Subway 500 - Jeff Green Notes

Jeff Green Notes, Quotes: Old Dominion 500
Returning to the Roots of Racing

This weekend Jeff Green and the #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge team head to the .526-mile Martinsville (Va.) Speedway for Sunday’s Old Dominion 500. Green finished 26th in April on the flat paper-clip shaped oval. He will be making his fifth start of the year for Petty Enterprises behind the wheel of the famed #43.

The 2000 NASCAR Busch Grand National champion, Green is known for a winning driving style and a true ability to “bring the car home.” In his first full season of NASCAR Winston Cup racing last season, he failed to finish just two races, and both of those due to engine problems. He won the pole for the season-opening Daytona 500, and has won over $2 million this year

The thoughts of #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge driver Jeff Green heading into Martinsville:

“Martinsville is a good track. It’s a short track, and I think a lot of the guys like that aspect of it. If you look around the garage, a lot of guys grew up racing on tracks that resemble Martinsville. There aren’t many local Saturday night tracks that are mile-and-a-half tracks or superspeedways. We learned how to race on small ovals and that is what most tracks are in America. Martinsville reminds guys of tracks like that, so I think it is pretty exciting for everyone.

“It really is small track, however, for Winston Cup racing. There just isn’t a lot of room. We put 43 cars on the track at one time, and it doesn’t leave much. There is usually always someone in front of you and behind you. It’s even that way for the leader. It’s pretty rare to see that at a Winston Cup track, but that’s what makes Martinsville different.

“Although we are packed in the track pretty tightly we still have some great racing at Martinsville. A few years back, the track took some steps to try to make it a little more exciting. They made some changes to the bottom groove by actually ‘grinding’ the track down. It was different, but it looks like it has worked. You see a lot of good, hard, side-by-side racing. That’s good for the fans and for us drivers too. We can race each other pretty hard and put on a good show.

“The best way to get around the track is still the bottom. I don’t think you see anyone trying to set up their car to race only on the outside. The inside groove may have been changed, but it’s still the shortest way around the track. The shorter way around is always going to be faster. You still see everyone trying to get to the inside on every lap.

“If you can get your car to work up high that’s going to give you a few more options. A lot of the passing is on the inside line, but if you get your car to work up high and pass, that is really going to help you. Track position is always important at Martinsville. If you are not having any problems passing on a track as tough as Martinsville, you’re in for a really good day. The track position is so tough that pit stops play a huge role at Martinsville. Not only for the strategy, but the pit road is pretty tight and narrow. If you can come in and get out clean on pit road that’s important.

“You want to have a good pit box on pit road. The best way to assure yourself of that is by having a good qualifying run. Qualifying is pretty tough at Martinsville. You want to have as smooth of a lap as possible. You don’t want to spin the tires, and you don’t want to be loose off the turns. It’s a lot of pressure for a short amount of time on Friday.

“It’s going to be another good race this weekend and hopefully it will be a good weekend for this Cheerios Dodge. It starts with a good qualifying lap on Friday and having a good handling car on Sunday. Petty Enterprises has a pretty strong history at Martinsville and I am looking to add to it this weekend.”

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