The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season continues with the drivers heading to Martinsville Speedway in Virginia for the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400. This is the eighth regular-season Cup Series but it will be the first time the drivers will be competing on a short track. The race will start on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET and will air on FS1.ย
Chase Elliott has seen his share of success at Martinsville, winning a race at the track in 2020 and coming second in the 2021 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400. The 2020 Cup Series Champion won pole for Saturday’s race which puts him in a good position to win his first race of the season. PopCulture.com recently caught up with Elliott who talked about the challenges, Martinville presents.ย
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“Well, Martinsville is a tough place,” Elliott revealed. “A place that I really struggled with there early on and took me a long time to ever have any kind of success there, it seemed like. We finally got a package that suited me and how I wanted to drive the racetrack. I was able to make some adjustments driving that I think better suited Martinsville. We ended up in a pretty good spot there by the end of that last generation’s car.”
Elliott continued: “The problem with that now is we have a new car and we’re going back to the drawing board and really having to rethink a lot of our setup thoughts and how we want to attack the racetrack. I think it’s going to be just a little different, this trip than it has been in the past. I hope that I’m still able to find that balance and find that good spot to be in Martinsville… I feel like has just razor-thin of an opportunity to get your balance perfect, for me.”
Elliott is tied for the lead in the Cup Series standings with Ryan Blaney. The interesting thing is both drivers have yet to win a race this year but have been consistent by finishing in the top 10 or the top five in the first set of races this season. For Blaney, Martinsville is a good place for him, finishing second in both 2020 races while leading 157 laps in last year’s Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400.ย
