On one of his least dominant days of 2025, Joey Logano notched his best finish of the season Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.
He just needed to fight through adversity once again.
This time, on his way back to an eighth-place result and 12th consecutive top 10 at Martinsville, Logano was forced to charge back through the field after his Lap 317 spin from sixth place. His No. 22 Team Penske Ford slid after contact from Chase Briscoe, but Logano placed the blame in the hands of Ross Chastain, who put a block on Briscoe’s No. 19 Toyota at the entrance of Turn 3 that Briscoe didn’t appreciate. Briscoe charged the corner to bump Chastain, but also caught the inside curbing, sending his car up the track and into Logano.
“Ross just sticking it in a tight spot,” Logano said. “He did it to me on the restart before. I can’t even blame Briscoe for shipping him. I think he got himself in a bind trying to ship him. He [Chastain] just races like a jackass every week, and I keep paying the price. I’m sick of paying the price.”
Asked whether he had anything to say to Chastain, Logano said: “Not at the moment. Nothing good.”
Ethan Smith | For NASCAR Digital Media
The “good” instead came from Logano’s speed, as emphasized by NASCAR Insights’ post-race statistics. The three-time and defending NASCAR Cup Series champion ranked fourth-best Sunday in passing, third-best in defense and sixth in overall speed. A Stage 1 victory netted him an additional 10 points toward the regular-season standings and a playoff point to boot, aiding the No. 22 team to a 39-point day, its best of the season.
Logano led 13 laps at Martinsville and now ranks second in laps led this season, thanks in large part to race winner Denny Hamlin pacing the field for 274 of 400 circuits on Sunday. And yet, the frustration of what could have been stung more for Logano than any bright side could offer.
“It seems like it’s been a typical 2025,” Logano said. “A pretty solid car, and then something happens. Overall, I feel the guys gave me a really fast Shell/Pennzoil Mustang, one that was possible to win with if we got the track position. We went for that stage win early in the race in Stage 1. I think that was the right call. We got ourselves back in the ballpark there, and the long haul was pretty good.”
Then came the contact from Briscoe that changed the complexion of Logano’s final 83 laps in the Cook Out 400.
MARTINSVILLE, Va. — For a brief moment after Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway, there were signs Burt Myers might not be himself.
With a face as red as the C3 paint scheme on his No. 50 Team AmeriVet Chevrolet Camaro, the 49-year-old from nearby Walnut Cove, North Carolina was too overcome with exhaustion to crack a smile as he prepared to climb from the car. Pop off the steering wheel, drop the window net, detach cooling systems — much like his first NASCAR Cup Series points race in general, the process, while familiar, was foreign.
One step out of his ride and onto Martinsville’s pit road, though, delivered the return of Burt Myers. That seemingly permanent smile was back.
“That was tough,” Myers told a crew member through his grin, still catching his breath. “I tried my hardest.”
Despite his obvious fatigue, Myers was asked a question: How do you feel?
He glanced upward and scanned the scene that was a still-packed grandstand cheering (and booing) Denny Hamlin’s first Martinsville win in 10 years, all flanked by the sun setting behind the southwest Virginia hills. He finally responded.
“I’m good. I’m trying to take it all in, man. That was a lot.”
Myers is not used to finishing 36th in a 38-car field. He’s a Modified racing legend whose 11 Bowman Gray Stadium championships are only part of a resume he began building almost 30 years ago.
He is, however, familiar with the concept of enjoying himself at a race track. In that regard, Sunday at Martinsville was a new career highlight.
(Photo: Ted Malinowski/NASCAR)
Myers participated in the Cook Out Clash weekend last month at Bowman Gray, but this was his first “real deal” Cup Series racing experience, as he described it. And he didn’t take a moment for granted. He was relaxed, not nervous. He was cheerful, not edgy.
He was Burt Myers, not some 49-year-old rookie.
“At Bowman Gray, if there are five variables separating teams, there are 30 here,” Myers said, acknowledging the challenge that was a 400-lap Cup race at the demanding paperclip.
Myers’ opportunity to race at Martinsville was born in the wake of the Clash when his Modified sponsor, CitruSafe, entered a partnership with C3 Skids. The latter was willing to help fund another ride for Myers and Team AmeriVet at another short track.
The Martinsville race was more than an opportunity for redemption after Myers crashed out of the Clash’s Last Chance Qualifier. Myers was given a chance to join a national series show away from Bowman Gray, yet still surrounded by his family, friends and supporters.
