NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice for the TUMS Fast Relief 500 on Friday has been postponed at Martinsville Speedway. Practice is now scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Saturday prior to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series qualifying.
Truck Series qualifying is scheduled for 10:40 a.m. followed by Sprint Cup time trials at 12:10 p.m.
Fan gates will open at 8:30 a.m. Saturday.
“It seems like the fall race here in Martinsville we get rain one of the three days, so I guess I would rather have it today, then Sunday,” said driver Ryan Newman said.
Prior to the call by NASCAR to reschedule practice Kevin Harvick emphasized that the weather is out of the hands of the drivers and is not worried about the impact it may or may not have on the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet.
“I don’t think it will affect us a tremendous amount but it will have an effect on getting the small things right and the things that you do at the beginning of the race, trying to build a little more adjustability into your car. I would rather not see all that happen,” said Stewart.
Jeff Gordon, six-time winner at Martinsville Speedway, expressed his discontent with the current weather, weather that is not forecasted to stay for the entire weekend.
“We’ve got a couple of things we would like to try,” Gordon said. “Things that maybe are on our list of things we didn’t get a chance to try last time or things we’ve come up with since then.”
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series got its practice session in Friday. Ron Hornaday led that practice, followed by Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Matt Crafton and Todd Bodine.
FIVE-TIME AND MISS SPRINT AT MARTINSVILLE: Five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Johnson and Miss Sprint Cup will be available for questions from 10:45 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday at The Sprint Experience in the Martinsville Speedway midway. One lucky fan will have the chance to square off against Johnson in the champion’s new video game, “Anything With An Engine,” on a big screen television.
JUST TREATS FOR KIDS AFTER KROGER 200: The Martinsville Speedway midway will be transformed into the largest trick-or-treat zone from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. Dozens of souvenir rigs gathered around the midway will hand out goodies for youngsters trick-or-treating.
Under the bright red Martinsville Speedway tent, several NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers, including Joey Coulter, Timothy Peters, Matt Lofton, Josh Richards and Dakoda Armstrong as well as Clay Campbell, Martinsville Speedway President, will be treating children to candy and other goodies.
The Martinsville midway and souvenir area is located across the fourth-turn are of the track, adjacent to the Bill France Tour.
TICKETS: Tickets for the TUMS Fast Relief 500 begin at $25 and range to $77.
Tickets to Farm Bureau Pole Day and the Kroger 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race Saturday are $30 in advance, $35 on the day of the race, with children 12 and under admitted free.
Martinsville Speedway PR
