Martinsville Speedway is set to hold NASCAR’s three national series this weekend. The Truck Series' Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 200 will open the track on Thursday while the Cup Series' Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 will close the weekend on Saturday.
The race will go down on Saturday, April 9, but the practice session, as well as the qualifying race, will happen on Friday. Despite the changes in day and timing, the rest of the process remains intact, and the practice session will be split into two groups based on odd and even numbers.
Each group will have a 15-minute warmup race before proceeding to the qualifying race. The qualifying race will then feature two rounds with only ten drivers in the second round for a one-lap race to win the pole.
Race schedule and timings for Martinsville Speedway
Here are the timings of the race weekend at Martinsville Speedway:
Thursday, April 7, 2022
8:00 pm EST – Blu-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 200
Friday, April 8, 2022
7:30 pm EST – Call 811 Before You Dig 250 powered by Call 811.com
Saturday, April 9, 2022
5:00 pm EST – Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach
7:30 pm EST – Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400
2022 NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway has changed timings
Only 36 chartered drivers will be lining up for the 2022 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 and will undergo the usual NASCAR procedure before heading to the tracks. Throughout most of this season, races happen on Sundays at 3:30 pm ET, but at Martinsville Speedway, the day and timing are completely different from previous races this season.
While most fans are hoping the weather will be conducive to enjoying every bit of the race, last year’s race was not as enjoyable as it was postponed due to heavy rains.
The 0.526 mile oval track is the shortest in NASCAR Cup Series history, with a banking of 0° on the straights and 12° in the turns. In 2022, the race will feature only 400 laps, not 500 laps as it was before.