Catchfence

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (October 28, 2010)  – How good was the TUMS Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway Sunday afternoon? It was as good as short-track racing can be, and that’s hard to beat.

There were 24 lead changes, one short of a record. There were 12 different leaders, two short of a record. And there were 14 cautions, each one caused by some type of on-track spin, wreck or multi-car collision. No debris cautions on this day.

It was the kind of racing that has made Martinsville Speedway a favorite of fans and drivers for more than 60 years.

“I like racing here and I like this style of racing,” said Dale Earnhardt Jr, who led almost 100 laps, keeping fans on their feet. “You kind of have to get over a lot of things out there that happen, and then you have to stand your ground in a lot of cases. It’s an active day and a lot of fun.”

Active is an understatement. By the time the day was done, teammates were angry with teammates, paybacks had been doled out, innocent bystanders had gone spinning, an old-timer found new life and fans were left breathless.

Denny Hamlin won the race and slashed into Jimmie Johnson’s points lead, cutting it to just six points. That was a big part of the day’s story, but there were so many subplots.

Richard Childress Racing teammates Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton were like feuding siblings much of the day, taunting back and forth over the radio. Burton led a good part of the day and Harvick wound up third, allowing him to move closer to Johnson in the points.

Fifty-something Mark Martin crashed and crashed again, went two laps down and then put on an amazing performance to finish second to Hamlin, making up two laps in his best Martinsville effort since he won here a decade ago. He said it was a magical day.

“I never really have much enjoyed this place, to be real honest with you,” Martin said. “But that last 100 laps was fun. I’ve had guys pass me (in the past) and I wondered how in the world they did that. Now I see how.”

Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon had a bit of a tiff midway through the race. Gordon bumped Busch and Busch retaliated, punting the DuPont Chevy hard into the front stretch wall. He cited past transgressions by Gordon as a factor.

“Listen, there was good racing all day amongst a lot of guys,” Busch said after the race. “There was respect given for guys when they were getting back to the inside. [Gordon] was on the outside lane on restarts and so yeah, he shoved me in there and I shoved him back in Turn 4.

“I didn’t mean to get into him that hard, but over the years with Gordon here, back [when I was] in the 97, [he was] wrecking the 2 car [before I got in it], whether you’re a current Kurt fan or ex-Rusty [Wallace] fan, he’s wrecked the 2 car a lot here.”

Earnhardt summed the day up best, for himself and for race fans.

“I love short-track racing and I love coming here,” said Earnhardt

The Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 is scheduled for April 3, the day after the Kroger 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. Pole Day is April 1.

Tickets for the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 and the Kroger 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race may be purchased by calling 877.722.3849 (877.RACE.TIX) or by visiting www.martinsvillespeedway.com online.

- Martinsville Speedway, Press Release