Posted on by Steve Luvender

We’re bringing you live updates covering Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race from Martinsville Speedway, the Xfinity 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App). Bookmark this page and check back often as we chronicle the action from what promises to be a thrilling Sunday.

Overview: 

• Martinsville Speedway hosts the 500-lap Round of 8 playoff elimination race Sunday afternoon. 

• Among the eight playoff contenders, four drivers will leave Martinsville eliminated from the championship fight. With a new, softer tire expected to offer a high degree of unpredictability, anything could happen — and anyone, except already locked-in drivers Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick, could be going home disappointed.

If it helps to get you in the mood, you can check out past Martinsville races ad-free on NASCAR Classics. 

All times listed are Eastern.

Sunday, November 3

6:30 p.m., checkered flag: That’s it for our Martinsville live blog coverage. Thanks for following along! | Unofficial results

6:10 p.m., checkered flag: Last year, Ryan Blaney won at Martinsville and followed it up with a championship-winning performance at Phoenix. Can he do it again next week to become a two-time champ?

6:04 p.m., checkered flag: Your Championship 4: Tyler Reddick, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and William Byron.

6:00 p.m., checkered flag: Christopher Bell has been penalized with a safety violation for riding the wall on the final lap, dropping the No. 20 from 18th to a 22nd-place finish. The Bell penalty moves William Byron into the Championship 4.

Christopher Bell hit wall at Martinsville final lap

5:57 p.m., checkered flag: Add another grandfather clock to Ryan Blaney’s collection.

Ryan Blaney stands in Victory Lane with Martinsville grandfather clock trophy

5:37 p.m., checkered flag: Ryan Blaney’s emotions are palpable as he celebrates his victory. He certainly earned this one.

5:36 p.m., checkered flag: As of now, it appears William Byron, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott headed home.

5:34 p.m., Lap 500: In the final corner, Christopher Bell has passed Bubba Wallace — the point Bell needed to advance. Bell scrapped and dragged the Turn 4 wall heavily on his way to the checkered flag.

5:34 p.m., Lap 500: 🏁 Ryan Blaney has won the Xfinity 500! He’s going to Phoenix to defend his title.

5:33 p.m., Lap 499: ⚪️ Final lap for Ryan Blaney.

5:32 p.m., Lap 495: There’s a parking lot of Chevrolets behind William Byron, who can’t afford to lose a single position.

5:31 p.m., Lap 494: Ryan Blaney has set sail. He’s about two seconds ahead of Chase Elliott now.

5:31 p.m., Lap 492: With under 10 to go, William Byron’s hoping Austin Dillon doesn’t pass him — that would end the No. 24’s season.

5:29 p.m., Lap 486: New leader! Ryan Blaney has muscled past Chase Elliott. Meanwhile, William Byron has lost another position; he’s just a point to the good.

5:28 p.m., Lap 484: Ryan Blaney, running second, isn’t done yet. He needs to pass leader Chase Elliott … but Elliott can’t afford anything but first place. Both of them can’t advance together.

5:27 p.m., Lap 482: William Byron’s doing all he can to avoid losing spots in fifth; he’s just two points ahead of Christopher Bell with under 20 to go.

5:26 p.m., Lap 479: Ryan Blaney’s moved past Kyle Larson for second. Wow.

5:25 p.m., Lap 478: New leader! Chase Elliott has moved teammate Kyle Larson for the top spot. Larson wouldn’t make the Championship 4 as it now stands.

5:25 p.m., Lap 476: Third-place Ryan Blaney is absolutely on a mission. He’s closed up to the two leaders.

5:22 p.m., Lap 467: Good thing he’s already locked in to Phoenix! Tyler Reddick has pulled his flaming No. 45 car behind the wall; he’s done for the afternoon. Reddick never cracked the top 30 all race.

5:21 p.m., Lap 464: It’s Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney and William Byron out front. If the race ended now, Larson would be in from a win, and Byron would make it on points. There are still 36 laps to go, though, and a lot can happen.

5:20 p.m., Lap 462: Kyle Larson has lapped Bubba Wallace, effectively trapping Christopher Bell a lap down without help of a potential free pass if a caution were to come out.

5:15 p.m., Lap 448: Chase Elliott hasn’t tracked down Kyle Larson the way he’d hoped; Larson now holds a 1.2-second lead. That could change quickly, though, as the No. 5 approaches lapped traffic.

5:11 p.m., Lap 435: Ryan Blaney has passed Denny Hamlin for fifth, but it makes no difference for now in terms of championship contention; both drivers are well behind on points. The lap count is dwindling fast.

5:08 p.m., Lap 429: Back to the bubble battle: Bell’s behind by four points, but he’s a lap down. He needs a caution — and soon — to keep his championship hopes alive.

5:06 p.m., Lap 423: Chase Elliott has moved up to second place. He’s a second behind teammate Kyle Larson with 77 laps to go.

5:06 p.m., Lap 420: It’s a Hendrick Motorsports 1-2-3 up front — Kyle Larson, William Byron, Chase Elliott. Elliott’s on the freshest tires and he needs to win to advance.

5:03 p.m., Lap 413: 🟢 Everybody got their tires attached this time? Good. Back to green! Kyle Larson leads.

4:59 p.m., Lap 407: 🟡 Caution No. 9. That was quick. The right-front wheel has come off Kyle Busch’s car — but that was enough time for Kyle Larson to take over the lead from William Byron.

4:58 p.m., Lap 407: 🟢 Green flag for William Byron!

4:57 p.m., Lap 405: The sun is beginning to set at Martinsville Speedway. Daylight Saving Time will creep up on you.

4:54 p.m., Lap 402: William Byron and Kyle Larson stayed out under caution. It’s worth noting that this now traps Christopher Bell a lap down; he likely would have taken the wave around to get back on the lead lap had the leaders not remained on track.

4:51 p.m., Lap 398: 🟡 Caution No. 8. Carson Hocevar has spun, courtesy of Alex Bowman. This will make things interesting, strategy-wise. Expect Chase Elliott to lead much of the field to pit road — but will William Byron, Kyle Larson and others on fresher tires?

4:50 p.m., Lap 396: William Byron is quickly reeling in his teammate Chase Elliott for the race lead. Byron’s faster on fresher tires.

4:48 p.m., Lap 390: Wow! Kyle Larson’s pit entry just made his championship hopes flash before his eyes. The No. 5 runs fifth after pit stops.

Kyle Larson slide and avoid Erik Jones entering Martinsville pit road

4:45 p.m., Lap 380: Chase Elliott has inherited the race lead. Recall the No. 9 pitted sooner than most other cars on this round of pit stops. Depending on how cautions are timed — and expect them at Martinsville — this could benefit Elliott and keep his championship hopes alive.

4:43 p.m., Lap 376: Bubba Wallace has taken over the race lead amid pit stops. He and Michael McDowell haven’t stopped yet.

