For the reason that inception of the Chase for the Nextel Cup in 2004, the Martinsville Speedway has been a staple of playoff racing in NASCAR. Because the NASCAR Cup Sequence prepares to set its Championship 4 lineup on the conclusion of Sunday’s contest at Martinsville, listed here are probably the most memorable playoff races within the monitor’s illustrious historical past.
2021: Denny Hamlin vs. “a hack”
Moderately than a championship hopeful, it was an eradicated driver in Alex Bowman who received the 2021 Xfinity 500 in controversial vogue. With lower line chaos taking place throughout him — specifically a battle between Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski — Bowman was combating for the win with Denny Hamlin. With seven laps to go, Bowman spun Hamlin in flip 4, sending the Martinsville crowd right into a frenzy. Bowman went on to win the race, however an enraged Hamlin visited Bowman whereas he was doing his burnout on the front-stretch. As soon as out of his automobile, Hamlin famously referred to as Bowman a “hack” — an insult Bowman responded to by making T-shirts with the phrase printed on them, with proceeds going to charity.