Toyota dominated Sunday’s affair at Martinsville Speedway as Denny Hamlin led 274 of the 400-lap event en route to his first victory since Dover Motor Speedway last season. Christopher Bell and Bubba Wallace locked out the podium for the manufacturer.
RELATED: Race results | At-track photos
With a few surprises sprinkled into the top 10 once again after the Virginia short track, see who is continuing their 2025 uptick and who is on their back foot as Throwback Weekend at Darlington Raceway looms next Sunday (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
THREE UP ⬆️
1. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Started: 17th
Finished: 6th
What happened: It wasn’t the rousing “Hail Melon” performance that vaulted Chastain into the limelight at Martinsville, but a top-10 result was much-needed for the No. 1 team after a no-show at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It’s been a slow start to the year for Chastain, but top 10s in two of the last three events have him trending in the right direction.
What’s next: The overall body of work doesn’t look great for Chastain at Darlington, with an average finish of 18.5 across 11 starts at the famed South Carolina track, but the No. 1 driver has collected top-five finishes in two of the last three Cup events at “The Lady in Black.”
2. Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
Started: 21st
Finished: 7th
What happened: For the first time in his Cup career, Preece has tallied three consecutive top-10 finishes and is trending toward a career year in his first campaign at RFK Racing. Showing speed is his bread and butter on short tracks; on top of pace at intermediate tracks, the journeyman may be a dark-horse contender for a playoff spot when September rolls in.
What’s next: Preece will look to make it four top-10 showings in a row next Sunday at Darlington, where he’s yet to post such a finish at the track. The good news is Preece was fast at a high-wear oval last weekend at Homestead, and his last outing at Darlington matched a career-best 12th-place run.
3. Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
Started: 25th
Finished: 10th
What happened: Following a slump at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Homestead, Gilliland got back going in the right direction at Martinsville, methodically working his way through the field to net his second top 10 of 2025 (Circuit of The Americas).
What’s next: Despite having top-tier support from Ford Performance, none of the three FRM cars have yet to have a breakout performance in 2025. However, Gilliland looks to be the guy to take the reins for the organization early in the year with four finishes of 17th or better in seven races. That’s about the range for the 24-year-old driver at Darlington as he collected results of 15th and 17th, respectively, at the track last season.
THREE DOWN ⬇️
1. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
Started: 9th
Finished: 14th
What happened: Outside of a single stage point at Martinsville, Reddick continued his slump with a mum 14th-place showing Sunday. Matters weren’t aided for the No. 45 team after a run-in with fellow Toyota driver Ty Gibbs during the final stage.
What’s next: It may be too early in the season for a “must-needed result,” but Reddick will be in that position next Sunday at Darlington, where he’s finished top three in three of the last six events. After Darlington is Bristol Motor Speedway, and the No. 45 driver has yet to solve the high-banked short track. He’ll need a big points day coming out of the South Carolina facility.
RELATED: Reddick spins Gibbs in Turn 2
2. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Started: 10th
Finished: 22nd
What happened: A definite head-scratcher on Sunday, Byron was nowhere close to the pace of his Hendrick teammates Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson, who netted top fives at Martinsville. With no stage points and no long-run pace during the 400-lap Sunday matinee, it’s the worst run for Byron at the short track since the spring of 2023.
What’s next: Darlington has been good to Byron, who won the spring throwback race in 2023. The No. 24 driver and two-time Daytona 500 champion has finished eighth or better in four of the last five races at the egg-shaped oval.
3. Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford
Started: 6th
Finished: 24th
What happened: A good starting spot didn’t do much for the No. 17 team’s day as an early caution scrambled the field, putting Buescher in the midpack and culminating in an early wreck after spinning off the nose of Carson Hocevar. Buescher was later caught up in an incident with Noah Gragson that led to the No. 4 showing his displeasure with the Prosper, Texas native under yellow.
What’s next: Buescher will have a chip on his shoulder next weekend at Darlington as the last spring race was taken from him following contact with Reddick, putting both in the wall while battling for the lead. Darlington has been great for Buescher lately. Outside of the 30th-place blip due to the Reddick incident, Buescher hasn’t finished worse than 10th in the last four events there.
RELATED: Buescher spins early after contact with Hocevar | Gragson heated with Buescher after incident
