The Contender Round is complete, and the drivers in the Chase for the Sprint Cup have been cut to eight. These racers now enter the Eliminator Round, which will separate the champions from the pretenders. It all starts at the shortest track in NASCAR, the famed Martinsville Speedway in Virginia.
Here are your four big stories to follow for NASCAR at Martinsville Speedway:
Only Eight Remain
Eight drivers are left to fight to become the final four running for the Sprint Cup title. But with only so few left, that means there are 35 other drivers out there looking to spoil a chaser’s day and take away the win. Can a non-chase driver finally triumph in the new playoff format?
Payback Time?
As the races become more important with each passing week, the pressure and nerves build as well. And with that pressure building has come conflict and controversy. The biggest budding rivalry out of this Chase has been that between Joey Logano and Matt Kenseth. With Kenseth now eliminated from the championship hunt, will he take his chance to get back at Logano at Martinsville?
Minimize Mistakes
Martinsville is the shortest track on the NASCAR circuit, meaning any mistake made on track or off can be instantly magnified. Pit road is no exception, where one small mistake can get you stuck in a big pack of traffic, or even multiple laps down. A perfect day is needed in order to contend for the win on Sunday.
History on their Side
A number of drivers have had continuous success at Martinsville Speedway. Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Denny Hamlin all have notched at least five wins at the track, and will certainly be some of the favorites coming into the 500-miler on Sunday. Do not count out other Chase drivers like Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano however, who have had much success on other short tracks already this season.
The on track action from the track known as the “paper clip” starts Saturday afternoon with the Camping World Truck Series race on FS1. Then tune in on Sunday afternoon for the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 at Martinsville, live on NBCSN.
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