2026 NASCAR Cup Series entry list for Martinsville Speedway Chase race
By Staff Report
NASCAR.com
Published:
1 Minute Read
The penultimate NASCAR Cup Series race is upon us, with the sport’s premier circuit next contesting Martinsville Speedway on Sunday (2 p.m. ET, NBC, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
The Xfinity 500 will act as the ninth of 10 races encompassing The Chase presented by Mobil 1 and the 35th points-paying event of the season. William Byron is the defending Martinsville fall victor.
Kyle Larson, Byron’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, captured the Talladega Superspeedway victory to expand his Chase lead to 73 points. The No. 5 Hendrick pilot and defending Cup Series champion has eyes on clinching the title at “The Paperclip,” and with strong numbers at the short track — including a race win in 2023 — the possibility is there for Larson to clinch his third career Cup Series title.
Nine Cup Series Chasers have been eliminated from title contention ahead of Martinsville: Austin Cindric, Ty Gibbs, Carson Hocevar, Byron, Chase Elliott, Bubba Wallace, Daniel Suárez, Ryan Preece and Chris Buescher.
Thirty-seven race cars are entered into Sunday’s event.
