Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Chase Elliott turned in his best result of the season on a storybook afternoon for Hendrick Motorsports.

Elliott’s third-place effort in Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway highlighted a 1-2-3 effort for the organization as it celebrated its 40th anniversary in style. The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion, Elliott efforted his second consecutive top-five finish of the 2024 campaign and highest finish since finishing second at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in August 2023.

A winner of the sport’s Most Popular Driver Award for each of the last six seasons, Elliott is still in the midst of a 42-race winless streak. But his ruby-red No. 9 Chevrolet paced the field for a season-high 64 laps Sunday after qualifying third, marking the third time in the past four races Elliott has led multiple laps.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

“It was a solid day for us for sure,” Elliott said. “Nice to lead some laps. Certainly fell off a little more than I wanted to there at the end of those runs. Just struggled with traffic a little more than I should have. I thought our car was close. Pit stops were really good. Most of the restarts went well.”

The one Elliott was least satisfied with was the race’s final restart. Teammate William Byron was sailing toward Victory Lane with Elliott second and fellow Hendrick driver Kyle Larson in third. But John Hunter Nemechek’s brakes failed entering Turn 3 with just two laps to go in regulation, setting up an overtime refire with Byron on the inside of the front row and Elliott to his right.

“I had an OK jump. Just couldn’t make it stick there on the outside,” Elliott said. “Got into (Turn) 3 and tried to root him up off the bottom and went to get the power down to get up underneath him and I just couldn’t do it. And then I tried to run in really hard into (Turn) 1 and roll a little bit of a diamond and couldn’t make that stick either. So, at that point, I figured what was second or third? Who cares at that point? You try to go for the win or not.”

Instead, Byron stormed into Victory Lane to lead the 1-2-3 effort on a special day for Hendrick, which became the first organization to ever sweep the top three positions in a Cup Series race at Martinsville.

“Happy for William, happy for everybody at Hendrick Motorsports,” Elliott said. “Really special to have all of our folks here — there are a lot of them and their families. Hate Rick (Hendrick, car owner) couldn’t be here today and (Rick’s wife) Linda but certainly happy and proud to be a part of their organization and ultimately their family.”

Elliott’s No. 9 team has had plenty of speed to start the season but not always the results to show for it. Their average running position heading into Sunday’s race was the series’ fourth-best at 11.23, but that only equated to a 12.7 average finish. A fifth-place run at Richmond Raceway last weekend, followed by Sunday’s third-place effort, marks Elliott’s first string of consecutive top fives since a three-race stretch from Sonoma Raceway to the Chicago Street Course last summer.

“The pace has been good. I’ve been pleased with that,” crew chief Alan Gustafson told NASCAR.com. “The speed’s been in the cars. I feel like earlier in the year, we just weren’t getting the finishes indicative of the performance of the cars. Our average run position and our finish position was quite a bit different. Recently, I think we’ve certainly gotten better at finishing where I feel like we should. It’s never-ending, just keep trying to improve.”

Short tracks were a particular point of emphasis for Hendrick Motorsports heading into the past two weeks, Larson’s crew chief Cliff Daniels told NASCAR.com, a point echoed two weeks ago by Byron’s crew chief Rudy Fugle after the No. 24 team’s win at Circuit of The Americas. Those efforts bore fruit Sunday at Martinsville, with all four Hendrick cars finishing inside the top 10, with Alex Bowman bringing home an eighth-place finish.

“We made a big step, change, improvement here which I thought was good,” Gustafson said. “We worked hard this week in the lead-up to the week. I feel like really late in the week, we all kind of went a little different direction. That worked out good, so happy about that and happy with the way that everybody’s working together and the results show it.”

MORE: 2024 Cup Series schedule

A race-winning crew chief with Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Kyle Busch and Elliott — all current or future members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame — Gustafson has proven he can get the best out of his drivers. He also sees what Elliott continues to bring as he evolves with the Next Gen car, a vehicle Elliott wheeled to Victory Lane five times in 2022, its debut year.

“I feel like he always shows up,” Gustafson said. “Everybody does on our team. I don’t know that there’s been a thing drastically different. I just feel like we’re getting the results.”

The next goal, as always, is for the No. 9 team to get back to its winning ways. Elliott won two or more races in each year from 2018-2022 but remains winless since Talladega Superspeedway in October 2022. Teammate Byron, meanwhile, has won nine of the last 44 races and three of the first eight in 2024.

