Posts
NASCAR's short tracks are known for close-quarters, fender-banging racing, and nowhere is the competition closer than at the half-mile Martinsville Speedway.
The flat, concrete track is difficult to negotiate with 43 cars packed tightly on the paper-clip-shaped oval.
It usually takes a fender to get to the front and a sturdy bumper and good car control to stay there.
The bumper-car action also causes tempers to flare, leading to some classic dust-ups. It's a track where feuds are not only born, but where they often escalate and reignite.
With drivers racing door-to-door and bumper-to-bumper, Martinsville is a place where scores are settled.
Here's a look at a few that could be settled this weekend:
Kurt Busch vs. Jimmie Johnson
This one has been building and building and has the makings of a classic. They've been feuding for more than a year, and now both are seemingly out of championship contention, so the gloves may come off at Martinsville.
They also have proven they will go at it on a short track, tangling at Richmond in the last race before the Chase.
Prior to that, the two traded paint last year at New Hampshire, with Johnson knocking Busch out of the way for the win. They went at it again in two of the past three races at Pocono. The last one, in August, led to a verbal confrontation on pit road.
Then, at Richmond, with both drivers already locked into the Chase, Busch sent Johnson for a spin early in the race. Johnson quickly retaliated, wrecking Busch and knocking them both out of the race.
That led to more verbal sparring and showed that their feud is far from over.
Busch called Johnson "a five-time chump."
Johnson said, a bit more diplomatically, "If he can stop running into my (car), everything would be just fine."
Johnson and Busch are likely to be factors at Martinsville. And with their Chase hopes all but over, there is likely to be some more fender-banging between the two.
Juan Pablo Montoya vs. Clint Bowyer, Jimmie Johnson, et al.
Montoya has ticked off numerous drivers this season, compiling a long list of enemies. As a result, he is likely to get bounced around like a pinball at Martinsville.
Montoya has stirred up so much trouble with his aggressive driving that Ryan Newman allegedly punched him in the NASCAR hauler, Bowyer called him a "*******" and an "idiot," and Johnson declared, "Three strikes for the 42. ... He's out of mulligans."
Though he runs well at Martinsville and has nothing to lose, Montoya will need to watch his bumper ... and his door ... and everything else on his car.
Kyle Busch vs. Kevin Harvick
Harvick has bullied and taunted the younger Busch all season long, and now he's in danger of paying for it.
Dearly.
Harvick wrecked Busch intentionally in the season finale at Homestead last year. Then, after Busch wrecked him during a wild three-car wreck at Darlington, Harvick tried to punch him on pit road.
A month later, Harvick's team owner Richard Childress finished the job, grabbing Busch in a headlock and punching him in the garage at Kansas Speedway.
Even after that, Harvick continued to harass Busch, running him low on the track at Pocono and acting as if he was going to wreck him again.
While Busch has tried to take the high road and put the incidents behind them, Harvick has continued to stir up their feud, taking verbal jabs at Busch whenever possible.
Now, Harvick is still racing for the championship while Busch's Chase hopes are all but over. That does not bode well for Harvick.
The two likely will be racing at the front at Martinsville. It might be the perfect time and place for Busch to get even.
Kyle Busch vs. Richard Childress Racing
Childress proved that Harvick isn't the only one who has issues with Busch. The whole organization appears to be out to get him.
Childress made that clear at Kansas when he slugged Busch after Busch ran into one of RCR's trucks during the Camping World Truck Series race.
RCR has just one car in the Chase. The rest have nothing to lose.
While Harvick is Busch's main worry, he can't ignore the other three RCR cars as well.
Kyle Busch vs. Carl Edwards
How many enemies does Kyle Busch have?
A few, and he could meet up with more than one at Martinsville.
Busch and Edwards have a history, too, but both have tried hard to keep it from getting out of control.
Busch sent Edwards for a spin earlier this year at Phoenix and quickly apologized, causing Edwards to back off and refrain from retaliating.
Then, two weeks ago, Edwards was not happy with the way Busch raced him for second at Charlotte and confronted him on pit road after the race.
This all started, of course, in 2008, when Edwards knocked Busch out of his way to win at Bristol.
Now, Edwards has a lot on the line, and Busch doesn't.
Will he give Edwards a break and cut him some slack at Martinsville, or choose to send a message that he's not going to be bullied by the series points leader?
Jeff Gordon vs. Matt Kenseth
Surprisingly, these typically mild-mannered drivers also have a history together, dating back to a wreck and pit road confrontation at Bristol in 2006, followed by Gordon wrecking Kenseth to win at Chicago later that year.
The last time they tangled was in April at Martinsville, where they bumped and banged during a battle for the lead and Gordon wound up knocking Kenseth out of the top spot.
Kenseth is racing for the championship while Gordon has fallen out of contention. Will Gordon give Kenseth a break, or will he lean on him and rough him because of their past run-ins?
Tony Stewart vs. The Field
Blocking. Stewart can't stand it and has threatened to move any driver who tries to block him on the track.
He made an example of Brian Vickers at Infineon Raceway in June, spinning him intentionally for what he claimed was blocking. (Vickers then intentionally wrecked Stewart, sending his car crashing onto the top of a tire barrier.)
Racing at Martinsville is one big rolling roadblock. You can't help but block. It's either block or pull over and get out of the way.
Stewart is still in the championship race, but no doubt a bit frustrated after falling behind after winning the first two Chase races.
Will Stewart lose his cool while trying to get around some of the rolling roadblocks at Martinsville?
Jeff Burton vs. Kevin Harvick
While it's unlikely that two teammates would get into it at this point of the season, particularly when one is in the Chase, it didn't stop Burton and Harvick from trading paint and having words in this race last year.
The two RCR teammates were battling for second when Burton appeared to cut off Harvick, and Harvick didn't like it, ramming Burton in the bumper several times and expressing his displeasure under caution.
"I have done nothing wrong," Burton yelled over his team radio. "I will not put up with it. I am a good teammate, and I am not going to take him running into me."
"He's out of mulligans," Harvick responded. "That's the third time he's done it to me."
Their rift shows how easy it is for tempers to flare at Martinsville.
Harvick, who won at Martinsville in April, is in the thick of the championship race again and desperately needs a good run to gain some ground on Edwards, the points leader.
Burton, meanwhile, has had a terrible season and is desperate for a win or a good run. Martinsville is one of his best tracks, and it would not be surprising to see the two teammates battling again.
Denny Hamlin vs. Denny Hamlin
Hamlin has spent the season racing his own demons and his own team.
Still smarting from throwing away the championship last year, Hamlin has had a disappointing season. Thanks to misfortune, mishaps and cars not to his liking, he needed a wild card just to make the Chase and quickly wasted it with finishes of 31st, 29th and 18th in the first three races.
Now, last in the Chase and way out of contention, Hamlin is looking to win and gain momentum for next season.
Martinsville is Hamlin's best track, and he's won three of the past four races there. He would like nothing better than to win again and relive some of the frustration of a disappointing season.
But can he overcome the myriad problems that have plagued him and his race team this year?
No comments:
Post a Comment