4:41 p.m., Lap 373: Much of the field is heading to pit road now.

4:40 p.m., Lap 370: Christopher Bell has gone a lap down. He’s OK on points for now, though.

4:34 p.m., Lap 350: Chase Elliott, running 10th, hits pit road under green, a bit earlier than fellow playoff competitors. Elliott will likely need to win this one, so the No. 9 team is trying something a little different.

4:32 p.m., Lap 347: Ryan Blaney just used lapped car Shane van Gisbergen as a pusher to move William Byron out of the way. Blaney’s taken over second spot with the aggressive move, and he’ll now work to chase down Brad Keselowski.

4:29 p.m., Lap 337: Still all Brad Keselowski out front, who’s led a race-high 134 laps today.

4:18 p.m., Lap 305: Christopher Bell is up to 22nd — enough to put him into a safe position by two points — but there are still about 200 laps to settle this one. As it stands, Kyle Larson (-2, running third), Denny Hamlin (-20, running fifth), Ryan Blaney (-32, running fourth) and Chase Elliott (-48, running 10th) are out.

4:10 p.m., Lap 283: Not much talk about Denny Hamlin’s practice crash and deep starting position anymore; he’s solidly settled into the top five on the same strategy as the cars around him. He’s still 16 points below the elimination line, though.

4:08 p.m., Lap 279: As they run, Christopher Bell is four points out of contention. He runs 29th, so there’s a lot of upside and a lot of time. Crew chief Adam Stevens told Bell he needs to finish 13th if a championship contender wins today.

4:05 p.m., Lap 270: 🟢 Green flag to begin the final stage!

4:05 p.m., Lap 269: Christopher Bell will restart at the back of the field after issues on pit road. Bell pitted his Toyota again for a left-front wheel on the No. 20 that wasn’t quite tight.

4:03 p.m., Lap 267: Close call for the No. 12 and No. 77 on pit road.

4:01 p.m., Lap 265: Kyle Larson and William Byron gained positions on pit road, and they’ll restart second and third behind leader Brad Keselowski, who held onto the top spot.

4:00 p.m., Lap 263: This caution — and the end of today’s stages — will stabilize pit strategies a bit as cars make their way to pit road. There are 31 cars on the lead lap, so it’s crucial for playoff teams to perform flawlessly now more than ever.

3:57 p.m., Lap 260: 🟡 Caution No. 7 for Stage 2 end. Brad Keselowski wins the stage ahead of five playoff drivers: Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, William Byron and Christopher Bell. Chase Elliott made his way up to 12th, but it’s not enough for stage points this time.

3:47 p.m., Lap 230: Fantasy Live players, don’t forget to finalize those garage picks before Stage 2 ends in 30 laps. I garaged Martin Truex Jr. after his pit-road issues early in the race, but I’m going to swap him in for Ty Gibbs, who’s struggling in 28th place. Hurry, though! Laps dwindle quickly at Martinsville and you’re almost out of time to make changes.

Steve Luvender Fantasy Live lineup

3:43 p.m., Lap 221: Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney are fighting hard for the top spot. Keselowski’s got control for now, but Blaney isn’t letting the No. 6 drive away.

3:41 p.m., Lap 214: All is not lost for Chase Elliott, who’s recovered to 15th place in short order.

3:38 p.m., Lap 205: Move Brad Keselowski to the top spot. Keselowski’s not in championship contention, which could make for an interesting points situation for the final two spots in the Championship 4. With the No. 6 out front — and keeping in mind we’ve got numerous strategies playing out and one more stage’s worth of points to award — Christopher Bell and William Byron are in.

3:37 p.m., Lap 203: 🟢 Green flag again for Ryan Blaney, with Brad Keselowski restarting on the outside.

3:32 p.m., Lap 196: 🟡 Caution No. 6. Carson Hocevar sent Daniel Hemric around, collecting Todd Gilliland in the process. Think the flagger’s arm is getting tired?

3:30 p.m., Lap 191: 🟢 Ryan Blaney leads the field back to green ahead of Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Christopher Bell and Austin Dillon. Former leader William Byron will restart 11th with fresh tires.

3:27 p.m., Lap 187: Chase Elliott had a miserable pit stop; the No. 9 team had to return to the right side of the car before Elliott could drive away. The second-place car that was dominant in Stage 1 will now restart well outside the top 20. Ouch. Luckily for Elliott fans, this one’s not even halfway over.

3:26 p.m., Lap 186: Looks like the leaders will take to pit road just before the halfway point in Stage 2. Championship contenders Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin lead those staying out.

3:24 p.m., Lap 183: 🟡 Caution No. 5. Martin Truex Jr.’s the latest to spin off Daniel Hemric’s bumper (with some help behind him). Things are starting to feel like a typical Martinsville race, wouldn’t you say?

3:19 p.m., Lap 168: Don’t look now, but last-place starter Denny Hamlin is now running 10th. There’s still plenty of time left in Stage 2 to earn stage points, too.

3:18 p.m., Lap 165. Back to green again.

3:12 p.m., Lap 157: 🟡 Caution No. 4. Harrison Burton’s around this time. Carson Hocevar sent the No. 21 spinning entering Turn 3. That’ll mean another restart momentarily.

3:10 p.m., Lap 152: 🟢 Green flag for leader William Byron following the No. 99 spin. Let’s do it again.

3:05 p.m., Lap 145: 🟡 Caution No. 3. Daniel Suárez is in the wall after running in the top 15. Suárez spun around after contact Daniel Hemric’s car, which was shoved into the corner by Austin Cindric. Just Martinsville stuff!

3:04 p.m., Lap 142: William Byron has quickly taken the lead from teammate Chase Elliott.

3:04 p.m., Lap 142: 🟢 Green flag to begin Stage 2.

2:57 p.m., Lap 134: Pit stops are again underway under caution. Not much change up front other than Ryan Blaney jumping to fourth place ahead of Ryan Preece. Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman made contact on pit road, but that’s just tight-quarters Martinsville for you.

2:56 p.m., Lap 133: Denny Hamlin (15th) and Christopher Bell (21st) did not collect any stage points. Bell entered the afternoon with a 29-point cushion.

2:55 p.m., Lap 130: 🟡 Caution No. 2 for Stage 1 end. Chase Elliott has won the stage, collecting 10 valuable points. William Byron finished second, ahead of Chase Briscoe and Ryan Preece, who paced playoff pair Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson.

2:49 p.m., Lap 115: Just 15 laps remain in Stage 1 and Chase Elliott has a 1.5-second lead.

2:41 p.m., Lap 91: Denny Hamlin’s up to 15th after the caution and restart. He’s digging.

2:39 p.m., Lap 88: 🟢 Back to green! Chase Elliott leads the way.

2:35 p.m., Lap 80: Pit stops are underway. Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott and William Byron exit pit road first, ahead of Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe and Ryan Preece. It’s a solid day for SHR so far.

