What’s Happening?
Martinsville’s springtime race has been known to throw some weather curveballs in recent years. Will the Blue Ridge Mountains play more tricks on the stars of NASCAR this weekend? A chilly weekend awaits as we look at the weather forecast for the tripleheader weekend at Martinsville.
- Martinsville Speedway has had 3 races impacted by weather since 2014, all of which came in the spring between 2018 and 2022. This included a snowstorm in 2018, a rain postponement in 2021, and a bitterly cold, rain-delayed race in 2022.
- Martinsville is the 3rd-oldest track (North Wilkesboro and Indianapolis) on the NASCAR Cup Series calendar. Opened in 1947, Martinsville is the only track to host at least one race in the Cup Series season since the series was founded in 1949.
- Fans are excited for Martinsville, but, apprehensive for a couple of reasons. The short track package continues to be a struggle, and the weather is a question mark as well.
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Martinsville Weather Forecast via National Weather Service
Friday, April 5: Craftsman Truck Series Long John Silver’s 200 (7:30 PM ET)
- Forecast: Mostly Clear
- Temperature: High 50°F; Wind Chill High 30s-Low 40s°F
- Rain: 1-3%
- Wind: NW 9-13 MPH (Gusting to 20-21 MPH)
Saturday, April 6: Xfinity Series Dude Wipes 250 (7:30 PM ET)
- Forecast: Clear
- Temperature: High 50°F, Wind Chill 40s°F
- Rain: 0%
- Wind: NW 9-10 MPH
Sunday, April 7: Cup Series Cook Out 400 (3:00 PM ET)
- Forecast: Sunny
- Temperature: High 63°F
- Rain: 0%
- Wind: S 3-5 MPH
Martinsville Weather History
Martinsville Speedway has shown some strange weather in recent years. Perhaps the strangest came in 2018 when a massive snowstorm struck the Blue Ridge Mountains, blanketing the track. The race was postponed from Sunday to Monday, with Clint Bowyer taking home his first Stewart-Haas Racing win.
Martinsville became the first track to use rain tires in a National Touring Series race in 2023. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series used the tires at the start of their race in 2023. However, rain returned and stopped the race 76 laps short of the scheduled finish, and Corey Heim took home the win.
This article will be updated as the week progresses and the forecast changes. Will the cold temperatures once again bring havoc to Martinsville?