2021 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500
The 2021 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on April 10 and 11th, 2021, at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia. Contested over 500 laps on the 0.526 mi (0.847 km) paperclip-shaped short track, it was the eighth race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season.
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 8 of 36 in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | April 10–11, 2021 | ||
| Location | Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.526 mi (0.847 km) | ||
| Distance | 500 laps, 263 mi (423.5 km) | ||
| Average speed | 67.316 miles per hour (108.335 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Team Penske | ||
| Grid positions set by competition-based formula | |||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 276 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | FS1 | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer | ||
| Nielsen Ratings | 2.299 million[7] | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth Announcers | Alex Hayden and Jeff Striegle | ||
| Turn Announcers | Dave Moody (Backstretch) | ||
Report
Background
Martinsville Speedway is an NASCAR-owned stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
Qualifying
Joey Logano was awarded the pole for the race as determined by competition-based formula.[4]
Starting Lineup
Race
Denny Hamlin was awarded the pole. The race was postponed from Saturday to Sunday due to rain. Hamlin dominated and won both stages. Kurt Busch got into the wall after contact with Erik Jones while Aric Almirola spun into the wall after contact with Matt DiBenedetto. Brad Keselowski got into the wall along with Daniel Suárez, whose car caught fire. Keselowski again got into the wall along with Jones and Ross Chastain. Chris Buescher got turned and caused a huge stack up that collected Keselowski, DiBenedetto, Ryan Preece, Anthony Alfredo, Alex Bowman, and others. Martin Truex Jr. would outduel the dominant Hamlin and hold off Chase Elliott for his second win of the season.
Stage Results
Stage One Laps: 130
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage Two Laps: 130
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final Stage Results
Stage Three Laps: 240
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 500 | 56 |
| 2 | 5 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 49 |
| 3 | 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 500 | 52 |
| 4 | 3 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 42 |
| 5 | 19 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 38 |
| 6 | 1 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 500 | 33 |
| 7 | 23 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 500 | 31 |
| 8 | 13 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 32 |
| 9 | 9 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 500 | 28 |
| 10 | 12 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 500 | 29 |
| 11 | 4 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 500 | 46 |
| 12 | 22 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 500 | 25 |
| 13 | 15 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 500 | 24 |
| 14 | 18 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 23 |
| 15 | 6 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 22 |
| 16 | 25 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 500 | 21 |
| 17 | 27 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 20 |
| 18 | 26 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 500 | 19 |
| 19 | 8 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 499 | 18 |
| 20 | 31 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 499 | 17 |
| 21 | 21 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 498 | 17 |
| 22 | 37 | 15 | James Davison | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 494 | 15 |
| 23 | 33 | 52 | Josh Bilicki | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 493 | 14 |
| 24 | 29 | 00 | Quin Houff | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 493 | 13 |
| 25 | 28 | 53 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 492 | 0 |
| 26 | 35 | 38 | Anthony Alfredo (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 492 | 11 |
| 27 | 24 | 14 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 491 | 10 |
| 28 | 32 | 51 | Cody Ware (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 490 | 0 |
| 29 | 36 | 78 | B. J. McLeod | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford | 478 | 0 |
| 30 | 16 | 43 | Erik Jones | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 403 | 7 |
| 31 | 14 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 387 | 6 |
| 32 | 11 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 386 | -5 |
| 33 | 10 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 385 | 12 |
| 34 | 20 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 384 | 13 |
| 35 | 30 | 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 383 | 0 |
| 36 | 17 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 382 | 1 |
| 37 | 34 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 374 | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
- Lead changes: 18 among 7 different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 15 for 102
- Red flags: 2 for 18 hours, 42 minutes and 31 seconds
- Time of race: 3 hours, 54 minutes and 25 seconds
- Average speed: 67.316 miles per hour (108.335 km/h)
Media
Television
Fox Sports covered their 21st race at the Martinsville Speedway. Mike Joy, nine-time Martinsville winner Jeff Gordon and 2018 Martinsville winner Clint Bowyer called the race from the broadcast booth. Jamie Little and Regan Smith handled pit road for the television side. Larry McReynolds provided insight from the Fox Sports studio in Charlotte.
| FS1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters | In-race analyst |
| Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color-commentator: Jeff Gordon Color-commentator: Clint Bowyer | Jamie Little Regan Smith | Larry McReynolds |
Radio
MRN had the radio call for the race which was also simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden and Jeff Striegle called the race in the booth as the cars raced down the frontstretch. Dave Moody called the race from atop the turn 3 stands as the field raced down the backstretch. Pit lane was manned by Steve Post and Kim Coon.
| MRN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Jeff Striegle | Backstretch: Dave Moody | Steve Post Kim Coon |
Standings after the race
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References
- "2021 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
- "Martinsville Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on April 25, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
- "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. April 5, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
- "Starting Lineup". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. April 7, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
- "Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. April 11, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
- "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. April 11, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
- "Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 ratings". ShowBuzzDaily. Mitch Metcalf. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.