Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway… In 186 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville Speedway, RCR has seven victories, including five by Dale Earnhardt (1985-fall, 1987-spring, 1988-spring, 1991-spring, and 1995-fall). Ricky Rudd won the fall race at Martinsville in 1983, which was RCR’s first Cup Series win on an oval. Kevin Harvick won the 2011 spring race at Martinsville, his first victory at the .526-mile paved speedway. The team owns 31 top-five and 65 top-10 finishes entering Sunday afternoon’s race.
Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Martinsville Speedway… RCR has one NASCAR Xfinity Series victory at Martinsville Speedway. Kevin Harvick captured the 2006 event in dominating fashion, leading 149 of 250 laps. Clint Bowyer, Harvick’s teammate, finished a close second, crossing the finish line .271 seconds behind. Harvick and Bowyer combined to lead 207 of the event’s 250 laps enroute to a 1-2 finish. In 11 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Martinsville Speedway, the Welcome, N.C., based team has one win, one pole, four top-five and five top-10 finishes.
Do You Remember? Ricky Rudd’s Martinsville Speedway victory in September 1983 was an impressive accomplishment for both himself and RCR. Rudd started second and dominated the 500-lap race, leading 380 laps and outrunning championship leaders Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip to win, crossing the finish line 4.5-second ahead of Allison.
Catch the Action on Saturday… The NASCAR Xfinity Series Martinsville 250 at Martinsville Speedway will be televised live on Saturday, October 28, beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA and the NBC Sports App. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Austin Hill and the No. 21 Global Industrial Chevrolet Camaro SS at Martinsville Speedway… Austin Hill has three career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Martinsville Speedway, posting two top-10 finishes in 2022 while driving the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. During the fall race last season, Hill started from the 36th position and drove forward to claim a ninth-place result. The 29-year-old also has 11 NASCAR Truck Series starts at the Ridgeway, Virginia facility, earning one top-five (second in 2021) and three top-10 finishes.
Three Points to the Good… With one race remaining to decide the Championship Four in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, Hill currently sits three points above the cutline. The No. 21 Chevrolet driver will need to earn stage points and finish with a competitive result to move on from the Round of 8.
Meet Hill… On Saturday, October 28 at 1:30 p.m. ET, Hill is scheduled to make an appearance at the Chevrolet Display located in the Fan Midway at Martinsville Speedway. The Winston, Georgia native will participate in a question and answer session with host Johnny D. Stop by to see Hill before the green flag waves.
About Global Industrial Company… Global Industrial Company (NYSE:GIC), through its operating subsidiaries, is a value-added distributor. For more than 70 years, Global Industrial has gone the extra mile for its customers and offers more than a million industrial and MRO products, including its own Global Industrial Exclusive Brands™. With extensive product knowledge and a solutions-based approach, Global Industrial helps customers solve problems to be more successful. At Global Industrial, “We can supply that®.”
AUSTIN HILL QUOTES:
What are your thoughts heading into Martinsville Speedway? Do you enjoy racing at the paperclip-shaped oval?
“Yes and no honestly. A lot of the time, especially at the end of the race, people drive into the corner and drive into the back of you. It can be annoying, because you know you’re going to be hit constantly and you can never get into a rhythm unless you’re in the top-five. If you’re up front, you can get away and get into a rhythm. But if you are mired back in traffic and running in 15th, you never see what your car is capable of because you’re always guarding from behind. I like Martinsville Speedway when you go out for practice and the way the track drives, but the way that the competition races there is a little iffy.”
What do you need in order to perform well at Martinsville Speedway?
“You need a good race car. Your car needs to be really good and stable on entry, not loose or sliding the left front under braking, and then be able to roll to the center. It doesn’t matter if your speed slows down in the center, as you can get a really good drive off to pull away from them. I think that’s where the guys who win there are successful. But racing at Martinsville is kind of like Daytona and Talladega in a sense, where you can have a really fast car, but a late race restart happens where you get ran over and you are left finishing 30th. I’m kind of torn of whether I like the place or not.”
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