2:32 p.m., Lap 78: 🟡 Caution No. 1. Championship contender Christopher Bell has gone for a spin. Bell’s car got loose entering a corner and collected Corey LaJoie. Both cars continue with no visible damage.

2:29 p.m., Lap 70: Ouch. Martin Truex Jr. has sped on pit road, and he’ll serve a pass-through under green. It’s going to be a long afternoon for the No. 19 from here. (And, selfishly, my Fantasy Live team.)

2:27 p.m., Lap 67: Just past the halfway point in the stage, some cars have opted to split the stage (nearly) in half with a green-flag pit stop, most notably Tyler Reddick and Martin Truex Jr. We’ll see if fresh tires pay off; a green-flag stop at Martinsville typically costs two laps.

2:22 p.m., Lap 50: Tyler Reddick has gone a lap down in 34th place, but thanks to his win last week, it doesn’t matter. Reddick could pit for a Martinsville hot dog and still race for the title next Sunday.

2:20 p.m., Lap 46: Denny Hamlin is up to 28th. The repaired No. 11 car looks fast, despite tight turns and tumultuous traffic.

2:19 p.m., Lap 42: New leader! Chase Elliott has wrestled the top spot from pole winner Martin Truex Jr.

2:17 p.m., Lap 36: Martin Truex Jr. has led every lap so far, with a half-second lead over second-place Chase Elliott. Elliott quite likely will need to win today to advance. Truex’s cushion will likely evaporate when the No. 19 reaches the tail end of the field.

2:09 p.m., Lap 13: Sure, it’s early, but Denny Hamlin isn’t making much forward progress. Hamlin’s up three positions from the start, currently running 33rd. Stage 1 is 130 laps.

2:07 p.m., Lap 7: It’s worth noting that today’s race features a new, softer left-side tire compound from Goodyear.

2:05 p.m., Lap 1: 🟢 Green flag! Martin Truex Jr. leads the field to the start of the Xfinity 500.

1:55 p.m.: Engines are fired! Follow along on NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, the NBC Sports App and our NASCAR.com live leaderboard in Race Center.

1:54 p.m.: The only drivers resting easy today are Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick. No matter where they finish today, they’ll compete for a championship next week.

1:47 p.m.: Pre-race ceremonies are underway! The Isaacs have got the place moving with a lovely performance of the national anthem as planes soar overhead for this afternoon’s flyover.

1:45 p.m.: All eyes are on the playoffs this afternoon, but let’s hear it for Michael McDowell, starting his 500th Cup Series start this afternoon. McDowell made his first start at Martinsville in 2008.

1:42 p.m.: Speaking of Denny Hamlin, he’s my pick for NASCAR.com’s 36 for 36 this weekend. It’s been a fun season of strategy (and, let’s face it, luck), and I’m pretty pleased with my remaining picks for the year.

1:40 p.m.: My Fantasy Live lineup for this weekend features strong qualifiers … plus my garage pick of Denny Hamlin, who’s starting in last place after a crash in practice. (I’m locked in a tight points battle with some of my NASCAR.com teammates, so we’ll need a good afternoon.)

Steve Luvender Martinsville Fantasy Live lineup

1:35 p.m.: Here’s what the points look like for the remaining eight playoff drivers. Any of these drivers can secure their spot in next year’s championship race by winning today. At least one driver will advance solely on points; entering this afternoon, that’s Christopher Bell, who’s got a 29-point cushion.

1. Tyler Reddick: Advanced
2. Joey Logano: Advanced
3. Christopher Bell: +29
4. William Byron: +7
— Elimination Line — 
5. Kyle Larson: -7
6. Denny Hamlin: -18
7: Ryan Blaney: -38
8: Chase Elliott: -43

1:30 p.m.: Howdy! It’s the final elimination race in the playoffs, and by the end of the afternoon we’ll know who will join Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick in this year’s Championship 4.

Posted on by Zack Albert

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — At the time, William Byron described last year’s internal struggle to advance in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs at Martinsville Speedway as “hell in a bottle,” he said. “I’ve never been so mad at a race car.” Byron wrangled an ill-handling No. 24 Chevrolet to a hard-fought 13th place, dropping to the pavement in an exhausted heap after the checkered flag.

A year later, the moment that launched Byron to his first Championship 4 appearance is looked back on as a character-builder, but one that his Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 team has no inclination to repeat.

“It was miserable last year,” Byron said Saturday at Martinsville, flashing a smile he can now muster. “So we learned a ton as a team. I learned a lot about myself and how I could change my approach and improve and yeah, that’s probably what fuels the mentality this year is knowing what we went through last year and some of the things that we’ve done throughout the week to be in a different spot.”

Byron aims to return to the final four in Sunday’s Xfinity 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App), starting third in an elimination clash that will chop the eight-driver playoff field in half for the Nov. 10 season finale at Phoenix Raceway. Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick have qualified for the Championship 4 with wins from earlier in the Round of 8, leaving two title shots up for grabs Sunday at Martinsville.

RELATED: Sunday’s starting lineup | At-track photos

Byron is currently slotted as the final driver ahead of the provisional elimination line, holding just a seven-point margin above the bubble. Last year, that gap was a 30-point cushion entering the Round of 8 finale, and he escaped Martinsville with just eight points to spare.

No. 24 crew chief Rudy Fugle remembers the difficulty of last fall’s Martinsville visit, noting how Byron overcame being blanked at the stage-point pay window and how the team was forced to adjust after the handling went awry.

“Just overcoming the adversity of having a car that wasn’t very good to start with, and the team taking lots of chances,” Fugle said. “We made changes that we would never make during a normal race to get the car more competitive, and then him digging super-deep to be able to keep going in that third stage, get the points we needed and really give us the confidence that we can overcome a lot of things.”

Fugle said he also learned plenty about his driver’s resilience in willing his car to the finish.

“It just reassures you how bad he wants it,” Fugle said. “… It’s easy to quit, it’s easy to shift the blame, or say that this was bad or that didn’t work, but he didn’t do that. He dug deep and gave it everything he had and that’s what it takes.”

MORE: What to Watch: Martinsville | Cup Series standings

Byron won’t have as much padding in the standings to rely on this year, just seven points above teammate Kyle Larson — the provisional first driver out. He says he’s coming in with winning as the prime focus, with less reliance on points being his Phoenix ticket.

Byron is a two-time Martinsville Speedway winner, with his most recent triumph here back in April, when he topped a 1-2-3 finish for team owner Rick Hendrick as the organization celebrates its 40th anniversary season. Another victory Sunday would make him the first to secure a Martinsville season sweep since Denny Hamlin’s double-up in 2010, but it would also assure him a clear-cut road to another championship bid.

