The Round of 8 begins today in the Cup playoffs with a trip to NASCAR’s oldest track in Martinsville, Virginia.
The last short track race of the season could throw the playoff field into chaos.
Here’s all the info you need for today’s race:
(All times are Eastern)
START: First Data CEO and Chairman Frank Bisignano will give the command to start engines at 2:32 p.m. The green flag is scheduled to wave at 2:38 p.m.
DISTANCE: The race is scheduled for 500 laps (263 miles) around the .526-mile speedway.
STAGES: Stage 1 ends on Lap 130. Stage 2 ends on Lap 260.
PRE-RACE SCHEDULE: The garage opens at 7:30 a.m. The driver/crew chief meeting is at 12:30 p.m. Driver introductions are at 1:50 p.m.
NATIONAL ANTHEM: 380th Army Band will perform the anthem at 2:25 p.m.
TV/RADIO: NBCSN will broadcast the race beginning at 2:30 p.m. Coverage begins with NASCAR America at 1 p.m. on NBCSN. Countdown to Green airs at 2 p.m. on NBCSN. Motor Racing Network’s radio broadcast begins at 1:30 p.m. and also can be heard at mrn.com. SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will have MRN’s broadcast.
FORECAST: wunderground.com calls for mostly sunny skies with a high of 61 degrees and a zero percent chance of rain at the start of the race.
LAST TIME: Clint Bowyer won the March race, finishing ahead of Kyle Busch and Ryan Blaney. Last fall, Busch won over Martin Truex Jr.
TO THE REAR: Paul Menard (engine change), Bubba Wallace (backup and failed inspection), David Ragan (failed inspection, qualifying time disallowed), Martin Truex Jr. (failed inspection, qualifying time disallowed), Jimmie Johnson (failed inspection, qualifying time disallowed), JJ Yeley (failed inspection, qualifying time disallowed) and Jeb Burton (failed inspection, qualifying time disallowed), Brad Keselowski (unapproved adjustments), Landon Cassill (unapproved adjustments)
STARTING LINEUP: CLICK HERE FOR UPDATED STARTING LINEUP