Average Practice Speeds: Martinsville 2 – TUMS Fast Relief 500 (2012 Chase Race #7)

The cars have already logged a bunch of practice laps at Martinsville Speedway this weekend in preparation for the 500-lap event on Sunday afternoon. The good news is that instead of just looking at the one fast lap statistic that NASCAR gives you, ifantasyrace has you covered not only with ten-lap averages but also average practice speeds, which are explained below. On Friday, Jimmie Johnson won the pole for the TUMS Fast Relief 500 and the full starting lineup can be found by clicking here.

Important Practice Notes: 1st practice notes on Friday (click here). 2nd practice–first on Saturday–notes (click here). Happy Hour notes (click here).

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 Average Practice Speeds:

Average practice speeds are calculated by taking the average speed of each driver in each practice and multiplying it by the number of laps ran. When you do this for each practice and add the  totals together, and then divide by the total number of laps ran, you get an average of their practice speed, instead of just the one lap statistic you see when you look at practice sheets. I have found over the years that this is much more accurate as to whether or not someone has a car that is good for one lap or one that can consistently be fast. These numbers, however, can be skewed if a team puts new tires on frequently or rarely changes the tires. Note: The chart below includes the speeds from the 2nd and final practice sessions of the weekend. The speeds from the first practice session on Friday included qualifying runs.