The 2017 Alpha Energy Solutions 250 was the third stock car race of the 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the 19th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, April 1, 2017, in Martinsville, Virginia at Martinsville Speedway, a 0.526 miles (0.847 km) permanent oval-shaped short track. The race took the 250 laps to complete. At race's end, Chase Elliott, driving for GMS Racing, would defend the field on the final restart with 12 to go to win his second career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win and his only win of the season.[1] To fill out the podium, Johnny Sauter of GMS Racing and Christopher Bell of Kyle Busch Motorsports would finish second and third, respectively.
Background
Martinsville Speedway is a NASCAR-owned stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
*Withdrew.[2]
Practice
Originally, two practice sessions were scheduled to be held, both being held on Friday, March 31. However, rain would cancel the second session.[3]
The only 55-minute practice session was held on Friday, March 31, at 1:00 PM EST.[4] Christopher Bell of Kyle Busch Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.204 and an average speed of 93.724 miles per hour (150.834 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Christopher Bell | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 20.204 | 93.724 |
| 2 | 7 | Brett Moffitt | Red Horse Racing | Toyota | 20.264 | 93.447 |
| 3 | 18 | Noah Gragson (R) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 20.274 | 93.400 |
| Full practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Qualifying was held on Saturday, April 1, at 12:05 PM EST.[4] Since Martinsville Speedway is a short track, the qualifying system was a multi-car system that included three rounds. The first round was 15 minutes, where every driver would be able to set a lap within the 15 minutes. Then, the second round would consist of the fastest 24 cars in Round 1, and drivers would have 10 minutes to set a lap. Round 3 consisted of the fastest 12 drivers from Round 2, and the drivers would have 5 minutes to set a time. Whoever was fastest in Round 3 would win the pole.[6]
Chase Elliott of GMS Racing would win the pole after advancing from both preliminary rounds and setting the fastest lap in Round 3, with a time of 19.943 and an average speed of 94.951 miles per hour (152.809 km/h).[7]
Three drivers would fail to qualify: Austin Wayne Self, Norm Benning, and Chuck Buchanan Jr.
Full qualifying results
Race results
Stage 1 Laps: 70
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 | Chase Elliott (i) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 2 | 21 | Johnny Sauter | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 4 | Christopher Bell | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 98 | Grant Enfinger (R) | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 29 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Brad Keselowski Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 17 | Timothy Peters | Red Horse Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 18 | Noah Gragson (R) | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 99 | Ty Dillon (i) | MDM Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 10 | 8 | John Hunter Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 70
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | Johnny Sauter | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 88 | Matt Crafton | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 29 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Brad Keselowski Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 17 | Timothy Peters | Red Horse Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 98 | Grant Enfinger (R) | ThorSport Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 24 | Justin Haley (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 51 | Harrison Burton | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 33 | Kaz Grala (R) | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 4 | Christopher Bell | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 02 | Austin Hill | Young's Motorsports | Ford | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 110
Standings after the race
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References
- ^ "Polesitter Chase Elliott wins hotly contested Martinsville Truck race". ESPN.com. April 1, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
- ^ Beard, Brock. "TRUCKS: Bryce Napier's oil leak begins rough weekend for #1 in NASCAR". Retrieved April 23, 2022.
- ^ Sherrill, Logan. "Friday rain doesn't scare race fans away from Martinsville Speedway". WDBJ. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
- ^ a b "2017 GOTS Martinsville Race Info". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
- ^ McFadin, Daniel (March 31, 2017). "Christopher Bell fastest in first Truck practice at Martinsville". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
- ^ "NASCAR Qualifying Rules". ESPN.com. February 7, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- ^ Long, Dustin (April 1, 2017). "Chase Elliott wins pole for today's Truck race at Martinsville". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
- ^ "2017 Alpha Energy Solutions 250 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
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