Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway
(⏰ 2 p.m. ET | 📺 NBC, NBC Sports App | 📻 MRN, SiriusXM)
Everything you need to know for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville, the penultimate race of the 2022 campaign.
Where: Martinsville, Virginia
Approximate start time: 2 p.m. ET | Weekend schedule
TV/Radio: NBC, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio | Full TV schedule
The purse: $8,132,735
Forecast: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 59 degrees, according to NOAA.gov | Weather tracker
Race distance: 500 laps | 263 miles
Stages: 130 | 260 | 500
Pit-road speed: 30 mph
Caution car speed: 35 mph
Martinsville 101: Get the full lowdown
Starting lineup: Kyle Larson races to P1
Pit stalls: Where drivers will pit
Playoff grid: Print yours now
Key things to watch 🔑
Big story line
Sunday’s race settles which three drivers will race in the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway, alongside already locked-in Joey Logano. Coincidentally, two drivers battling on the elimination line, William Byron and Denny Hamlin, have had success at the track. Hamlin is perhaps the most decorated driver at the 0.526-mile Virginia race track, racking up the most wins, top-10 finishes and laps led among active drivers. But Byron dominated the spring race by leading a race-high 212 laps in an emotional victory. Many eyes are on the points battle between these title hopefuls, but underdogs Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe are purely aiming for the win. Will the Bill France Cup contestants settle in their current order, or will Sunday’s race see a new star rise before Phoenix?
Who’s hot? Who’s not?
Ross Chastain has been in incredible form lately, finishing runner-up at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway. Nineteen points ahead of the elimination line, Chastain is in a solid position to advance to his first-ever title bid at Phoenix. However, Martinsville has been far from his best track, finishing 17th or worse in six of seven Cup starts and never leading a lap. The No. 1 team will need to put together a solid run on Sunday to stave off the others, especially if a driver below the elimination line wins the race.
Since his statement win at the Charlotte Roval, Christopher Bell has been trending in the opposite direction – especially due to some unfortunate circumstances. Bell once again has his back against the wall in a must-win situation at a track he has been mostly cold at throughout his career. In his five Martinsville starts, Bell has four finishes of 15th or worse but bucked this trend with a seventh-place result in April. To advance to Phoenix, they will need to find the speed to improve those six positions from the spring race. The No. 20 team has beaten the odds before.
Driving under the radar
Blaney, Bell and Briscoe virtually need a win to advance on Sunday. If you’re looking for a non-playoff driver to spoil their championship hopes by beating them to Victory Lane, look at Kyle Busch. Busch has been masterful at Martinsville over the last few years, reeling off a pair of wins and 12 top 10s in his last 14 starts in Virginia. Only two races remain in his Joe Gibbs Racing career and Martinsville and Phoenix line up perfectly for the No. 18 wheelman to make his final statement with the organization. In the whirlwind of championship story lines, don’t forget about a two-time series champ who can still have a massive impact on this season’s outcome.
Race-day staples ✅
Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.
– Paint Scheme Preview: See some new schemes with a spooky twist | Pick a favorite
– Power Rankings: Bubble battle looming between Byron, Hamlin | Updated driver rankings
– NASCAR betting: Best odds for Sunday’s race at Martinsville | Underdogs, value bets
– Fantasy Fastlane: Denny Hamlin needs points on Sunday | Must starts, sleepers
– Bubble Watch: Examining the playoff outlook before Sunday | Elimination analysis
Catch the pack 💨
Read up on the top headlines from the week leading up to Sunday’s race.
– Bubba’s back: Driver returns from suspension, reflects on lessons | Read more
– Playoff rivalries: Season-long rivalries could flare up on Sunday | Read more
– Penalty upheld: Appeals Panel weighs in on No. 41 SHR team ruling | Read more
– BJFHA: Foundation recognizes four finalists for award | Learn more, vote
– Manufacturers’ championship: Chevrolet clinches back-to-back | Read more
– Trackhouse: Justin Marks talks about Ross Chastain’s potential | Read more
– Alex Bowman: No. 48 driver will return to action at Phoenix | Read more
– New Next Gen: NASCAR discusses changes for 2023 season | Learn more
– Crew changes: Austin Dillon gets new crew chief for 2023 season | Read more
– Roots: Corey LaJoie wins Modified race at Martinsville, earns clock | Watch the interview
– Lights, cameras: Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum to be held under the lights | Read more
– eNASCAR: Kirwan wins Coca-Cola iRacing Series championship | Read more
Get in on the action 💰
Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy.
– Fantasy preview: Top tips, strong picks for Sunday’s race | Hear the advice
– The Action Network: Betting Chase Elliott vs. Ross Chastain | Expert betting insight
– Play it LIVE: Full guide to 2022 NASCAR Fantasy Live game | New rules for playoffs
– Going all the way: 2022 Cup Series championship odds | See them here
– Prop picks: Championship contenders’ final push | Make your picks
Conquering the ‘Clip 📎
Not many tracks on the schedule have a history as deep as “The Paperclip.” Dive into some details.
– Tense history: Martinsville scuffles, pit-road feuds and more | See them here
– Faith in the fall: Every fall winner in Martinsville history | See the list
– Throwback: Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano exchange words on pit road | Watch the video
– Spring winner: William Byron holds onto momentum late in emotional victory | Full spring race recap
Fast facts ⏩
Hard-hitting, race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.
– Joe Gibbs Racing’s next win is their 200th and would make them the third organization with at least 200 wins.
– AJ Allmendinger finished top 10 in his last six starts, his longest top-10 streak in Cup.
– This will be the 148th Cup race at Martinsville, second most to Daytona’s 151 all-time.
– There were at least eight speeding penalties in each of the last four races at Martinsville, and at least 10 in each of the last two playoff races.
– At least two drivers will make it to the Championship 4 on points.
Say what? 🎙
Notable quotes from the stars of the sport heading into Sunday’s race.
– “Even the first race here we were coming to win, anyway, so I don’t think it changes your outlook. Every weekend you’re trying to win. I think maybe knowing that you’re in a must-win makes it a little bit easier to maybe try to win the race just from a strategy standpoint because you don’t have to go for the points, where like on a road course at the Roval you kind of shoot yourself in the foot to try to get points and you don’t really have a shot to win the race, so I think for us this week knowing that we’re in a must-win it maybe makes it a little bit easier from a strategy standpoint if the cautions fall the right way, but we go to the racetrack every weekend looking to win.” — Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
– “It’s going to be a fight. It’s definitely not going to be easy. I expect that passing is going to be very difficult, so track position is going to be super important. We’ve got to go in there Saturday and qualify up front and have good short-run speed in addition to the long-run speed. That has hurt us pretty bad the last couple of weeks but knowing how difficult it’s going to be to pass, I think we’ll put a little more emphasis on that and hopefully be able to get some stage points to give ourselves a chance to advance.” — Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
– “We set goals of winning championships at the beginning of every season, and the NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer’s Championship is one that’s a high priority. This championship is a result of a one-team effort from Hendrick Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing, Trackhouse Racing, Petty GMS, Kaulig Racing, JTG Daugherty and Spire Motorsports. We’d also like to thank the Chevrolet engineers, drivers, crew chiefs and owners who are part of this championship.” — Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president of performance and motorsports