The penultimate races of the 2021 season for each of the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Camping World Truck Series are set for this weekend. After the action this Saturday and Sunday, we will have the official Championship 4 for all three NASCAR national series. Martinsville Speedway, the short track known for providing plenty of beating and banging, will be the host of the final races in the playoffs’ Round of 8. The Cup Series will be running the Xfinity 500 on Sunday. With some drivers facing a must-win situation, things could get exciting very quickly at Martinsville this weekend.
Martinsville Speedway Overview
Martinsville Speedway opened all the way back in 1947. The first NASCAR Cup Series race at the track came on July 4, 1948. The track is 0.526 miles in length. It is banked at 12 degrees in the corners, making it one of the flattest tracks on the NASCAR schedule. In 1976, Martinsville Speedway was repaved. This included the addition of concrete in the corners. Up through 1999, the track had two different pit roads. That changed in 2000 when they added pit boxes in turns 3 and 4 and blended pit road into one.
In 2004, Martinsville Speedway was once again repaved after a piece of the track came loose and damaged Jeff Gordon’s car in the middle of a race. In 2016, the track announced that they would add lights, and in October of 2017, they were officially installed. The track hosted its first night race on June 10 of last year. That race was won by Martin Truex Jr.
The King Holds Several Martinsville Records
Over the course of the many races in the history of Martinsville Speedway, Richard Petty is the leader in a whole bunch of statistical categories. He has 67 career starts at “The Paperclip”. In those races, he accumulated 15 wins and 30 top-five finishes. Both marks lead all drivers who have ever raced here. Jeff Gordon has the most top-10s with 38. He has also led the most laps at the track of any driver with 3,779.
Spring Martinsville Cup Series Race Recap
After running 50 laps on Saturday, the rain came and ruined the fun for both the drivers and fans. Sunday came and Cody Ware continued where he left off the previous week by causing multiple cautions. Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney had the race in hand for most of the day, but in the end, Martin Truex Jr. came on when it mattered most and took the checkered flag.
NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway | Weekend Racing Schedule
United Rentals 200
Series: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Date: Saturday, October 30, 2021
Start Time: 1 P.M. EST
Coverage: FS1
Distance: 105 miles
Laps: 200
Dead On Tools 250
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Date: Saturday, October 30, 2021
Start Time: 6 P.M. EST
Coverage: NBCSN
Distance: 131.5 miles
Laps: 250
Xfinity 500
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Date: Sunday, October 31, 2021
Start Time: 2 P.M. EST
Coverage: NBC
Distance: 263 miles
Laps: 500
