Entries for 'Chad Hall'

Four years after the New York Giants stunned the undefeated New England Patriots 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII, both teams have clawed their way back into the Big Game.

The quarterbacks and coaches are the same: Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, making a record fifth Super Bowl trip together for the Patriots, and Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin in their second appearance for the Giants. But Super Bowl XLVI has a whole new set of subplots. "There are so many emotional levels to this game," says NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth, who will man the booth in Indianapolis on Sunday, Feb. 5 with Al Michaels.

New England owner Robert Kraft's beloved wife, Myra, passed away in July after a long battle with cancer and the team has dedicated the season to her, even wearing patches on their uniforms with her initials, MHK. "She's an inspiration," says Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo. "We want to win a Super Bowl in her name."

After New England eked out a 23-20 victory in the AFC Championship game -- thanks to the Baltimore Ravens missing a field goal with 15 seconds left -- Kraft said, "Someone was smiling; we had an angel." The Patriots are also motivated by that loss four years ago to the 12-point underdog Giants, denying them an unprecedented 19-0 season." The bitter taste of that defeat is still very much alive for the people that were part of it," Collinsworth says. "They want a chance to at least settle the score."

They also want payback for a 24-20 regular-season defeat at home to the Giants on Nov. 6. The Patriots haven't lost a game since. "We've won 10; hopefully we can make it 11," says Brady.

The Giants were the late bloomers of the NFC. After a loss to the Washington Redskins dropped them to 7-7, there was talk of firing Coughlin and defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. New York won its last two regular-season games, then went on the road in the playoffs, defeating the Atlanta Falcons, the No. 1 seed and defending champion Green Bay Packers, and the No. 2 seed San Francisco 49ers, 20-17 in overtime. "Obviously, we don't want to take anything from the '07 team; that was a great team," Giants defensive end Justin Tuck says, "but this... seems like a team of destiny."

Although the early line favors the Pats, Collinsworth says, "I don't see where one team should be favored over the other. If anything, maybe the Giants a little bit, just because of what they did on the road this year."

Manning, the first starting quarterback to win five playoff games on the road, says New York "just kept believing that we could get hot and we could start playing our best football, and we did that at the end of the season. Hopefully we can continue that momentum." (He could become the greatest Super Bowl-winning quarterback in the Manning family, ironically on the home field of older brother Peyton, who won the 2007 Super Bowl but was sidelined this season after neck surgery.)

Brady, who has already won three Super Bowls, is chasing immortality. Another win would put him "in a very small group of people we're discussing as the greatest player of all time," Collinsworth says. "His play this season really carried his team. They didn't have the great defensive team that they had in those first three Super Bowl wins, so this was very much his signature season."

Whether it's Manning or Brady who leads his team to victory on Super Sunday, another major chapter in NFL history is sure to be written. Says Collinsworth, "Somebody's coming out of here a legend."

 

With the help of mild and dry winter weather, work on the latest major construction project at Martinsville Speedway is well ahead of schedule and should be completed well before the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 on April 1.

The project includes demolition of all the restrooms under the Richard Petty Tower on the fourth-turn end of the front stretch and construction of larger, modern restrooms. The new restrooms are being built about 30 feet further back, allowing for a much wider concourse area to help improve pedestrian traffic. In fact, the width of the concourse in that area will be almost doubled.

“We have been very fortunate that with the exception of a couple of days, the workers haven’t been slowed by weather,” said Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell. “It also helps that the general contractor (Frith Construction Co. of Martinsville) is very efficient. They haven’t wasted any time.”

The new restrooms will be almost twice as large as the present ones and contain amenities comparable with any large entertainment venue. 

Fans will also notice a refurbished ticket office when they return for the Goody’s Fast Relief weekend this spring, which includes a new façade and redesigned and refurbished interior.

Racing returns to Martinsville Speedway March 30-April 1 with the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 weekend. Tickets for both events are on sale and may be purchased by calling 877.RACE.TIX or online at www.martinsvillespeedway.com.

Clay Campbell could have made an early descent from atop the Martinsville Speedway entrance sign Friday afternoon, but he knew the longer he stayed up in the air meant more money to help needy children in the Martinsville and Henry County area.

11/18/2011	Appomattox	35	Wilson	42
11/18/2011	Battlefield	38	Franklin Co.	21
11/18/2011	Broadway	50	Amherst	23
11/18/2011	Brookville	19	Rockbridge	14
11/18/2011	Cave Spring	41	Martinsville	9
11/18/2011	Cburg	41	Hidden Valley	20
11/18/2011	Covington	29	Bath Co.	9
11/18/2011	Galax	60	Castlewood	24
11/18/2011	George Wythe	22	Radford	10
11/18/2011	Giles	7	Gretna	27
11/18/2011	Grayson	20	Dan River	31
11/18/2011	Jeff. Forest	21	S. River	7
11/18/2011	LCA	50	St. Christopher's	8
11/18/2011	Magna Vista	36	Salem	35
11/18/2011	N. Stafford	41	George Washington	7
11/18/2011	Norfolk Christ.	13	North Cross	26
11/18/2011	Northside	42	R. E. Lee	14
11/18/2011	Richlands	58	Tunstall	7
11/18/2011	Sussex Central	20	Altavista	12
11/19/2011	Mathews	NA	William Campbell	NA

11/11/2011	Appomattox	40	Grundy	7
11/11/2011	Covington	28	P. McCluer	12
11/11/2011	Franklin	12	Bath Co.	20
11/11/2011	Franklin Co.	21	Col. Forge	14
11/11/2011	Galax	64	Holston	7
11/11/2011	George Wythe	73	Twin Springs	35
11/11/2011	Giles	44	Glenvar	14
11/11/2011	Grayson	35	Graham	15
11/11/2011	Greenbriar	59	Roanoke Cath.	24
11/11/2011	Gretna	55	John Battle	13
11/11/2011	Harrisonburg	9	Staunton River	28
11/11/2011	Heritage	8	Amherst	19
11/11/2011	Hidden Valley	24	Bassett	10
11/11/2011	LCA	45	Flint Hill	3
11/11/2011	Martinsville	46	Abingdon	0
11/11/2011	Massaponax	26	George Washington	42
11/11/2011	Rappahannock	13	William Campbell	40
11/11/2011	Rockbridge	33	Rustburg	7
11/11/2011	Rural Retreat	38	Chilhowie	39
11/11/2011	Rye Cove	24	Castlewood	38
11/11/2011	Salem	27	Pulaski Co.	6
11/11/2011	Tunstall	49	Marion	14

For the 15^th consecutive year, Martinsville Speedway will be spearheading a drive to help the needy children of Martinsville and Henry County. And for the second straight year, it will be a two-day event.

 

The 15th Annual Martinsville Speedway Toy Drive is scheduled for Saturday, December 10, the day after Martinsville Speedway president Clay Campbell will sit atop the track’s entrance sign to raise funds for the Martinsville Speedway Children’s Foundation.

 

Campbell will be lifted to his perch some 40 feet in the air at 8 a.m. on Friday, December 9 and remain there until he raises $20,000 for the Martinsville Speedway Children’s Foundation. Last year Campbell spent over eight hours suspended above the ground in frigid conditions before he came down after collecting $24,837.

 

“It was a bitter cold day last year, but it was worth every minute I was up there,” said Campbell. “I would like to get down a little earlier this year, so I urge all my friends to come by and write a check to help the youngsters in our area.”

 

The Martinsville Speedway Toy Drive will be held the following day, Saturday, December 10, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the infield of the track.

 

Fans will get to drive their personal vehicles around the historic Martinsville Speedway if they donate a toy or make a $10 donation. Pace cars will lead the personal vehicles around the track.

There will be plenty other options for those not interested in the drive around.

 

For a $25 donation, Campbell will give fans five hot laps in one of the Martinsville Speedway pace cars. Participants will receive a certificate of completion from Campbell.

 

As has become a tradition, the Martinsville Speedway staff will be manning the infield concession stand on Saturday, making and serving the Famous Martinsville Speedway Hot Dogs™. Hot dogs and Pepsi products are $1 each, with proceeds going toward purchasing toys.

 

Santa Claus will be making his annual appearance at the track at noon and will listen to the wishes of boys and girls.

 

Anyone who would like to donate a toy, but cannot make it to the Toy Drive, can drop them off at the Martinsville Speedway ticket office Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Grace Network, a local group comprised of almost 100 churches, will distribute the collected toys to families in need. The monetary donations will be used to purchase additional toys. All of the toys will remain in the Martinsville and Henry County area.

