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Race Previews & Results
2008 Schedule
CHEX "Most Popular Driver
'07 Winner Dale Earnhart, Jr.
Cast your vote to make Kyle Petty the most popular driver in 2008.
Race Results
Budweiser Shootout.
Daytona 500
Auto Club 500
UAW-Dodge 400
Kobalt Tools 500
Food City 500
Goody's Cool Orange 500
Samsung 500
Subway Fresh 500
Aaron's 499
Crown Royal 400
Dodge Avenger 500
Sprint All-Star Challenge
Coca Cola 600
Autism Speaks 400
Pocono 500
LifeLock 400
Save Mart 350
Lenox Tools 300
Coke Zero 400
LifeLock.com 400
Allstate 400
Pennsylvania 500
Centurion Boats at The Glen
3M Performance 400
Sharpie 500
Pepsi 500
Rock & Roll 400
Syvania 300
Camping World RV 400
KA Camping World RV 400
AMP Energy 500
Bank of America 500
TUMS QuikPack 500
Pep Boys Auto 500
Dickies 500
Checker O'Reilly Auto 500
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 Track Facts:
Banking/Turns: 12°
Distance: one lap 0.526 miles
500 laps (263 miles)
Shape: Paper-clip
TUMS QuikPack 500
Sunday, October 19
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville, Virginia
Sunday, 1:30 p.m. EST
Schedule
Practice
12:00-1:30 p.m. EST, Friday, October 17
11:10 a.m.-12:10 p.m. EST, Saturday, October 18
12:50-1:50 p.m. EST, Final Practice Saturday, October 18
Qualifying
3:40 p.m. EST, Friday, October 17, Two laps all positions (SpeedTV)
Race Day Sunday, October 19
1:00 p.m. EST, Driver introduction
1:30 p.m. EST, 500 laps, 263 miles
TV: ABC 1:00 p.m. EST start
Radio: Motor Racing Network (PRN), XM Radio
2007 winner Jimmie Johnson
Check the SPEED Channel schedule (speedtv.com) for various programs on the race this weekend.
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Race Preview
 Quotes from Chad McCumbee:
“Everyone fought hard this past weekend at Lowe’s. We didn’t get the finish that we wanted, but I believe we learned a lot for the remaining races. There are a lot of intermediate tracks left of the schedule and I’m confident that we will have good runs in those races. Those are still my favorite places to race. Stewart (Cooper, crew chief) and I work well together. We just need to keep developing our communication.”
“I always look forward to short track racing because that’s what I grew up on. The Allison Legacy Series and late model stock racing at Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Speedway did a lot to prepare me for this weekend. And I have a lot of experience in the truck series at Martinsville. It’s not going to be an easy weekend. I know a lot of guys struggle in their first cup race at Martinsville, but I believe that I have enough experience, and a good enough team, to run well on Sunday.”
Quote from crew chief Stewart Cooper:
“Rockingham Speedway has built a replica of Martinsville, complete with concrete turns. We’re taking Chad there this week to get him some more seat time in these cars, especially at a tricky place like Martinsville. He’s also got the truck race there this weekend. That’s a lot of laps in one week. He should be pretty familiar with the place by Sunday.
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Qualifying Results
1. Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet
2. Jeff Burton, Chevrolet
3. Greg Biffle, Ford
4. Carl Edwards, Ford
5. Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet
21. Bobby Labonte, No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge
41. Chad McCumbee, No. 45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge
The old adage is “records are made to be broken.” The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series broke a dubious one on Friday at the Martinsville Speedway. For the ninth time in 32 races, inclement weather washed out time trials, setting a new record.
The lineup for the Tums Quikpak 500 will be set by the NASCAR rulebook, which utilizes 2008 owner points. Jimmie Johnson earns his second consecutive pole via this method.
Bobby Labonte, the only driver to win a Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series and Craftsman Truck Series race at Martinsville, will start 21st. Chad McCumbee will make his first career Sprint Cup Series start at Martinsville by starting 41st. |
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Race Results
1. Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet
2. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Chevrolet
3. Carl Edwards, Ford
4. Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet
5. Denny Hamlin, Toyota
25. Chad McCumbee, No. 45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge
37. Bobby Labonte, No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge
Jimmie Johnson dominated his way to victory in Sunday’s Tums Quikpak 500 at the Martinsville Speedway by leading 339 laps. Johnson, who is looking to become the first driver to win three consecutive Sprint Cup championships since Cale Yarborough did it from 1976-78, now leads the ‘Chase for the Sprint Cup’ by 149 points.
Chad McCumbee finished Sunday’s race in 25th position in the No. 45 Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil Dodge. McCumbee was making his Sprint Cup debut at Martinsville. Early on, the car was a too ‘tight’ for McCumbee’s liking. Crew chief Stewart Cooper called for several chassis adjustments, including track bar and wedge changes, and McCumbee race his way inside the top-25 by the middle portion of the race. Brakes are known to be an issue at Martinsville because they take a lot of stress. McCumbee radioed that his brake pedal was softening late in the race. He was still able to find a rhythm to get a good finish and gain the respect of the Sprint Cup veterans.
“We really went through everything today,” said McCumbee. “We were tight in the middle and I had decent drive off most of the race. I think that we had a little bit of a rear brake issue. The longer that we ran, the looser that we got. Later in the runs, we got really good in the center (of the corners), but lost our forward drive. It was my first time at Martinsville. I learned a lot. We’re getting our notebook bigger and bigger so next time we come here, we’ll be really good.”
Bobby Labonte and the No. 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge team finished 37th on Sunday. Labonte, making his 32nd start at the half-mile oval, was looking to add to his career totals of one win and six top-five finishes at the track. The team had a fast car in the ‘spring’ race at Martinsville and had confidence going into the race that they were even better prepared this time. When the green flag fell, Labonte had to deal with a car that was ‘loose’ getting into and off of the flat corners, with no forward ‘bite.’ Forward ‘bite’ is necessary to pass coming off of the corners and crew chief Jeff Meendering quickly began to work on this condition. This began to improve and Labonte began turning very fast lap times by the middle portion of the race. However, on lap 256 he was hit from behind to bring out a caution. The damage was minimal and the crew did a great job in making repairs to the car. Looking to come home with a solid finish, on lap 432 Labonte radioed that something felt wrong in the drive train. A broken rear end gear was diagnosed and the problem forced Labonte behind the wall for repairs, virtually ending his day.
“Today was a struggle,” said Labonte. “The handling just never came around like we hoped it would. The pit crew had some great stops, we were throwing a lot at the car and the guys were getting me out pretty quick. The wreck wasn’t bad. We were still running decent lap times after that. I never had any idea that the rear-end gear was going out. When you are fighting forward bite broken rear-end gears can usually happen.”
10/24/06
Last update Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Kyle Petty name and/or likeness used under license by Petty Marketing Company, L.L.C.
Richard Petty name and/or likeness used under license by Petty Marketing Company, L.L.C.
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