Racing his first full race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in April, Josh Wise likened the half-mile oval to a classroom. The driver of the No. 35 MDS Transport Ford learned quite a bit from his first trip to the short track dubbed the “Paperclip.” He is eager to apply those lessons learned in the Sprint Cup Series’ return to the track for this weekend’s Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500.
The team will also benefit from a two-day test done by Front Row Motorsports’ No. 34 team with driver David Ragan earlier this month. The organization has improved its brake package and feels better prepared for 500 laps of action at the final short track visit of the Sprint Cup season.
Comments from MDS Transport team driver Josh Wise heading to Martinsville:
“It should be fun. We raced there in the spring, and I learned a lot from a driving perspective after my first real race there. We had some brake problems in that first race but we seemed to have worked through those as a team and I think we’ve got them resolved. I just look for our cars to be better with David Ragan going and testing a couple weeks ago and learning what they learned, and having good brakes on the cars all day.
“I definitely learned (in the April race) some tricks on restarts and how lanes move a little bit and where you need to position yourself. Once you get strung out, it gets pretty tough to pass. So, that knowledge is going to be instrumental when I go back. I also learned better how to manage tires and brakes and things like that throughout the run. And just the general experience. Sometimes you’re not necessarily conscious of everything you learned; but just the fact that you’ve experienced it, you’ll have things that trigger memories from the previous experience.”
FRM PR
- Ankrum Moves to Fifth in Points Standings at Kansas - May 5, 2024
- Heart of America 200 – Race Results - May 5, 2024
- Smith Earns Best Finish of 2024 with Runner-Up at Kansas - May 5, 2024