11/4/2011	Alleghany	28	Staunton River	40
11/4/2011	Auburn	14	Floyd Co.	61
11/4/2011	Bath Co.	41	Pendleton	6
11/4/2011	Blacksburg	10	Cburg	41
11/4/2011	Carlisle	30	Hargrave Mil	29
11/4/2011	Cave Spring	39	Hidden Valley	41
11/4/2011	Chatham	0	Nelson Co.	23
11/4/2011	Chilhowie	28	Holston	14
11/4/2011	Clintwood	28	Gate City	27
11/4/2011	Covington	29	P. McCluer	22
11/4/2011	E. C. Glass	6	Heritage	7
11/4/2011	Fort Chiswell	49	Bland Co.	13
11/4/2011	George Wythe	42	Rural Retreat	6
11/4/2011	Glenvar	63	East Mont.	6
11/4/2011	Grayson	6	Galax	21
11/4/2011	Gretna	21	Dan River	7
11/4/2011	Halifax Co.	0	George Wash	21
11/4/2011	Haysi	18	Honaker	36
11/4/2011	J. I. Burton	61	Central	20
11/4/2011	James River	37	Craig Co.	0
11/4/2011	Jeff. Forest	14	Rustburg	27
11/4/2011	John Battle	28	Lebanon	14
11/4/2011	LCA	36	Benedictine	24
11/4/2011	Liberty	12	Amherst	28
11/4/2011	Magna Vista	27	Bassett	14
11/4/2011	Marion	55	Abingdon	24
11/4/2011	Narrows	7	Graham	35
11/4/2011	Northside	28	Lord Bot.	27
11/4/2011	Patrick Co.	6	Carroll Co.	41
11/4/2011	Radford	17	Giles	21
11/4/2011	Roanoke Catholic	55	Kenston Forest	35
11/4/2011	Rockbridge	46	William Byrd	28
11/4/2011	Salem	35	Pulaski Co.	20
11/4/2011	Tazewell	18	Richlands	69
11/4/2011	Tunstall	14	Martinsville	21
11/4/2011	Twin Springs	12	Rye Cove	22
11/4/2011	Union	28	Th. Walker	14
11/4/2011	William Camp	20	Appomattox	23
11/4/2011	William Flem	0	Patrick Henry	14

Tony Stewart made a daring move to the high side of leader Jimmie Johnson with three laps to go to win the TUMS Fast Relief 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville Speedway.

 

Johnson had the preferred inside line on a restart on lap 498 after the 18th caution flag of the day, but Stewart managed to make the difficult outside pass going into the first turn and held on for his third victory of 2011 and his third career win at Martinsville Speedway.

 

“I don’t know because I don’t think anybody has ever passed Jimmie Johnson on the outside, so just determination,” Stewart said when asked about his late pass of Johnson. “I don’t think we had the best racecar today by any means, but we had the most determined pit crew to get it as good as they can get it. I was pretty mad all day, but I was the only guy who didn’t get in a wreck with somebody so I was kind of proud of that.”

 

Johnson wound up second followed by Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin.

 

NASCAR Sprint Cup points leader Carl Edwards overcame what could have been an awful day to finish ninth and maintain his lead in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Edwards was a lap down at one time and was mired outside of the top 20 much of the day.

 

It was a slugfest of a day, with 18 caution periods for 108 laps, a season high for both.

 

“It’s just Martinsville, isn’t it?” said Gordon. “I think it’s a combination of late in the year and Martinsville and sometimes just the way the race goes. If you get early cautions here at Martinsville, that usually contributes itself to more cautions. Those are more guys, somebody’s upset, tempers are flaring, incidents happen. It escalates from there.”

 

Denny Hamlin made a spectacular move with 13 laps remaining Saturday afternoon to win the Kroger 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway.

 

“This is  a great race track for us. I knew this was going to be one of my best opportunities to win a truck race,” said Hamlin, who was driving a truck owned by Kyle Busch. “To win and to win in the fashion we did win … considering where we were running then, wherever that was … it was a special win.

 

“I just gave it all I had the last 50 laps…that’s the hardest 50 laps I’ve ever driven at Martinsville.”

 

It was Hamlin’s first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win and his fifth career win at Martinsville. He has four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories at Martinsville and will be gunning for a fifth Sunday in the TUMS Fast Relief 500.

 

On the final restart Hamlin was running third behind NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points contenders Austin Dillon and Ron Hornaday Jr. Dillon washed up the track entering the first turn and tapped Hornaday, allowing Hamlin to take the lead.

 

Hornaday wound up second with Dillon third. Johnny Sauter finished fourth with rookie Joey Coulter fifth.

 

“I just needed them to get single-file so I could pick them off. I felt we were so much faster than them,” said Hamlin, referring to Dillon and Hornaday on the restart. “We knew they were racing for points and didn’t want to put them in a bad spot. I just wanted them to move up and they did.”

 

“We gave it to him. I just didn’t make the first turn and I ran into Ron,” said Dillon. “If I hadn’t done that it would have been one of us in victory lane. I’ve just got to figure out how to make that first turn better on restarts.”

 

“It was a great day … a pretty cool day for us,” said Hornaday. “Austin raced me pretty hard at the end. I don’t know how Denny snuck through us and stole the win.”

 

Dillon remains the leader in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, holding an 11-point advantage over James Buescher, who finished 10 Saturday.

 

There were 12 different lead changes among eight drivers, a Martinsville record.

ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Cardinals capped a postseason nobody figured they’d be part of by defeating the Texas Rangers 6-2 Friday night in Game 7 of the World Series. The resilient Redbirds couldn’t be vanquished.

In the waning days of August, St. Louis had a 0.2 percent chance of reaching the playoffs, according to AccuScore, a company that calculates probabilities by running thousands of game simulations. Expressed another way, the Cardinals faced 1 in 500 odds.

And that was to make the playoffs. Their chances of winning the World Series were minuscule, like a speck of Midwestern dust somehow reaching Manhattan or Malibu. It might have been the greatest comeback in baseball history.

The Cardinals squeaked into the playoffs the last day of the regular season, earning the wild-card berth primarily because the Atlanta Braves folded down the stretch. Once in, they proved they belonged, beating the Philadelphia Phillies in five division series games and the Milwaukee Brewers in six championship series games.

After falling behind three games to two in the World Series by losing Games 4 and 5 in Arlington, Texas, the Cardinals were on the brink of elimination. Twice in Game 6 they were down to their last strike, only to rally.

And Friday night in front of an adoring sellout crowd donned in red, the Cardinals celebrated the 11th Series championship in the storied history of the franchise. Talk about flying high.

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.

Date	Home	HomeScore	Away	AwayScore
10/28/2011	Abingdon	29	Tazewell	0
10/28/2011	Amherst	14	E. C. Glass	7
10/28/2011	Appomattox	17	Gretna	10
10/28/2011	Bassett	42	Patrick Co.	6
10/28/2011	Bland Co.	0	Galax	49
10/28/2011	Cave Spring	26	Cburg	21
10/28/2011	Clintwood	46	Central	8
10/28/2011	Craig Co.	7	Covington	21
10/28/2011	Dan River	36	Altavista	11
10/28/2011	East Mont.	0	Giles	35
10/28/2011	Fishburne	12	Carlisle	20
10/28/2011	Fort Chiswell	7	Graham	10
10/28/2011	Gate City	14	Lee	7
10/28/2011	Glenvar	63	Auburn	0
10/28/2011	Grayson	48	Narrows	6
10/28/2011	Halifax Co.	7	William Fleming	9
10/28/2011	Hargrave Mil.	26	VES	0
10/28/2011	Heritage	14	Jeff. Forest	34
10/28/2011	Holston	0	George Wythe	42
10/28/2011	Honaker	42	Grundy	14
10/28/2011	James River	14	Bath Co.	6
10/28/2011	LCA	43	Prince Edw.	8
10/28/2011	Liberty	20	Harrisonburg	41
10/28/2011	Lord Bot.	0	Alleghany	36
10/28/2011	Marion	30	Carroll Co.	8
10/28/2011	Martinsville	17	Magna Vista	34
10/28/2011	Nelson Co.	32	William Campbell	27
10/28/2011	Patrick Henry	0	Franklin Co.	34
10/28/2011	Patrick Henry, GS	0	Chilhowie	55
10/28/2011	Pulaski Co.	28	Blacksburg	0
10/28/2011	Roanoke Catholic	22	Blessed Sacrament	49
10/28/2011	Rockbridge	6	Northside	19
10/28/2011	Rural Retreat	27	Northwood	0
10/28/2011	Rustburg	3	Brookville	35
10/28/2011	Salem	10	Hidden Valley	3
10/28/2011	Union	26	J. I. Burton	20
10/28/2011	Virginia	26	Lebanon	3
10/28/2011	William Byrd	0	Staunton River	24
10/29/2011	Floyd Co.	NA	Radford	NA

Jimmie Johnson has got a lot on his mind these days, like how to get back in position to capture his sixth consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup championship with only five races left in the season.

But Thursday morning he blocked all of that out and went back to the classroom with about 40 fifth graders at Rich Acres Elementary School to learn about  the unique Trout in the Classroom program that several schools in the Martinsville area host. Later he and the students traveled to the banks of the Smith River to release the trout into the wild.