“It’s a combination of all the factors, but just how close the points are,” Byron said. “We saw here last year, we came in thinking we could just have a lead-lap finish day and based on a couple of circumstances, could’ve ended up out. So for us, if you’re up front competing for the win, you’re going to have a shot to score a bunch of points, and that’s going to be the best defense you can play. So you’ve just got to be aggressive. It’s going to take that to do well here on Sunday and get through.”

Posted on by Alex Cadavid

Editor’s note: Projected finish has been updated after Saturday’s practice and qualifying sessions. Chase Elliott replaces Kyle Larson as the projected winner.

Homestead-Miami Speedway produced another masterclass, and Sunday at Martinsville Speedway should be the cherry on top of what’s already been a mesmerizing Round of 8.

At Las Vegas and Homestead, respectively, Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick each won from below the elimination line to advance to the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway. Perhaps more importantly, each of the six remaining drivers has stepped into the winner’s circle at the Virginia short track at least once in their respective Cup careers. In other words, don’t count anyone out this weekend at Martinsville from corralling a spot in next week’s desert showdown for the Bill France Cup.

RELATED: Set your Fantasy Live lineup | Weekend schedule 

The Martinsville elimination race has put on some classics over the years and it feels like we could get another moment of brilliance this weekend with how the playoffs — and, quite frankly, the whole year — has gone.

Racing Insights sees the six drivers still vying for a Champ 4 spot among the projected top seven in Sunday’s finishing order. So, how does one separate himself from the rest and get to Victory Lane this weekend?

Luckily, the last two postseason tussles gave us two good indications of what’s needed to conquer this pressure-cooker race: high risks that pay high rewards and a driver who can execute in the clutch.

At Las Vegas, Logano and crew chief Paul Wolfe stole one in Vegas with a daring call to stay out and gamble on fuel. Even when you thought Logano wasn’t going to make it, he again showed his veteran experience at fuel-saving and had enough in the tank for a victory burnout.

Last week in South Beach, Reddick benefitted from not only a gutsy call by Billy Scott to stay out and take the restart on two-lap older tires after a caution, but he was also willing to push it to the limit by riding the high line, inches from the wall and best six other title contenders — who all found their way into the top 10 during the final stage.

It’s easier said than done, but whichever combo of crew chief and driver is willing to go off the beaten path for race strategy and tip-toe around the nimble 0.526-mile paperclip track the best, may just have the confetti fall for them.

THE SIX TO WATCH:

CHRISTOPHER BELL: Some are writing Bell into the final four given he’s plus-29 and just needs to avoid anything crazy happenning. But he finished 35th in the spring here and it feels cautious to call anyone safe as chaos has been a consistent theme. Still, the No. 20 has earned its way to Phoenix in each of the last two years, so maybe the C in C-Bell stands for “clutch” this Sunday.

WILLIAM BYRON: The most recent Martinsville winner, Byron — and Hendrick Motorsports all together — schooled the field last time out here. He’s been fiery the last few races, too, with consistent top fives and even soared to a sixth-place finish at Miami after starting 25th. Plus, the No. 24 car has seen the checkered flag first a host of times at this short track.

KYLE LARSON: Larson played runner-up in Hendrick’s 1-2-3 finish in the spring, and he’s been stout at Martinsville, too. In his last four starts there, he has two poles and an average finish of 2.75. Larson’s numbers are always impressive, the main factor is he will have to be methodical about his moves if he wants a chance to contest for his second Cup title.

DENNY HAMLIN: Look back on this season you’ll see Hamlin has three short-track wins. He also loves home cooking. The Chesterfield, Virginia, native has 10 wins in his home state and already won this year at Richmond. While he’s had playoff struggles, he’s going to have to go all-in for the win and forget what’s happened the last few weeks.UPDATE: Hamlin faces a steep hill to a Championship 4 spot, wrecking out in practice yesterday and failing to register a qualifying run. He will start from the rear of the field Sunday.

RYAN BLANEY: He’s not only the reigning champ, but he’s also the race’s defending winner. Blaney was quick to turn the page to Martinsville after his ‘sting’ at Homestead. Last week, he also showed that you may even have to pass him for the win if you want to dethrone him. Good luck, though. Blaney has consistently been one of the best at Martinsville with an 8.8 average finish, and he excelled defending the lead last year in a pressure-packed moment.

CHASE ELLIOTT: Finally, let’s talk about the third-place wheelman from the spring. Elliott was in a similar position in 2020, needing a win in an elimination race, and we all know how that story ended at Phoenix. Being down 43 markers, the No. 9 has to be in a position to gamble the most and execute in all facets from behind the wheel to pit road.

RACING INSIGHTS’ PROJECTIONS FOR THE XFINITY 500

Racing Insights’ advanced statistical formula includes current track, current track type, recent performance, team data and pit-crew data to arrive at a projected winner and full race results. 

FinishCar NumberDriver
19Chase Elliott
25Kyle Larson
324William Byron
412Ryan Blaney
520Christopher Bell
619Martin Truex Jr.
711Denny Hamlin
822Joey Logano
914Chase Briscoe
1023Bubba Wallace
111Ross Chastain
1248Alex Bowman
1354Ty Gibbs
146Brad Keselowski
1541Ryan Preece
1617Chris Buescher
178Kyle Busch
184Josh Berry
1938Todd Gilliland
2045Tyler Reddick
213Austin Dillon
2299Daniel Suárez
2343Erik Jones
2421Harrison Burton
252Austin Cindric
2634Michael McDowell
2777Carson Hocevar
2810Noah Gragson
2947Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
3051Corey LaJoie
3171Zane Smith
3231Daniel Hemric
337Justin Haley
3442John Hunter Nemechek
3515Kaz Grala
3616Shane van Gisbergen
3766Josh Bilicki
Posted on by Cameron Richardson

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Cole Custer and Chandler Smith are no strangers when it comes to run-ins with each other during this year’s Xfinity Series Playoffs. Saturday evening at Martinsville Speedway saw the duo’s sequel hit the big screen shortly after they exited their cars on pit road.

The two postseason contenders were relatively cordial at Kansas Speedway in September when they exchanged frustrations, but tempers boiled over like a world-famous Martinsville hot dog at the historic facility as Smith threw a punch at Custer.

A restart with 29 to go put Smith on the outside of Row 1 while Custer took the same lane behind the No. 81 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Earlier in the race, Smith moved Custer out of the way as the two battled for second. The No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing driver returned the favor as he moved Smith in Turn 1.

Ultimately, Aric Almirola went on to grab the checkered flag, and Custer advanced to the Championship 4 by virtue of Smith not winning — eliminating Smith from the playoffs.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Martinsville

“Obviously he’s not happy but at the end of the day, he’s put us in the wall a few times this year and his mistakes caught up with him,” Custer said. “He used the bumper on me. I used the bumper on him. So what comes around goes around in this deal. I don’t know how we’re not even. Then, he punches me in the face. I can’t even tell if he really punched me in the face, it was so soft.”