That was the scene on pit road after driver introductions and before Myers climbed into the car. He spent those precious minutes taking photos with his wife, children and everyone else close to him sharing the milestone.
He admitted the race itself delivered only pockets of amusement. After all, he finished multiple laps down thanks largely to an ignition snafu during the second of three stages. But the post-race vibe was pure delight.
After re-charging for a few minutes in his team’s hauler, Myers emerged ready to engage in his typical hijinks. He engulfed a famous Martinsville Speedway hot dog, fully loaded with mustard, slaw, onions and chili. He also convinced his crew chief for the day, Tony Eury Jr., to eat one for the first time in 15 years.
After the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway, Team AmeriVet was among the last to load their car into their hauler. They were busy chatting and laughing with driver Burt Myers. (Photo: Ted Malinowski/NASCAR)
Myers asked his crew members if there was anything left of the right side of the car. While he was being facetious with the question, the driver was legitimately delighted to learn only one body panel would need to be replaced.
As he sat on a cooler, other drivers and crew members stopped by to deliver congratulatory messages — not a scene typical for a driver who finished in the back of the pack. They all knew why Myers was still beaming.
The Modified racing legend did something the vast majority of short-track racers never get to do; he competed on stock-car racing’s biggest stage, and he did so without losing that amicable smile.
“Yeah, that’s the thing,” Myers concluded. “I got to do it. … And all four wheels are still on it.”
MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Chris Gabehart had that feeling, something he estimated he’s had maybe a half-dozen times in the six years he’d spent as crew chief for Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota. Gabehart’s title has changed this season, but even in his new role as Joe Gibbs Racing’s competition director, he couldn’t shake the feeling that shadowed him this weekend: He liked the cut of the No. 11 team’s jib, and just knew that Hamlin would be Sunday’s race winner.
So moments before the field inched off pit road for the start of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series showdown at rugged Martinsville Speedway, Gabehart leaned into the cockpit to get Hamlin’s ear and share his feelings — that feeling — even as he saw the veteran driver’s eyes roll. Hamlin, after all, had come so close in recent years at one of his home-state tracks, but the empty cupboard in the win column here had weighed on him each season since 2015.
Still, Gabehart persisted.
“I said, I got it today. It’s you, it’s you,” Gabehart recalled. “And I told all of them. I said the 11 is winning today. And he says, ‘Your batting average for that’s like 10%.’ I said, ‘Bullcrap. You know it’s way better than that.'”
Roughly three hours later, Hamlin embraced Gabehart alongside the Victory Lane stage and confessed: “You’re right. It’s way better than that.”
Hamlin stirred up the nostalgic aura of the days when Martinsville wins flowed like water and grandfather clock trophies sprouted like spring flowers for the No. 11 team, dominating Sunday’s Cook Out 400 for his first NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season. The win was validating on a number of levels for both Hamlin and JGR, affirming the changes the organization made in the offseason, buoying the spirits of new No. 11 crew chief Chris Gayle, and providing a real-time referendum on whether the oldest driver in the Cup Series field could still do it.
Hamlin answered the last question with a resounding exclamation point, leading 274 of the 400 laps and pulling away from all would-be challengers down the stretch to prevail by a convincing 4.617 seconds. “Certainly felt like the old days,” said Hamlin, who became a six-time Martinsville winner in collecting his 55th Cup Series triumph, tying him for 11th on the circuit’s all-time win list with NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace.
Wallace was 47 years old when he snared that final victory — in this springtime race at Martinsville nearly 21 years ago — and he retired one season later. Hamlin is 44 and every bit the elder statesman in the current-day Cup Series garage, and though he has fewer driving days in front of him than behind him, the JGR vet says his competitive bent hasn’t wavered — whether it’s racing, basketball, golf, pickleball, you name it. Brandishing an “11 Against The World” flag in a post-race stance that was equal parts triumphant and defiant drove that point home; Hamlin can still turn back the clock — grandfather or otherwise.
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
“I mean, I probably am the king of irrational confidence,” Hamlin said. “I mean, generally speaking, I know that when I’ve got the car to do it, I can be the best, so … I haven’t felt like I’ve held back the car at any point. Certainly, I’m not immune to understanding that Father Time is undefeated. Everything that I need to be good to be a race car driver is still really sharp. I feel like it hasn’t happened yet. It will, but not yet.”