“Today was a very good learning experience for me. It was also a lot of fun to be with the students and go to the school and stand in the stream and release the trout,” said Johnson.

 

Rich Acres Elementary School is only about three miles from Martinsville Speedway, where Johnson has won six NASCAR Sprint Cup races. His trip Thursday was part of an effort to help promote the TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville on October 30. And while it was officially a day of work for the five-time champion, he had a lot of fun.

 

He spent time in the classroom with youngsters in the Trout in the Classroom program learning how they had raised the trout they eventually released from eggs to release size, about two inches in length. From organizers of the program, he learned how important the curriculum was for the community, students and the school.

 

And once the group had travelled to Smith River, Johnson pulled on a pair of borrowed boots and waded out into the chilly water with the youngsters to help release about 50 trout.

 

“I had a great time with the trout release program today and learning about it,” said Johnson. “I think it’s very important for school systems to find a way to engage the students and find things that interest them and have those things a part of the classroom. I’m a huge fan of what I’ve seen today.”

 

Johnson, who is eighth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup points, did find time to talk about racing, too. He admits his success at Martinsville Speedway could help him drive his way back into Chase contention. And he divulged at least part of the secret to his Martinsville success.

 

“I had a decent race my first time here, but the next race I was lapped by Tony Stewart early,” recalled Johnson. “After he lapped me, I started following him and something clicked: how he drove the track, how he used the brakes, how he was getting the car into position in the center of the turn, how he was using the throttle up off the corner.

 

“It all clicked and I followed him. I stayed on his bumper and followed him from then on and got my lap back. I’ve run well from that point on and found out how to win here. I have to give credit to Tony indirectly for showing me the way around the track after he lapped me.”

 

Johnson will be able to put that knowledge to work on October 28 when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series cars and the Camping World Truck Series trucks take to the track for a full day of practice.

Farm Bureau Pole Day and the Kroger 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race is set for Oct. 29 and the TUMS Fast Relief 500 is on October 30.

 

Good seats remain for all events and may be purchased by calling 1.877.RACE.TIX or by visiting www.martinsvillespeedway.com.

The unique four-inch high curbs guarding the inside of the turns at Martinsville Speedway have drawn the anger of almost every driver who has competed at this historic track.

But for the TUMS Fast Relief 500 weekend, the curbs will show a softer side. They have been painted pink in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Four ladies involved with the ”Ladies First” Martinsville and Henry County Breast Health Initiative helped track crews paint the curbs pink Tuesday morning. Two of the guest painters are breast cancer survivors.

“We hope this small effort on our part will help draw some attention to a cause that’s so important,” said Martinsville Speedway president Clay Campbell. “All of us know someone that has been touched by breast cancer. We all need to do anything we can do to help bring attention to the cause.”

“Martinsville Speedway continues to demonstrate their concern, involvement and commitment to our local community,” said Rita Winbush, project director of the “Ladies First” MHC Community Breast Health Initiative.

“By painting the curbs pink, they bring attention to not only a national program like the Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure but also to local programs like our “Ladies First” MHC Community Breast Health Initiative. We commend NASCAR and Martinsville Speedway for all they do to help raise breast cancer awareness throughout the year.”

The newly-painted curbs will be unveiled to the public for the first time on NASCAR Sprint Cup and Truck Series Practice Day on Friday, October 28. They will get their first real test on Saturday, October 29 with Farm Bureau Pole Day and the Kroger 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. And they will be center stage of the racing world on Sunday, October 30 for the TUMS Fast Relief 500.

Tickets for all three days of racing are available and may be purchased by calling 877.RACE.TIX or by visiting www.martinsvillespeedway.com.

10/14/2011	Amherst	7	Brookville	41
10/14/2011	Appomattox	24	Dan River	7
10/14/2011	Blacksburg	7	Salem	55
10/14/2011	Bland Co.	13	Grayson	56
10/14/2011	Carroll Co.	23	Richlands	48
10/14/2011	Cave Spring	22	Pulaski Co.	20
10/14/2011	Cburg	31	Hidden Valley	6
10/14/2011	Chatham	0	Gretna	49
10/14/2011	Covenant	16	VES	8
10/14/2011	Covington	50	James River	48
10/14/2011	Floyd Co.	55	East. Mont.	0
10/14/2011	Franklin Co.	49	Halifax Co.	29
10/14/2011	Gate City	NA	Virginia	NA
10/14/2011	George Washington	32	William Fleming	7
10/14/2011	George Wythe	56	Chilhowie	10
10/14/2011	Giles	41	Glenvar	28
10/14/2011	Graham	14	Galax	45
10/14/2011	Heritage	19	Rustburg	0
10/14/2011	Holston	NA	Northwood	NA
10/14/2011	Honaker	NA	Hurley	NA
10/14/2011	Isle of Wight	44	Carlisle	0
10/14/2011	J. I. Burton	NA	Clintwood	NA
10/14/2011	LCA	38	Fork Union	0
10/14/2011	Lebanon	NA	Abingdon	NA
10/14/2011	Liberty	25	Jeff. Forest	36
10/14/2011	Magna Vista	42	Tunstall	0
10/14/2011	Martinsburg	14	Patrick Henry	9
10/14/2011	Martinsville	36	Patrick Co.	0
10/14/2011	Montcalm	14	Craig Co.	55
10/14/2011	Narrows	6	Fort Chiswell	42
10/14/2011	Nelson Co.	12	Altavista	24
10/14/2011	Northside	42	Staunton Riv.	0
10/14/2011	P. McCluer	14	Bath Co.	20
10/14/2011	Radford	49	Auburn	0
10/14/2011	Roanoke Cath.	44	Quantico	22
10/14/2011	Rockbridge	38	Lord Bot.	0
10/14/2011	Rural Retreat	39	Patrick Henry, GS	8
10/14/2011	Union	18	Central	20
10/14/2011	William Byrd	41	Alleghany	25
10/15/2011	North Cross	NA	Atlantic Shores	NA
10/15/2011	Randolph-Macon	NA	Hargrave Mil.	NA

At a track known for wild finishes, Sunday’s Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 produced one of the wildest ever in the 64-year history of Martinsville Speedway.

In a race filled with 17 caution periods, a next-to-the-last-lap bumping incident between eventual winner Lee Pulliam and leader Matt McCall had fans on their feet and tempers running wild in the pits. Pulliam made contact with McCall as they went into Turn 3 to make the pass and take home the $25,000 first-place check and the legendary grandfather clock trophy.

McCall retaliated by spinning Pulliam in the third turn on the cool-down lap after the race.

"This is breathtaking and the biggest win of my career," Pulliam said. "I can't think of a bigger stage to be on and get it (win). This is our Daytona 500."

Pulliam, who finished third in the final NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national point standings, made the pass after running in the top five during the entire race.

“He got into me going into Turn 1 on the final restart and I just paid him back going into Turn 3,” Pulliam said of the finish.

Brandon Butler took advantage of the action up front to finish second and Stacy Puryear finished third. Dexter Canipe Jr. rebounded from an earlier spin to come home fourth. McCall was able to save his car and collect a fifth-place showing.

McCall visited the post-race stage to have a few words with Pulliam.

“I went up to him and told him I will see him around,” McCall said. “I have got too much going for me on my other career in racing but I will remember this and I will see him again.”

Davin Scites finished sixth and Greg Edwards seventh. Jeb Burton finished an impressive eighth, followed by Coleman Pressley and Mike Darne.

Philip Morris, the 2011 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series National Champion and defending race winner, battled mechanical issues all day after winning the pole in Saturday's qualifying and finished a disappointing 22.

Racing returns to Martinsville Speedway on October 28-30 with the Tums Fast Relief 500 weekend.

10/7/2011	Abingdon	3	Carroll Co.	16
10/7/2011	Alleghany	21	Northside	42
10/7/2011	Altavista	24	Chatham	14
10/7/2011	Auburn	0	Giles	62
10/7/2011	Bassett	19	Tunstall	14
10/7/2011	Bath Co.	19	Covington	22
10/7/2011	Brookville	47	Liberty	0
10/7/2011	Chilhowie	22	Rural Retreat	28
10/7/2011	Craig Co.	22	P. McCluer	32
10/7/2011	Dan River	64	Nelson Co.	28
10/7/2011	East Mont.	0	Radford	57
10/7/2011	Galax	52	Fort Chiswell	0
10/7/2011	George Washington	2	Patrick Henry	31
10/7/2011	George Wythe	62	Northwood	14
10/7/2011	Glenvar	35	Floyd Co.	18
10/7/2011	Grayson	41	Graham	3
10/7/2011	Gretna	36	William Campbell	13
10/7/2011	Hidden Valley	41	Blacksburg	7
10/7/2011	Jeff. Forest	45	E. C. Glass	21
10/7/2011	John Battle	6	Gate City	36
10/7/2011	Johnson Co., TN	14	Central	48
10/7/2011	LCA	19	North Cross	7
10/7/2011	Lord Bot.	3	William Byrd	32
10/7/2011	Marion	0	Richlands	49
10/7/2011	Martinsville	10	Heritage	18
10/7/2011	Narrows	8	Bland Co.	16
10/7/2011	Patrick Co.	13	Magna Vista	64
10/7/2011	Pulaski Co.	7	Cburg	28
10/7/2011	Rustburg	18	Amherst	21
10/7/2011	Rye Cove	0	Eastside	26
10/7/2011	Salem	29	Cave Spring	26
10/7/2011	Staunton River	14	Rockbridge	21
10/7/2011	Tazewell	2	Virginia	35
10/7/2011	Twin Valley	13	Castlewood	39
10/7/2011	William Fleming	16	Franklin Co.	35

Philip Morris keeps finding a way to outdo himself.

