While school systems throughout the country are just starting spring break in the next couple of weeks, the Alpha Energy Solutions 250 at Martinsville Speedway will mark the end of a month-long spring break for the Camping World Truck Series.
However, while students often dread the end of their spring break, the drivers are looking forward to it.
“Excited is a word, I forgot what it was. I’m way past that,” Daniel Hemric, driver of the No. 19 truck for Brad Keselowski Racing said.
Hemric’s teammate Tyler Reddick is also ready to get back behind the wheel.
“I’ve been trying not to go crazy,” Reddick said. “Obviously, we’ve had about a month off since the last race and it’s been driving me nuts, but I can tell ya, if I had to wait a month to go race anywhere it would be Martinsville.”
Timothy Peters spent his time off split between his family and spending time at South Boston Speedway working with his short-track racing team and driver Brandon Pierce. Being at the South Boston only made him want to get back in the truck more.
“When I’m around short-track racing, it just hypes me up for one of the best short-track races of the year and that’s here next week,” Peters said.
With four weeks for the excitement to build, drivers anticipate the intensity to be higher than usual at what is an already exciting race.
“There’s all that anticipation about getting to Daytona and Atlanta, but then you’ve got to stop and sit around for the next four weeks,” Hemric said. “That’s the worst thing on a driver. I’d say as the race goes green everybody is going to be as pumped as the guy in front of you and behind you to be back here at a race track.”
Ben Rhodes, who drives the Alpha Energy Solutions truck for ThorSport, said it isn’t so much the break, but the nature of Martinsville that will lead to the intense racing.
“Real estate at this race track is very hard to come by,” Rhodes said. “So, you’re going to see constant pushes and shoves throughout the pack, trying to put yourself in better position for the end.”
John Hunter Nemechek, the series most recent winner and the runner-up at Martinsville last fall, agreed.
“Track position is everything here,” Nemechek said. “I think you’re going to have to run every lap as hard as you can and I don’t think there’s going to be a lot of saving tires going on, like there were in years past.”
Tyler Young, who finds himself fifth in the point standings, said the intensity level at Martinsville is always on the rise, no matter how long the drivers have been off.
“It seems like every time we come here it gets more intense,” he said. “You get out after the race and say ‘I don’t know if it could be more intense than that’, but every year the competition just gets so much closer and tighter.”
For Peters, the end is where he sees thing ratcheting up a notch.
“I think you’ll see people play it out maybe the first 150 laps and then the last 100 you’ll see more people ready to go,” he said. “We produce great racing. It’s the first short-track race of the year and it’s going to be very intense.
“For the people out there that are kind of on the fence about coming, I highly suggest you get to the ticket office and get your tickets.”
The Alpha Energy Solutions 250 Camping World Truck Series race is on April 2.
The race is a part of the STP 500 race weekend.
The weekend starts on Friday, April 1 with Virginia Lottery Pole Day and continues on Saturday with the Alpha Energy Solutions 250.
The Sprint Cup Series will be in action on April 3 with the running of the STP 500.
Tickets are on-sale now and can be purchased by calling 877.RACETIX or may be purchased online at www.martinsvillespeedway.com.
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