When NASCAR goes to Martinsville, one team has become synonymous with the historic short track. That team is Hendrick Motorsports. It has been well documented in the past, but most of Hendrick’s special moments happened in the mountains of Martinsville. While there have been great moments, there have also been tragic moments. On October 24th, 2004, as Jimmie Johnson took the checkered flag on that cloudy Sunday afternoon, he was radioed that there would be no celebration. This was because a Hendrick Motorsports plane carrying eight passengers crashed into a Virginia mountainside. There were no survivors, including the two pilots. Six of the victims were part of the Hendrick team and family.
The victims included John Hendrick, Rick’s brother, John’s twin daughters, Kimberly, and Jennifer Hendrick, Ricky Hendrick, Rick’s son, and the General Manager of Hendrick Motorsports, Jeff Turner. Other passengers include Joe Jackson, a former executive at DuPont, and Scott Lathram, Tony Stewart’s helicopter pilot. The two pilots were Richard Tracy and Elizabeth Morrison. As time went on, the wounds from this tragedy would slowly start to heal. As previously said, Martinsville is special to Hendrick Motorsports. This trip to Martinsville was even more special to Rick Hendrick and the drivers of Hendrick Motorsports. Let’s discuss this past weekend’s events at the paperclip.
Byron Wins his Second Grandfather Clock:
2024 is the 40th anniversary of Hendrick Motorsports running its first races in 1984. This past weekend, everybody had their eyes on all four Hendrick drivers to have a good run at Martinsville. Another reason why people had their eyes on the Hendrick drivers was that all four cars were running a special Ruby Red as a base for the paint schemes. Each of the Hendrick cars looked beautiful on track. On Saturday, it was made apparent that each Hendrick car had speed. With Kyle Larson on the pole and Chase Elliott starting in third, it was going to be a good race for Hendrick. From the drop of the green flag, Larson had a fast car. Larson would lead all of the 85 laps in stage one and win the stage. After the first round of pit stops, Larson would get caught back in traffic.
To begin stage two, Joey Logano would lead the first 84 laps of stage two before conceding the lead and eventual stage win to Denny Hamlin. The laps would start winding down and it seemed like it was going to be another Martinsville win for Hamlin. On lap 297, William Byron’s crew chief, Rudy Fugle, would call Byron down to pit road on lap 297. This would start the green flag pit cycle and eventually cycle to the lead. Byron had it in the bag until a late race caution came out for John Hunter Nemechek slamming into the wall with three laps to go. This would set up an overtime restart. For the restart, it would be Byron, Chase Elliott, and Larson in the Top-3. Any of the three Hendrick drivers would have a shot at winning.
But Byron would get a great restart, and not look back. William Byron would win for the second time at Martinsville, the third time this season, and the 13th win of his career. Byron and the #24 have been on fire this season. He has won three of the first eight races, the most to begin a season since Kyle Busch in 2019. Busch would go on to win the Championship in 2019. This has the signs to be a great season for William Byron. But now, let’s talk about the kind of racing we saw this past Sunday at Martinsville.
What must be fixed at Martinsville?
To be blunt about it, a lot must be fixed for Martinsville to become a good race once again. It hurts to say, but ever since the debut of the Next-Gen car, Martinsville has become one of the worst races on the schedule. This has been well documented before, but this is thanks to two common factors. The Next-Gen car, and the tire that Goodyear brings to Martinsville. For starters, Goodyear needs to bring a softer tire compound that they have been using at Martinsville. The tire that is currently used at Martinsville is a harder compound tire that does not wear down as much as in years past. To begin stage two, Joey Logano was on two right-side tires. Logano was able to keep the lead for about 84 laps before being passed by Denny Hamlin for the eventual stage win.
Tires were not a factor yesterday in Martinsville. But the main factor is the Next-Gen car. Ever since the debut of the Next-Gen car on a short track, it has been horrendous racing. NASCAR has to take a massive swing at things to fix the products at short tracks. Two simple answers can easily fix Martinsville and other short tracks. Increase the horsepower to 900HP or more and fix the gear ratios. It wouldn’t cost NASCAR or the teams any more money than what they’re spending now to fix this. But for now, let’s discuss where The Cup Series is heading this coming weekend.
What to Expect from Texas:
Ahhh, Texas. It feels like NASCAR was just here three races ago. Well, that’s because they were. Three races ago, NASCAR turned left and right in Austin at Circuit of the Americas. This time, they take to what is considered the worst track in NASCAR, Texas Motor Speedway. This will be the first Texas race in the Spring since 2019. Starting in 2021, Texas would have one point point-paying date on the Calander, with all being a Playoff race. All those previous dates in The Playoffs since 2021, were hot, smoldering races for the drivers. Last year, The Texas Playoff race had a high of 101 degrees Fahrenheit. This coming weekend, it’ll be cooler, but it’ll still be a little warm. This will affect the track conditions; the track won’t be as slick as last Fall, but we’ll see if it can take rubber compared to the Fall.
So, who can you expect to see in Victory Lane this coming Sunday in the Dallas Fort Worth area? A safe pick is always Kyle Larson. Larson has two wins at Texas, both coming in 2021 including the All-Star Race. Last Fall, Larson was cruising to a victory until a caution came out with 25 laps to go. Then, on one of the final restarts, Larson spun on the inside of Bubba Wallace while fighting for the lead and hitting the wall. But another good bet is Bubba Wallace. Wallace was on the pole last Fall and had a fast car, so don’t be surprised if Wallace can come up with the victory this coming Sunday.
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