The first step toward Elliott earning that next checkered flag is running at the front of the field, which the No. 9 Chevy did plenty on Sunday.

“Just nice to have a solid day,” Elliott said. “William has been running really good, so just nice to be up there and be in the mix and feel like you got a shot. That’s encouraging and certainly a lot more fun.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Icebreaker 150

Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park

20141217085344 Thompson Speedway Logo

  • Race results:
Pos. Car No. Driver Sponsor Laps Diff.
1 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine/Future Homes 150  –
2 3 Jake Johnson Propane Plus/Lin’s Propane Trucks 150 2.169
3 1 Patrick Emerling Fleetworks Inc/LFR 150 4.846
4 51 Justin Bonsignore Coastal Fiber LLC 150 6.322
5 32 Tyler Rypkema Northern Drilling/Musco Lighting/Make-a-Wish 150 7.184
6 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 150 8.826
7 64 Austin Beers G&G Electrical Supply/Dell Electric 150 10.723
8 22 Kyle Bonsignore Munns Automotive/Chalew Performance 150 11.868
9 60 Matt Hirschman Elite 150 12.685
10 89 Matt Swanson Cervaolos Auto/Casella Snowplows/Mully’s Auto Repair 149 1 Lap
11 19 Anthony Sesely Franzosa Trucking Co/Karchner Warehousing 149 1 Lap
12 25 Brian Robie Maurice Enterprises 148 2 Laps
13 54 Tommy Catalano Catalano Motorsports/FX Caprara 148 2 Laps
14 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood & Restaurant 147 3 Laps
15 28 Mike Marshall MLM Diagnostics/Jusczak Electric 139 11 Laps
16 1 Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales 139 11 Laps
17 84 Tyler Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 113 37 Laps
18 2 J.R. Bertuccio Gershow Recycling 87 63 Laps
19 56 Trevor Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 27 123 Laps
20 4 Tim Connolly Connolly Companies, LLC 17 133 Laps
21 44 Bobby Santos Harshaw Paving/Olivas Market 1 149 Laps
22 24 Andrew Krause Supreme Manufacturing Co. 1 149 Laps
23 36 Dave Sapienza Sapienza Racing/Eastport Feeds 1 149 Laps
24 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 1 149 Laps
Posted on by Reid Spencer

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — William Byron has a penchant for milestones. Last year, Byron picked up the 300th NASCAR Cup Series victory for Hendrick Motorsports at Texas Motor Speedway.

In Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway, he got another.

In a race that went into NASCAR Overtime, Byron led an unprecedented 1-2-3 finish for owner Rick Hendrick at the 0.526-mile short track as the organization celebrated its 40th anniversary in NASCAR’s premier division.

In front of a throng of employees and supporters gathered in tents overlooking Turn 2, Hendrick became the only organization to sweep the podium positions in a Cup race at Martinsville. Byron’s victory was the 29th for Hendrick Motorsports at the track, the most for an organization at a single NASCAR venue.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos 

“Just so proud of everyone at Hendrick Motorsports,” Byron said. “Grew up a big Hendrick fan. To be here for the 40th anniversary, all that goes into just this organization, all the people, it’s all about the people. Just want to thank Mr. Hendrick and (wife) Linda and everyone involved.

“It’s pretty awesome. Badass to win at Martinsville. We’ve been struggling at the short tracks. Just kept inching up on it. I’ve got a great team. They just kept my head in it. It stunk to do a restart there at the end like that, but that’s the way it goes.”

An early green-flag pit stop proved the difference for the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet, who earned his third victory of the season, his second at Martinsville and the 13th of his Cup career.

With Denny Hamlin in the lead, crew chief Rudy Fugle called Byron to pit road on Lap 297 as the first of the lead-lap drivers to get fuel and fresh tires. Hendrick teammates Kyle Larson, the pole winner, and Chase Elliott followed a lap later.

The early stops allowed the Hendrick drivers to leap-frog Hamlin, who pitted on Lap 299 and could not advance past the fourth position before the caution for John Hunter Nemechek’s accident in Turn 4 on Lap 398 of 400 sent the event to overtime.

On Lap 310, Byron passed Elliott for the ninth position, and as the drivers ahead of him made pit stops, he worked his way forward, passing Daniel Suárez for the lead on Lap 327 before Suárez came to pit road.

