Photo: Stewart-Haas Racing
Date: April 2, 2017
Event: Martinsville 500 (Round 6 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (.526-mile oval)
Format: 500 laps, broken into three stages (130 laps/130 laps/240 laps)
Start/Finish: 14th/37th (Accident, completed 295 of 500 laps)
Point Standing: 19th (119 points, 149 out of first)
Race Winner: Brad Keselowski of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-130):
● Kurt Busch started 14th, finished 14th.
● Busch was scored as high as 10th during Stage 1.
● Battled a loose-handling condition on corner exit.
● Visited pit road at the conclusion of Stage 1 for right-side tires, fuel and chassis adjustments.
Stage 2 Recap (Laps 131-260):
● Started 22nd, finished 25th.
● Struggled with a lack of forward drive on corner exit.
● Lost a lap to the leader on lap 202.
● Visited pit road at the conclusion of Stage 2 for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments.
Final Stage Recap (Laps 261-500):
● Started 23rd, finished 37th.
● Busch was caught up in a multicar accident on lap 290. He was able to continue in the event but suffered more severe damage a mere eight laps later in turn three. The damage was significant enough to force the team to retire from the race.
Notes:
● There were 14 caution periods for a total of 95 laps.
● A total of 20 drivers finished on the lead lap.
● Keselowski’s win in the Martinsville 500 is his 23rd career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his first at Martinsville.
Next Up:
The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 on Sunday, April 9 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. The race starts at 1:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX.