Hamlin’s driving career may not have many drastically new chapters ahead, not for a driver who has spent his entire 20-year career with the same organization. But this season has already thrown a doozy his way, with Gabehart’s promotion leading to a new voice atop the No. 11 team’s pit box for the first time since 2019.
Hamlin expressed his initial shock this past offseason, shortly after hearing the news that one of the garage’s longest-running driver-crew chief pairings would be dissolved. Insert Gayle, who was already a longtime JGR hand primarily working with younger drivers, and he spoke openly before the season began about the pressures of accepting such a high-profile role with a proven winner.
So as the laps counted down Sunday, some of those nerves came through with Gayle’s fellow pit-box inhabitants anxiously and collectively tapping feet in hopes that no cautions or other late-race maladies would halt Hamlin’s charge, so much so that the crew chief joked that he needed to install a damper to reduce the shaking. The checkered flag’s arrival brought a sense of relief, both for Sunday’s race and the early assessment of the team’s season-long goals.
“Probably me more than anybody else, right? I’m the only one that’s changed,” Gayle said. “They’ve won races previous to me. If anybody is going to have pressure on them, it was me. I think anytime you have change, there’s that concern. They haven’t shown it to me, the team hasn’t. I’m sure in the back of their minds, human nature is, ‘Are we going to win as much as we did before?’ We’re doing some changes here. How is this all going to work?
“It’s great. I feel like we’ve worked well together. But for sure to get that first win out of the way and get it done early probably relieves them all, myself included.”
Gabehart’s message to Gayle at the outset was to immerse himself in the No. 11 team’s culture, gain an understanding of how the group works, and then learn how he fits best within that dynamic. Victories go a long way toward earning that sought-after trust, and Hamlin singled out Gayle with an emphatic note of thanks on the team radio on the cool-down lap.
But the overall changes appear to have mostly taken as well. Gabehart now has oversight of all competition aspects for all four JGR cars, and the organization has won four of the season’s first seven Cup Series events — three in a row by Christopher Bell and now, one from Hamlin.
“So there was obviously a lot of stuff that went on in the offseason that was, I think everybody understood it made a lot of sense, but there was a lot of … it was hard on a lot of people and not an easy decision for myself, and certainly left Denny and some others kind of wondering, I’m sure,” Gabehart said. “But, man, it is nice to be racking up wins and have cars as fast as they were today. I think at one point, the JGR/23XI cars would have been top six if you blocked them up front, they’d have stayed there. But I would be lying if I said at Phoenix (where Hamlin was runner-up) and again here I wasn’t cheering the loudest inside for the 11. You know, Denny’s the one who gets a lot of the credit and the accolades. He’s the face of it. But the reality is that 11 team was special, special to me. Took a lot of years to build it, the chemistry and the camaraderie and for them to come out and finally win a grandfather clock after 11 years is a big deal to me. So just super proud of them.”
When Hamlin last won at Martinsville in 2015, Gabehart was a team engineer with the No. 11 crew. He made his crew chief debut in the Xfinity Series for JGR the following year, then joined the Cup Series rotation with the No. 11 team in 2019. That meant he missed out on the track’s grandfather clock prize, a time-worn tradition for Martinsville winners since the mid-1960s.
For the second time this weekend, Gabehart had that feeling.
“I will get a clock,” Gabehart said, adding with a laugh, “and he is buying it.”
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 31, 2025) — NASCAR today announced the appointment of Steve Phelps as Commissioner of NASCAR, the first to be named to this newly created role overseeing all aspects of America’s top motorsport, including the International Motorsports Association (IMSA) and all 15 NASCAR-owned or operated tracks. Additionally, Steve O’Donnell, long-time industry leader and current Chief Operating Officer, will succeed Phelps in the critical role of NASCAR President with day-to-day leadership of all three NASCAR National Series and all NASCAR commercial, media and track operations, as well as its four international series and multiple local and grassroots properties. Both roles are effective immediately and will be based in Daytona Beach, Florida.
“We are thrilled to name Steve Phelps as NASCAR’s first Commissioner. His leadership, professionalism and well-earned respect from across the sports industry speak to his unique value for the sport,” said NASCAR Chairman & CEO Jim France. “With more than 50 years of expertise between them, both Steve Phelps and Steve O’Donnell bring tremendous expertise, stability and a commitment to the bold racing innovations that will continue to serve fans, teams and stakeholders for many years to come.”
