Chase Elliot had an exceptional performance in Sunday’s race, while Stenhouse Jr. had another disappointing journey.
The NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway witnessed a victory by a Hendrick Motorsport driver, who dominated the race in overtime. Although most of the race went smoothly, there were some unusual incidents, including a collision in the pit lane involving the winner of the 2023 Daytona 500.
During the first stage of the race, on lap 86, Chase Elliot made a pit stop, coincidentally at the moment Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was trying to enter his own pit stall. The Chevy Camaro ZL1 No. 9 collided with the Chevy No. 47, causing Stenhouse to spin. As a result, Stenhouse had to slide into his stall, facing the opposite direction of the exit. Fortunately, no damage was caused to the JTDGR team due to the spin, but if Stenhouse had entered the stall a little faster, there could have been a risk of hitting a crew member.
This incident caused by Elliot had a significant impact on the No. 47’s race, as the driver’s Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 had to be serviced in reverse in the stall. Additionally, Ricky Stenhouse was penalized for speeding on pit road, further hindering his race and resulting in a 29th place finish.
Another collision in the pit lane occurred during the race at Martinsville Speedway, specifically on lap 186. This time, it involved a Joe Gibbs Racing driver and a Richard Childress Racing driver. The collision occurred when the Joe Gibbs Racing driver made a sharp left turn inside the pit road.
Both drivers’ races were severely affected by this contact, with Busch finishing in 16th place and Gibbs faring even worse in 19th place. What adds irony to the incident is the fact that Gibbs was the driver who replaced Busch at JGR when he moved to Rihard Childress’ team.
Although Gibbs had a poor end result, it won’t affect him as much as his experienced rival. The driver of the No. 54 has been performing well lately and, with the fast cars that JGR is providing, it shouldn’t be difficult for him to bounce back. On the other hand, Busch has struggled to get a good result on short tracks with the No. 8 team, and the result at Martinsville only adds to his list of disappointments.
