Martinsville Was No Spoiler
I don’t know if the new spoiler had anything to do with it, but the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville was a great race.
NASCAR really cranked up the level of competition on this one.
Denny Hamlin was determined to win the race, and he earned the victory by driving through traffic with just a few laps remaining.
I expected Jimmie Johnson or Jeff Gordon to win the race. They have the best record there. And Jeff Gordon almost won the race on sheer luck. Another 100 feet before the caution and the race would have been Gordon’s
Kurt Busch had the winning car until his pit crew left a lug nut loose. He never regained from that mistake
What about you? Did you think the competition was cranked up a notch or two on this one?
Share Your Opinion on Martinsville
Martinsville: Have Your Say
Over the final 53 laps Denny Hamlin held off Jimmie Johnson on 3 double-file restarts to win the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville.
Jimmie Johnson had won 5 of the last 6 Martinsville races and he looked to be a contender in this one. But Hamlin would deny him in the end.
Still Johnson increased his lead in the Championship standings by 118 points over Mark Martin.
Gordon Leads Early
Jeff Gordon showed strength early in the race as he bumped Martin Truex Jr out of the way on the way to the front of the pack. Gordon would later complain when Juan Pablo Montoya used the same move on him.
Still Gordon was in the lead by lap 22. But by lap 59 Jimmie Johnson would edge past Gordon for the lead after starting 15th.
Earnhardt’s Troubles Begin
Dale Earnhardt saw trouble early on in the race when he blew a right front tire. The cause for the flat tire turns out to be a melted bead on the tire caused by excessive heat build-up from the brakes.
None of Earnhardt’s teammates experienced a similar problem so it’s not clear why he was having brake and tire problems.  This would not be the last time he would have problems today.
On lap 128 Earnhardt hit the wall. Again the problem was a melted bead due to excessive brake heat. Earnhardt would go 2 laps down
By lap 163 Juan Pablo Montoya was in the lead, but by lap 1836 Denny Hamlin would be out front.
Hamlin Dominant
Denny Hamlin had the dominant car most of the day leading the most laps at 205.
By lap 251 Dale Earnhardt Jr was back on the lead lap. He would not stay there, though. The No 88 Chevrolet continued to suffer tire and brake problems.
By lap 321 Jimmie Johnson was out front and most of the remaining laps would be a battle between Hamlin and Johnson. On lap 362 Johnson and Hamlin battled side by side with Hamlin coming out on top.
Hamlin held off Jimmie Johnson on a green white checkered restart to take the win.
Why No Caution?
On the final lap John Andretti spun his car at the start-finish line. Even though Andretti’s car was sitting on the racetrack NASCAR did not throw the caution flag until the last second leaving Chad Knaus, crew chief for Jimmie Johnson, asking why?
So here’s your chance to share your opinion. What did you think about the race?