TRACK: Martinsville Speedway
RACE: Cook Out 250 (250 laps / 131.5 miles)
DATE: Friday, Apr. 9, 2021
TV: 8 p.m. ET on FS1
RADIO: 7:30 p.m. ET on MRN and SiriusXM Ch. 90
Quotes:
Michael Annett: “Our No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet was pretty good at Martinsville last fall and I’m looking forward to getting back there and improving our finish. After some initial bad luck to start the season, I think we’re starting to build some momentum for the middle stages. We’ve had fast cars every week, and the finishes will come. I had a lot of fun at Martinsville last year and want to get back there and do it again.”
Justin Allgaier: “I’m really looking forward to getting to Martinsville this weekend. Racing on a Friday night under the lights is something that brings me back to my childhood racing at the local short track. It’s an atmosphere that has always been really cool and it’s going to be awesome to experience that on Friday night in Martinsville. It’s going to be interesting to see how the track will race once the sun goes down and if it will race any different than it does during the day. But I’m ready to get there and get the battle going, especially when we have Xfinity’s Dash 4 Cash on the line.”
Josh Berry: “I can’t wait to get back to Martinsville this weekend in the Chevy Accessories No. 8. The last time I was there was during the 2019 ValleyStar 300 Late Model Stock race and we led all 200 laps. This race definitely fits my style of racing and although we are starting deep in the field, I believe Taylor (Moyer, crew chief) and this entire 8 team will give me a car capable of working my way through the field. This weekend is going to be a fun one.”
Noah Gragson: “We had a strong car at Martinsville last year during the playoffs and I believe we will pick up where we left off. We’re finding our stride after starting the season off a little rocky. This Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee team has been putting a lot of work in during the off week and hopefully we will have a result that shows off all of the hard work this weekend. Being part of the Dash 4 Cash and the $100k payday this weekend gives us a little more incentive to go out and get the victory.”
Notes:
• In last year’s event at Martinsville Speedway, Michael Annett started 11th and finished eighth. It was his best career finish on the .526-mile oval.
• On short tracks in 2020, Annett logged three top-10 efforts in five starts, finishing seventh twice at Richmond Raceway and eighth at Martinsville.
• The Iowa native has logged nine top-10 finishes in his last 11 starts on short tracks, with three each at Richmond and Bristol, two at Iowa and one at Martinsville.
• Annett has earned both of his top 10s this season in the past three races, finishing sixth at Las Vegas and seventh at Atlanta.
• Justin Allgaier enters this weekend at Martinsville as the most recent winner in the NXS. With the Atlanta win, Allgaier qualified to be one of four drivers competing for Xfinity’s $100,000 Dash 4 Cash prize this weekend.
• In subsequent starts following a victory in his NXS career, Allgaier has scored one win, six top fives, 10 top 10s and an average finish of 9.8.
• In the NXS return to Martinsville last season, Allgaier earned a second-place finish.
• This week the No. 7 carries the Walmart Fight Hunger Spark Change campaign, which helps provide food to people in need through the Feeding America® network.
• Josh Berry returns to Martinsville for the first time since winning the ValleyStar 300 Late Model Stock Car race in 2019. Berry led all 200 laps to give JRM its first Grandfather Clock trophy.
• Berry will make his first NXS start at Martinsville on Friday night. In three starts on short tracks in the NXS, Berry has earned two top-10 finishes and holds an average finish of 11.3.
• During the Easter off weekend, Berry returned to his winning ways as he drove the No. 8 JRM Late Model to Victory Lane at Florence (S.C.) Motor Speedway. He has won two weeks in a row for the JRM Late Model program.
• Gragson will make his second start in the NXS at Martinsville after leading 23 laps en route to a third-place finish during the 2020 season.
• Gragson is among four drivers vying for the $100,000 NXS Dash 4 Cash bonus at Martinsville. He won the D4C prize last season at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
• In 12 NXS starts on tracks less than a mile in length, Gragson has earned one victory (Bristol 2020), five top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. He’s also led 109 laps.
• The Las Vegas native holds one win (2017) and an average finish of 4.3 in four starts in the Truck Series at Martinsville.