Wednesday night, the NASCAR Cup Series continues at the shortest track. Drivers will head to Martinsville Speedway for the Blue Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500. Here’s when the race begins and how viewers can tune in for the event at the “paperclip.”
The Blue Emu 500 is set for 7 p.m. ET. FS1 will broadcast the action while Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon will provide the call from the booth. MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will provide audio of the race for those unable to watch at home. The race is also available on the FOX Sports Go app and requires a subscription. Once again, fans will not attend due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
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Prior to the green flag, the Blue Emu 500 will feature multiple special guests. Professional wrestlers AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan will serve as grand marshals for the race. They will give the time-honored “drivers, start your engines call.” This guest appearance comes days prior to their battle for the WWE Intercontinental Championship Belt during Friday Night SmackDown.
Additionally, singer Devon Gilfillian will perform the national anthem on Wednesday night. The Nashville-based performer released his debut album “Black Hole Rainbow” in January and will follow this up by lending his singing talents to NASCAR. This appearance is timely due to Gilfillian recently performing his song “The Good Life” during the ongoing peaceful protests about systemic racism and police brutality. The themes of the song are “empowerment, positivity and hope for all.”
Heading into Wednesday’s race, Ryan Blaney will start in the pole position following a random draw to determine the starting order. Aric Almirola will start next to him in the first lane. They will lead the field to green for the 500-lap race on the .526-mile track known for its inherent difficulty.
“It’s always intense. You’re going to get run into, you going to run into somebody,” veteran driver Kevin Harvick told the Martinsville Bulletin. “Someone is going to be mad at you and you are probably going to be mad at more than one person as you go through the race. It’s a great place to race.”
Harvick won Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 in Atlanta, notching his second victory of the season. He also won the first race back, The Real Heroes 400, following a 10-week postponement due to the coronavirus. Harvick holds the points lead and will have another opportunity to continue his winning streak on Wednesday night.