Byron led the next 86 laps, and after Elliott was credited with leading Lap 413 at the overtime restart, Byron surged ahead for the final two circuits and crossed the finish line 0.550 seconds ahead of Larson.

SHOP: Buy William Byron winner gear

“Congrats to William,” said Larson, who won the first 80-lap stage wire-to-wire. “He did a really good job. Kind of schooled us all there after that green flag stop. Did a really good job passing all of us. He was able to set a good pace. Still get through traffic good.

“My car felt really good. I think we were all kind of the same speed, honestly. Just lost a little bit of track position there in the second stage. Was never able to overcome it.”

Byron held a lead of more than two seconds before the fifth and final caution of the race. On the overtime restart, he survived a bump from Elliott, who slipped to third behind Larson at the finish.

WATCH: Byron discusses memorable win for Hendrick | Larson on runner-up finish

Bubba Wallace ran fourth, followed by reigning series champion Ryan Blaney. Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, Alex Bowman, Ryan Preece and Chase Briscoe completed the top 10. Hamlin, who pitted for fresh tires before the overtime, restarted 10th and came home 11th.

“We were just trying to do anything we could to steal one with our Sport Clips Toyota,” Hamlin said. “The tires didn’t wear enough to matter. We saw that when Joey (Logano) stayed out on those 80-lap lefts and led most of the stage (Stage 2).

“Tires didn’t wear, and we just struggled to pass all day. Once I came out of that cycle, third or fourth, that’s kind of just where I stayed.”

Larson, who led 86 laps, took over the series lead by 14 points over Martin Truex Jr., who finished 18th on Sunday, and by 17 over Hamlin.

The only negative aspect of the Hendrick party was the absence of the team owner, who underwent knee replacement surgery and couldn’t attend. But NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon was there to serve as grand marshal and represent the organization.

“These guys, these three guys, as well as Bowman, they drove their butts off,” Gordon said. “How about that William Byron, the 24 car? Every time we have a milestone day or opportunity or moment, he steps up.

“He got number 300. This is going to be a huge win for him and the whole organization.”

MORE: 2024 Cup Series schedule | 2024 Cup Series standings

The Cup Series will next head to the Lone Star State to race at Texas Motor Speedway on April 14 (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

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

Posted on by Staff Report

Icebreaker 150

Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park

20141217085344 Thompson Speedway Logo

  • Qualifying results:
Pos. Car No. Driver Sponsor Best Time Best Speed
1 51 Justin Bonsignore Coastal Fiber LLC 19.039 118.178
2 3 Jake Johnson Propane Plus/Lin’s Propane Trucks 19.044 118.147
3 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 19.082 117.912
4 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine/Future Homes 19.201 117.181
5 44 Bobby Santos Harshaw Paving/Olivas Market 19.228 117.017
6 22 Kyle Bonsignore Munns Automotive/Chalew Performance 19.235 116.974
7 89 Matt Swanson Cervaolos Auto/Casella Snowplows/Mully’s Auto Repair 19.237 116.962
8 1 Patrick Emerling Fleetworks Inc/LFR 19.26 116.822
9 56 Trevor Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 19.3 116.58
10 24 Andrew Krause Supreme Manufacturing Co. 19.347 116.297
11 32 Tyler Rypkema Northern Drilling/Musco Lighting/Make-a-Wish 19.364 116.195
12 36 Dave Sapienza Sapienza Racing/Eastport Feeds 19.37 116.159
13 60 Matt Hirschman Elite 19.388 116.051
14 19 Anthony Sesely Franzosa Trucking Co/Karchner Warehousing 19.439 115.747
15 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 19.567 114.99
16 25 Brian Robie Maurice Enterprises 19.58 114.913
17 2 J.R. Bertuccio Gershow Recycling 19.588 114.866
18 84 Tyler Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 19.668 114.399
19 4 Tim Connolly Connolly Companies, LLC 19.839 113.413
20 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood & Restaurant 19.895 113.094
21 28 Mike Marshall MLM Diagnostics/Jusczak Electric 20.383 110.386
22 01 Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales 20.426 110.154
23 54 Tommy Catalano Catalano Motorsports/FX Caprara – –
Posted on by Staff Report

