Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were all included in our stories to watch prior to today's Tums Fast Relief 500 at the Martinsville Speedway, and on lap eight all three of them were involved in a multi-car accident.
Earnhardt tried to dive under Kurt Busch as they raced for seventh position, but hit the curb and bounced into Busch, spinning both of them around. Gordon and Hamlin collided in the aftermath, doing damage to both cars. Clint Bowyer, last week's winner at Talladega, was also involved as were a number of other drivers who bounced off one another as the track became blocked by Hamlin's Toyota.
Matt Kenseth led the opening three circuits of the race as he and teammate Carl Edwards battled side-by-side for the lead. Edwards, who started from the pole, finally passed Kenseth on the fourth lap while Tony Stewart tried to follow him through into second place.
Kenseth held third at the time of caution, followed by Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch. The top-10 is rounded out by Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle, and Kurt Busch.