(By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service)
Posted: Saturday,October 29th, 2011
MARTINSVILLE, Va.—It’s always best to take practice speeds with a grain of salt, but if Saturday’s only Cup practice is an indicator, there’s a wide disparity between the cars that will start Sunday’s Tums Fast Relief 500 at the front of the field and some of the cars that are behind them.
The problem is that the cars at the front are slower. At least they were during a practice session in which drivers ran as many as 107 laps.
When inclement weather forced cancellation of Saturday’s Cup qualifying session at Martinsville Speedway, the field was ordered according to owner points, putting Chase leader Carl Edwards on the pole, with his closest pursuer, Roush Fenway racing teammate Matt Kenseth, beside him.
Carl Edwards drives the #99 Scotts Winterguard Ford during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 29, 2011 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Neither Edwards nor Kenseth was particularly fast in practice. Edwards posted the 29th best time, and Kenseth was 24th fastest. Brad Keselowski, who will start third, was 28th quickest. If form holds—and that’s a big “if”—slower cars will start the race at the front of the field, with faster cars deeper in the field and eager to move forward.
That’s a recipe for action at a track where battered racecars and bruised egos are commonplace.
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