Anytime a broadcaster talks about what it takes for a race team to be successful at Martinsville Speedway, one item always tops the list– brakes, brakes, brakes.
At the tight confines of the. 526-mile paperclip-shaped track, a driver s brakes must last through all 500 laps to bring home a strong finish.
For driver Jeff Green, the brakes on his No. 66 Best Buy Chevrolet played what can only be described as a bad April Fool s joke on Green and his team Sunday, helping him move all the way into the top-15 before they began failing midway through the event.
Denied the ability to slow his car heading into the incredibly tight turns at Martinsville, Green found himself having to let off the car s throttle much earlier than normal, causing him to quickly drop back through the field.
The brake troubles resulted in Green dropping some 13 laps to the race leaders before the checkered flag was displayed, leaving the No. 66 Haas CNC Racing team with a 36th-place finish.
“The only way I can describe it is frustrated, ” Green said. “Our Best Buy Chevrolet was great early on. We had a top-10 car, no doubt.
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