Cup drivers Kahne and Setzer get a grip at MMS
JW Martin

The Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway is slated for March 29, 2009.

In hopes of finding success at Martinsville on that Sunday, two Sprint Cup teams participated in a test this past Tuesday at Motor Mile Speedway.


While specific motives varied, the pair of teams had chosen MMS to log the crucial preceding circuits because of the similarities it shared with the paper-clip short track in Henry County.

Banked 15 degrees in the turns, MMS has a steeper banking than Martinsville by a mere three degrees. Certain similarities are the reason many teams throughout the NASCAR spectrum choose Motor Mile Speedway as their proving ground for waging a competitive campaign at weekend short tracks.

In attendance on this particular Tuesday were Kasey Kahne, driver of Richard Petty Motorsports’ no. 9 Budweiser Dodge, and the no. 46 Romeo Guest sponsored Dodge, owned by Carl Long and driven by Dennis Setzer.

It was Kahne’s first outing at the .416-mile oval. For veteran driver Dennis Setzer, the asphalt corners of MMS have become as familiar as the finish line at Martinsville.

No. 9- Kasey Kahne
In 2004, a rookie racer from Enumclaw, Washington, replaced sixteen-time Most Popular Driver Award winner Bill Elliott in Evernham Motorsports’ flagship no. 9 Dodge.

For the fans, it was heart-wrenching. For Kasey Kahne, it was gut-wrenching.

“I remember when it first came about and how excited I was to get the opportunity,” recalls Kahne. “I think it was a huge deal, and I’m glad we’ve been able to run really well with the no. 9 car and not make it look bad. It’s still been one of the fastest cars at times throughout every season, and to me, that’s good.”

Nine wins and six seasons later, Kahne still manages to find victory lane on occasion. The team has found only marginal success at Martinsville, however; the team hasn’t recorded a finish better than fifteenth since the switch to the Car of Tomorrow in 2007.

Kahne believes the answer to the statistics is practice.

“I just think it took us a little bit longer to figure [the COT] out than some of the other teams, but when we get it right- when we get it close, I enjoy driving it. I think it’s a good car, and I think we’re getting real close,” Kahne says.

For crew chief Kenny Francis, the Radford short track could serve as a solution for more speed at the Sunday short tracks looming on the Sprint Cup schedule.

“This is a pretty good track and pretty close to home. It’s got good grip and is pretty consistent, so you can learn here; you don’t have to chase the tires all day,” explains Francis.

We’re trying a few things that are a little different than what we normally run, but I think you can learn something. All you can do is rule it in as a change to try at a main race track, or you can rule it out and say, ‘well, that ain’t gonna work anywhere.’ That’s about all you can hope to do.”

With a 15.9 hot lap in the morning, and lap times in the afternoon mirroring the record run, Kahne believes the session was satisfactory.

“So far, so good. We’ve been trying a lot of different things to make it turn. We’re doing things we did last year and there’s things we’re doing this year, and we’re seeing which one is faster for a short track,” Kahne explains.

I think this will be a good test for us, and hopefully we’ll run good at Martinsville because of it.”

No. 46- Dennis Setzer
It was around this time in March of last year when Dennis Setzer strapped into the seat of Bobby Hamilton Racings’ no. 18 truck, mounting several runs in an effort to get the Dodge Ram to rotate through the center of the corner at Motor Mile Speedway.

Setzer felt the weekday test at MMS was a success, and that weekend at Martinsville the team’s findings came to fruition. Setzer led 126 laps en route to victory lane in the Kroger 250 in what was then the Craftsman Truck Series.

Setzer was again searching for handling at MMS this past Tuesday, albeit in a different machine. This time, Setzer was in the seat of Carl Long’s no. 46 Cup car.

“I think it’s a good place to come shake down for Martinsville. The tight corners are good for trying to make your vehicle rotate- and that’s what I look for, how the vehicle rotates here, whether I’m in a car or truck,” explains Setzer.

Carl Long and Setzer have partnered up in order to attempt the 500-lap event at Martinsville later this month. A relationship with sponsor Romeo Guest and Setzer’s short track expertise appear to be a perfect combination.

“Mr. Robbins owns Romeo Guest; I drove for him in the Late Model race at Martinsville, and he and Carl are partners on this car, so we thought we would try to get this thing in the show at Martinsville,” says Setzer.

By the end of the test session, however, Setzer wasn’t as satisfied as he was with the truck last year. The no. 46 team was a half-second off the pace set by Kahne’s no. 9 Dodge, with a top time of only 16.5.

“We’ve got to find some answers; we got lots of questions- how to make this thing get to the center and rotate through the center better, and drive up out,” Setzer explains.

I don’t think we’ve left here where we need to be yet. So we’ll go back and hit the drawing board and see if we can get back closer to where we need to be.”

Past experience proves that testing on a New River Valley short track on Tuesday can aid in a victory at a major venue on race day. Only time will tell if these teams kind find such success.