(WOMR file photo)
Time is ticking!
When the well versed NASCAR race fan thinks of Martinsville Speedway, one can only think of time.
This race track has been on the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule ever since it’s inception in 1948. Martinsville Speedway has withstood the test of time, and is one of the most historic tracks on the schedule. It was also the seventh race in the Chase, therefore, just leaving three races left in the season. One could say that time is now running out on the Chase contenders to make their championship bid.
Tick, tick, tick…………………..
To some, time equates to patience, which at a NASCAR short track is always in very short supply, especially at Martinsville. To win races on the short tracks of NASCAR one must bide their time and, therefore, exercise patience. By doing that you will, most likely, be able to keep the fenders on the race car, drive your car onto the hauler, generally have a good day at the track, and quite possibly leave the track with a race win.
In a race that looked more like the “Brian Vickers Destruction Derby” than a NASCAR Chase race, the “patience” part of the race was in very short supply today! It appeared that Vickers has watched “Days of Thunder” way too many times! Throughout the course of 500 hundred laps today, Vickers took great pride in hitting anything that was moving on, or near, the racing surface! The only thing that escaped his “cross hairs” was the pace car! Quite frankly, I am not so sure that he gave the pace car a bye, I truly think that he tried but failed miserably to include the pace car in his tally of carnage!
Today the sponsor, Tums, could have sold a ton of product just to the race car drivers! The Tums Fast Relief 500 held up to its image of beatin’, bangin’, and wreckin”!
Sunday, as time was running out, and with only three laps remaining, Tony Stewart passed Jimmie Johnson to win the Tums Fast Relief 500 at the Martinsville Speedway. This is the third victory this season for Stewart, all of those victories have come in the Chase races. Additionally, this is the 42nd career victory for Smoke, who issued a warning to the Chase leader, Carl Edwards in victory lane.
Stewart issues a challenge!
“He’d better be worried,” Stewart said of Edwards after the race, “that’s all I can say. He’s not going to have an easy three weeks.” The gauntlet has been thrown down!
Miraculously, after twice being lapped on the race track, Edwards salvaged a decent run and retained his lead in the Chase standings with a ninth-place finish, as his two closest pursuers entering the race, Matt Kenseth and Brad Keselowski, both experienced late trouble and finished 31st and 17th, respectively.
With just three races left in the Chase, it would appear that it is now a four horse race, absent one of the following four faltering next week at Texas. Edwards leaves Martinsville with just a slim 8 point lead over Tony Stewart, who surged up two places in the standings with this victory. Kevin Harvick still lurks just 21 points back resting in third place. “Blazingly Bad Brad” Keselowski rests in fourth place now 27 points back of the leader. Matt Kenseth slid back three places to fifth place in the Chase down 36 points. In spite of finishing second today, Jimmie Johnson sits in sixth the Chase 43 points, on full race, behind the Chase leader.
Here is the unofficial results of the Tums Fast Relief 500.
Check out the Chase standings after the Tums Fast Relief 500.
Time is still ticking……
Twelve drivers, now three races, one championship, who will be the last man standing?
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
