NASCAR Xfinity Series at Martinsville

(Redirected from Draft Top 250)

Stock car racing events in the NASCAR Xfinity Series have been held at Martinsville Speedway, in Martinsville, Virginia during numerous seasons and times of year since the series’ inception in 1982. Races were first held from 1982 to 1994, and a one-off race occurred in July 2006. In October 2020, the series returned after a 14-year absence, adding a second date in 2021.

NASCAR Xfinity Series at Martinsville
NASCAR Xfinity Series
VenueMartinsville Speedway
LocationRidgeway, Virginia, United States
Circuit information
SurfaceAsphalt
Concrete (turns)
Length0.526 mi (0.847 km)
Turns4

Spring race

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Dude Wipes 250
 
NASCAR Xfinity Series
VenueMartinsville Speedway
LocationRidgeway, Virginia, United States
Corporate sponsorDude Wipes
First race1970
First NXS race1982
Distance131.2 miles (211.1 km)
Laps250[1]
Stages 1/2: 60 each
Final stage: 130
Previous namesDogwood 500 (1982)
Miller Time 250 (1983–1984)
Miller 200 (1985)
Miller Classic (1988–1991)
Miller 500 (1986–1987, 1992–1994)
Cook Out 250 (2021)
Call 811 Before You Dig 250 powered by Call811.com (2022)
Call 811.com Before You Dig 250 (2023)
Most wins (driver)Sam Ard
Jimmy Hensley (2)
Most wins (team)Joe Gibbs Racing (3)
Most wins (manufacturer)Buick
Pontiac (4)

The Dude Wipes 250 is a NASCAR Xfinity Series stock car racing spring event at Martinsville Speedway, in Martinsville, Virginia, originally held from 1982 to 1994 as a standalone spring meeting, but starting in 2021 returns as part of a three-day tripleheader along with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and NASCAR Cup Series.

It was first held as a Late Model Sportsman and Modified doubleheader in 1970, and in 1982 the Late Model Sportsman feature changed to a touring format for the original 1982 Budweiser Late Model Sportsman season, and stayed as a touring race until 1994. Following the 1994 season, both of Martinsville's race, the Miller 500 and the Advance Auto 500, were converted to Late Model only races. The March Late Model race was discontinued at the end of the 1997 season.

In 2021, the Xfinity Series restored Martinsville's spring date as a night race in support of the Cup Series' Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 and aligned with the Modified Tour where the two series race over consecutive nights, instead of racing on one day. The race is one of two Xfinity events at the short track along with the Draft Top 250 in the fall.[2]

The race changed distances several times in its history. When first held in 1970, the Late Model Sportsman and Modified features were both 250 laps, covering 131.2 miles (211.1 km). Following the addition of local Late Models and the conversion of the Modified race into part of the NASCAR's regional touring series in 1985, the two touring races were decreased to 200 laps, 105.2 miles (169.3 km) with a 100 lap, 52.6 miles (84.7 km) Late Model feature, where it remained until the Modifieds were removed for the 1993 season, when the distance was increased to 300 laps, 157.8 miles (254.0 km) for the touring Busch Grand National cars, and 200 laps, 105.2 miles (169.3 km) for the Late Model race. When the race format became strictly Late Model only, the qualifying races and Late Model feature (25 lap heat races and last chance race) totaled 300 laps. The race was discontinued after the 1997 season, and only the fall race was held for Late Models.

The race was never 500 laps, miles, or kilometers in distance at any point in its history. The "500" originated from Martinsville's two traditional combination Late Model and/or Modified races that resulted in a 500-lap format:

  • 1970–84: 250 laps, co-featured with Modifieds
  • 1985–91: 200 laps, co-featured with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, and 100 laps Late Model racing
  • 1992–94: 300 laps, and 200 laps Late Model racing

The 2021 Cup Weekend format returned to the 1970-84 format of 250 laps. The Whelen Modified Tour returned as the Thursday night feature, with the Xfinity race the Friday night feature. No practice or qualifying were held as part of post-pandemic restrictions, but they returned for the 2022 running.

