The ongoing geopolitical situation between America and Iran is starting to affect NASCAR now. While the drivers and their cars haven’t reported any issues for now, the fans are facing multiple hurdles as they try to deal with the consequences of President Donald Trump’s actions. Due to the ongoing conflict, the gas prices are increasing rapidly, and it is affecting their easy visit to the Martinsville Speedway.

NASCAR fans report double pricing on fuel

America is currently engaged in a disturbing conflict with Iran. As a result of that, the Strait of Hormuz, which controls one-fifth of the world’s oil flow, has halted the movement of oil tankers. It is the likely reason behind the increase in oil prices in the United States. Reportedly, the price went up to $3.98 this week, increasing by a dollar from its earlier price.

In a video released by WDBJ7, some NASCAR fans are trying to relay the hurdles they are facing while they try to visit Martinsville for the race this weekend. One of the fans says, 

“We spent $600 on diesel fuel, driving up from, like I said, South Central Florida. And that was anywhere from $5.05—it was our cheapest diesel—all the way up to $5.85 a gallon.” Similarly, a fan from North Carolina suggests that the prices are two times the usual numbers.

“It’s twice as much as it used to be. So we know with this, it’s just spending more money, and it’s not as much fun.”

But the fuel pricing is not the only thing they have to deal with. They also need to pay for their stay at the track, alongside food and other refreshments. For some fans, it is manageable since they bought the tickets nearly a year in advance. Although they do think that the pricing keeps going up to take advantage of the racing weekend.

While the fans are trying to mitigate their issues, what are the drivers having to deal with this weekend? Let’s have a look at their opinions.

Martinsville set to bring drivers another headache

It seems like NASCAR drivers can’t seem to catch a break. Every other weekend, they need to work their way around tire conservation. Martinsville Speedway might be the shortest NASCAR track. But it has a history of giving the longest headaches to every driver who has dared to compete here.

Among the active drivers, Denny Hamlin leads the pack with six wins to his name at the track, followed by William Byron with three victories. But the other drivers are not really confident about the track, which constantly frustrates them.

While talking about his team’s constant failures and past issues at the track, Carson Hocevar thinks, “If you’re on a team that’s dominated Martinsville and you kind of get plugged in, you pick it up pretty quickly. If you go to a race team that has never really figured it out, you’re double-whammied up and… you’re shooting blind a little bit on the team side and driver’s side.”

Meanwhile, Team Penske’s Austin Cindric has a rather aggressive outlook toward the speedway. “I think Martinsville stands to change the most. We’re basically doing two U-turns and trying to force it out of the corners.” On a similar note, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell is rather uncertain about the race.

“Tire wear is going to be really big, and nobody knows exactly what the tire degradation is going to be until we show up this weekend.” One thing is for sure. With so much anticipation and a lot of overthinking going on in the minds of the drivers, Martinsville Speedway might end up bringing more spinouts and chaos this year.