The veteran Virginia driver set a track record Saturday in qualifying for Sunday’s Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 at Martinsville Speedway, adding to a season of amazing success, which includes 20 victories, a track championship and his fourth NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national championship.

“This year has been surreal,” said Morris, who is also the defending Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 champion. “It has been a blur of victories.”

There was never much doubt Saturday that Morris was going to be the class of qualifying after he led both morning practice sessions.

Morris toured the .526-mile Martinsville oval in 20.165 seconds (93.905 mph) to shatter the old Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 Late Model Stock car record of 20.216 seconds (93.668) set by Davin Scites in 2008. By winning the pole, Morris picked up the $1,000 Sparks Oil Pole Award.

“I had been looking for that lap all day long,” Morris said of his qualifying lap. “A lot of preparation went into the car. I drove way deep in the corner and it felt a little like the pole and when I looked up and saw it on the scoreboard, I was the happiest guy in Martinsville.”

Matt McCall was fairly happy, too, nailing down the second starting position with a lap of 20.347 seconds (93.065).

“We got waxed by two-tenths of a second,” McCall said chuckling. “We had a good lap, but Philip had an awesome lap.”

Last year’s pole winner, Lee Pulliam, earned the third starting spot (20.365, 92.983 mph) followed by Scites (20.381, 92.910) and Kenny Forbes (20.397, 92.937).

The top five qualifiers were in Chevrolets.

Rounding out the top 10 were B.J. Mackey, Brandon Butler, former winner Frank Deiny Jr., Josh Berry and Ryan Reed.

Only the top  22 positions for  Sunday’s 42-car field were determined in Saturday’s qualifying. The remaining 20 spots will be filled through four 25-lap heat races beginning at 12:30 p.m. Sunday. The top five finishers from each heat race transfer to the 200-lap feature.

Tickets are $20 for adults and children 12-and-under are free for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300.

Fan gates will open at 9 a.m. Sunday.

Just how solid is the field for this Sunday’s Virginia is for Racing 300 Late Model Stock car race at Martinsville Speedway?

 

Well, as the old saying goes, the numbers don’t lie.

 

Philip Morris, the defending event winner, and the 2011 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national champion is entered. So is Lee Pulliam, who finished third in the final NWAAS national standings and C.E. Falk, who finished fourth.

 

Frank Deiny Jr. (ninth) and Nate Monteith (10) give the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 entry list two more members of the national top 10. That means half of the top 10 national finalists are entered, and that’s with only about half of the anticipated entry forms received so far.

 

“The competition level here week in and week out is so much more advanced than what I see in other parts of the country,” Morris said after a recent test session “We know we can expect the best competition anywhere right here at Martinsville Speedway next week.”

 

The number of total wins this season from the 50 or so entries received so far is staggering, an amazing 147. Thirty of the drivers entered so far have at least one win apiece and six are in double digits. Roughly 100 entrants are expected by the weekend.

 

Four-time national champion Morris leads the way with 20 wins, with 19 coming at South Boston Speedway and one at Motor Mile Speedway. Pulliam piled up a track-record 16 wins at Motor Mile Speedway and a total of 17 overall while Anthony Anders had 15 victories at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina.

 

Falk and B.J. Mackey each totaled 11 wins on the season, Falk racing primarily at Langley Speedway and Mackey at Caraway Speedway. Nate Monteith was right behind with 10 wins at Kingsport Speedway.

 

Practice and time trials are scheduled for Saturday, October 8. Only the fastest 22 cars will make the field through qualifying with the remainder of the 42-car field filled through four 25-lap heat races beginning at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 9. The top five finishers from each heat race will transfer to the 200-lap feature.

 

Tickets are $20 for adults and children 12-and-under are free for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 on October 9. Tickets for qualifying on October 8 are $5. Tickets for qualifying day are on sale at the ticket office only.

Fan gates will open at 9 a.m. on October 8 and 9. Tickets for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 may be ordered by calling 1.877.RACE.TIX or visiting www.martinsvillespeedway.com.

Philip Morris is on top of the world. He’s just won his fourth NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national championship. He’s the defending champion for next Sunday’s Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 at Martinsville Speedway.

 

But one thing is for certain, the veteran Virginia driver refuses to become over confident, cocky or lazy. It’s all business all the time for Morris.

 

“If you start relishing what you’ve done and you get satisfied, well, that’s all you are ever going to do,” said the 46-year-old Morris, who arguably has been the top weekly racer in the country for more than a decade.

 

“The guys I race with now, all the guys that are stepping up and breaking records, if you get satisfied then they are going to leave you behind. I don’t want to look back at what I’ve done until I hang the helmet up.”

 

He’s won hundreds of races, has those four national championship trophies and is one of only two drivers to have won the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 twice. But motivation is not a problem headed into next Sunday’s race, the biggest NASCAR Late Model Stock car race in the nation.

 

“I really didn’t want to bring it up, but I’ve never won this race (the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300) the same year as winning the national championship and I’ve been here three other times in that situation,” said Morris. “The fact that I didn’t doesn’t take away from those years, but how much better would it be than to be here celebrating winning a national championship and this race.”

 

Morris certainly has to be the favorite headed into the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300. In addition to everything else he’s done this year, his Clarence’s Steakhouse Chevrolet was the fastest car in an open practice session for the race last week. But again, he downplays his practice results and plays up the quality of competition he faces.

 

“The competition level here week in and week out is so much more advance than what I see in other parts of the country. That’s the headline I see here … Virginia drivers are coming to the front,” Morris said, referring to the fact that drivers from two other Virginia tracks, Lee Pulliam at Motor Mile Speedway and C.E. Falk at Langley Raceway finished in the top five in the national standings.

 

“I’m certainly going to be looking at my competition from this season in the race, but if history has anything to do with this race, you’d better be watching out for the guy you’re not looking for because there’s always somebody that’s going to step up. I’ve lost to so many excellent drivers here. I’ll try to take what I’ve learned from my losses and try to be that person who does a little something extraordinary in the race.”

 

Morris and about 90 other drivers will roll into Martinsville Speedway on Friday for a day of inspection and practice. Practice will begin late in the afternoon after inspection is completed. The grandstands are open at no charge on Friday.

 

Practice and time trials are scheduled for Saturday, October 8. Only the fastest 22 cars will make the field through qualifying with the remainder of the 42-car field filled through four 25-lap heat races beginning at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 9. The top five finishers from each heat race will transfer to the 200-lap feature.

 

Tickets are $20 for adults and children 12-and-under are free for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 on October 9. Tickets for qualifying on October 8 are $5. Tickets for qualifying day are on sale at the ticket office only.

Fan gates will open at 9 a.m. on October 8 and 9. Tickets for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 may be ordered by calling 1.877.RACE.TIX or visiting www.martinsvillespeedway.com.

 

9/30/2011	Abingdon	13	John Battle	6
9/30/2011	Alleghany	35	James River	19
9/30/2011	Amherst	10	Heritage	6
9/30/2011	Bassett	21	Hidden Valley	28
9/30/2011	Bath Co.	33	Pocahontas	45
9/30/2011	Bland Co.	14	Northwood	12
9/30/2011	Brunswick	0	Gretna	45
9/30/2011	Carlisle	NA	Walsingham	NA
9/30/2011	Castlewood	20	Grundy	21
9/30/2011	Cburg	42	Franklin Co.	8
9/30/2011	Chatham	20	Dan River	43
9/30/2011	Chilhowie	6	Virginia	21
9/30/2011	Covington	27	Summers Co., WV	22
9/30/2011	E. C. Glass	13	Brookville	48
9/30/2011	Fishburne	7	Roanoke Catholic	17
9/30/2011	Gate City	21	Bluefield	7
9/30/2011	George Washington	22	Southampton	0
9/30/2011	George Wythe	52	Marion	13
9/30/2011	Glenvar	21	William Byrd	42
9/30/2011	Graham	7	Princeton	41
9/30/2011	Hargrave Mil	13	North Cross	42
9/30/2011	Holston	14	Rye Cove	36
9/30/2011	Honaker	19	Richlands	45
9/30/2011	Hurley	12	Thomas Walker	54
9/30/2011	J. I. Burton	47	Eastside	18
9/30/2011	Lee	50	Central	51
9/30/2011	Liberty	12	Rustburg	21
9/30/2011	Magna Vista	42	Halifax Co.	21
9/30/2011	Martinsville	18	Carroll Co.	14
9/30/2011	Nelson Co.	28	Appomattox	55
9/30/2011	P. McCluer	41	Auburn	18
9/30/2011	Radford	38	Patrick Co.	13
9/30/2011	Salem	21	William Fleming	0
9/30/2011	Staunton River	27	Tunstall	17
9/30/2011	Tazewell	7	Lebanon	16
9/30/2011	Union	26	Clintwood	30
9/30/2011	VES	NA	Nansemond Suffolk	NA
9/30/2011	William Campbell	14	Altavista	7

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (September 21, 2011) – On a day when race teams were supposed to be tweaking their cars for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 at Martinsville Speedway, all they could do was keep an eye on Mother Nature. And as usual, Mother Nature won.