Year Date Driver Team Manufacturer Race Distance Race Time Average Speed
(mph)
Laps Miles (km)
1982 March 28 Sam Ard Thomas Brothers Racing Oldsmobile 250 131.25 (211.226) 67.244
1983 March 20 Sam Ard Thomas Brothers Racing Oldsmobile 250 131.25 (211.226) 2:05:46 62.682
1984 March 25 Jack Ingram Jack Ingram Racing Pontiac 250 131.5 (211.628) 1:42:16 77.751
1985 April 6 Brett Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Pontiac 200 105.2 (169.302) 1:43:08 61.202
1986 March 23 Morgan Shepherd Whitaker Racing Pontiac 200 105.2 (169.302) 1:30:42 69.592
1987 March 22 Brad Teague Charlie Henderson Chevrolet 200 105.2 (169.302) 1:36:36 65.229
1988 March 13 Jimmy Hensley Sam Ard Buick 200 105.2 (169.302) 1:29:52 70.237
1989 March 12 Tommy Ellis J&J Racing Buick 200 105.2 (169.302) 1:39:12 63.629
1990 March 11 Tommy Houston Houston Racing Buick 200 105.2 (169.302) 1:38:18 64.212
1991 March 10 Jimmy Hensley Beverly Racing Oldsmobile 200 105.2 (169.302) 1:32:04 68.559
1992 March 22 Kenny Wallace Rusty Wallace Racing Pontiac 200 105.2 (169.302) 1:26:12 73.225
1993 May 8 Ward Burton A.G. Dillard Motorsports Buick 300 157.8 (253.954) 2:14:59 70.142
1994 March 20 Terry Labonte Labonte Motorsports Chevrolet 300 157.8 (253.954) 2:12:25 71.511
1995

2020
Not held
2021 April 9–11* Josh Berry JR Motorsports Chevrolet 250 131.5 (211.628) 2:12:02 59.758
2022 April 8 Brandon Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 261* 137.286 (220.939) 2:26:50 56.099
2023 April 15 John Hunter Nemechek Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 250 131.5 (211.628) 2:12:50 59.398
2024 April 6 Aric Almirola Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 251* 132.026 (212.474) 2:07:48 61.984
  • 2021: Race suspended from Friday night to Sunday afternoon due to rain.
  • 2022 and 2024: Race extended due to NASCAR overtime.

Summer race

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Goody's 250
NASCAR Busch Series
VenueMartinsville Speedway
Corporate sponsorGoody's Powder
First race2006
Last race2006
Distance78.9 miles (127.0 km)
Laps250

The Goody's 250 was the name given for the second-tier series' one-off return to the track in 2006, after an absence since 1994, held during the summer of that year. It had been planned the race would be held at night, under a temporary lighting system to be installed at the track, but it was held in the afternoon instead.[3] The event replaced the ITT Industries & Goulds Pumps Salute to the Troops 250 at Pikes Peak International Raceway on the Busch Series schedule. The race was replaced in 2007 by the NAPA Auto Parts 200 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve road course in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The race was the final start in NASCAR for Darrell Waltrip and Ricky Craven.

Year Date Driver Team Manufacturer Race Distance Race Time Average Speed
(mph)
Race
Results
Laps Miles (km)
2006 July 22 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 250 131.5 (211.628) 2:09:03 61.139 Report

September race

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Zerex 150
NASCAR Busch Series
VenueMartinsville Speedway
Corporate sponsorZerex Antifreeze
First race1982
Last race1990
Distance78.9 miles (127.0 km)
Laps150
Previous namesAutumn 150 (1982–1983)
Nationwise 150 (1986–1987)
Advance Auto 150 (1988)
Zerex 150 (1989–1990)

The Zerex 150 was a NASCAR Busch Series stock car race held at Martinsville Speedway, in Martinsville, Virginia. It was first held during the inaugural season for the Busch Series in 1982, as well as 1983. It was removed from the schedule in 1984, but returned in 1986. It was removed permanently following the 1990 season. It was a third Busch Series race at Martinsville in the seasons it was held, scheduled after the Miller 500 held early in the season, and about one month prior to the Advance Auto 500, the final race of the season. With a distance of 150 laps, 78.9 miles (127.0 km), it was the shortest of Martinsville's three Busch races.

