Kyle Fowler from Smyrna is set to make his Sprint Cup debut this weekend at Martinsville Speedway in the No. 32 Ford fielded by Frankie Stoddard.
Fowler, 22, has made 15 starts in the Nationwide Series and 10 in the ARCA Series, but this weekend’s race will be by far the biggest of his career.
“It’s a dream come true for me,” Fowler said, adding that the opportunity to drive the No. 32 was a last-minute deal that came about during a hunting trip to South Georgia.
Racing at Martinsville for the first time has proven difficult for some of NASCAR’s most talented drivers, and Fowler knows he’s got a lot to learn in a hurry this weekend. And having a clean run is even more important this Sunday because eight drivers in the field are in the Chase for the Sprint Cup and can’t afford to be collected by a rookie’s mistake.
“I know I have a lot to learn,” Fowler said. “It’s a new car to me, and I’ve never been to Martinsville. My goal is to get experience, stay out of trouble and make all the laps. If I can do that, it’ll be a good day.”
Fowler has turned to his friend David Ragan for advice. Ragan, who will be running a special paint scheme honoring NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Wendell Scott this weekend, raced against Fowler early in both of their careers.
“David said Martinsville is a lot like the Legends tracks we used to run,” Fowler said.
Special access offered
In recent years, NASCAR has opened the once-private pre-race drivers meeting to more and more fans who purchase special access packages, making for some cramped quarters at places like Talladega Superspeedway last Sunday.
Martinsville Speedway has taken the openness one step further — and created some breathing room — by holding the drivers meeting on pit road.
“Our number one goal is to make sure the fans have the best experience possible when they come to a race here,” Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell said in a track release. “They’ve grown accustomed to feeling a part of the action during the race and now, by getting a view of what goes on in the drivers’ meeting, they will feel a part of what goes on before the race as well.”
Chevy dominance
When it comes to racing and winning at Martinsville Speedway, few do it better than Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, who have eight wins apiece on NASCAR’s shortest Sprint Cup track.
When they don’t win, it seems like another Chevrolet driver does, as the manufacturer’s seven-race win streak there shows.
And three of the Chevy drivers still in the running for the championship are among the drivers who played a role in Chevy’s latest Martinsville win streak. Kevin Harvick started it in the spring of 2011. Ryan Newman won the first Martinsville race of 2012 and Jeff Gordon won last fall.
Newman said the tight, paper-clip-shaped layout requires a car that’s driving well.
“Martinsville Speedway is a fun track to drive when you have a car that allows you to look out the front window,” he said. “If you are spending too much time looking in the mirror and can’t get in the corner, you are going to have a nightmare of a day.”
He said that nightmare can be much worse, especially for one of the championship contenders if they are swept up in one of the wrecks that tend to happen there.
“I think Martinsville has a higher potential for a wreck to happen in comparison to some of the 1.5-mile tracks we go to for example,” he said. “We’ll just have to wait and see and hope for the best.”
Gordon sounded much more positive about Martinsville.
“As far as Chase tracks, Martinsville stands out for us,” he said. “We also tested there recently, so I hope we have a strong start to this Eliminator Round.”
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