After several attempts at drying the track for a day of testing, a noon downpour finally forced track officials to scrap the day of testing. Teams will return on September 28 for another regularly-scheduled test day for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 Late Model Stock Car race on October 9.

“We had a lot of stuff we were going to try on our car today, but I think it (the weather) set everybody back,” said Lee Pulliam, last year’s Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 pole winner. The Semora, NC, driver also won the track championship at Motor Mile Speedway this year with a track-record 16 wins.“I think everybody came in with the game plan of a doing a lot of experimenting today, but now we’ll have to come back next week and do the best we can.“I feel pretty good about the race car, though. We’ve got a really good package to work off from last year, so I don’t think it (the rainout) will hurt us as much as it will some of the others.”The rainout will make for a hectic test day next week, according to Frank Deiny Jr., a former winner of the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300.“We had a whole list of stuff we wanted to try today. We’re just going to have to have a really solid day when we come back next week,” said Deiny. “We’re going to have to fit two days into one. I think it’s going to be the same for everyone. We’ll all just have to work really hard.”

Open practice is scheduled for Wednesday, September 29, with team sign-in beginning at 7 a.m. All competitor passes purchased for Wednesday’s rainout will be honored on September 28.Tickets for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 are $20 for adults with children 12-and-under free. Tickets for qualifying on October 8 are $5. Tickets for qualifying day are on sale at the ticket office only.Fan gates will open at 9 a.m. on October 8 and 9. Tickets for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 may be ordered by calling 1.877.RACE.TIX or visiting www.martinsvillespeedway.com.

 

MARTINSVILLE, VA (October 22, 2010) – Denny Hamlin won the first round of his Martinsville Speedway showdown with Jimmie Johnson Friday afternoon.

Johnson and Hamlin are first and second in the Chase for Sprint Cup headed into the TUMS Fast Relief 500, but Hamlin put himself in a prime position to gain ground Friday by winning the pole for Sunday’s race. And while Hamlin nailed down the top starting position, Johnson qualified 19th.

Hamlin’s pole-winning time was 19.518 seconds (97.018 mph) around the .526-mile oval. Marcos Ambrose gave Toyota a sweep of the front row, claiming the outside pole with a time of 19.521 seconds.

It was Hamlin’s second Martinsville pole win and his 11th career NASCAR Sprint Cup pole.

“I feel like, if I can out-qualify the 48 (Johnson), I can potentially keep him from leading one lap,” Hamlin said after practice and before qualifying. “We spent all day working on qualifying trying to get the pole—trying to get that first pit stall, because, obviously, we do feel like it’s very important.

Johnson leads Hamlin by 41 points going into Sunday’s race, but will start the TUMS Fast Relief 500 in bit of a hole. In addition to starting well ahead of Johnson, Hamlin got to take his choice of pit stall. He picked the first one at the end of pit row, another definite advantage.

Greg Biffle (96.988 mph) will start third, followed by Ryan Newman (96.973 mph) and Juan Pablo Montoya (96.959 mph). Kevin Harvick, 77 points behind Johnson and the only driver other than Hamlin within 156 points of the Chase lead, will start 36th.

Despite his qualifying advantage, Hamlin gave a warning about Johnson’s and Harvick’s starting positions.

“When the green flag drops, they’re going to be coming,” Hamlin said.

Sprint Cup regular Kyle Busch won the pole Friday for Saturday’s Kroger 200 Camping World Truck Series race, barely edging second-place Matt Crafton.

Rounding ou the top five were Ron Hornaday Jr., Kevin Harvick and Johnny Sauter.

The Kroger 200 is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Good seats remain for both the Kroger 200 and the TUMS Fast Relief 500.

 

Four races into the Chase for the Sprint Cup there are still at least a half-dozen drivers with a legitimate chance at winning the championship. And for at least four of them, Martinsville Speedway and the TUMS Fast Relief 500 on October 24 could be where they make their big move.

When the checkered flag waved at Auto Club Speedway Sunday, Tony Stewart had the victory and made a big jump in the Chase standings to fifth, Jimmie Johnson had retained his Chase lead and Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon had remained solidly in the hunt.

With just one race to go before the TUMS Fast Relief 500, Hamlin is just 36 points behind Johnson. Harvick is 54 points back and Gordon trails the leader by 85 points. Stewart moved from 10th to fifth with the win and is 107 points in arrears.

And while Johnson has been dominant at Martinsville Speedway the past few years, Hamlin, Harvick, Gordon and Stewart all have to be excited about the only short-track stop in the Chase.

Hamlin is the defending champion of the TUMS Fast Relief 500 and also captured the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 on the half-mile oval last spring. He ended a three-race win streak by Johnson in the spring of 2008 and has won three of the last five Martinsville Cup races.

While it has been a few years since Gordon won at Martinsville, he leads all active drivers with seven Martinsville victories. He was third here in the spring and fifth last fall.

Stewart has a couple of Martinsville wins to his credit and has momentum on his side after winning in California Sunday. Even though he is more than 100 points behind with five races remaining in the Chase, he thinks he’s got a good shot at picking up a third Sprint Cup championship.

“We’re doing everything we can do,” said Stewart, who disliked Martinsville’s tight layout early in his career, but since has developed quite a fondness for it. “We’re going to need some help, but we’re doing everything we can do. I’m proud of these guys, and just so thankful … they refuse to give up, they refuse to back down. We’ll just keep doing what we’re doing here.”

Then there’s Harvick who sits 54 points behind Johnson. He was reared in California, but these days he calls Martinsville Speedway his home track, living just over a half-hour away. He hasn’t won a Cup race at Martinsville, but has a couple of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series wins here along with a Nationwide Series victory.

“I love racing at Martinsville. I get to sleep in my own bed and just have to go a few miles up the road. That makes life a lot easier, ” Harvick said recently. “There’s something about the place I’ve always liked. It’s a place like where we all got started, a short track. There’s always a lot of beating and banging there. And though we haven’t won, I think we’ve gotten better and better there.”

Tickets for the TUMS Fast Relief 500 begin at $25 and range to $77.

Tickets to the Kroger 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on October 23 are $30 in advance, with children 12 and under admitted free.
 

Lee Pulliam continued his meteoric journey in racing Saturday afternoon by winning the pole for Sunday’s Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 at Martinsville Speedway.

Four years ago Pulliam had never sat in a race car, but he wanted to be a racer. He fast-tracked his way through high school so he could finish a year early and go to work to save enough money to buy an entry-level race car.

Saturday the 22-year-old driver from Semora, NC, topped 84 other drivers, including three former national champions and several higher division drivers to start up front for the biggest, most prestigious Late Model Stock Car race in the country.

“It’s pretty emotional,” Pulliam said. “We’ve come a long way in a very short time and I’ve got to thank a lot of people for their help. It started with nothing four years ago. The Lord has given me a great path.”

Pulliam won five times this season at South Boston Speedway in just his second year in Late Model competition. He had the fastest car in two open test sessions at Martinsville over the past two weeks, and admitted because of that there was pressure headed into Saturday’s time trials. He came through with flying colors, though.

He turned in a lap of 20.272 seconds (93.410 mph) around the .526-mile oval to edge three-time NASCAR Whelen All-American Series champion Philip Morris. Morris, who won this event in 2000, had a lap of 20.310 seconds (93.235 mph).

Even after winning the pole, Pulliam was still a bit awed by his surroundings.

“It definitely says a lot when you call Timothy Peters’ name and Dennis Setzer,” Pulliam said, referring to a pair of drivers who compete regularly on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and who both have won this race and a truck series race at Martinsville. “Those guys are wheelmen. They’ve got a lot of laps around this place. A few years ago all of them were role models to me.”

Brandon McReynolds of Mooresville, NC, who finished second in this race last year, qualified third, followed by Ryan Robertson of Winston-Salem, NC, and Mike Looney of Catawba.

Peters was sixth fastest, with last year’s third-place finisher Brennan Poole of The Woodlands, TX, seventh. Davin Scites, last year’s pole-sitter from Davidson, NC qualified eighth with Setzer ninth and former race winner Alex Yontz 10.

