Could Sunday's STP 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway be the best ever?
Several people think so, in large part because of the fall-off seen on the Goodyear tires used this weekend at the track.
Matt Crafton, who finished second in Saturday's Truck race, thinks the tires will play a prominent role in the outcome on Sunday.
"It's going to be one of the best races at Martinsville, without a doubt, that you've seen in a long time here. In my first run, I think I ran a little bit too hard. I was definitely too loose and I should have known better," he said. "The truck went away. I had cords showing on both rear tires after the first run.
"After that, we got it a lot better. The track doesn't put down any rubber. Usually when you come here, it puts down rubber as the race goes on and (tire wear) doesn't play into it as much. Rubber didn't lay down and it definitely put it back in the driver's hands. You can't abuse the tires."
Asked if he thought some Cup drivers would be surprised at how the tires perform at the beginning of Sunday's race, Crafton said: "Absolutely."
Cup driver David Ragan noticed the change and while watching Saturday's race posted the following message to his Twitter account:
"Cars are fast at @MartinsvilleSwy and tires wearing like crazy. Times seem to really fall off. Should be one for the ages tomorrow."
Not at all. The 2013 Virginia 500 proved again that tire fall-off does not make racing better. Racing is made great when there is nothing holding drivers back from fighting for the win.
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