Currently in his 20th season in NASCAR, Phelps will lead all functions of the sport with a specific focus on strategic growth and international expansion while continuing to work directly with NASCAR owners, Jim France and Lesa France Kennedy. Commissioner Phelps will work across the NASCAR ecosystem to provide value to all stakeholders while increasing global fan engagement. Phelps joined NASCAR in 2005 and has served as the fifth president in the sport’s 77-year history since taking the position in 2018.
“I’m honored to take this next step in helping to guide NASCAR, the sport I’ve loved since my father took me to my first race at 5 years old, continue to grow and welcome new fans, competitors and partners that together create some of the most extraordinary moments in sports,” Phelps said. “I cannot thank the France family enough for their unwavering commitment to our fans, their steady leadership, and most importantly, their stewardship of stock-car racing since its inception nearly eight decades ago. This sport is truly one of the great American business stories and I’m privileged to continue as part of that legacy – and especially its bright future.”
As only NASCAR’s sixth President, Steve O’Donnell will take over everyday management of the sport with a focus on continuing to deliver historically exciting racing, exceptional partnership value and a world-class fan experience at every NASCAR national series event throughout the season. Leveraging more than three decades of experience at NASCAR where he has held many roles throughout the company from Marketing to Competition, O’Donnell’s scope will be expanded to include all operations, competition and commercial business for the sanctioning body.
“In my 30 years in NASCAR, I’ve been most inspired by the passion of race fans at tracks across the country. It has been a privilege to help bring our sport to those fans through incredible new venues and innovative engaging content that showcase the best racing in our storied history,” said O’Donnell. “I believe we’re the best in the world at creating ‘Bucket List’ events that merge sports and entertainment with tailgating, camping and the most immersive fan experience in sports. I’m honored to continue that mission and build upon the collaboration and innovation with our teams and partners to deliver the best racing to sports fans everywhere.”
With his increased leadership responsibilities, O’Donnell will drive continued innovation and engagement for NASCAR’s key stakeholders, fans and employees, creating a center of excellence for ongoing growth and mutual success across the sport and its increasingly global audience. He will also oversee the sport’s major investments in content creation and distribution through the new NASCAR Production Facility in North Carolina and the Emmy-Award winning NASCAR Studios team with its upcoming slate of scripted and unscripted content aimed at bringing fans even closer to the stars and stories of NASCAR.
The No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota, driven by Erik Jones, was disqualified following Sunday’s Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway.
During post-race inspection, NASCAR found that the No. 43 failed to meet minimum weight requirements, per the NASCAR Rule Book. Additionally, both the No. 43 and the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet will go to the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina, for further inspection.
Jones forfeits a 24th-place finish and six stage points that were originally earned after a fifth-place result in Stage 1. Jones, a three-time winner in the Cup Series, dropped eight spots in the points standings from 21st to 29th following the DQ.
On Monday evening, Legacy Motor Club announced it will not appeal NASCAR’s ruling.
“Legacy Motor Club will not appeal the disqualification of the No. 43 car following Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway,” the team said in a statement. “We understand NASCAR allows a clear margin to account for the difference in pre- and post-race weight. After a thorough audit by the Club today, we have concluded that we did not give ourselves enough margin to meet the post-race requirement. Although it was not intentional, we are taking steps internally to prevent this from happening again. We therefore accept the penalty and apologize to NASCAR, our partners and our fans.”›
MARTINSVILLE, Va — So much throughout its history, Hendrick Motorsports has rolled into Southern Virginia with a perfect recipe on how to win at the iconic short track. After qualifying all four of its cars in the top 10, it felt like a 30th grandfather clock was heading back to Concord, North Carolina.
On paper, two top fives would be a mighty day for any organization, but it’s far from the dominance that Hendrick set a year ago with a 1-2-3 finish.
While it wasn’t the complete performance that the four-car stable would’ve hoped for at a circuit where the organization scored its first win in 1984, there are some gains Hendrick can take away from Sunday’s showing and bank some notes as the season treks into April.
Chase Elliott carried the Hendrick banner all day after starting second, then took teammate Alex Bowman’s lead on Lap 94 to establish control early in Stage 2. After a caution flew for Burt Myers, who came to a complete stop at the exit of pit road, Elliott pitted with the majority of the leaders, except eventual race winner Denny Hamlin, which allowed him to inherit the lead on older tires and essentially check out for the second half of Sunday’s 400-lapper.
