Founded in 1947 by the late H. Clay Earles, Martinsville Speedway is only track which has hosted NASCAR Cup Series races every year since the division’s inception in 1949. At .526 miles in length, Martinsville Speedway is the shortest track on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit. Because of its small size, tight corners and unique shape – described most often as a paperclip – Martinsville offers some of the most exciting and close-quarters racing in the sport.
Race Notes
WWEX Group: This weekend at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, Chastain will pilot the blue-and-black No. 1 WWEX Group Chevrolet Camaro for the second time this season. Last month at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas he finished seventh in the WWEX Group livery and led 10 laps at the road course. WWEX Group first adorned Chastain's No. 1 Chevy in 2022. Both of his 2023 Cup Series wins were while driving the Dallas-based logistics company's livery.
Third-Best Average Finish: Throughout seven Cup Series races this season, Chastain has an average finish of 10.7 which ranks him third best among his peers. Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs are the only two competitors with a better average finish.
Martinsville Stats: Chastain has 10 Cup Series starts at the Virginia short track. His best finish of fourth came in October 2022. He led 31 laps in the spring race last year before finishing 13th.
Video Game Move: Chastain's most memorable Martinsville race was in October 2022 when he pulled a video game move now known at the 'Hail Melon.' On the last lap, he rode the wall and passed enough cars to advance to the Championship 4 the next weekend at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway. He went on to finish runner-up in the 2022 championship standings.
Season Stats: Chastain has earned four top-10s in seven races so far this season along with 26 laps led. He's currently ninth in driver points.
See Chastain: On Sunday at 11:45 a.m., Chastain will participate in a Q&A at the NASCAR Experience stage located in the Martinsville fan midway.
NASCAR: Full Speed: Catch Chastain in the five-episode docuseries NASCAR: Full Speed on Netflix. The series documented portions of Chastain's 2023 season on and off the track. All five episodes are currently available on Netflix.
Last Weekend at Richmond: Chastain qualified third for Sunday night's 400-lap race at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. He earned three bonus points in Stage 1 before a tight-handling Chevrolet Camaro relegated him to a 15th-place finish.
2023 Season Recap: Chastain won at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway in June and at the Phoenix Raceway season finale in November. He posted 10 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes in his third fulltime Cup season. The Alva, Florida native finished ninth in points.Ross Chastain Career Statistics
Chastain Quotes:
Do you think your name will always be associated with Martinsville because of the hail melon move?
“Absolutely. The goal now is to add a clock to our trophy case to offset it so its not just about the hail melon, but I am very proud of it.”
How big is qualifying at Martinsville?
“Its big. I can attest that I went from the leader trying to lap me and pushing my back bumper to get by me, to lapping him later on when I had track position and he didn’t. It’s pretty cool how track position plays such a role there.”
Where does the grandfather clock rank on your wish list?
“It’s high. I have a tendency to be on time, so if I remember – I don’t even know if you have to wind those things or if they’re battery powered – maybe that will help me be a minute early to some things (laughs). It might help with my time management skills.”
ABOUT WWEX GROUP:
WWEX Group, the parent brand of Worldwide Express, GlobalTranz and Unishippers, is a top-ranked, full-service logistics provider offering supercharged parcel, less-than-truckload (LTL), truckload and managed transportation shipping services for customers nationwide. Customers benefit from enhanced visibility and value-driven solutions, thanks to the company’s logistics experts, proprietary technology, unique data assets and business intelligence capabilities. The WWEX Racing initiative was born of a desire to address the complex but underserved shipping needs of the performance motorsports industry, using the unique combination of capabilities offered by the three brands’ combined 80+ years of expertise.
In 2023, Chastain Looked Back on the ‘Hail Melon’ Move at Martinsville Speedway. April 2024 Marks 1.5 Years Since Move.
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Suárez Notes
Martinsville: Suárez has qualified in the top 10 in two of the last three races at the half-mile oval.