The two had a prior meetup in the opening playoff race at Kansas where Custer said Smith put him in the wall off Turn 4 as the two were fighting for the checkered flag. Ironically, that race was also won by Almirola.

Custer admitted that run-in was on his mind if the two found each other Saturday, simply saying: “Yeah, you don’t forget.”

Smith defended how he raced him earlier in the race and said that he had intentions to confront and get physical with Custer once the two were face-to-face.

chandler smith slaps custer on pit road
Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media

“I was planning to do more than that,” Smith said after delivering a swipe to Custer’s face. “I was extremely pissed off. I gave him five laps before that caution came out and beat his bumper off and never shipped him or anything like that. Then finally, it’s like, alright, the laps are winding down. I’m in a must-win. The 20’s [Almirola] starting to drive away. He was really good all day. I can’t waste any more time with him. So I finally had a good enough run and pushed him up the racetrack and went on our way.”

Smith added that he was befuddled why Custer took the top from third place when it was time for drivers to pick their lanes ahead of the restart.

“I think he was the first guy all day that chose the outside lane from third place, so that’s very interesting,” Smith said. “And then he didn’t even give me a chance to make the corner when we got to Turn 1. I thought it was a little bit of a chicken-[expletive] move, honestly. Funny enough, the restart right after that, picks right behind me again … how ironic is that?”

POST-RACE: Custer’s side after scuffle | Hear from Chandler after punch thrown

The kerfuffle between the two held massive implications as Custer was the last driver to make the Championship 4 by 28 points over his rival. Custer will attempt to be the first driver to win back-to-back Xfinity titles since Tyler Reddick (2018, 2019) before making the leap back to full-time Cup Series racing under Haas Factory Team in 2025.

As for Smith, the future is less clear as the 22-year-old Georgia native does not have a ride yet for 2025 and laments not securing a berth into the Championship 4 after racking up two wins and 21 top 10s heading into Saturday’s season finale in the Arizona desert (7 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“I’m very passionate about this. I love this group,” Smith said. “This group deserves to be in Phoenix and deserves to go out and contend for a championship. We’ve had a hell of a year. Not being able to go to the final four is definitely a kick in the gut for us because I feel like this team could go out and win that championship.”

“We’re going to go to Phoenix and we’re going to go try to kick their ass there.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Tickets punched and punches thrown — it was Martinsville after all, and in Saturday’s National Debt Relief 250, Aric Almirola made Martinsville Speedway his personal playground.

Leading 150 of 250 laps in a No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota that was the clear class of the field, Almirola won his second race in his second NASCAR Xfinity Series start at the 0.526-mile short track and earned a spot for his car in the series owners’ Championship 4.

In the process, Almirola denied JR Motorsports’ Sammy Smith and JGR’s Chandler Smith a chance to advance to the Championship 4 Race for the drivers’ title.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Martinsville

Pulling away after a restart on Lap 235, the part-time Xfinity Series driver beat runner-up Sammy Smith to the finish line by 0.587 seconds, with Chandler Smith trailing in third.

With Almirola winning the race, Justin Allgaier (fifth Saturday) and defending series champion Cole Custer (fourth) qualified for the Nov. 9 Championship 4 Race at Phoenix on points, joining Round of 8 race winners AJ Allmendinger and Austin Hill in the title bout.

Jesse Love (12th Saturday) and Sam Mayer (30th) were eliminated from the playoffs along with the two Smiths, though Chandler gave a parting shot in the form of a punch to Custer, with whom he had tangled on the race track.

MORE: Full details on post-race altercation

For Almirola, who won at Martinsville in April in his first Xfinity attempt, the victory was the third of the season in 13 starts and the seventh of his career.

“We had an amazing car here in the spring, and we made a few tweaks to it,” said Almirola, who also swept the first and second stages. “I wasn’t totally happy with it, honestly, in the spring. And we showed up (Friday) and we were awful. I was like ‘Oh, no, what did we do?’

“They went to work last night and came up with a lot of changes to make to the car, and it was so hooked up today. It would just do everything I wanted it to. This is such a special place. This is by far my favorite race track. I’m just so thankful.”

After Chandler Smith executed a bump-and-run on Custer for a pass on Lap 220, Custer lined up behind Smith on the outside for a restart on Lap 227. In a race that produced 13 cautions for 84 laps, Custer shoved Smith’s Supra toward the wall in Turn 1, perhaps denying the latter a chance to race for the win.

After the race, Smith confronted Custer and threw a punch at the reigning champion.

“I was planning to do a lot more than that, to be completely frank with you,” Smith said. “I was extremely pissed off. I gave him five laps before that caution came out (for Brandon Jones’ spin on Lap 220). I beat his bumper off and never shipped him or anything. The laps were winding down, and I was in a must-win. The 20 (Almirola) started to drive away — he was really good all day — I can’t waste any more time with him.

“I finally had a good enough run and pushed him up the race track and went on our way. But I gave him a chance for five laps before that. I think he was the first guy all day that chose the outside lane from third place (for the Lap 227 restart). That was very interesting, and he didn’t even give me a chance to make the corner when we got to Turn 1.”

WATCH: Smith: ‘He has more stakes than I do’ | Custer’s side of the story

Custer thought that made the drivers all-square, though Smith disagreed.

“Obviously, he wasn’t happy, but what goes around comes around,” Custer said. “He put us in the wall a few times this year. He used the bump-and-run on me. I used the bump-and-run on him…

“I don’t know how we’re not even. And then he punched me in the face. I couldn’t really tell if he even punched me in the face, it was so soft.”

Along with Almirola, Hill and Allmendinger, Allgaier put his No. 7 Chevrolet in the Championship 4 for the owners’ title.

Allmendinger’s race ended early after completing 13 laps following a battle with Custer that sent the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet up into the outside wall. Luckily for Allmendinger, his Oct. 19 victory at Las Vegas already solidified his spot in the Championship 4.

The 2024 Xfinity Series season will conclude next Saturday at Phoenix Raceway (7 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NOTE: Post-race inspection in the Xfinity Series garage concluded without issue, confirming Almirola as the Martinsville race winner.

Contributing: Staff report

Posted on by Staff Report

See where your favorite NASCAR Cup Series driver will pit for the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday (2 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

RELATED: Starting lineup | Weekend schedule | At-track photos

Posted on by Zack Albert

Xfinity 500

(⏰ Sunday, 2 p.m. ET | NBC | NBC Sports App | MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Weekend schedule | TV schedule | Weather tracker | NASCAR 101

Location: Martinsville, Virginia
Track length: 0.526 miles
Race purse: $8,991,338
Race distance: 500 laps | 263 miles
Stages: 130 | 260 | 500
—
Starting lineup: Martin Truex Jr. lands pole position
Pit stall assignments: See where drivers will pit 
Defending winner: Ryan Blaney, October 2023

Key things to watch

Saturday sessions

Martin Truex Jr. made a sweeping statement in Saturday’s on-track time, putting his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the top starting position in Busch Light Pole Qualifying, backing up his chart-topping speed from an extended NASCAR Cup Series practice at Martinsville Speedway.

