See which 38 drivers are going short track racing for the first time in 2018 and what colors they’ll be sporting in the STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway.
With all due respect to the first five races of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, there’s something about the return from the west coast and the stop at Martinsville Speedway that signals the idea that, in the words of Jim Ross, business is about to pick up. It certainly should at the STP 500, the first short track race of 2018.
Martin Truex Jr. assumed the points lead with a decisive California victory, one that saw him start on the pole, win both stages and then take the checkered flag. In contrast, Kevin Harvick had a day to forget in his home state, bumping into Kyle Larson and going hard into the outside wall. Running around multiple laps down was probably not what Happy had in mind while chasing his fourth straight win.
The silver lining for Harvick and everyone chasing Truex is that he’s never been particularly strong at short tracks, arguably the one Achilles heel in his otherwise impressive performance. To visit Victory Lane at Martinsville, drivers will have to navigate a field of 38 cars, one more than we’ve seen the last three weeks and the largest Cup Series field since the Daytona 500. The reason for the “extra” car is that both the No. 55 Premium Motorsports Toyota, this week driven by J.J. Yeley, and the No. 96 Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota with D.J. Kennington are entered, something that isn’t usually the case.
Harrison Rhodes is back in the 51 since the first time since Atlanta, while Landon Cassill takes over the No. 00 Chevrolet formerly driven by Jeffrey Earnhardt for the first of at least two races. On the paint scheme front, notable entries include the first non-Smithfield race for Aric Almirola (he’ll sport the Mobil 1 colors), Circle K for Erik Jones and Liberty University for William Byron. But the most exciting livery for longtime NASCAR fans will be the STP scheme on the No, 43 Chevrolet driven by Bubba Wallace, an echo of the colors once sported by The King himself, Richard Petty.
Next: Why only 3 drivers look like championship contenders right now
STP 500 entry list/expected paint schemes for Martinsville Speedway
- 00 – Landon Cassill – VRX/Sparcom Fiber Chevrolet
- 1 – Jamie McMurray – McDonald’s Chevrolet
- 2 – Brad Keselowski – Reese/Drawtite Ford
- 3 – Austin Dillon – American Ethanol Chevrolet
- 4 – Kevin Harvick – Jimmy John’s Ford
- 6 – Trevor Bayne – AdvoCare Ford
- 9 – Chase Elliott – NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet
- 10 – Aric Almirola – Mobil 1 Ford
- 11 – Denny Hamlin – FedEx Ground Toyota
- 12 – Ryan Blaney – Menards/Libman Ford
- 13 – Ty Dillon – Geico Chevrolet
- 14 – Clint Bowyer – Haas Automation Ford
- 15 – Ross Chastain – ChampionMachinery.com Chevrolet
- 17 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Fastenal Ford
- 18 – Kyle Busch – M&M’s Toyota
- 19 – Daniel Suarez – Arris Toyota
- 20 – Erik Jones – Circle K Toyota
- 21 – Paul Menard – Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford
- 22 – Joey Logano – Shell Pennzoil Ford
- 23 – Gray Gaulding – Earthwater Toyota
- 24 – William Byron – Liberty University Chevrolet
- 31 – Ryan Newman – Grainger Chevrolet
- 32 – Matt DiBenedetto – Can-Am/Wholey Ford
- 34 – Michael McDowell – A&W All American Food Ford
- 37 – Chris Buescher – Healthy Choice Power Bowls Chevrolet
- 38 – David Ragan – MDS Transport Ford
- 41 – Kurt Busch – Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford
- 42 – Kyle Larson – Credit One Bank/DC Solar Chevrolet
- 43 – Bubba Wallace – STP Chevrolet
- 47 – AJ Allmendinger – Kroger Click List Chevrolet
- 48 – Jimmie Johnson – Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet
- 51 – Harrison Rhodes – Harry’s Chevrolet
- 55 – JJ Yeley – Adirondack Tree Surgeons Toyota
- 72 – Cole Whitt – TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet
- 78 – Martin Truex Jr. – 5-hour Energy/Bass Pro Shops Toyota
- 88 – Alex Bowman – Nationwide Chevrolet
- 95 – Kasey Kahne – WRL General Contractors Chevrolet
- 96 – D.J. Kennington – Gordon Brothers Toyota