Despite ranking first in passing and second in speed in the race, according to NASCAR Insights, Elliott still felt he couldn’t “control” the event as much as he would’ve liked to get back up to Hamlin in the later half of the race and battle for the win.
“When you have control like that, it makes a big difference,” Elliott said after the race. “You can control your run and having that clean air, not having that one guy in front of you, it makes a huge difference.
“We really needed control there. When you get into the second half of these races, it just gets so hard to make ground up. You saw that with Christopher (Bell) pressuring [Hamlin]. It just means a lot to have control, and unfortunately, I couldn’t get that back for us. But overall, it was a really good effort.”
The driver of the No. 9 led 42 laps at one of his best tracks on the calendar and wheeled to match his season-best result of fourth. Elliott also continued his top-20 streak and improved his average finish to 11.9, setting himself up nicely to keep building off a strong start to the season.
Right behind Elliott, Kyle Larson finished fifth after quietly spending most of his day as a top 10 car. Larson also ranked in the top five for passing and speed, according to NASCAR Insights, but admitted he could never quite get to the front to take a swing at Hamlin and the other Toyotas.
“I think just track position,” Larson said. “We maybe could have called the second stage a little bit different. Potentially the first stage, too. I think maybe if I could have gotten to the lead, I would have stayed in the top two or three. I feel like everyone’s cars were really equal. The No. 11 [Hamlin], I’m sure his car was equal as well, but he’s just a really good short-track racer. He can keep the tires on it and get through track position really well.
“I thought my car was really good. I just don’t do a good job being able to pass. It’s hard for anybody, but like, Denny and Chase are really good at it and that’s just an area that I need to get better.”
Although Larson left Martinsville without a second win in a row, he still felt that the top five day continued his season momentum with the next few tracks setting up well for him in Darlington and Bristol.
It was, however, a different story for the other two Hendrick drivers. Both William Byron and Bowman ended the day with results outside the top 20 due to separate issues on pit road.
Byron — who won last year’s spring race — cracked the top 10 early on, but after a holdup on the right-front tire during the first round of pit stops, he could never make up enough ground to contend with the leaders. However, his 22nd-place finish is enough to keep him atop the standings.
As for Bowman, he looked strong during the first stage, finishing second behind defending series champion Joey Logano. But exiting his pit stall under yellow, Bowman paused on pit road, losing five spots. He came down pit road again three laps later for a loose wheel, which sealed his fate with a 27th-place finish.
While Larson and Elliott look to keep making gains, Byron and Bowman aim to bounce back next week at Darlington Raceway (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio).
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.
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.”
Hannah Gentlesk | NASCAR Digital Media
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.
Logan Riely | Getty Images
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.
James Gilbert | Getty Images
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.
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.
Logan Riely | Getty Images
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.
With flawless work from his pit crew, the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota led 274 of the last 275 laps — with the only exception a lap credited to polesitter Christopher Bell, who raced side-by-side with Hamlin after the final restart on Lap 326.
Hamlin pulled away toward the end of the final 75-lap green-flag run and beat Bell, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, to the finish line by 4.617 seconds.
The victory was Hamlin’s sixth at the 0.526-mile short track, most among full-time active drivers, but his first at Martinsville since 2015. It was his first victory of the season and the 55th of his career, tying him with Rusty Wallace for 11th on the career victory list.
The win was also Hamlin’s first with crew chief Chris Gayle, who took over the pit box on the No. 11 Toyota this season. Hamlin has now won Cup races with seven different crew chiefs.
“You know, Chris Gayle, all the engineers, the pit crew, everybody really on that wall right there, just deciding they were going to come here with a different approach than what we’ve been over the last few years,” said Hamlin, who won at Martinsville for the first time with the Gen 7 race car.
“It was just amazing. The car was great. It did everything I needed it to do. Just so happy to win with Chris, get 55 … Obviously, back here in Martinsville where I spent so many years racing late models and whatnot — gosh, I love winning here.”
Bell’s No. 20 Toyota was too loose over the final run to keep up with Hamlin’s No. 11 Camry.
“We were back and forth on balance a little bit,” Bell said. “I asked to be freer throughout the whole race. That last run, I just went a little bit too loose and lost my drive off (the corners).
“It was a great weekend for Joe Gibbs Racing. Showed a lot of pace. All four of the cars were really good. Really happy to kind of get back up front. The last two weeks have been rough for this 20 team … Really happy for Denny. He’s the Martinsville master. Second is not that bad.”
