NASCAR red-flagged the Black’s Tire 200 at Martinsville Speedway on Friday night, stopping the field around Lap 117 so crews could clear fluid from Turns 3 and 4.
Conditions stayed dry for the 200-lap Craftsman Truck Series race, which went green at about 6:18 p.m. ET on FS1, so the stoppage came from the track surface rather than weather. Officials held the trucks while crews worked on the slick racing surface before a restart, according to Matt Weaver.
Tyler Reif spun in Turn 4 and brought out the caution, and the stack-up that followed involved Brenden Queen, Justin Haley and Monty Tipton, according to reporter Bob Pockrass. Queen’s truck was leaking fluid onto the track during the incident. Haley and Queen both sustained damage in the pileup.
Later, in Lap 148, A multi-truck pile-up on the backstretch triggered a caution and another red flag in the Martinsville race. It happened on a restart. Trucks stacked up, nearly blocking the track, which brought out the yellow and then the red flag for cleanup. Drivers involved include Timmy Hill, Justin S. Carroll, Gavan Boschele, Stewart Friesen, and Carson Ferguson.
Brenden Queen, Justin Haley Pileup Prompts Martinsville Red Flag
Layne Riggs led the field when the caution flew, with Stewart Friesen, Tristan McKee, Kaden Honeycutt, Ben Rhodes and Chandler Smith following in that order. Honeycutt ran fourth, directly behind McKee. The resulting fluid in Turns 3 and 4 required a full red flag for cleanup.
McKee, who set a record as the youngest pole-sitter in NASCAR truck race history, took the lead quickly after the red flag and subsequent yellow were lifted as the race restarted. Layne Riggs, who swept the first two stages, fell to second place.
But then Kasey Kleyn, in only his second truck start, spun out and sent the race under caution again — for the fifth time.
Queen had started at the back of the field because of a brake issue. He was not alone in beginning at the rear. Gavan Boschele dropped back for a fluid leak, Jake Garcia for a backup truck after a practice crash and Frankie Muniz for unapproved adjustments, according to Pockrass.
In all, four drivers were tied to the Turns 3 and 4 trouble: Reif, Queen, Haley and Tipton. Reif’s spin set the sequence in motion, and Queen’s leak turned a routine caution into a stoppage.
Conner Jones Pit Road Leak Adds to Martinsville Fluid Problems
Fluid had already disrupted the night once. After the stage break, Conner Jones’ No. 4 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet suffered an apparent gear failure, producing an oil slick entering pit road. The leak delayed pit road reopening while crews cleaned the surface.
Jones went to the garage and was roughly 20 laps down by the following restart, according to Brock Beard of LASTCAR. That incident was separate from the Turns 3 and 4 trouble, but both required cleanup. Crews that had already dealt with one slick patch on pit road now needed to clear a second on the racing surface.
The stoppage also landed in the middle of a title chase. Kaden Honeycutt held a points advantage over Layne Riggs, reported in the 30s after the stages. That edge would shrink significantly if the running order held, according to Pockrass. Ty Majeski and Chandler Smith were already eliminated from contention.
The Black’s Tire 200 uses a 50-50-100 stage format, so the Lap 117 stoppage landed early in the final segment. Officials stopped the field specifically so crews could address the slick condition before restarting.
Why is NASCAR Truck Race at Martinsville Delayed Today? What Caused the Red Flag