing to win at all cost
After a battle in the last lap with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate John Hunter Nemechek, 19-year-old Ty Gibbs took home his third checkered flag of the season, remaining the only driver in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with multiple wins this season thus far.
This win marked the seventh in his Xfinity Series career after posting four wins in his 18 starts last season (Daytona Road Course, Charlotte, Watkins Glen and Kansas). After winning the pole for the ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond last weekend, he became the 13th different Xfinity Series driver at Richmond Raceway to win from the first starting position.
With two back-to-back poles under his belt (Austin and Richmond), Gibbs will look to make it three next weekend at Martinsville Speedway where he started on the front row the last time the Xfinity Series was there in October 2021.
With his win at Richmond, Gibbs racked-up another 56 points to bring his total to 283 in the series driver standings, just 20 points behind veteran AJ Allmendinger in the standings lead. Noah Gragson, who had been leading the standings up until this past weekend, is now tied with Gibbs with 283 — Gibbs owns the tiebreaker of most wins on the season.
NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to the ‘Paperclip‘ of short tracks
The NASCAR Xfinity Series will be back in action this Friday, April 8 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR radio for the Call 811 Before You Dig 250 Powered by Call811.com.
The track has produced 23 different race winners and 18 different pole winners in 37 races since its Xfinity Series inception in 1982. Sam Ard won the inaugural race and went on to win four more times (1982 sweep, 1983 sweep), holding the record for most Xfinity Series wins at the track.
The most recent winner at Martinsville Speedway is driver of the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, Noah Gragson, who has only gotten better every time he has gone out on the short track. In his first Xfinity Series stint at the track in 2020, he placed third and led for 23 of 250 laps. In the 2021 spring race, he placed second and in the fall race of that same year, he led 153 laps and finally made his way to Victory Lane.
With the success Gragson has had thus far in the 2022 season (one win, five top fives and five top 10s) and with his history competing in Martinsville, he is a good contender to take home the checkered flag this weekend but there might be some tough competition.
His JR Motorsport‘s teammate, Sam Mayer, had a rough start to the season but seems to have found his groove. In the last two races, he has posted top five finishes and even beat Gragson, AJ Allmendinger and Austin Hill for the Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonus at Richmond Raceway. Last season at Martinsville, he posted a top-five finish, proving he can find his way around a short track. With another $100,000 on the line for him at Martinsville and a hunger to post his first Xfinity Series win, he just may inch his way to a first-place finish.
AJ Allmendinger has been on his A-game all season long, posting one win (COTA), four top fives and seven top 10s. Although he doesn‘t have too much history in Martinsville, he did post a top-15 finish in the 2021 spring race and a top-10 finish in the fall race.
Josh Berry might be on track to post his first win of the season (third of his Xfinity Series career) at Martinsville Speedway this weekend. Although he struggled some in Atlanta and Austin, he came back to finish seventh in Richmond this past weekend and had three consecutive top-five finishes at Auto Club, Las Vegas and Phoenix earlier this season. Not only that, but he also worked his way to the checkered flag at Martinsville‘s spring race last year after starting in the 29th position. With 227 points, he‘s fighting to make his way to the top.
Xfinity‘s Dash 4 Cash continues at Martinsville
The NASCAR Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash program was designed to add elements of unpredictability and drama leading up to and during four designated races, increase on-track competition, engage fans and reward / recognize NASCAR Xfinity Series regular competitors.
The first qualifier was at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) where we saw AJ Allmendinger, Austin Hill, Noah Gragson and Sam Mayer secure their spots for a chance to win the $100,000 at Richmond Raceway. Ultimately, it was Mayer who took home the prize with his third-place finish, just barely squeezing by Allmendinger who finished fourth.
At Martinsville, we will once again see Mayer and Allmendinger dash for their chance to win, joined by Ty Gibbs and Riley Herbst.
All drivers have taken their shot at the Martinsville short track and have placed at least once in the top 10.
Sam Mayer: Competed last year and posted a fourth-place finish
AJ Allmendinger: Ran in both Martinsville races in 2021, posting a 13th-place and a seventh-place finish.
