Don't look now, but this is the second-straight weekend of action on the short tracks of NASCAR. After starting off the season with the traditional superspeedway of Daytona, the next few races (California, Las Vegas, and Atlanta) were nearly mirror images of each other in the intermediate speedway category (although California, at the two-mile distance, is nearly a superspeedway track as well). While the one and a half milers (like Las Vegas, Atlanta, and the ones to come) offer predictably consistent racing, the teams and the drivers are tested at the "unconventional" venues like Bristol (last week) and Martinsville (this week).
What should race fans be looking for at this week's venue? Martinsville (Virginia) is home to the oldest track still actively used on the NASCAR Nextel Cup circuit. Although it's future was put into doubt as tracks like North Wilkesboro (N.C.), Rockingham (N.C.), and Darlington (S.C.) lost race dates in recent years, Martinsville has remained thriving despite turbulent times. It probably doesn't hurt that the track ownership was smart enough to make ties with ISC (International Speedway Corporation), the group run by the France family (Bill France Jr., former head of NASCAR), when track dates could have been threatened. Additionally, the track acted in "Bristol-like" fashion by capitalizing on it's unique track design, doubling it's capacity (91,000 seats currently) over the past 15 years. Of course, that is nowhere near Bristol (160,000, with demand that exceeds it) but is closer (but a little short) of intrastate short-track rival Richmond (107,097).
The fans and critics of short-track racing are probably divided. There is no doubt that the fans love these tracks, as bumping, banging, and "trading paint" are the rules of the road. The expression that "rubbin' is racin'" has much greater meaning at Bristol, Martinsville, and Richmond because there is no other way to be successful at these venues year in and year out. The critics may say that this constant banging of cars is glorified demolition derby, but fans demand tickets for these events more than most of the others.
The favorite for the upcoming race is clearly Jeff Gordon, four-time Cup champion and seven-time winner at Martinsville. He leads active drivers in wins at the half-mile paper clip oval. Active drivers with wins at the track also include: Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, Bobby Labonte, and Mark Martin. Chalk these names up as potential favorites as well, since this track favors the experienced driver over the newbies. However, nobody has had close to the success of Gordon in recent years.
In a year marked with disappointment (despite four wins), Martinsville was Gordon's bright spot on the schedule. Two of those four wins in 2005 were at this track, where Gordon clearly feels comfortable competing. With an average career finish of 7.8, 14 top 5's and 20 top 10's, don't be surprised to see another strong finish by Jeff Gordon in Sunday's race.
Qualifying for the race is later today (Friday) barring any delays due to weather (which hopefully will not be a factor in this weekend's events like it has in the previous two weeks). Although the Busch series has the week off, the Truck Series return with a Saturday afternoon showcase at Martinsville. Mark Martin, who originally wasn't scheduled to run this weekend, is probably the favorite, after two unexpected wins in the first two races of the season and a runner-up finish at Atlanta.
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