Only the top 22 positions were decided in time trials Saturday. The remainder of the 42-car field will be decided in four 25-lap heat races that begin at 12:30 p.m. Sunday.

Fan gates open at 9 a.m. on Sunday, with an autograph session on the track’s frontstrech set for 11:30 a.m.
 

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (September 30, 2010) --  After back-to-back weeks of testing,  teams will get down to business Friday as the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 weekend kicks off at Martinsville Speedway.

Registration and inspection opens at 7 a.m. Friday with almost 100 cars expected to roll through the inspection line by 2 p.m.By the end of the day Thursday, just over 70 teams had already loaded into the infield for Sunday’s Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300. There will be another long line waiting to get in when the pits open at 7 a.m. Friday.

Martinsville’s tight racing surface will get crowded around 2 or so Friday afternoon as cars take to the track for practice once technical inspection is finished.  All cars must be through tech before any cars are allowed on the track. Practice will conclude at 5 p.m.

Fan gates will open at 9 a.m. Friday with no admission charge.

Saturday is a busy day with two hours of practice beginning at 9 a.m. Time trials start at 2 p.m. with the top 22 spots determined. Admission to Saturday’s action is $5 with fan gates opening at 9 a.m.

Fan gates open at 9 a.m. on Sunday, with an autograph session on the track’s frontstrech set for 11:30 a.m.

The first of the four 25-lap heat races begins at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, followed by the 200-lap feature race. The top five finishers in each of the four heat races advance to the main event.

Tickets are $20 for adults with children 12 and under admitted free. Tickets may be purchased by calling 877.RACE.TIX or by visiting www.martinsvillespeedway.com.

 

Bobby Santos' dream season continued Sunday at Martinsville Speedway as he captured the checkered flag in the Made In America Whelen 200.
 
Santos pulled away from the field on a green-white-checkered finish to claim his third win in four NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races to start the 2010 season.
 
Rookie Justin Bonsignore had a career-best second-place finish, followed by Todd Szegedy. Mike Stefanik, the defending race winner, settled for fourth. Stefanik, who won the Coors Light Pole Award Saturday, lined up on the outside of the front row on the final restart but was shuffled back on the final two laps. Burt Myers finished fifth.
 
James Civali, Eric Beers, Woody Pitkat, Richie Pallai Jr. and Wade Cole rounded out the top 10.
 
The 24-year-old Santos, from Franklin, Mass., entered the season with one career win in 28 Tour starts and had never run a full season. Late in the offseason, he was picked to replace defending champion Donny Lia in the No. 4 "Mystic Missile" Dodge when Lia departed to run in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Santos has responded with three Coors Light Pole Awards and three wins.
 
Santos finished second in the race he did not win, and has forged an 89-point lead in the standings on Stefanik.
 
Ron Silk appeared to have a car to challenge Santos. However, he pulled out of the lead under caution on Lap 174 and ran out of gas on pit lane.
 

Drivers will be getting in the racing groove on June 6 in the Made In America Whelen 200/UNOH Performance 200 at Martinsville Speedway. But the night before, fans can “Get In The Groove” on the front stretch of the historic speedway.

Martinsville Speedway will present  “Get In The Groove,” an evening of music and fun on Saturday, June 5 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

When the gates to the front stretch open at 6 p.m., the track will have barely cooled down from a full day of practice and qualifying for the Made In America Whelen 200/UNOH Performance 200.

“We wanted to make this a full weekend fun for everyone. It’s a chance for race fans to get down on the track and a chance for the non-race fans to come out, enjoy an evening of music and see what’s going on out here,” said Martinsville Speedway President W. Clay Campbell.

“We’re pretty sure most of the drivers and crew chief are going to stick around, so it’s a chance to mingle with them and while fans can’t go into the pits, everything will be close enough they can get a good up close look.”

FATZ, a classic country-rock band, will provide the music, playing from a stage set up across the front stretch, just past the start-finish line. There will also be food vendors and a beer vendor on the track.

Admission to “Get In The Groove” is $5. The event will benefit the Martinsville Speedway Children’s Foundation.

Qualifying for the Whelen 200 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race is set for 3:30 p.m. on June 5 followed by qualifying for the UNOH Performance 200 K&N Pro Series East race.

Race day on Sunday, June 6 will kick off with a on-track autograph session with all drivers from each event in attendance. Fans will enter the track through the flag stand at the start-finish line and the drivers will be along the front stretch signing autographs.
 

When Bobby Santos was two, his father plopped him down in a go-kart. He’s been in a racing seat ever since.

And now, some 23 years later, he’s sitting in the best seat in the NASCAR Modified Tour house – the famed Mystic Missile, owned by legendary Bob Garbarino.

After two races Santos is leading the NASCAR Modified points chase. He has a win, two top-five finishes and two pole wins headed into the Made In America Whelen 200/UNOH Performance 200 at Martinsville Speedway on June 6

A year ago Santos ran just two NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races as he concentrated on other series. At the same time Garbarino was winning his second Modified championship in three years with Donny Lia in the bright yellow number four. Not long after the season ended, Lia bolted for other opportunities and Garbarino was searching for a new driver. He didn’t search long or far, tabbing Santos to pilot the Mystic Missile.

“They were looking for a driver. They had a few different options and it’s pretty cool they chose me,” said Santos, a third generation driver from Franklin, MA. “It’s an honor to drive for Bob. I knew a lot about the Mystic Missile long before I sat in it. I watched it win a lot of races when I was just a kid.”

The 25-year-old Santos is running some races outside of the NASCAR Modified Tour this season, but no where near the 60 to 70 events he’s run in years’ past.

“I’ve run all three USAC divisions, I’ve done some super modified stuff here and there, some different types of dirt stuff and we just picked the big (NASCAR) Modified races,” said Santos. “This year we’re focusing on racing with Bob’s team and then some big USAC races.”

While Santos knew he was getting top-notch equipment with Garbarino, he didn’t realize how good until he crawled through the window for the first time.

“We’ve got awesome equipment and really great people working on it,” said Santos. “Bob has been so easy to work with from the beginning. All he expects me do to is drive it. That’s the way it’s been from the beginning.

“A lot of people say there has got to be a lot of pressure on me because of the ride I’m in, but I’m the only one putting pressure on me. “

Santos has raced on Martinsville Speedway’s tough .526-mile just one time, in 2007. He remembers having a pretty good car then, but got caught up in a wreck past the halfway point. But even before that 2007 trip to Martinsville, he understood the importance of the track to his family. His grandfather, Bob Santos, the patriarch of the racing family, won the Modified portion of the 1972 Cardinal Classic at Martinsville.

I’m very confident going to Martinsville. I enjoyed in when I was there and I know this car has had a lot of success there and there’s no reason we can’t go there together and win. That’s what all of us expect,” said Santos.

“Nobody wants to win it more than me, though.  To win the grandfather clock (winner’s trophy) at Martinsville would mean the world to me. I’ve seen my grandfather’s grandfather clock he got for winning there. I would love to have one of my own.”

 

Ryan Gifford’s grandfather was a drag racer. But when it came time for Gifford to choose a path, he opted for straightaways that had a turn at the end.

It seems like it was a pretty good decision. The 21-year-old Gifford has finished in the top five in two of the first three races of the season on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and headed into the Made In America Whelen 200/UNOH Performance 200 at Martinsville Speedway on June 6, he is fifth in the series points standings.

“My grandfather used to be a drag racer. I had a big interest in either racing junior dragsters or go karts. There was a go-kart track about 15 minutes down the road from us,” said the Winchester, TN driver, who was eight years old at the time. “He took me down there and I fell in love with it. “

He conquered the World Karting Association and moved to dirt late models in 2005 and immediately started winning races. He caught the eye of Sprint Cup team owner Richard Childress and signed on as a developmental driver for RCR in 2009. He remains an RCR driver, but is also a member of the 2010 Drive For Diversity Class, racing for Revolution Racing.

He raced in five East Series races last year, finishing in the top 10 in all five and in the top five in three of them. Gifford has started strong this season, but concedes there is pressure involved.

“There’s a lot of pressure. There are a lot more talented race drivers than there are good race cars,” said Gifford. “You have to perform. That’s the bottom line.”

While he’s never turned a lap at Martinsville, he’s excited about the upcoming trip to the storied track.

“That place has so much history … it’s just crazy. I’ve always wanted to race at places like Martinsville … it’s the Mecca of short track racing,” said Gifford.

And it doesn’t hurt that he’s got an affinity for short tracks.

“I’m big on short-track racing. And the go-kart track I learned on was shaped a lot like Martinsville, but just a smaller version. It had long straights and tight turns.”

 

Pole Winners … There have been 21 different pole winners at Martinsville, led by four apiece from Jeff Fuller, Jan Leaty and Stefanik. Ron Silk was the pole winner in last year’s event.