Ty Gibbs: Worked his way up to a fourth-place finish after starting in the 16th position in the 2021 spring race
Riley Herbst: Friday‘s race will be his fourth in Martinsville. He has posted two top-10 finishes in his three previous races.
The next Dash 4 Cash race will be at Talladega Superspeedway on April 23 followed by Dover Motor Speedway on April 30.
NASCAR Xfinity Series, Etc.
Sunoco Rookie of the Year Update — Current Sunoco Rookie of the Year leader Austin Hill didn‘t quite have the race he was hoping for at the ToyotaCare 250 after finishing 18th but is still leading the pack with one win, three top fives, three top 10s and 193 points.
Sheldon Creed also didn‘t have his best race at Richmond Raceway but with four top 10s and 164 points on the season, he‘s still fighting for his chance to make it to the Playoffs and to be named the 2022 Sunoco Rookie of the Year.
Kyle Sieg is looking to post first Xfinity Series top-10 finish. He comes in behind Hill and Creed with 75 points.
Jesse Iwuji has not competed in the last two races (Austin and Richmond) so he remains with 24 points.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Camping World Truck Series is looking to mix it up at Martinsville Speedway
After a one week break to regroup, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to Martinsville Speedway this Thursday, April 7 for the Blu-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 200 at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, the fifth race of the 2022 season.
Martinsville Speedway has hosted 44 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races dating back to the inaugural event on September 25, 1995. The race was won by Joe Ruttman driving a Ford for car owner Mark Simo. Ruttman led just the final two laps to take the win.
The 44 Truck Series races at Martinsville Speedway have produced 29 different pole winners and 31 different race winners. Five of the 31 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Martinsville Speedway race winners are entered this weekend — Johnny Sauter (four wins), Kyle Busch (two wins), Matt Crafton (two wins), Grant Enfinger (one win), John H. Nemechek (one win).
All the on-track activity for the NACAR Camping World Truck Series starts with practice on Thursday, April 7 at 3 p.m. ET directly followed by Cometic Gaskets Pole Qualifying at 3:30 p.m. ET and both events will be televised on FS1.
Eight different winners in last eight races at Martinsville
Martinsville Speedway is currently riding a streak of eight different NASCAR Camping World Truck Series winners that dates back to 2017 (4/1/2017 — 10/30/2021). The streak is tied with Phoenix Raceway (11/7/2014-11/5/2021) and Bristol Motor Speedway (8/21/2014 — 9/16/2021) for the longest active streaks in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Now the series returns to paperclip-shaped track to see if the streak will stay alive.
Four of the five former NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Martinsville Speedway winners entered this weekend — Johnny Sauter, Kyle Busch, John H. Nemechek, and Grant Enfinger – are also included in the streak and could be the ones that end it.
The different winners streak started in 2017 with Chase Elliott winning the spring race of that season, then Noah Gragson won in the fall, followed by John H. Nemechek (2018 spring), Johnny Sauter (2018 fall), Kyle Busch (2019 spring), Todd Gilliland (2019 fall), Grant Enfinger (2020) and Zane Smith (2021).
2022 Camping World Truck Series season is off to a fast start
The first four races of the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season have passed the eye-test producing side-by-side, action-packed competition, and it‘s no surprise because the stats are backing up what the fans are seeing.
The first four NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races of the 2022 season have produced an average of 16.75 lead changes per race — the most through the first four races of a Truck season since the inception of the series in 1995. Plus, the final lead change of each of the first four races this season have occurred with two laps or less in each event. With two of the four races this season concluding with a Margin of Victory of less than a second.
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has seen 21 different drivers lead laps this season – the most through the first four races since 2005 (24). The first four races of the 2022 season have produced an average of nine different leaders per race — the most through four races since the inception of the series in 1995.
This week the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series readies for Thursday‘s (April 7) Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 200 on the historically famous half-mile Martinsville Speedway at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Last season, the Truck Series only visited Martinsville Speedway once (October 30, 2021) and the race was won by Zane Smith, the series‘ most recent winner (COTA).