Year Date Driver Team Manufacturer Race Distance Race Time Average Speed
(mph)
Ref
Laps Miles (km)
1982 September 25 Sam Ard Thomas Brothers Racing Oldsmobile 150 78.75 (126.735) 0:59.25 79.607 [4]
1983 September 24 Sam Ard Thomas Brothers Racing Oldsmobile 150 78.75 (126.735) 1:18.57 59.848 [5]
1984

1985
Not held
1986 September 21 Tommy Houston Arndt Racing Buick 150 78.9 (126.977) 1:06:30 71.188 [6]
1987 September 26 Rick Mast A.G. Dillard Motorsports Pontiac 150 78.9 (126.977) 1:10:12 67.436 [7]
1988 September 24 Harry Gant Whitaker Racing Buick 150 78.9 (126.977) 1:14:29 63.558 [8]
1989 September 23 Tommy Houston Arndt Racing Buick 150 78.9 (126.977) 1:02:09 76.171 [9]
1990 September 22 Jeff Burton Sam Ard Buick 150 78.9 (126.977) 1:11:28 66.241 [10]

Fall race

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National Debt Relief 250
 
NASCAR Xfinity Series
VenueMartinsville Speedway
Corporate sponsorNational Debt Relief
First race1970 (Late Model)
First Xfinity Series race1982
Distance157.8 mi (254.0 km)
Laps250
Stages 1/2: 60 each
Final stage: 130
Previous namesCardinal 500 Classic (1970–1984)
Winn-Dixie 500 (19851986)
Winston Classic (19871992)
Advance Auto Parts 500 (1993)
Advance Auto 500 (1994)
Draft Top 250 (2020)
Dead On Tools 250 (2021-2023)
Most wins (driver)Harry Gant (2)
Most wins (team)Joe Gibbs Racing (3)
Most wins (manufacturer)Pontiac (5)

The National Debt Relief 250 is a NASCAR Xfinity Series stock car race held at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia. Originally a Late Model race when it began in 1970, it joined the Budweiser Late Model Sportsman touring series in 1982 (the original year), and remained a part of the series through 1994. Following the 1994 season, both of Martinsville's races, the Miller 500 and the Advance Auto 500, were switched to a late model-only race with the ValleyStar Credit Union 300. The Advance Auto 500 served as the final race of the season for the series for ten years, from 1982 through 1991. The track was given a date on the Xfinity Series schedule again starting in 2020, after a brief one-off return in 2006.

History

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The race changed distances several times in its history. From its inception until 1984, the twin feature races was 250 laps for each division, covering 131.2 miles (211.1 km). When both the Modified and Late Model Sportsman cars had both become touring format races, the local Late Model feature reduced the Modified and Busch features in 1985 to 200 laps, 105.2 miles (169.3 km). After Modifieds were dropped in 1993 in light of early 1990s safety issues, the distance was increased to 300 laps, 157.8 miles (254.0 km), while the Late Model race increased to 200 laps, when it changed in 1994 to 300 laps. When the 1st revival occurred the race was changed to 250 laps & now for the 2nd revival it will go remain to 250 laps.

As was the tradition at Martinsville, the two non-Cup race weekends featured two or three races that totaled 500 laps, a tradition still in place today by the now-Late Model only race, with qualifying races totaling 100 laps and a 200-lap feature.

The Xfinity Series returned to Martinsville in 2020 for a night race at the track in the fall as part of a triple-header with the NASCAR Truck Series and NASCAR Cup Series. It was the second-to-last race of the season.[11] Draft Top was the title sponsor of the 250 lap race.[12] Dead On Tools was the title sponsor of the race in 2021.[13]

Year Date Driver Team Manufacturer Race Distance Race Time Average Speed
(mph)
Race
Results
Laps Miles (km)
1982 October 31 Butch Lindley Emanuel Zervakis Pontiac 250 131.25 (211.226) 2:08:12 61.420 Report
1983 October 30 Sam Ard Thomas Brothers Racing Oldsmobile 250 131.25 (211.226) 2:10:03 60.669 Report
1984 October 28 Morgan Shepherd Lindy White Pontiac 250 131.5 (211.628) 2:10:23 60.513 Report
1985 October 27 Tommy Ellis Eric Freedlander Pontiac 200 105.2 (169.302) 1:26:01 73.831 Report
1986 November 2 Brett Bodine Thomas Brothers Racing Oldsmobile 200 105.2 (169.302) 1:28:29 71.335 Report
1987 November 1 Jimmy Hensley Sam Ard Buick 200 105.2 (169.302) 1:27:10 72.413 Report
1988 October 30 Harry Gant Whitaker Racing Buick 200 105.2 (169.302) 1:33:08 65.083 Report
1989 October 29 L.D. Ottinger Parker Racing Pontiac 200 105.2 (169.302) 1:31:56 68.658 Report
1990 October 28 Steve Grissom Grissom Racing Enterprises Oldsmobile 200 105.2 (169.302) 1:25:16 74.026 Report
1991 October 27 Harry Gant Whitaker Racing Buick 200 105.2 (169.302) 1:20:16 78.637 Report
1992 October 18 Bobby Labonte Labonte Motorsports Chevrolet 200 105.2 (169.302) 1:32:57 67.907 Report
1993 October 17 Chuck Bown Hensley Motorsports Pontiac 300 157.8 (253.954) 2:12:59 71.197 Report
1994 October 16 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 300 157.8 (253.954) 2:15:39 69.797 Report
1995

