Martin Truex, Jr., driving his Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, was the winner of the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series race Wednesday night at Martinsville, VA. Truex took the lead with 100 laps remaining at the “paper clip” shaped short track, and held off the Penske Racing team of Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, and Joey Logano, all driving Ford Mustangs, to claim the win for the former champion. Logano led the most laps and seemed to be headed for an easy win, but could not keep up with the leaders, finishing fourth. Jimmie Johnson made a charge midway through the race and looked as if he might break his long losing streak, but faded out of the top ten. Chase Elliott finished fifth.
Next up is Homestead, FL, outside Miami, on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Central Time. A limited number of fans will be invited by the track owners to view the race from the stands. They will be from the nearby Air Reserve Base. The next ticketed fan event will be June 21 at Talledega, where 5,000 will be able to attend, first come first serve.
Prior to the race at Martinsville, NASCAR officials issued the following statement concerning the Confederate Flag:
“The presence of the confederate flag at NASCAR events runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry. Bringing people together around a love for racing and the community that it creates is what makes our fans and sport special. The display of the confederate flag will be prohibited from all NASCAR events and properties.”
