Are you prepared to breathe in the intoxicating scent of race fuel, evade the projectiles of rubber, and witness the elite NASCAR drivers engaging in close-contact racing at Martinsville Raceway?
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has recently issued an executive order on Wednesday, permitting outdoor events to operate at a reduced capacity of 30%.
Due to COVID-19 precautions, fans were unable to attend races in person at Virginia’s Martinsville Speedway or Richmond Raceway before the order was issued.
The exact number of tickets available for the upcoming NASCAR race weekend at Martinsville Raceway was not disclosed by officials. Nevertheless, they mentioned that the venue, which has a seating capacity of 65,000, is unlikely to be able to accommodate the entire 30% capacity, equivalent to 13,000 seats.
However, this serves as great news for local race enthusiasts as NASCAR prepares for a thrilling series of races in Tennessee and Virginia.
Below, you will find the complete schedule of upcoming events.
NASCAR hits the dirt in Bristol
This weekend marks the beginning of NASCAR’s TN-VA tour at Bristol Motor Speedway, which holds special significance. The renowned Tennessee short track will witness a historic event as the top-level NASCAR series competes on a dirt surface for the very first time.
This weekend, both the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Truck Series will be in action. However, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will be taking a break for a few weeks.
It comes as no surprise that the NASCAR betting favorites to win this weekend’s Cup Series’ Food City Dirt Race are the vets with previous dirt racing experience. This thrilling race on Sunday will consist of 250 laps and cover a distance of 133.25 miles, airing at 3:30 p.m. on FOX.
Kyle Larson is the clear frontrunner to win with odds ranging from +225 to +250. In second place is Christopher Bell with odds of +550 to +700, followed by Austin Dillon with odds of +1,000 to +1,200.
| DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | William Hill | BetRivers | WynnBET | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Larson | +250 | +225 | +250 | +220 | +250 | +225 |
| Christopher Bell | +700 | +600 | +550 | +650 | +700 | +600 |
| Austin Dillon | +1200 | +1200 | +1000 | +1200 | +1200 | n/a |
| Chase Briscoe | +1300 | +1200 | +1000 | +1000 | +1300 | +1200 |
| Stewart Friesen | +1600 | +1400 | +1400 | +1000 | +1600 | +1400 |
Virginia’s Denny Hamlin (+3,000) and Quin Houff (+100,000) are both confronted with challenging odds.
In addition, you have the option to place bets on the drivers’ rankings in the Top 3, Top 5, and Top 10. Larson’s most favorable odds for these bets are -120, -225, and -550 respectively.
On Saturday (8 p.m., FS1), Bristol will be hosting the Truck Series’ Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt. Larson, who is also participating in another race this weekend, is favored to win the 134-lap, 201-mile truck race with odds of +150.
PlayTenn.com’s very own Alec Cunningham will be in Bristol this weekend, so make sure to give him a follow.
NASCAR comes to Martinsville Speedway
After the Bristol race and a week off for NASCAR, all eyes in the racing world will be on Virginia. Martinsville Speedway and Richmond Raceway have lined up back-to-back weekends of thrilling multi-race events.
Both the Sprint Cup Series and Xfinity Series will race under the lights in Martinsville for consecutive night races.
The Martinsville schedule includes:
April 10: Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500
- Series: Sprint Cup
- Broadcast: FS1, 7:30 p.m.
- The distance covered is 500 laps, equivalent to 263 miles.
- Martin Truex Jr. is the defending champion.
April 9: Cook Out 250
- Series: Xfinity Series
- Broadcast: FS1, 8 p.m.
- The distance covered is 250 laps, equivalent to 131.5 miles.
- The titleholder of the year 1994 is Terry Labonte, the defending champion.
After a brief hiatus of two weeks, the upcoming Cook Out 250 at Martinsville marks the return of the Xfinity Series. The Virginia drivers have been performing admirably in the current 2021 Xfinity Series season standings, with Jeb Burton securing the sixth position, Brandon Brown in the eleventh spot, and Gray Gaulding currently placed thirty-fifth.
In 2015, Hamlin emerged as the winner of a Cup Series race in Martinsville. On the other hand, Houff aims to surpass his previous best performance of finishing 33rd (2020 fall race) at the Virginia racetrack.
Cup Series returns to Richmond Raceway
The Tennessee-Virginia spring swing of NASCAR concludes on April 18, with a thrilling weekend of Cup Series and Truck Series races taking place at the renowned “America’s premier short track.”
Cup Series drivers who have a fondness for the .75-mile, D-shaped track have been eagerly awaiting its return for quite some time. Unfortunately, the race scheduled for 2020 had to be canceled due to the pandemic.
This is the schedule for the current season:
April 18: Toyota Owners 400
- Series: Sprint Cup
- Broadcast: Fox, 3 p.m.
- The distance covered is 400 laps equivalent to 300 miles.
- The defending champion for the year 2019 is Martin Truex Jr.
April 17: ToyotaCare 250
- Series: Truck Series
- Broadcast: FS1, 1:30 p.m.
- The distance to cover is 250 laps, which is equivalent to 187.5 miles.
- Defending champion: Grant Enfinger
The race’s NASCAR odds will be accessible within the upcoming weeks.
Hamlin has achieved victory three times at the track, with his most recent win occurring in the autumn of 2016. On the other hand, Houff’s highest position attained at the track is 28th.
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