The Kroger 250 will mark Aric Almirola’s fourth NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at Martinsville Speedway. In his three previous races at the half-mile oval, Almirola has a best finish of 12th-place.
Billy Ballew Motorsports carries three top-five finishes at Martinsville into this weekend, but has yet to reach victory lane. Almirola is confident that his No. 51 Graceway Pharmaceuticals Tundra has what it takes to end the streak.
Almirola Comments on the Kroger 250:
“Martinsville is typically pretty rough. It’s a flat half-mile, so usually when you pass someone or someone passes you, it involves some rubbing. The old saying, ‘Rubbing is racing’ is definitely true at Martinsville. It’s a short, little race track and you have to really move people out of the way to get by them.
“It’s an exciting race for the fans and it can be exciting for the drivers at times, too. A lot of the times it’s really frustrating, though. You want to take care of your equipment and have all your fenders on at the end of the race, but sometimes you have to get pushy with the truck in front of you. There’s just not much time to be patient at Martinsville because you can get lapped in a hurry. It makes for exciting racing and a lot of beating and banging, and probably some paybacks.
“At Martinsville, track position is everything. It’s important to qualify well and get a good pit selection, so you can be quick on pit road. Every spot counts. It’s really tough to pass at Martinsville. If you can get up front and stay up front, usually that’s the way to go. It makes your job a whole lot easier.
“I’m really excited about racing at Martinsville. Our team has come close to winning there before, but never quite made it to victory lane. I have no doubt that we can get the job done. It would be awesome to get my first Truck Series win, and Billy Ballew Motorsports’ first win at Martinsville, this weekend.”
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