IceBreaker 150

Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park

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  • Practice results
Pos No. Name Sponsor Best Tm Best Speed In Lap Laps Diff
1 3 Jake Johnson Propane Plus/Lin’s Propane Trucks 18.88 119.174 5 28  —
2 51 Justin Bonsignore Coastal Fiber LLC 18.903 119.029 45 47 0.023
3 46 Craig Lutz Riverhead Building Supply 18.913 118.966 35 36 0.033
4 44 Bobby Santos III Harshaw Paving/Olivas Market 18.933 118.84 17 39 0.053
5 64 Austin Beers G&G Electrical Supply/Dell Electric 18.989 118.49 17 31 0.109
6 16 Ron Silk Blue Mountain Machine/Future Homes 19.032 118.222 33 39 0.152
7 36 Dave Sapienza Sapienza Racing/Eastport Feeds 19.043 118.154 7 37 0.163
8 60 Matt Hirschman Elite 19.056 118.073 33 34 0.176
9 2 J.R. Bertuccio Gershow Recycling 19.06 118.048 17 38 0.18
10 22 Kyle Bonsignore Munns Automotive/Chalew Performance 19.077 117.943 24 36 0.197
11 89 Matt Swanson Cervaolos Auto/Casella Snowplows/Mully’s Auto Repair 19.088 117.875 15 36 0.208
12 32 Tyler Rypkema Northern Drilling/Musco Lighting/Make-a-Wish 19.119 117.684 6 33 0.239
13 56 Trevor Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 19.129 117.622 41 43 0.249
14 19 Anthony Sesely Franzosa Trucking Co/Karchner Warehousing 19.137 117.573 16 28 0.257
15 1 Patrick Emerling Fleetworks Inc/LFR 19.14 117.555 29 30 0.26
16 24 Andrew Krause Supreme Manufacturing Co. 19.16 117.432 44 46 0.28
17 54 Tommy Catalano Catalano Motorsports/FX Caprara 19.33 116.399 7 42 0.45
18 58 Eric Goodale GAF Roofing 19.415 115.89 21 32 0.535
19 18 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood & Restaurant 19.442 115.729 22 23 0.562
20 84 Tyler Catalano* Catalano Motorsports 19.496 115.408 45 46 0.616
21 25 Brian Robie Maurice Enterprises 19.509 115.331 37 38 0.629
22 01 Melissa Fifield Pine Knoll Auto Sales 20.275 110.974 25 28 1.395
23 28 Mike Marshall MLM Diagnostics/Jusczak Electric 20.33 110.674 14 27 1.45
24 4 Tim Connolly Connolly Companies, LLC 20.482 109.853 15 16 1.602
Posted on by Staff Report

Editor’s note: Updated projection after Saturday’s practice and qualifying sessions.

After plenty of side-by-side action last weekend, get ready for more bumping and banging as the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Martinsville Speedway this Sunday for the Cook Out 400 (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio).

Racing Insights predicts Denny Hamlin to notch back-to-back wins in his home state and earn his third short-track triumph of the season.

While it’s been nearly a decade since Hamlin last visited Victory Lane at Martinsville, the Virginia native still runs well there consistently. He netted two top-five finishes there last year (fourth place in spring and third in fall) and has led the most laps at Martinsville in the Nex Gen era at 395. Plus, the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas have set the pace when it comes to short-track racing this season with Hamlin’s No. 11 machine leading the charge with wins at Bristol and Richmond.

RELATED: Set your Fantasy Live roster | Weekend schedule

Following Hamlin in the projections are Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney (up one spot after practice and qualifying), Christopher Bell and Martin Truex Jr. in the top five. Chase Briscoe (up four spots), Joey Logano, William Byron, Chase Elliott and Ty Gibbs round out the top 10.

With another short-track race on tap and little room to maneuver around, the restarts will be a key to watch this Sunday.

OTHER DRIVERS TO WATCH

RYAN BLANEY: Blaney has no top-10 finishes in the last three races. However, Martinsville is essentially his home away from home. His 9.0 average finish there is the best among active drivers, and he owns seven top-five finishes in the last 10 races at the Virginia track. He also earned a clutch win at the track last fall en route to his championship.

CHRISTOPHER BELL: Once again, Bell has been quietly consistent to start the year. Since his win at Phoenix, he has rattled off three top-10 finishes, two of which came at short tracks (10th at Bristol and sixth at Richmond). Bell is also no stranger to Victory Lane at Martinsville, as he led 150 laps in a playoff win there in 2022.

