By David Morgan, Associate Editor
After playing in the dirt last weekend, it’s back to the asphalt this weekend as the NASCAR Cup Series gets set for Sunday’s running of the NOCO 400 at Martinsville
A mainstay on the schedule since 1949, the historic half-mile in southern Virginia, which is also the smallest on the circuit, will test both man and machine over the course of the afternoon and is a place where bent sheet metal and hurt feelings are all but inevitable.
Given that Martinsville serves as the final race prior to the championship race at Phoenix, any lessons learned this weekend will go a long way in helping those still in the title fight when the series returns in November.
The weekend will also see Chase Elliott back behind the wheel of his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for the first time in six weeks after recovering from a leg injury suffered in a snowboarding accident in early March.
“I think it’s going to be tough,” Elliott said.” What challenges are going to be presented this weekend, I don’t 100% know until I get there and kind of get going through it. But anytime you miss a period and your competitors are sharpening their skills and you’re not – I do think you’ve missed out, for sure.
“The good news is – as Josh (Berry) alluded to – our team is really talented and we have a great group. I think if we have our ducks in a row and we’re prepared, I think we can go and jump in and have a really solid run. That’s obviously my goal. We’ll just have to get up there and see what the challenges are and what they bring.
“Whatever it is, we’re going to work through it and continue to fight; make the most of not only this weekend, but the weeks to come. We’re going to have 17 races or so to get a win, so we’ve got plenty of time. Just have to get after it, execute at a high level and I think we’re very capable of doing that.”
By the Numbers
What: NOCO 400, NASCAR Cup Series Race No. 9 of 36
Where: Martinsville Speedway – Martinsville, Virginia (Opened: 1947)
When: April 16, 2023
TV/Radio: FOX Sports 1, 3:00 pm ET / MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Channel 90
Track Size: 0.526-mile oval
Banking: Turns banked 12 degrees, flat straightaways
Race Length: 500 laps, 263 miles
Stage Lengths: First two stages: 130 laps, Final stage: 240 laps
Pit Road Speed: 30 mph
Pace Car Speed: 35 mph
April 2022 Race Winner: William Byron – No. 24…
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