Richard Petty Reveals Successful Martinsville Methods

Richard Petty (right) goes over race strategy with crew chief Dale Inman (left) prior to a race in 1967. Photo: ISC Archives via Getty Images

In the history of Martinsville Speedway, no driver had better results at the iconic short track than seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Richard Petty.

“The King” won a record 15 races at the .526-mile venue. He took to the venue from his earliest days in NASCAR’s premier division, winning the second of his record 200 races — and his first on asphalt — at Martinsville.

Both Petty and NASCAR Hall of Fame crew chief Dale Inman quickly developed a knack for racing at the Southern Virginia facility.

“It was just a Richard Petty track, I guess,” Petty told the NASCAR Wire Service. “It fit my style of driving, and it fit Dale’s style of setting the car up. It was just a good combination.

“You go to other tracks, and you run good, but you only win two or three races. Fate was just a little better for us up there.”

Fate wasn’t the only determining factor. Unlike most other competitors, Petty was a right-foot braker and was never on the gas and brakes at the same time. That helped him develop the rhythm necessary for success at Martinsville.

“I could use my brakes different from what other people did,” Petty said. “Sunday morning of the race, we’d put on a brand new set.”

Petty estimated that the superiority of his brake package helped him notch at least half his Martinsville wins.

Can the new brake package change the racing dynamic at Martinsville?

Brakes have always been an issue at Martinsville Speedway, but the larger and more durable brake package on NASCAR’s new Next Gen Cup Series race car has the potential to change the dynamic of Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race.

Drivers should be able to charge harder into the tight corners at the .526-mile short track, and the brakes should be able to withstand more abuse, says Ryan Blaney, driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford.

But will that make a difference as to which drivers excel and Martinsville and which drivers can’t figure out the tricky rhythm track?

“You never know,” Blaney said. “Everyone’s kind of adapted to this car differently. So it’s hard to tell. Martinsville is a unique place. Sometimes it kind of clicks for you, so I can see some guys who have run good there for a while still be really good, and I can see some guys who maybe haven’t run the best there be really good.

“Denny (Hamlin) has always been great at Richmond, and he’s still great at Richmond. But then you have some other guys who weren’t great at Richmond that ran pretty good (in last week’s race, won by Hamlin).

“I think you’ll have that at all these tracks. You’ll have guys that always know what to do around those places and are still going to be good, but then this new car might suit other drivers who maybe haven’t been as good at these certain tracks, and they’re going to run well. So we’ll have a mixed bag, I think.”

NASCAR Cup Series
Martinsville Speedway – Martinsville, VA
Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 – April 9, 2022

Saturday Night’s Starting Line Up

Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed
1. 9 Chase Elliott LLumar Chevrolet 19.694 96.151
2. 10 Aric Almirola Smithfield Spirals Ford 19.799 95.641
3. 41 Cole Custer HaasTooling.com Ford 19.808 95.598
4. 17 Chris Buescher Fastenal Ford 19.850 95.395
5. 24 William Byron RaptorTough.com Chevrolet 19.893 95.189
6. 4 Kevin Harvick Subway Ford 19.941 94.960
7. 20 Christopher Bell Yahoo! Toyota 19.965 94.846
8. 5 Kyle Larson HendrickCars.com Chevrolet 20.003 94.666
9. 6 Brad Keselowski Fastenal Ford 20.015 94.609
10. 38 Todd Gilliland # Cross Country Adjusting Ford 20.062 94.387
11. 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Crunchy Cookie Toyota 19.775 95.757
12. 12 Ryan Blaney Advance Auto Parts Ford 19.789 95.690
13. 2 Austin Cindric # Menards/Moen Ford 19.790 95.685
14. 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 19.792 95.675
15. 48 Alex Bowman Ally Chevrolet 19.863 95.333
16. 34 Michael McDowell Navage Nasal Care Ford 19.863 95.333
17. 31 Justin Haley LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet 19.867 95.314
18. 45 Kurt Busch McDonald’s/Money Lion Toyota 19.901 95.151
19. 14 Chase Briscoe Mahindra Tractors Ford 19.904 95.137
20. 19 Martin Truex, Jr. Bass Pro Shops Toyota 19.937 94.979
21. 23 Bubba Wallace DoorDash Toyota 19.965 94.846
22. 8 Tyler Reddick 3CHI Chevrolet 19.982 94.765
23. 3 Austin Dillon Get Bioethanol Chevrolet 19.986 94.746
24. 43 Erik Jones FOCUSfactor Chevrolet 19.996 94.699
25. 11 Denny Hamlin Sport Clips Haircuts Toyota 20.083 94.289
26. 7 Corey LaJoie Built.com Chevrolet 20.095 94.232
27. 1 Ross Chastain GoPro Chevrolet 20.100 94.209
28. 47 Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Kroger/Louisiana Hot Sauce Chevrolet 20.113 94.148
29. 21 Harrison Burton # Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford 20.134 94.050
30. 99 Daniel Suarez GoPro Chevrolet 20.145 93.999
31. 77 Josh Bilicki(i) Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet 20.269 93.423
32. 15 J.J. Yeley(i) Ford 20.494 92.398
33. 78 B.J. McLeod Epilepsy Foundation Ford 20.545 92.168
34. 42 Ty Dillon Chevyliners.com Chevrolet 20.591 91.963
35. 51 Cody Ware Nurtec ODT Ford 21.021 90.081
36. 16 A.J. Allmendinger(i) Action Industries Chevrolet 0.000 0.000