2019
Not held
2020 October 31 Harrison Burton Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 250 131.5 (211.628) 2:07:56 61.673 Report
2021 October 30 Noah Gragson JR Motorsports Chevrolet 257* 135.182 (217.553) 2:10:48 62.01 Report
2022 October 29 Ty Gibbs Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 269* 141.494 (227.711) 2:20:32 60.401 Report
2023 October 28 Justin Allgaier JR Motorsports Chevrolet 256* 134.656 (216.707) 2:26:07 55.294 Report
2024 November 2 Aric Almirola Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 250 131.5 (211.628) 2:11:30 60 Report

Multiple winners

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Drivers

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# Wins Driver Years Won
5 Sam Ard Spring: 1982, 1983
September: 1982, 1983
Fall: 1983
3 Jimmy Hensley Spring: 1988, 1991
Fall: 1987
Harry Gant September: 1988
Fall: 1988, 1991
Tommy Houston Spring: 1990
September: 1986, 1989
3 Brett Bodine Spring: 1985
Fall: 1986
Morgan Shepherd Spring: 1986
Fall: 1984
Tommy Ellis Spring: 1989
Fall: 1985
Kenny Wallace Spring: 1992
Fall: 1994

Teams

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# Wins Team Years Won
6 Thomas Brothers Racing Spring: 1982, 1983
September: 1982, 1983
Fall: 1983, 1986
Joe Gibbs Racing Spring: 2022, 2023, 2024
Fall: 2020, 2022, 2024
4 Whitaker Racing Spring: 1986
September: 1988
Fall: 1988, 1991
3 Sam Ard Spring: 1988
September: 1990
Fall: 1987
JR Motorsports Spring: 2021
Fall: 2021, 2023
2 Arndt Racing September: 1986, 1987
A.G. Dillard Motorsports Spring: 1993
September: 1987
Labonte Motorsports Spring: 1994
Fall: 1992

Manufacturer wins

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# Wins Make Years Won
11   Buick Spring: 1988,-1990, 1993
September: 1986, 1988-1990
Fall: 1987, 1988, 1991
10   Pontiac Spring: 1984-1986, 1992
September: 1987
Fall: 1982, 1984, 1985, 1989, 1993
8   Oldsmobile Spring: 1982, 1983, 1991
September: 1982, 1983
Fall: 1983, 1986, 1990
7   Chevrolet Spring: 1987, 1994, 2021
Summer: 2006
Fall: 1992, 2021, 2023
6   Toyota Spring: 2022, 2023, 2024
Fall: 2020, 2022, 2024
1   Ford Fall: 1994

References

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  1. ^ "Stage lengths for 2021 NASCAR season". NASCAR. January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  2. ^ "Martinsville Speedway to Host 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series Races on April 9, 2021 & Draft Top 250 on Oct. 30, 2021". Martinsville Speedway. October 30, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  3. ^ "Martinsville Busch race moved to afternoon". SceneDaily. May 14, 2006. Archived from the original on May 21, 2006. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  4. ^ "1982 Autumn 150". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  5. ^ "1983 Autumn 150". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  6. ^ "1986 Nationwise 150". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  7. ^ "1987 Nationwise 150". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  8. ^ "1988 Advance Auto 150". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  9. ^ "1989 Zerex 150". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  10. ^ "1990 Zerex 150". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  11. ^ "Martinsville Speedway lands tripleheader playoff weekend". AP. April 3, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  12. ^ "Martinsville Speedway & Draft Top Partner on Entitlement for Draft Top 250". Martinsville Speedway (Press release). October 13, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  13. ^ "Dead On Tools Teams Up with Martinsville Speedway to Sponsor Penultimate Xfinity Race". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. March 2, 2021.
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Previous race:
Credit One NASCAR Amex Credit Card 300
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Dude Wipes 250
Next race:
Crown Royal Purple Bag Project 200
Previous race:
United Rentals 250
NASCAR Xfinity Series
National Debt Relief 250
Next race:
NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race