Santos Surges To Early Championship Lead

The first championship chase in the diverse racing career of Bobby Santos is off to a stellar start.

Santos, a 24-year-old that grew up in a racing family, has been behind the wheel of various types of race cars and various levels of competition throughout his still-budding career. This season marks the first time the Franklin, Mass., native has competed for a championship at the higher levels of the sport.

Maybe he should have tried this before.

After just three 2010 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races Santos has already shot out to a 64-point lead in the championship standings. While the season is not even to the quarter pole, to put his fast start in perspective, that is the largest differential between first and second place after three races since Mike McLaughlin led Reggie Ruggiero by 73 tallies in 1989.

Santos’ current margin is also the largest in the midst of a season since Ted Christopher led by 89 points following the 13th race of the 2008 campaign. Christopher closed that season with a 127-point margin following the season finale, but neither Christopher nor eventual champion Donny Lia had a lead of more than 53 points a year ago.

While Santos might not have experience with staying the course to a championship, his team does. Santos took over Bob Garbarino’s famed No. 4 “Mystic Missile” this year after Lia had piloted it to the title in 2007 and 2008. Chuck Hossfeld also paced the points standings in the car for half of the 2008 campaign.

To Santos’ credit, however, it’s not just the car. In the same equipment that many have piloted before him, Santos set track qualifying records at the two most-raced tracks in the history of northeast Modified racing in Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway and Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway to begin the season. Santos earned the second win of his career in the opener at Thompson, was runner-up at Stafford in the second outing of the season after he was spun mid-race, and then won in the return to Stafford last week.

Aside from the rally at Stafford in the second race after he was spun while in the lead, Santos has been at or near the front the entire season. He’s led 37-percent (179 of 487) of all laps completed this year, and has taken advantage of the lap leader bonus points that are new to the Whelen Modified Tour this year by compiling 20 so far.

For Santos, who has participated in Whelen Modified Tour races as a part-timer since 2004 prior to this year, the majority of his starts have come at Stafford and Thompson. To keep up the pace he’ll need to adapt to different tracks quickly. Next up is Martinsville Speedway, where he has just one career Modified appearance in which he started third and finished 20th. After that will be New Hampshire Motor Speedway where he has had mixed results in six starts.

 

Perhaps overlooked in preseason talk of NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship contenders, Max Gresham has quickly emerged as a title threat in 2010.

Gresham, a 17-year-old from Griffin, GA, enters Sunday’s Made In America Whelen 200/UNOH Performance 200 at Martinsville Speedway as the East points leader after three races thanks to wins in the last two outings.

The first win of his young career came on April 3 at South Boston Speedway in just his fourth series start.

“The feeling I got after the South Boston win was unbelievable,” Gresham said. “It felt great to finally have a strike in the ‘W’ column because the Joe Gibbs team deserved it and I felt, as the driver, it was about time to get them another win.”

Gresham stayed hot as he outdueled fellow high school junior Ty Dillon in a last-lap battle to win the prestigious East-West combination race at Iowa Speedway on May 23.

“I’d definitely call that the biggest win of my career,” Gresham said. “It was also probably also the most memorable because I had to earn it there in the last lap. It was one of those times that I will never forget.“

Although short on speedway experience, Gresham has been quite successful at the larger track. He participated in the K&N Pro Series West race at Iowa in 2009 and finished third.

“A lot of the bigger tracks really agree with me because I like to go fast and I like to have the control of all the variables,” Gresham said.

With the UNOH Performance 200 at Martinsville Speedway up next, Gresham will attempt to sweep the two K&N Pro Series East races in Virginia, but to do so he’ll have to go back to a short-track racing mentality.

“Going to Martinsville is kind of like going back home [to a short track],” Gresham said. “Its going to be a lot of fun because it’s a big-name track and it’s a place I’ve always fantasized about racing at.”

MODIFIED MADHOUSE: While Sunday’s Made In America Whelen 200 is not a NASCAR Southern Modified Tour event, it will have at least a little southern flavor.

Two of the prominent stars of The History Channel’s breakout hit, “Madhouse,” Burt and Jason Myers will be in the house at Martinsville this weekend for the NASCAR Modified Tour event. Both compete on the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour.

It’s going to be a busy weekend for Burt Myers. He’s racing at Ace Speedway near Burlington, NC on Friday, has to be at Martinsville all day Saturday for practice and 3:30 p.m. qualifying and then makes a mad dash for Bowman Gray Stadium for a race. He’s presently the points leader at Bowman Gray.

GOLDEN OLDIE: While most of the field for the UNOH Performance 200 East Series  race is ridiculously young, there will be at least one oldster in the field.

Forty-three-year-old Steve Park will be making his first start of the season in the East Series after competing full time the past two years.

To say Park is a NASCAR veteran would be an understatement. He’s won races in the Sprint Cup, Nationwide, Camping World Truck Series, Whelen Modified Tour and the East Series.

This weekend will mark the fourth different series he’s competed in at Martinsville.

SCHEDULE AND TICKETS: Qualifying for the Made In America Whelen 200 NASCAR Modified Tour race is set for 3:30 p.m. on June 5 followed by qualifying for the UNOH Performance 200 K&N Pro Series East race.

Race day on Sunday, June 6 will kick off with an on-track autograph session at 11 a.m. with all drivers from each event in attendance. Fans will enter the track through the flag stand at the start-finish line and the drivers will be along the front stretch signing autographs.

 

 Governor McDonnell to Serve as Grand Marshall of Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 NASCAR Race.  

It’s been a pretty good week for Kevin Harvick at Martinsville Speedway and he’s still got another day to go.

Harvick captured the Kroger 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race Saturday after winning the pole for both the Kroger 250 and the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Race on Friday.  A win in the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 would give him a perfect week at the historic half-mile

"It was a lot of fun for me, just for the fact that the thing was so dominant to drive," said Harvick, who is also the NASCAR Sprint Cup points leader. "I didn't really have to do a whole lot different -- I just drove my line every lap, and we were able to make our way through traffic when we needed to.

"When we passed the No. 17 (Timothy Peters) for the lead, it looked like his truck started to get a little loose getting into the corner, and we were able to capitalize on that."

Saturday’s win was the eighth truck series victory of his career and his second of the season.

Harvick led 187 laps, and he dominated for most of the day on the way to a 1.5-second win over Ron Hornaday Jr. Brian Ickler was third, followed by Timothy Peters and Johnny Benson.

Peters, who won at Martinsville last fall and also captured the season-opener at Daytona, led late in the race and gave Harvick a spirited battle until Harvick took the lead for good on lap 190.

“Every time we have come here, not matter what it is, we’ve run well,” said Peters, who lives less that a half-hour from Martinsville Speedway. “I’m just thankful we can have that success up here. I just love coming here.”
 

Without turning a single qualifying lap Kevin Harvick captured the pole for two races at Martinsville Speedway Friday afternoon.

Persistent rain showers washed out time trials for both the Kroger 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race and the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500. Harvick was awarded the pole for both events by virtue of NASCAR’S points system.

“Obviously this is the place where if you’re going to have that happen (qualifying washed out) and start up front, this is the place you want to do it,” said Harvick, who is atop the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points . “But this is a good place to have that happen and I’m looking forward to both races.”
For the first time this season for either series, lineups were set according to the respective series' rulebooks. So Harvick will lead the 43-car field for the Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 to the green flag on Sunday.

After five Cup races, Harvick's No. 29 Richard Childress Racing team has a one-point lead on 2003 Cup champion Matt Kenseth's No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing squad, which will also start on the front row.

Defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson will start third followed by Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart.

 Because 2009 Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday, Kevin Harvick Inc.'s other driver, has a past champion's provisional available to him, his truck's owners' points were transferred to the No. 2 Chevrolet, which this weekend is driven by the team owner. Hornaday will roll off 31st in Saturday's race.

Truck Series runner-up Matt Crafton will line up second in his No. 88 ThorSport Racing Chevrolet.

Despite a valiant effort by track workers, rain washed away Saturday’s action at Martinsville Speedway, forcing the Made In America 300 to be compressed into a one-day event, beginning at 9 a.m. Sunday.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour cars will get on track at 9 a.m. Sunday for an hour of practice followed by an hour-long Limited Sportsman practice session. Modified time trials will begin at 11:30 a.m. with the two Limited Sportsman heat races set for 1 p.m.

The 200-lap NASCAR Modified Tour race will take the green flag at 3 p.m. with the 50-lap Limited race set to start at 5:30 p.m.

There will be an autograph session with Modified drivers on the front stretch at 2 p.m.

Track workers, with the help of two jet driers, battled a light mist much of the morning before getting the track dry enough around noon Saturday to allow the Modifieds about a 40-minute window for practice. Then the rains came back harder and the day was called.

Todd Szegedy led the field during the abbreviated practice for the Made In America Whelen 300, touring the demanding track during practice with a time of 19.133 seconds (97.841 mph). Donny Lia, a former Martinsville winner, was second with a time of 19.172 (97.642 mph). Glenn Tyler was fourth with Johnny Bush and Ronnie Silk completing the top five.

