Martinsville native Jeff Hensley knows a thing or two about getting around the .526-mile track. The veteran crew chief helped lead Mike Skinner to his sweep of the short track in 2007 and has a win in the NASCAR Nationwide Series with Chuck Bown in 1993.
Q: What is the key to Martinsville Speedway?
"Staying out of trouble is the biggest key. A lot of times at Martinsville it is not the best truck that wins but who has the best pit strategy. It is really hard to pass there so if you're able to have good pit stops and beat people out, then that is a huge advantage."
"It also places a premium on qualifying, track position is so important. It is like a series of 20-lap heat races. So if you qualify well, have good pit stops and manage to stay out of others misfortune, then you can win the race."
Q: What specific challenges does it present to you as crew chief?
"You want to be able to pit as soon as you can and be able to make it the rest of the way on fuel. Basically, this is a one-stop race if you time it right. You have to have the nerve to make the call and stick with it. If you need 50 laps of caution to make it, then you hope you get them. I have needed them and gotten them and I have needed them and not gotten them."
Q: From a technical standpoint, what are you concerned about for this race? "You pay special attention to the braking systems at Martinsville. The brakes, the cooling, the fluid, the pad and the type of brake you use. No matter how good your truck handles at Martinsville, if you don't have the right brake system that is working in harmony with everything else on your truck, then you're not going to run good. You can take a really good race truck with a bad set of brakes and run poorly, or you can take a decent handling truck with a good set of brakes and make it look really good."
Q: This will mark your driver Brian Scott's fourth start at the short track. What are some things you guys are looking at as you head into the weekend?
"We had a good run last October with Brian. Our finish didn't show it but we ran from eighth to 12th almost all day. We started based on points because of the rain and worked our way all the way up through the field.
"Right now we're headed into this race building on the momentum from a top 10 at Atlanta. We are taking a new truck which we've put a lot of effort into building. Hopefully we can lay a good foundation with this truck for our short-track program and it will translate into success at places like Gateway, Memphis and Loudon."
Q: What does it mean for you to race and win at a track you grew up around?"It means a lot, growing up in that area as a kid Martinsville was always our Daytona 500. To win a race here is very special to me, it is my track. But that said, I don't put any more emphasis winning there than I do any place else. Winning any race in this day and time is hard to do. They are all very precious and very important."
"As a kid I used to go to the track with my dad and sneak into the garage area by climbing under the fence. My mom used to always wonder how I got so dirty and greasy. When you're nine or 10 years old it doesn't matter, you just wanted to be in there and involved with what was going on."