Truex turned a best final-round lap of 96.190 mph in qualifying, as Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott (95.840) and William Byron (95.951) completed the top three. The 44-year-old veteran’s 24th career Cup Series pole was his second straight in Martinsville’s fall event.

Truex was also best in single-lap speed and the consecutive 10-lap averages in a 45-minute practice session, a longer tune-up to give teams more experience with a new tire combination. JGR teammate Denny Hamlin was far less fortunate in the session when his No. 11 Toyota crashed midway through practice because of a stuck throttle. Hamlin will start at the back of the 37-car field. | Full Saturday recap

Big story line

Tire twists of fate in elimination showdown

The postseason stakes are sky-high in Sunday’s Xfinity 500, where the Cup Series Playoffs field will be trimmed from eight drivers to its final four championship-eligible contenders for the Bill France Cup on Nov. 10 at Phoenix Raceway. The wrinkle to this pivotal moment in the season is a trend that continues in Sunday’s showdown, a gravitation to softer-compound Goodyear rubber on short tracks.

Tire management, uncertainty and shifts in strategy may well be on the table for the crucial last race in the postseason’s Round of 8. Teams will use Goodyear’s “option tire” as the right-side standard that was used in earlier events at North Wilkesboro and Richmond. On the left side, Goodyear officials indicated that new rubber billed as the “softest” in its portfolio will be the tire of choice.

“It’s a new tire again this time around, so there’s a lot of unknowns,” Paul Wolfe, crew chief of Team Penske’s No. 22 Ford for Joey Logano, said in a Thursday media availability. “You look at who was successful there in the spring, the Hendrick (Motorsports) cars were very good, but track conditions will likely be different, and the tire will be different as well. So it’s about the teams that can adapt to that will be the ones on top. I think there’s a lot of opportunity for strategy to mix things up and that’s the part that makes it tough, right? You can have the best car, you can have a top-five car, but all it’s going to take is one caution at the wrong time for you, and it’s going to flip things up and make it really interesting. So as a fan, I don’t think you could be more excited about going into the weekend.”

Goodyear tires for the Xfinity 500 with Martinsville Speedway's wall and logo in the background
Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media

Teams were provided with extra practice time to put the new tire combination to the test, but the early hope was that the variables of wear and enhanced short-term grip could alter the race’s strategy. According to Cliff Daniels, crew chief for Kyle Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, the tire and aerodynamic packages in recent races at Martinsville haven’t necessarily placed a premium on falloff, and he suggested that a gamble for four fresh tires might not have offset the loss in track position. That could change in race conditions Sunday.

“I hope it does present options,” Daniels said. “I hope we’re able, if it’s a run of even 20 (laps) to go or whatever, I hope you get to see the mix of stay out, rights and four. I think that would be a really good environment for the sport, where you have the guys that are going to have to defend, and the guys that are going to be able to attack, and then, of course, somewhere in between.”

Only Las Vegas victor Logano and last week’s Homestead-Miami winner Tyler Reddick have playoff immunity with already-clinched berths for the Phoenix finale. Two more spots are up for grabs: Christopher Bell and William Byron are on the plus side of the bubble, and Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott face deficits.

Byron, Larson and Elliott went 1-2-3 for Hendrick Motorsports in the most recent Martinsville race back in April, but a handful of playoff crew chiefs suggested that the approach for Sunday’s 500 was to start from scratch.

“I mean, completely,” said Adam Stevens, crew chief for Bell’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. “We do have laps on this right-side (tire), but not Martinsville laps, and how will the tires behave. Even if you understand a little bit about the tire, you’re taking it to a new place. It’s a new surface, a whole different set of conditions. Obviously, the way you go fast around Martinsville is different than the way you go fast around Richmond. So you start over. It completely changes what an optimal setup will be, and once we get there, there’s not a lot we can change. So you kind of make your bed when you load that thing in the truck, and then you’re just fine-tuning. So it is a game-changer when you have a new tire.”

History tells us…

High hopes for the remaining half-dozen. Two drivers — Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick — have clinched their Phoenix finale spots by virtue of their victories earlier in the Round of 8. For the remaining playoff-eligible six, they’re all bound by a common thread besides their Championship 4 aspirations: All are former Martinsville winners.

Denny Hamlin leads the playoff pack with five Martinsville triumphs, but his winless drought here is also the longest. He last captured Martinsville’s grandfather clock trophy in 2015. For perspective, six of that day’s top 10 finishers have since retired from Cup Series competition (Matt Kenseth, David Ragan, Danica Patrick, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon and Jamie McMurray).

Hamlin’s 37th-place starting spot has some history working against it as well. Only once in Martinsville history (151 Cup Series races) has a driver started outside the top 30 and won. Kurt Busch drove from 36th to victory here in October 2002.

No single manufacturer has a clear upper hand in recent events at Martinsville, but Chevrolet boasts a strong trend of four wins here in the last six races. The automaker has the opportunity to clinch the manufacturer’s championship for the 43rd time in Sunday’s 500-lapper.

He may not be the betting favorite to win, but watch out for…

CHASE BRISCOE. Just two races remain for Briscoe’s efforts under the Stewart-Haas Racing banner, but his chances for a solid showing at Martinsville are high. The No. 14 Ford driver has scored five consecutive top-10 finishes at the 0.526-mile track, a streak shared only by Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano — both former Martinsville winners.

Briscoe’s average finish of 7.4 in that five-race span is fourth-best among all Cup Series drivers, making his 22-1 opening odds an intriguing spot on the board. He starts a commendable fourth in Sunday’s event. | Martinsville odds

Speed reads

Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.

• Fantasy Update: Hung throttle drops Denny Hamlin, Hendrick Motorsports surging | Read article
• Lasting legacy: A tribute to the SHR No. 4 team’s defining excellence | Read article
• Blaney’s reflection: No. 12 driver ‘lost some sleep’ over Homestead finish | Read article
• Bell’s path on points?: JGR driver says ‘nothing’s guaranteed except for wins’ | Read article
• Bubble Watch: Three former Cup champs aiming to sew up spots | Photo gallery
• Turning Point: Historic moments in the making at Martinsville | Read article
• Hamlin’s hindrance: Midseason setback has lasting effect on title race | Read article
• Crucial timing: Pivotal 14-minute span at Homestead tilted the playoffs | Read article
• Playoff-time projections: Racing Insights predicts finishing order for Martinsville | Read article
• Clinch scenarios: Drivers’ pathways to advance in Round of 8 finale | Read article
• No. 23’s new chief: Charles Denike tapped to guide Wallace in 2025 | Read article
• Power Rankings: Chase Elliott aims to churn up 2020 vibes | Photo gallery
• NASCAR Betting: Big board of favorites, dark horses for Sunday | Photo gallery
• 36 for 36: This week’s survivor pool picks for Martinsville | Read article
• Fantasy Fastlane: Prime time for playoff bubble drivers to excel | Photo gallery
• Memorable moments: All-timers from Martinsville’s rich history | Photo gallery
• NASCAR Classics: Rewind with a three-pack of Martinsville favorites | Read article
• Paint Scheme Preview: Down to the wire with fresh designs | Pick your favorite

Fast facts ⏩

Race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.

