2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Race Seven Martinsville

Trucks in the field: 36
Pole: Zane Smith (38)
Outside pole: Kyle Busch (51)
Stages: 50-50-100
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 74 degrees, with a 3 mph wind, gusting to 6 mph. MRN reports there’s rain all around the track. The forecast predicts heavy rain and a thunderstorm starting in four minutes. The skies are ominous.1927 eastern lightning strike within 8 miles of the track just after the engines were fired brings everything to a halt before the parade laps begin.

1935 eastern Bunny just saw another flash of lightning so the clock is reset for 30 minutes from now.

1939 eastern I just saw a flash of lightning that time, so this delay might go on for a while.

The skies have gone from ugly to horrifying – very dark. It looks like it’s late night though it is still light here, though cloudy. Looks like the thunderstorm is in full effect. The temperature has dropped – at 2005 – to 68 degrees in Martinsville. The forecast is predicting the heavy rain and thunderstorms will come to an end in 35 minutes.

Every so often they show clips of the storm in Martinsville – intense lightning.

2145 eastern The trucks are rolling around on wet weather tires doing parade laps.

2156 eastern The trucks have been given the one-to-go signal.

2157 eastern Green Flag.

A competition caution will occur when NASCAR decides conditions are appropriate for the trucks to switch to slicks.

TV is showing on laps 3-5 a driver’s hands (gloves) on the steering wheel. Seriously? We’ve waited two-and-a-half hours to look at someone’s hands on the steering wheel while there’s theoretically a race going on on-track?

Competition caution on lap 26 of 200 to allow the teams to swap tires.

The pit stop will not be a live pitstop so the teams won’t lose their position on pit road.

Restarting on lap 43 of 200 with Kyle ‘KyBu’ Busch (51) and Corey Heim (11) on the front row.

Heim gets the early lead.

Corey Heim (11) easily wins stage one.

Water is streaming from the SAFER barrier resulting in puddles on pit road in various boxes. NASCAR sent the track drying team onto pit road prior to the non-live pit stops. After the pit stops the pit-boxes were still very wet. During caution laps the track drying crew is working on pit road again. Safety team members appear to be adding sandbags into the middle of the SAFER barriers to try to block some of the water.

MRN reports there’s rain in the area at 2233 eastern.

When I saw them hurrying the drivers into the trucks I guessed they were trying to race to halfway – theoretically beating the rain to make the race official.

The grandstands seem to be mostly empty.

MRN reports the teams are discussing not pitting now to maintain position to race to lap 100. MRN’s Steve ‘Postie/Postman’ Post says they’ll probably start radar racing at lap 100.

2239 eastern MRN’s Dave Moody reports a little bit of rain is beginning to fall extending the caution.

2241 MRN reports NASCAR will bring the cars down pit road.

2243 Red flag is out trucks are getting covered on pit road.

2252 The drivers are out of the trucks. Track drying is underway.

2259 MRN reports the drivers have been called back to their trucks as sprinkles continue to fall.

2307 The yellow flag is out and the trucks are rolling off pit road.

The temperature is down to 60 degrees at the track.

Restarting on lap 70 of 200. MRN reports there have been 35 green flag laps and 35 caution laps so far in this race.

Corey Heim (11) leads them to the green flag. He gets the early lead.

Caution on lap 80 of 200 for a spin by Lawless Alan (45).

MRN reports more rain is bearing down on Martinsville Speedway on lap 85 of 200.

Restarting on lap with Zane Smith (38) and Corey Heim (11) on the front row.

Smith gets a bad start and Heim takes the early lead.

Caution on lap 94 of 200 for a spin by Stewart Friesen (52) due to a flat left rear.

MRN says the weather is bearing down on them quickly. Jeff Striegle says they will make it to halfway, but probably not much further.

Corey Heim (11) wins stage two under caution.

Matt Crafton (88) was on pit road with the hood up and a crew member in the right window of the truck. They managed to get whatever done and get Crafton out without losing a lap.

Restarting on lap 105 of 200 with Corey Heim (11) and Zane Smith (38) on the front row.

Corey Heim (11) gets the early lead.

Caution on lap 109 of 200 for a spin by Daniel Dye (43).

Stephen Mallozzi (22) is getting a push to pit road.

MRN reports at 2334 that it is raining again slightly.

Core Heim and KyBu start up front on lap 115 of 200 for the restart.

Heim gets the early lead

Caution on lap 115 of 200 for a spin by Carson Hocevar (42) and MRN reports Stewart Friesen (52) gets collected. Dean Thomson (5) bails onto pit road to avoid the spinning Hocevar. Carson Hocevar tried to turn Taylor Gray (17) – turning left into him – and ended up spinning out himself. NASCAR is holding Hocevar on pit road for 2 laps.

On television, the rain appears to have picked up in intensity at 2341.

Striegle and Hayden, in the booth, are saying the rain is light. Moody, who is standing in one of the turns, says it’s heavy. He also says NASCAR now has a decision to make in his opinion.

At 2343 the pace car is bringing the cars down pit road.

Steve Post of MRN says a lot of the radio traffic is saying this might be the one that ends the race for the night.

Red flag is out at 2345 eastern on lap 124 of 200. The crews are covering the trucks again.

The drivers are out of their trucks.

At 2348 people are congratulating Corey Heim on television. Looks like NASCAR called it. MRN reports that NASCAR has called it at 2349.

That was a waste of time. There was very little time to race with all the rain and cautions. That event should’ve been postponed to some time and date when they could actually race.

Scott Zippadelli is Corey Heim’s (11) crew chief.

Motorsport News:

2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Race Seven Martinsville

Next Race: Kansas

GO Trucks!!!!