It’s the first short track race of the season and Martinsville Speedway is the host. The first five Cup races of the season have had a different winner. Will that streak continue?
Here are the particulars for today’s race:
(All times are Eastern):
START: Actor Rockmond Dunbar from the Fox show “Prison Break,’' will give the command for drivers to start engines at 2:07 p.m. ET. The green flag is scheduled for 2:13 p.m.
DISTANCE: The race is scheduled for 500 laps (263 miles) around the .526-mile oval.
PRERACE SCHEDULE: The Cup garage opens at 8:30 a.m. The drivers meeting is at noon. Driver introductions are at 1:20 p.m.
NATIONAL ANTHEM: Martinsville, Bassett and Magna Vista High School Marching Bands will perform the Anthem at 2:01 p.m.
TV/RADIO: Fox Sports 1 will broadcast the race at 2 p.m. with coverage beginning at 12:30 p.m. Motor Racing Network will broadcast the race on radio and at mrn.com. MRN’s coverage begins at 1 p.m. SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry MRN’s broadcast.
FORECAST: The wunderground.com site predicts 64 degrees at race time with a 0 percent chance of rain at the start of the race.
LAST YEAR: Jimmie Johnson led the final 92 laps to win in October. Brad Keselowski was second and Denny Hamlin third. Kyle Busch led 352 laps in this event on the way to winning a year ago. AJ Allmendinger was second and Kyle Larson third.
STARTING LINEUP: Click here for the STP 500 starting grid.