Front Row Motorsport‘s Zane Smith heads into off-week after a rallying win at COTA
Just when they needed a rallying win, Front Row Motorsport‘s driver Zane Smith delivered.
After opening the season with a massive win at Daytona International Speedway, Zane Smith and the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford team thought the wind was at their backs for the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. Smith had locked the team into the Playoffs with the win in Daytona and he was atop the series driver point standings. But then the very next week, after another strong run that saw Smith cross the finish line in second at Las Vegas, the truck failed post-race inspection and the result was disqualified relegating him to a 36th-place finish.
The 36th at Las Vegas dropped Smith from the standings lead to 12th in points. Though it was a skid in the early season momentum, Smith was determined to rebound, and he did just that. At Atlanta the following weekend, he managed a fifth-place finish and then last weekend in the final restart he made a pass for the lead to take the win, becoming the first multiple winner of the 2022 season (Daytona, COTA).
It was Smith‘s fifth career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory and Front Row Motorsport‘s second consecutive team win at Circuit of The Americas (Todd Gilliland, 2021). Smith is now back up to fourth in the driver points standings just 31 points behind Chandler Smith in the standings lead.
Smith not only gets an extra week to soak in the spoils of his win at COTA, but he also is the latest series winner of next week‘s track – Martinsville Speedway. Smith won the Playoff race at the historic half-mile last season to earn his spot in the Championship 4 Round of the Playoffs.
Youth Movement: Average age of Truck Series winners this season is 20.5
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is known for being a mix of young, up-and-coming stars and steely veterans battling it out each week, but this season the youngsters of the series have been stealing the spotlight early with the average age of the three different winners in the first four races of the year at 20.5.
Front Row Motorsport‘s 22-year-old, Zane Smith, has two Camping World Truck Series wins this season at Daytona and at the Circuit of The Americas. The other two Truck Series races this year have been won by a pair of 19-year-olds — Kyle Busch Motorsport‘s teammates Chandler Smith at Las Vegas and Corey Heim at Atlanta.
In fact, this current streak of drivers under the age of 30 winning consecutive NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races dates back to Nashville Superspeedway of last season — a total of 14 consecutive races since a driver the age of 30 or older last won in the series — Ryan Preece at 30 years, seven months, 24 days.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Etc.
Sunoco Rookie Update: Lawless Alan jumps to rookie standings lead — Niece Motorsport‘s driver Lawless Alan‘s 11th-place finish at Circuit of The Americas catapulted him to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings lead.
Alan, from Van Nuys, California, is in first full season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and his 11th-place finish at COTA was the best of his series career.
Alan is now eight points up on Kyle Busch Motorsport‘s Corey Heim in second in the rookie standings; followed by Jack Wood (-15), Dean Thompson (-18) and Blaine Perkins (-42).
Of the rookies entered this Thursday at Martinsville Speedway, Jack Wood is the only one with a previous starts at the half-mile track. Last season, Wood started 34th and finished 27th. Alan, Thompson and Perkins will all be making their series track debuts at Martinsville on Thursday night.
Several Camping World Truck Series debuts at Martinsville — Several new faces will be in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series garage this weekend at Martinsville Speedway as five different drivers will be making their series debut in the Blu-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 200 on Thursday, April 9.
Young‘s Motorsports has tapped Dillon Steuer to drive the No. 20 Chevrolet this Thursday.
Reaume Brothers Racing will have two drivers this Thursday making their first starts in the series. Chase Janes will pilot the No. 33 Toyota and Blake Lothian will drive the No. 43 Toyota.
McAnally-Hilgemann Racing will also have a new driver this Thursday. Jake Garcia will drive the No. 35 Chevrolet making his first start in the series.
Justin S. Carroll will also be making his series debut with his family-owned team Terry Carroll Motorsports. Carroll will be in the No. 90 Toyota this Thursday.
A total of 134 drivers have made their first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career start at Martinsville Speedway. The best finish by a driver in their Truck Series career debut at Martinsville was runner-up by Kyle Benjamin in 2018.
— NASCAR —
