news-record.com

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — NASCAR scheduled a Sprint Cup practice session for 8:30 to 10 a.m. today, but the forecast calls for morning rain. NASCAR will put precedence on allowing Cup teams to practice even if that means eliminating qualifying and setting the lineup based on practice speeds.

If there is no practice, the starting lineup will be based on car owner points.

Practice could be key because Goodyear brought different tires than those used here in the spring. Goodyear made its tire selection after a test in August with Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselowski, Bobby Labonte, Jeff Burton and David Ragan.

The new tires are supposed to have a softer compound, providing more grip and add rubber to the concrete corners.

PIT STOPS: Denny Hamlin will run today's Camping World Trucks race, driving for Kyle Busch's team. It will be Hamlin's fifth Trucks race at Martinsville, but his first since 2009. ... Regan Smith said he is still sore from his crash late in the Talladega race when his car hit the wall head-on.

Contact Dustin Long at 373-7062 or dustin.long@news-record.com