Bubba Wallace finished third for the second straight race, as Toyotas claimed the top three finishing positions at the paper-clip-shaped track.
“That final restart, I let that second (place) get away,” said Wallace, who drives for the 23XI Racing team co-owned by Hamlin and NBA legend Michael Jordan.
“I don’t know if I had anything for Denny. It would have been fun to try.
“But all in all, hell of a day for Toyota. Top three. That’s nice. Keep the momentum going, having fun.”
Chase Elliott came home fourth, followed by Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson. Ross Chastain, Ryan Preece, Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe and Todd Gilliland completed the top 10.
Before Hamlin took control, a debris caution on Lap 31 resulted in a dramatic change to the running order. Josh Berry led a group of six drivers who stayed on the track under caution and maintained the top spot for 40 laps, the first circuits led by the No. 21 Wood Brothers car at Martinsville since 2005.
A caution for Chris Buescher’s spin on the frontstretch ended Berry’s stint at the front. A collision with Wallace’s No. 23 Toyota on pit road and subsequent alternator issues cost Berry two laps and took him out of the mix.
Logano stayed on the track under the Lap 71 yellow and won the first 80-lap stage over Alex Bowman in a two-lap sprint, but it was an up-and-down day for the reigning Cup champion.
On Lap 317, Briscoe’s Toyota bounced off the inside curbing in Turn 3 and sent Logano’s Ford spinning toward the outside wall. Logano pitted for fresh tires, restarted 25th and drove back to eighth place by Lap 400, scoring his first top 10 of the season.
William Byron, who finished 22nd after a lengthy pit stop under the first caution, retained the series lead by 17 points over Larson.
The Cup Series races again next weekend in Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) as part of NASCAR Throwback Weekend. RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski is the defending winner.
NOTE: Post-race inspection in the Cup Series garage was completed, confirming Hamlin as the race winner. The No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota of Erik Jones was disqualified for failing to meet the minimum height requirement. The No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet and No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota will go to the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina, for further inspection.
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Visit our NASCAR YouTube page post-race to get live, immediate breakdowns and analysis from veteran crew chief and broadcaster Steve Letarte, alongside additional co-hosts and reporters from the track.
Following today’s Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway, co-hosts Letarte and Jeff Burton will go live to dissect the winning and losing moves, plus other top story lines following the first short-track race of the 2025 Cup Series season.
Former championship-winning crew chief and MRN analyst Todd Gordon will also join the show, providing his insights and observations directly from the track.
Watch today’s Cup Series race (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), then tune in for immediate analysis on NASCAR’s YouTube page.
The NASCAR Cup Series returns to my favorite track, Martinsville Speedway, for Sunday’s Cook Out 400 (3 p.m. ET, FS1).
Martinsville is a tight, half-mile circuit that inspires plenty of beating and banging, making it a very entertaining event.
Unfortunately, the latest NASCAR weather forecast is showing a chance of rain Sunday afternoon, and just like other sports it’s important to consider the impact of weather before making any wagers that could be influenced by the conditions.
As a result, I’m going to keep my bets light for now and potentially jump in live during the race once I have a better idea of the conditions.
However, there’s still one NASCAR pick I’m locking in right now for Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Martinsville.
NASCAR Prediction for Martinsville
With the chances of rain increasing throughout the afternoon, we have to consider that the race could finish with drivers running wet-weather tires.
However, if the rain holds off, which is also a possibility, we have to think about drivers who can win in the dry, too.
As I mentioned above, I don’t want to get in too deep before this race gets underway, though I am willing to go ahead and take a position on Josh Berry to win at 35-1 odds (BetMGM).
Berry already has a win this season and has shown more-than-expected speed in the Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford. Now he gets a crack at a track he loves: Martinsville Speedway.
Back in 2019, Berry won the prestigious ValleyStar Credit Union 300 late model race at Martinsville in dominant fashion — he won the pole, led every lap and won the race. Berry’s success at Martinsville continued when he won there in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2021.
Berry is fully capable of competing for a win here in dry conditions, but was also impressive in wet conditions at New Hampshire last season, giving us a driver who can be in the mix no matter how the weather breaks Sunday afternoon.
Again, I’m not going crazy for Sunday’s race, but there’s reason to warrant a wager on Berry to win at Martinsville.
