Kurt Busch Predicts Double-File Excitement

Restarts will be more important than ever at Martinsville.

Kurt Busch has always considered Martinsville Speedway a big unknown in the Chase For The Sprint Cup. This fall he believes there is more mystery headed into the TUMS Fast Relief 500 than ever.

The reason? Double-file restarts. They’ve been the talk of the second half of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season and that talk is getting louder as the sixth race in the Chase For The Sprint Cup draws near.

“At some tracks, double-file restarts, on a scale of one to 10, have been just a one. It’s been easy, cut and dry, no problem,” Busch said. “I would suspect though, Martinsville is going to be a 10 because of the rubber build up on the outside groove.

“You hope you’re going to end up on the inside lane, but some bumping and grinding is going to come and there are going to be cars that get spit out and end up in the fence. It’s going to be a hold-your-breath, white-knuckler. It’s going to be on edge all day.”

Jimmy Johnson, the Sprint Cup point leader and the winner of five out of the last six Martinsville races, agrees with Busch.

“I think that double-file restarts (at Martinsville) are going to make it more intense and more exciting,” said Johnson, who has six victories on the half-mile oval. “It’s going to be a lot of the same stuff we’ve been seeing. I think at the start of a race, you might see some guys forcing their way to the bottom and maybe taking some unneeded risks to get down to the bottom lane.”

With rubber building up in the outside lane as the race progress, both Busch and Johnson say there will be a premium on getting to the bottom of the track in the corners and staying there. In recent races, the race leader has often opted to start on the outside on restarts. Don’t expect that to happen often in the TUMS Fast Relief 500.

“I would say the leaders are going to choose the inside lane 100 percent of the time,” Busch said during a break in a skeet shooting outing with media at Primland resort near Martinsville last week. “I could be wrong, but I’d say that’s where you want to be.”

Action kicks off at Martinsville Speedway with Farm Bureau Insurance Pole Day on Friday.  NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice begins at 10 a.m. followed by Sprint Cup practice at 11:30 a.m. The truck series has a second practice session at 1:10 p.m.

Qualifying for the TUMS Fast Relief 500 will begin at 3:10 p.m. and time trials for the Kroger 200 will start at 4:40 p.m.

The Sprint Cup cars hit the track at 10 a.m. Saturday and will have a second practice session at 11:15. The NASCAR Camping World Series Kroger 200 takes the green flag at 1 p.m.

The TUMS Fast Relief 500 will get underway at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Fan gates open at 9 a.m. each day.

Tickets for the TUMS Fast Relief 500 on Sunday, October 25, the Kroger 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Saturday, October 24 and the Farm Bureau Insurance Pole Day on Friday, October 23 are on sale and can be purchased by calling 1.877.RACE.TIX or by visiting www.martinsvillespeedway.com.

Ticket prices range from $25 to $77 for the TUMS Fast Relief 500.