[FRIDAY 8:36 am ET]
MARTINSVILLE, DAY ONE – After a week's break, Sprint Cup drivers return to work today with practice and qualifying for Sunday's STP Gas Booster 500 at Martinsville Speedway, the shortest track on the schedule. After a cold all-day rain Thursday, weather conditions are expected to be much better in the speedway area today, with no rain expected and a predicted afternoon high in the mid-60s. Sprint Cup practice is scheduled from noon to 1:30 p.m, with qualifying set for 3:30 p.m. Camping World Truck Series practices for Saturday's Kroger 250 are scheduled at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., with qualifying set for 5 p.m. SPEED will broadcast Sprint Cup practice and the 10:30 Truck practice.
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 31 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.