Entries Tagged as 'Martinsville'

Crazy Martinsville Finish

Who would have thought Denny Hamlin had a chance at winning the rain-postponed-until-Monday Martinsville race, considering he was scheduled to undergo knee surgery for a torn ACL the next day.  Martinsville requires a lot of braking, which should be pretty painful for someone with left knee issues.  But a caution sent the field into a green-white-checker situation, giving Denny a chance to steal the win from Jeff Gordon.

As a Jeff Gordon fan, it was disheartening, to the say the least, to see that caution thrown just yards before he passed the finish line for the white flag.  I was all set for a grand celebration, but once again, it wasn’t meant to be.  It is exciting to see Jeff begin the season so well, but he needs a win!

Mr. Martinsville

I read several articles last week, prior to the Martinsville race, about Mr. Martinsville. How Jimmie Johnson currently held that title, previously held by Jeff Gordon, and so on. So, did Denny Hamlin become the new Mr. Martinsville, since he won on Sunday? Not given that Gordon finished second and Johnson fourth.

Other items of note at Martinsville:

  • Kyle Petty not qualifying. Has Kyle lost some of his drive for racing? He does a great job as a commentator behind the television camera. Perhaps it is time for him to think about letting someone else drive full-time for Petty Enterprises?
  • Kyle Busch shows (once again) his lack of maturity in the Craftsman Truck race Friday night.
  • Those Hendricks Teams seemed to have Martinsville figured out – they finished second, fourth, sixth and seventh!
  • We are all just holding our breath, waiting for Junior to post his first win with the 88. It is nice to see him having so much fun racing this year, although he still has a tendency to complain (whine?) when his car is not running just as he thinks it ought to be.
  • Jamie McMurray finishing so well that he’s now out of the “go or go homer’s” next week! Great job, Jamie!
  • Matt Kenseth needs to develop a little subtlety. Revenge is sweet, but not if NASCAR penalizes you two laps for it!
  • Stolen swaybar or just a mislaid part? Roush vs. Toyota? More to come with that saga, I am sure!