NASCAR At Martinsville Speedway: 2011 Start Time, Starting Lineup, TV/Radio Listings And More

It’s NASCAR race day at Martinsville Speedway, and we’ve got the actual race start time, the starting lineup and some other facts about today’s Chase race for you below.

What time does the race start today? The Martinsville start time is a bit earlier than most Chase races because there are no lights and officials want to make sure the race has plenty of time to finish. The command to start engines will be given by a Tums contest winner at 1:53 p.m. Eastern time. The green flag will then wave at 1:58 p.m. Eastern. So if you want to tune in for the actual race itself and skip the pre-race show, just tune in at 1:58.

Race name/distance: The Tums Fast Relief 500 is not 500 miles, but 500 laps around NASCAR’s shortest track, the .526-mile Martinsville Speedway.

TV and radio: Today’s race can be seen on ESPN. Every Sprint Cup race will be on ESPN for the rest of the season. If you aren’t near a TV, the radio broadcast can be found on your local Motor Racing Network (MRN) affiliate. Click here to see a list of stations where you can listen.

National anthem: Marching bands usually do the anthem justice, so we have high hopes for today’s performer – the North Carolina A&T Marching Band.

Tickets: There are plenty of tickets still available for today’s race. If you want to make a last-minute trip to Martinsville today, you shouldn’t have trouble getting a seat.

Weather: Brr! The unofficial NASCAR weatherman says conditions will be sunny, but only a high of 52 degrees at race time. Bring your jackets.

Last time: Kevin Harvick passed Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the final laps to win his first Martinsville race in April. One year ago, Denny Hamlin won and seemed poised to win his first Sprint Cup Series championship.

Starting lineup for today’s NASCAR race at Martinsville Superspeedway (Chase drivers in bold):