• All four Hendrick Motorsports drivers have scored Martinsville wins in the last eight races here.
• Kyle Larson leads the Cup Series in wins (6), stage wins (12) and laps led (1,616) this season.
• Nine Cup Series drivers have broken a winless skid of 42 races or more this year, most in a single season.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Martin Truex Jr. may be out of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, but the veteran driver still has compelling goals, as he proved with a pole-winning run on Saturday at Martinsville Speedway.

After a final-round lap at 96.190 mph (19.686 seconds), Truex will start from the top spot in Sunday’s Xfinity 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

Behind him and next to him, six playoff drivers, led by second-place starter Chase Elliott, will begin their battle for the final two positions in the Nov. 10 Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway.

RELATED: Sunday’s starting lineup | At-track photos: Martinsville

And at the opposite end of the spectrum, playoff driver Denny Hamlin, Truex’s teammate, will start from the rear after a bizarre wreck in practice damaged his No. 11 Toyota, preventing him from making a qualifying run.

“I feel great about our car on stickers (new tires),” said Truex, who was 0.049 seconds faster than third-place starter William Byron, who posted a lap at 95.931 mph in the final round. “You never want to get too optimistic, but I fired off really good in practice, especially that second run with the track rubbered in.

“I was like, ‘If we can just hit the balance here for qualifying, it should be really fast.'”

Earlier this season, Truex announced he will retire from full-time racing at season’s end.

“We’ve got two more chances to win,” said Truex, who earned his third pole at Martinsville, his first of the season and the 24th of his career. “We want it bad, we’re working hard, we’re not giving up, and hopefully we can get it for everyone.”

Though he was fifth fastest in the final round, Elliott starts second because he was the fastest of the five qualifiers in Group A. That left Byron in third, Chase Briscoe in fourth and Ty Gibbs in fifth.

Harrison Burton, Alex Bowman, Ryan Preece, Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon will start from positions six through 10 respectively. The three Hendrick Motorsports drivers — Elliott, Byron and Larson — are the only playoff drivers in the top 10 on the grid.

Other playoff drivers qualified as follows: Joey Logano (12th), Ryan Blaney (14th), Christopher Bell (16th) and Tyler Reddick (31st). Logano and Reddick already have qualified for the Championship 4 with respective victories at Las Vegas and Homestead-Miami.

As qualifying progressed, Hamlin’s crew was trying to repair his primary car, which backed into the Turn 3 wall when the throttle stuck during practice, thanks to a chunk of rubber that found its way into the throttle body.

“We had just come back out, we had just made an adjustment to the car, and it was doing everything it needed to do,” Hamlin said. “It was maneuvering through the pack pretty well. I went into Turn 3, and the car just didn’t slow down, and the throttle hung on us. The throttle had no chance to come backwards.

“That certainly caught me off guard, but it happens. We just got unlucky.”

Truex was sympathetic to his teammate’s misfortune but wasn’t worried about a similar circumstance on his car.

“About as much as I’m concerned about getting hit by lightning,” Truex quipped. “One-in-a-million. I don’t know how — his number just came up.”

Truex tops Cup Series practice at Martinsville

With Goodyear introducing a new left-side tire compound at Martinsville, NASCAR decided to run an extended 45-minute practice session to allow teams to collect tire data.

Before snagging the pole in qualifying, Martin Truex Jr. topped the leaderboard in practice at 95.070 mph over Corey LaJoie (94.989 mph) and Denny Hamlin (94.884 mph).

Christopher Bell (94.855 mph) and Chase Elliott (94.836 mph) rounded out the top five.

MORE: Practice results

Ty Gibbs (94.789 mph), Chase Briscoe (94.689 mph), Todd Gilliland (94.685 mph), Austin Dillon (94.482 mph) and Daniel Suárez (94.463 mph) completed the top 10.

Playoff driver Hamlin entered Martinsville 18 points below the elimination line, but his path to the Championship 4 got tougher as the No. 11 JGR Toyota crashed in Turn 3 during practice.

WATCH: Hamlin reacts to practice crash

Hamlin told his crew on the radio that the throttle stuck which caused him to spin and back his car into the wall. He will start Sunday’s Xfinity 500 from the back of the field after skipping qualifying for his team to repair the rear damage.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Cameron Richardson

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Entering Sunday’s Round of 8 elimination Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway, Christopher Bell is the only driver chasing a point total to make his third consecutive Championship 4.

The magic number? 34.

Thirty-four points will guarantee a trilogy for the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing driver at Phoenix Raceway next weekend as he continues the quest for his maiden championship. However, having a point target has put Bell and his team in a bind as they will also be in a points battle with Hendrick Motorsports drivers William Byron and Kyle Larson if there’s a playoff driver beneath them who wins on Sunday.

RELATED: Sunday’s starting lineup | At-track photos

“It’s definitely putting us in an interesting position because one thing that my team does really well is just focus on ourselves and doing the best that we can for ourselves that day,” Bell said. “But with the points situation, I think it makes a little bit of sense to kind of see what the competition is doing. Myself, William and Larson, we’re in a points battle amongst the three of us. The thing that is playing against that is I’m sure William and Larson are going to be racing for the win, so that means that we’re going to have to be racing for the win as well. If the yellow flags make the strategy wonky, maybe it’s a situation where we just do whatever they do and try to stay on the same strategy with them, and we’ll lose together or win together. What you don’t want to happen is be on the losing side of it when they’re on the winning side of it and give up a bunch of points.”

Bell hit it right on the nose. Not only have himself, Byron and Larson won at Martinsville, but every driver that’s yet to punch their ticket to the Championship 4 has won at the Virginia short track.

Despite entering the penultimate race of the season with a 29-point cushion to the elimination line, Adam Stevens, Bell’s crew chief, has tossed out the notion of it being an advantage given how good the remaining playoff drivers are at Martinsville.

“The gap to the cut doesn’t matter,” Stevens emphasized. “The gap to our nearest competitor is what matters because regardless of what happens, we know one car is going to make it on points. So the gap to the cut, you have to assume there’s going to be a winner out of our playoff cars, so it’s the gap to our closest competitor.

“There’s only going to be one winner. So if three or four of them are at the front late, there’s going to be a lot of paint being traded, and that can set up some carnage — and some carnage that you don’t want to get caught in. So it’s going to be very interesting how it all plays out. Everybody that’s not qualified yet for Phoenix is a winner at Martinsville, which is kind of remarkable, isn’t it? It doesn’t even make sense. So everybody knows what they’re looking for there. Now whether we can all find it or not, I don’t know, but I would not at all be surprised if it’s not all of us in those top four or five spots.”

