MARTINSVILLE, V.A. (April 13, 2023) – Richard Childress Racing, a team with a 54-year history, takes on one of the most storied tracks on the NASCAR circuit. Martinsville Speedway, located just north of RCR’s headquarters, is the oldest track on the NASCAR circuit, dating back to 1949. Of the 288 races around the .526-mile track, this weekend marks the Cup Series’ 149th run and the Xfinity Series’ 40th.
The track, also referred to as the “paperclip” due to it’s unique shape and resemblance of an actual paperclip, was originally built as a dirt track. From 1949-1955 all races there were run on dirt. The track is now made up of both asphalt (on the straight parts) and concrete (on the corners).
RCR has run at Martinsville for 185 races across all three series. Of those races, RCR has won seven Cup Series races, one Xfinity Series race, and three Truck Series races. Of the Cup Series wins, Dale Earnhardt Senior, who ran 44 Cup races total at Martinsville, has six of the wins and led 1,947 laps.
Kevin Harvick clinched one Cup Series win for RCR, along with the single Xfinity Series win the team has and one of the Truck Series wins. The other two Truck Series wins belong to Mike Skinner who won in 1995, which was RCR’s first Truck Series appearance at the track, and Jay Sauter who won in 1998.
This weekend, RCR is ready to set more history in stone at Martinsville Speedway. Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch, Sheldon Creed, and Austin Hill all have promising track records at the “paperclip” and the teams to help set them up for success.
Austin Dillon will drive the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro in Sunday’s race. This will be Dillon’s 19th Cup Series race at Martinsville. Dillon has three top-5 finishes, including last year’s spring race.
This year will be Kyle Busch’s first time driving the No. 8 Mark III Chevrolet Camaro, both for the partner and the RCR organization.
Sheldon Creed’s No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro and Austin Hill’s No. 21 Bennett Chevrolet Camaro both placed in the top-10 last year. Creed barely missed the checkered flag and took home 2nd place, while Austin Hill took home 9th in the fall race.
Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race will air on FS1 at 7:30 p.m. EST. Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race will air on FS1 at 3 p.m. EST.
Facts about Martinsville Speedway:
- The straight parts of the track are paved with asphalt while the corners are concrete.
- Martinsville Speedway’s qualifying record is barely over 100 mph.
- The “Paperclip” was a dirt track up until 1955.
