First Data 500 Tag

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor “He may have won the battle, but he ain’t winning the damn war,” Martin Truex, Jr. said after the conclusion of Sunday’s First Data 500 at Martinsville. Minutes earlier, Truex, who had driven from the back of the pack to the lead on the last lap, found himself at the receiving end of Joey Logano’s bumper in Turn 3, dropping him from a chance at a win and a berth in the Championship 4 at Homestead to a third-place finish. While Logano was celebrating his winRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer In the midst of an instant classic battle between Joey Logano and Martin Truex, Jr., Denny Hamlin snookered his way to finish second in Sunday’s First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway. After taking out fan favorite Chase Elliott out of the race lead last year, Hamlin was introduced in front of his home state fans with loud jeers. 500 laps later, the jeers lessened after Logano’s bump on Truex that could’ve been disastrous for their championship aspirations. As both were sliding, Hamlin charged his way byRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Joey Logano provided his own interpretation of the Golden Rule in Sunday’s First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway, as in “Do unto others as others didn’t do to you.” With a guaranteed spot in the Championship 4 Round of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at stake, Logano moved the Toyota of Martin Truex Jr. out of the way in Turns 3 and 4 of the final lap to win for the first time at the .526-mile short track and claim hisRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer As sparks flew up ahead, Kyle Busch crossed the line fourth at Martinsville Speedway. The exciting and wild finish to the First Data 500 capped off a strong day for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff driver. Busch’s No. 18 M&M’s Halloween Toyota Camry was in the thick of the fight for the win in the waning laps. He battled Martin Truex, Jr., Brad Keselowski, and his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin as the four drivers chased eventual winner Joey Logano. While TruexRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor After a trip out to America’s Heartland, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads back east this weekend and straight to the final short track race of the season, with Sunday’s running of the First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway. A mainstay on the schedule since 1949, the historic half-mile, which is also the smallest on the circuit, will test both man and machine over 500 grueling laps. Sunday’s race will mark the start of the three-race playoff semi-finals that will trim the eight-driver playoff fieldRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer For just the second time in his NASCAR career, Jeb Burton will be pulling double duty. The Virginia-native will drive the No. 51 JACOB Companies Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Rick Ware Racing at Martinsville Speedway. Earlier this week, it was announced that he would compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race for On Point Motorsports. The First Data 500 will mark the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start for Burton since Pocono in 2016. The 26-year-old has 30 starts in NASCAR’s PremierRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Each week, NASCAR Editor David Morgan will break down who’s hot and who’s not after the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race weekend. Today, we break down the First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway. WINNERS Kyle Busch – There was only one driver that was truly happy after Sunday’s race at Martinsville and that was Kyle Busch, who won for the fifth time this season and punched his ticket to the championship race at Homestead. Busch would lead for 184 laps on the day, butRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service MARTINSVILLE, Va. – The sun went down, the new lights came on, and all hell broke loose at Martinsville Speedway. In a wild overtime finish that took Sunday’s First Data 500 to 505 laps at the .526-mile short track, Kyle Busch beat Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series leader Martin Truex Jr. to the stripe by .141 seconds to take the checkered flag and earn a spot in the Nov. 19 Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. As Busch crossed the finish line, a multi-car wreckRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer Everyone wants the chance to spoil the party and pull off the upset in the Playoffs. Clint Bowyer just missed playing the spoiler in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Bowyer did however miss the carnage at the end of the First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway, scoring a top-five finish. Bowyer marched his way up they running order throughout the entirety of the race. A last lap, last corner bump to Denny Hamlin started a chain of events that saw the frontstretch becomeRead More

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer  Prior to the First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway, Brad Keselowski called the race a ‘must-win.’ After missing victory lane, the 2012 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion will be forced to fight through both Texas Motor Speedway and Phoenix Raceway to make it to the Championship Four at Homestead-Miami Speedway. For a while, it looked as if Keselowski had called his shot, as he swept both stages of the, earning 20 additional points. On a late restart, however, contact between Keselowski and Chase ElliottRead More