Martinsville in November: Suárez started 27th and finished 21st and 13th in the first two stages in the November race in Martinsville. A multi-car wreck on lap 273 collected the No. 99 Chevrolet just as he was ready to move into the top-10. Suárez drove the damaged car back to the pit for repairs, but the damage couldn't be repaired in time to return to racing.
Sunday in Richmond: Suárez drove from 20th to ninth in the opening stage but spun after contact with Josh Berry and fell to 36th. The No. 99 finished 22nd.
Season So Far: Suárez is 15th in points and likely secured a place in the 2024 playoffs with his victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Feb. 25.
Atlanta Victory: At Atlanta, he and runner-up Ryan Blaney were separated by 0.003 seconds at the finish line. It was the third-closest finish in series history, and with third-place Kyle Busch just 0.007 seconds behind the winner, it also stands as the closest finish among three cars in the history of auto racing.
Trackhouse Victories: Atlanta marked Trackhouse Racing's seventh win in the NASCAR Cup Series, and first at Atlanta. Chastain owns four victories, Suárez two and one for Shane van Gisbergen.
Freeway Insurance: The Atlanta victory was the first for Freeway Insurance who began its fourth season with Suárez and Trackhouse Racing in 2024.
Mexico Series: Suárez won the 150-lap Mexico Series race at the Los Angeles Coliseum on Feb. 3. It was his 11th victory in the series.
First Mexican to Win in Cup: Suárez became the first driver from Mexico (Monterrey) to win in the NASCAR Cup Series on June 12, 2022, at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway.
International Driver: He is one of six drivers not from the United States to win a NASCAR Cup Series race: Shane van Gisbergen (New Zealand), Marcos Ambrose (Australia), Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia), Earl Ross (Canada) and Mario Andretti (Italy). Ambrose, Montoya and Suarez own two victories each.
Cup Career Highlights: Suárez owns two victories (Sonoma 2022 and Atlanta 2024) and three Busch Light Pole Awards - Pocono (Pa.) Raceway July 2018, Kentucky Speedway July 2019, and on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway August 2023.
English is Second Language: Suárez came to America to race. He did not speak English when he arrived in Buffalo, New York. He is the only Spanish-speaking driver in the NASCAR Cup Series.Daniel Suárez Career Statistics
Suárez Quotes:
What are your thoughts on Martinsville?
“We need a good finish Sunday. We have struggled the last three weeks getting those finishes. I feel like we have had good cars but something has happened in those races that kept us from getting a better finish. We have qualified really well at Martinsville the last few races and it’s going to be important we do that again Saturday. On Sunday you have to run your own race, stay out of trouble and hope you have a shot at the end.”
We’re seeing the growth amongst the fanbase with minorities and people that don’t come from the traditional racing background over here in NASCAR. What do you think is the next step to continue this amazing growth?
“Yeah, you know I think the next step – I talked about this in Atlanta, but I think the next step is to become one of those drivers that when you win, you’re not very surprised that they have won. Who is in that category – Kyle Larson, William Byron, Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, all those guys that win often. They win every single year and they’re in the playoffs every single year. Not just attending the playoffs, but fighting in the playoffs, that’s the goal. I’m not OK being an ‘OK driver’ or a ‘good driver’ anymore. I had this conversation with my team in the offseason. Everyone on the team has to have the same mentality. If 50 percent of the team wants to be great, but the other 50 percent is OK with being good, that won’t work. Everyone has to have the same mentality, and my goal is to go to the next step, to go to the next level. I feel like right now, I have the team to do it. The team is in the same mindset of myself, and I have to take advantage of that. I have to bring this group to the next level to be able to get used to that. To be able to not just win one race a year once in a while, but to win three, four or five races a year. That’s my goal and that’s what we’re working towards for this season.”
Trackhouse Racing PR
- Todd Gilliland and the No. 38 gener8tor Ford Mustang Dark Horse Darlington (S.C.) Raceway Competition Notes - May 8, 2024
- Alltroo Teams up with 23XI Racing and Bubba Wallace to Spotlight Charitable Organizations During All-Star Weekend - May 8, 2024
- Delta Speedway Returns Saturday Night May 11th for Second Race of 2024 - May 8, 2024