Because of the tight schedule Sunday, the Limited Sportsman will not have time trials. The first 26 positions in the 50-lap feature will be filled by the fastest 26 cars in practice. The final 10 spots will be filled through two 25-lap heat races.

Tickets for the Made In America Whelen 300 are $25 for adults with children 12 and under admitted free.

There will be no shortage of race cars at Martinsville Speedway this weekend for the Made In America Whelen 300.
More than 110 cars are entered for the NASCAR doubleheader featuring a 200-lap NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race and 100 laps of NASCAR Limited Sportsman racing.Over 40 entries have been received the Modified Tour race, which includes drivers from both the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour.       Read more....

Preece Has Martinsville Clock, Now Wants Trip To Victory Lane In Whelen 300

Ryan Preece has the trophy, the big, beautiful grandfather clock, that goes to the winner of the Made In America 300 at Martinsville Speedway. What he doesn’t have is the Victory Lane experience that goes with it, and that’s what he’ll be gunning for next Sunday.

Preece won the pole for last year’s NASCAR Modified Tour event at Martinsville and led most of the race. But with 29 laps remaining, Burt Myers slipped past him and held on for the win just ahead of Preece.         
                  Read more....

• BASSETT – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Friends of Philpott, Inc. organized a lake cleanup at Philpott Lake this past Saturday. Forty-two volunteers, including members of the Ferrum Recreation Club, Friends of Philpott, and several Benjamin Franklin Middle School students from teacher Melissa Talley’s 7^th grade science class, assisted Philpott Lake staff with removing trash from the shoreline of the lake. Ms. Talley’s students also performed stream monitoring on Nicholas Creek to assess its water quality by collecting and identifying the aquatic benthic macro-invertebrates, or “bugs”.

 

Trash removed from the lake consisted mainly of plastic beverage bottles, aluminum cans, and food wrappers. Other trash included bait containers, bottle caps and several tires. Some volunteers used motorboats and kayaks, while others picked up trash on foot in park areas and along trails. An estimated half ton of trash was removed by participants from various areas in and around the lake, including Twin Ridge, Jamison Mill, Salthouse Branch, Goose Point, Maple Springs, and upper Smith River area.  Mary Lawson, Philpott Lake Conservation Biologist, said, “Participation almost doubled this year, and the event was a major success.”

 

The cleanup was a part of National Public Lands Day as well as the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup. Much of our land-based trash never makes it to landfills. Instead, it is carried by wind and water, eventually winding up in the ocean. Today, many products last for centuries and are buoyant, traveling for years in water, endangering ocean ecosystems and wildlife along the way. Data collected during clean-ups about the amount and types of litter removed can be analyzed by the Ocean Conservancy in order to help reduce the problem of ocean litter. We all rely on our precious waterways in some way. We all have a responsibility to care for them, not just one day a year, but every day throughout the year.

 

Photo Description: Volunteers stand in front of a pile of trash that was removed from Philpott Lake this past Saturday.

 

What began as an experiment last year for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 will be standard operating procedure in 2011.

Again this year there will be two test dates heading into the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 NASCAR Late Model Stock Car race at Martinsville Speedway on October 9.

The first test session is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 21, with the second date a week later on Wednesday, Sept. 28.

“We knew teams weren’t getting much track time the way we had been doing it, so we tried the two days last year just to see how it would go,” said Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell. “It turned out to be a huge hit last year. The teams weren’t nearly as rushed and got plenty of track time before coming in for the race weekend.”

Teams will be allowed to test on both test dates. The grandstands will be open for fans free of charge both days.

Registration will begin at 7 a.m. on both September 21 and September 28 at the main ticket office. Haulers can begin staging the day before each test session.

Cars will be on-track from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day with an hour break at noon each day.

Pit passes for each test day are $25.

On the second test day, pit passes for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 will be available for purchase. They are $50 for the entire weekend.

Anyone under 18 must have a NASCAR license to enter the pits for either test day. NASCAR licenses will be on sale at the track each test day. A parent must be present to sign a minor’s release form to purchase a NASCAR license during the registration process. No faxed or mailed releases will be accepted.

On a campus where star athletes are the norm, NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Kevin Harvick turned some heads Tuesday.

Harvick, who won the NASCAR Sprint Cup regular-season finale at Richmond International Raceway Saturday night, spent several hours at Virginia Tech Tuesday as part of a media event with Martinsville Speedway. He toured the football facility and visited with the 13th-ranked Hokies’ coaching staff and team members.

And everywhere he went, people were interested. When he dropped in on the weekly coaches’ meeting, head coach Frank Beamer literally welcomed him with open arms. The Tech coaching staff listened intently as Beamer and Harvick talked racing.

“We got back in time Saturday night (after a17-10 road win over East Carolina University) to watch the end of your race,” Beamer said to Harvick as they were shaking hands. “That was exciting stuff. I know NASCAR and I know when Kevin Harvick gets out front, it’s hard to get by him.”

A little later Harvick was introduced to Josh Oglesby, the Tech tailback who scored both of the Hokies’ touchdowns Saturday. Oglesby immediately said: “great win Saturday night, sir.”

Harvick sat with Oglesby, cornerback Chris Hill, linebacker Bruce Taylor, and defensive tackle Derrick Hopkins during lunch. The players peppered him with questions about racing and what it took to be a championship caliber driver.

While players and coaches were taken with Harvick, who has four wins this season, he was equally impressed with what he saw during his first trip to Virginia Tech.

“For me, I’ve learned a lot about Virginia Tech football today and about Virginia Tech,” said Harvick. “For me, not going to college, being able to see these facilities and everything that goes into it … this is a first-class facility and there are a lot of people to make it go round.

“I’ve seen today there are a lot of similarities to making a race team go around and a football team go around. It takes good people. It takes dedication and it takes determination to do what you have to do.”

Before the day was done, Harvick, Beamer and Martinsville Speedway president Clay Campbell swapped memorabilia. Harvick presented Beamer with an autographed Budweiser racing helmet. Beamer gave Harvick a Virginia Tech football jersey, personalized with Harvick’s name and car number. And Campbell gave Beamer, a regular at Martinsville Speedway races, a pair of lifetime suite passes.

MARTINSVILLE, VA (July 16, 2010) – AMP Energy driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. will take time to visit with fans and answer some of their questions before the TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 24.

Earnhardt will make an appearance in the Martinsville Speedway Fan Zone sponsored by AMP Energy just a couple of hours before the start of the TUMS Fast Relief 500, the sixth race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

“We always feel fortunate when we get Dale Jr. for our Fan Zone. Obviously the fans love him and he does such a great job in the question-and-answer session,” said Martinsville Speedway President W. Clay Campbell. “He makes them feel very at ease, he’s got a great sense of humor talking with them and he provides a lot of information.”

Earnhardt’s appearance will be an emceed question and answer session. There will not be any autograph sessions.

Admission to the Martinsville Speedway Fan Zone sponsored by AMP Energy is $99 and includes pastries, juice and coffee for breakfast, lunch buffet, four beverage coupons for Pepsi products, AMP Energy drinks and beer (Patrons 21 and older). It also includes a Pre-Race Track Pass.

The Pre-Race Track Pass allows fans to stroll on the track along the frontstretch from 9:00 a.m. to noon.

The $99 price does not include a ticket to the TUMS Fast Relief 500.

The Martinsville Speedway Fan Zone will open at 8 a.m. on October 24.

The pastries will be served at 8 a.m. with the lunch buffet beginning at 10:30 am.

Tickets for the Martinsville Speedway Fan Zone may be purchased by calling 1.877.RACE.TIX or by visiting www.martinsvillespeedway.com online.

 

United States Congressman, Virgil Goode, who represents the 5th District of Virginia, addresses the Fieldale - Collinsville Rotary club Wednesday, February 20 at the Dutch Inn.

Goode's appearance is part of the F-C Rotary Club's ongoing services of political appearances by candidates for office. Tom Perriello, the likely Democratic foe against Goode for the 5th District seat in November, addressed the F-C Rotary Club two weeks ago. For more info on Goode's appearance contact BTW 21 for airing dates.

Bassett wins a close one over Magna Vista. 55-53 

Bassett fans roared after a close game to the Warriors. The game was explosive as were the students, the schools rivalry was as HOT as the game! BTW 21 was on location for the action! Call for games air dates or to purchase the game on DVD. pic of games are also cocated on sports page.

Same Location – New Floor Plan:

The area's premiere business trade show, will take place at the same location as last year, the former home of the VF/Bassett Walker complex on Walker Road (off of Rives Road) in Martinsville. It is now the home of the Resurgence Properties LLC. March 4th will be VIP night, by invitation only and March 5th is Open to the Public.

For info (276) 632-6401
Fax: (276) 632-5059
mhccoc@mhcchamber.com