Bell has been near-perfect eight races deep into the postseason. He’s finished inside the top 10 in every playoff race except for Watkins Glen International and has finished runner-up in two of the last three.

It’s a position that’s new for Bell as he built quite the resume for himself in the regular season with three race victories and 10 stage wins.

In the two prior years when the Norman, Oklahoma native made the Championship 4, he needed to pull off heroics with walk-off wins at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval and Martinsville in 2022, followed by a massive shake-up at Homestead-Miami Speedway last year that opened the door for his golden ticket to Phoenix.

He won’t need a Freddie Freeman-esque moment from Game 1 of the World Series to make the Champ 4 this year, but Bell is staying mindful of the task at hand while feeling some relief being in the position he is now.

MORE: Bell’s win among best Martinsville moments | The drivers to watch Sunday

“Certainly, this is what we’ve strived for,” Bell said. “Everybody strives to have the most bonus points, and we didn’t accomplish that. We’re second, but still, second is better than the rest of them, so it has made our playoffs go extremely smooth. But we know that getting into the Round of 8, it doesn’t matter how many points you have, you’re going to have to be competing for wins. We’ve done that, and we’re in position. It was definitely a huge benefit having the points in getting through the Round of 16, the Round of 12, and yeah, it was a good head start in the Round of 8. If I didn’t have those points, I likely wouldn’t be sitting in this position today.

For Bell, near-perfect isn’t enough. What looked to be a solidified win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway two weeks ago was taken away by Joey Logano’s fuel management in the final green-flag run. It left Bell frustrated, knowing what could have been and that the No. 20’s title fate would’ve been set, and Martinsville wouldn’t have mattered.

But that’s not the case, and Bell isn’t taking anything for granted when the green flag drops Sunday (2 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

“I feel like people in the industry, they understand that, but the people outside of the industry, they didn’t understand the magnitude of that one position, right?” Bell said of his Vegas shortcoming. “And I got all week long, ‘Oh, you’re still plus-42, you’re plus-42, you’re in a great spot.’ But no, you’re not in a great spot. And nothing is guaranteed. I did everything in my power at Homestead, and that plus-42 shrinked to plus-29, and likely again this week, there’s a very good possibility that that plus-29 is going to shrink to plus-single digits depending on who wins the race. Nothing’s guaranteed except for wins, and that’s why winning is so important.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Denny Hamlin crashed during Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series practice session at Martinsville Speedway, creating a significant hurdle for the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team, which will start at the rear of the field in Sunday’s Round of 8 finale.

Entering Turn 3, Hamlin carried tremendous speed before sending his Toyota into a skid, careening rear-first into the outside retaining SAFER barrier.

“(Expletive) throttle stuck,” Hamlin radioed to his crew. 

MORE: Martinsville schedule | At-track photos

Hamlin wheeled the No. 11 Toyota back to the garage area and exited the vehicle under his own power, slamming his helmet onto his roof upon exit in frustration. He was evaluated and released from the infield care center.

“I went in Turn 3, and the car just didn’t slow down, and the throttle hung on us,” Hamlin said. “So that certainly caught me off guard. But it happens, you know. We just got unlucky.”

The No. 11 crew pared away crumpled body panels from the primary car in the team’s garage stall, then sent the Toyota through inspection to determine if the wreck altered its measurements. The team worked through the afternoon to make repairs at the track, opting against unloading a reserve No. 11. Crew members went to the JGR No. 54 hauler and unloaded a massive tool cart, loaded with spare bodywork and components.

Hamlin said that No. 11 crew chief Chris Gabehart had shown him how a stray chunk of rubber had found its way under the hood, lodging into the throttle body to cause the incident. Hamlin indicated he’d had a sticking throttle before, but never one that held wide open. “I mean, if it’s a one in 100,000 chance, it’s going to fall on me,” Hamlin said of the fluke occurrence, “so I’ll probably have it again.”

The No. 11 Toyota had posted the fastest lap of Saturday afternoon’s practice at 19.957 seconds before the incident, a figure that was eclipsed only by JGR teammate Martin Truex Jr. and Corey LaJoie later in the session. Hamlin did not participate in Cup Series qualifying and will have to start Sunday’s Xfinity 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App) from the rear of the field. The team will also be last in the pecking order for pit-stall selection and will try to make measured headway early in the 500-lap race.

“That will be the short-term goal, yeah, is certainly to try to find a way to put some cars between us and the leaders to stay on the lead lap,” Hamlin said. “It will be difficult to do that, but we’ll just give it our best shot. I mean, we’re not going to give up.”

Hamlin enters Sunday sixth in the standings, 18 points beneath the provisional elimination line. Sunday’s 500-lap affair determines the four playoff drivers who will vie for the Cup Series title in the Championship 4 on Nov. 10 at Phoenix Raceway. A win would seal Hamlin’s position in the quartet, and the 43-year-old veteran indicated that would be the most likely avenue to transfer: “Certainly, the chances of getting in on points now are done. We just have to figure out a way to win the race.”

Gabehart told NBC Sports the primary car performed well enough that it’s worth evaluating thoroughly before immediately opting for the backup.

“Most of the (rear) clip looks fine, we think,” he said. “We’re gonna go take a couple measurements here in a minute, and then it would just be replacing some body panels and a bumper and getting back to it. There was a lot of good things about this car. Obviously, it fired off really fast and then was even better yet there. And unfortunately, just swallowed a big clump of rubber and got stuck in between the throttle stop and the throttle lever and hung the throttle.

“It wasn’t anything anybody did wrong. It’s just a freak deal, and we’re going to do the best we can to get this fixed.”

Hamlin was on the brink of advancing last weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, sitting second behind Ryan Blaney at the drop of the white flag. The automatic spot in the Nov. 10 final at Phoenix, however, went to Tyler Reddick, who bypassed them both in a captivating final lap to reach the Championship 4 for the first time.

Saturday at Martinsville produced a new challenge for the No. 11 team, but Gabehart had worked in the days leading up to Sunday’s 500-lapper to try to keep his team and driver from dwelling on the disappointment.

“What a moment, right? So, most any track on the circuit, you get the lead with five to go, you’re probably going to close it out. Homestead’s not one of those tracks,” Gabehart said in a Thursday morning interview. “That’s why we love it, and so it was a heck of a moment. I and the team were certainly dejected, I mean, to get so close to winning your way in and not. But to be honest with you, that’s what we love about it. That’s why we do it. It was a great moment to be a part of. You don’t always get to be a part of the winning moment. Sometimes you’re in the losing side, but it was a heck of a moment, and we’re all focused on Martinsville and trying to make another one.”

Contributing: Zack Albert in Martinsville, Va.