CHASE ELLIOTT: Byron and Larson are drivers to watch from the Hendrick camp, especially with Martinsville being a key race for the organization. However, it will be interesting to see how Elliott fares after a solid Richmond weekend. Elliott has six stage wins at Martinsville, which is tied with Hamlin for the most. Elliott also ranks second in most laps run inside the top five at Martinsville in the Next Gen car with 939.

CHASE BRISCOE: You’ll hear him as a sleeper pick all week, but his stats at Martinsville speak for themselves. Briscoe finished fifth and fourth in last season’s races, and he ranks fourth in laps run inside the top five with 721. In the Next Gen era, Briscoe is tied with Joey Logano for third-most points scored at Martinsville with 157.

JOSH BERRY: This is more of a wild card to watch given Berry doesn’t have many stats to go off of in a Cup car at Martinsville. Looking at the No. 4 team’s performance at short tracks this year, Berry and Co. have shown speed and are fresh off a successful Richmond weekend. It will be interesting to see if Berry can turn in another solid finish on Sunday.

RACING INSIGHTS’ PROJECTIONS FOR THE COOK OUT 400

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
111Denny Hamlin
25Kyle Larson
312Ryan Blaney
420Christopher Bell
519Martin Truex Jr.
614Chase Briscoe
722Joey Logano
824William Byron
99Chase Elliott
1054Ty Gibbs
1123Bubba Wallace
1217Chris Buescher
131Ross Chastain
144Josh Berry
1548Alex Bowman
1641Ryan Preece
176Brad Keselowski
1845Tyler Reddick
198Kyle Busch
2010Noah Gragson
2138Todd Gilliland
2243Erik Jones
2399Daniel Suárez
243Austin Dillon
2534Michael McDowell
262Austin Cindric
277Corey LaJoie
2842John H. Nemechek
2947Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
3021Harrison Burton
3177Carson Hocevar
3251Justin Haley
3315Kaz Grala
3431Daniel Hemric
3571Zane Smith
3616Josh Williams
3766David Starr
Posted on by Dustin Albino

Practice and qualifying went about as expected at Martinsville Speedway. The historically good drivers at the track remained fast, though for the second consecutive week Kyle Larson nabbed the Busch Light Pole Award at one of his toughest race tracks. This is a big weekend for Hendrick Motorsports, as the winningest team in NASCAR history is looking to celebrate its 40th anniversary in grand fashion with all four of its entries running ruby-colored paint schemes. No drivers have fallen out of my lineup from earlier this week.

RELATED: Set your Fantasy Live lineup

Dustin Albino’s race-day lineup:

Starter 1: Ryan Blaney
Starter 2: Joey Logano
Starter 3: Denny Hamlin
Starter 4: Chase Elliott
Starter 5: Bubba Wallace
Garage pick: Chase Briscoe

NEXT IN LINE: Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr., Alex Bowman, Ryan Preece.

RISING: Slowly, Larson is changing his narrative at short tracks. That’s what happens when continued success stores up over multiple years. Despite sweeping the spring races at Richmond and Martinsville last season, the 2021 Cup champion claimed last week that these two venues were still his worst tracks on the circuit. Larson led 144 laps last week and finished third. The No. 5 car will have the same view as it did last week when the green flag waves: from the pole. It wouldn’t be surprising to see another good Martinsville performance; I’m just saving a use.

Preece often says he’s a short-track racer. There isn’t a shorter track on the points-paying schedule than Martinsville. Last spring, Preece had the best start to a Cup race in his career, leading the opening 135 laps before a pit-road speeding penalty dropped him to the rear. The No. 41 team never recovered. This weekend, Preece unloaded with the fastest 10-lap average in practice. It was a disappointment for him to turn in the 22nd-best time in qualifying.

FALLING: After a third-place effort at COTA, Chris Gayle, crew chief for Ty Gibbs, said he expected a strong performance from the No. 54 team at Martinsville. He thought the team could have won in the fall before Logano spun Gibbs. However, Gibbs had a mediocre first day at the “paperclip” when he qualified 15th. The sophomore driver has become a frequent frontrunner, but there is work to be done to prepare for the 400-lap event.

With how much success Stewart-Haas Racing and Noah Gragson had at Martinsville apart from each other in recent years, it made sense that combining the two forces would lead to high expectations. But after a substandard lap in qualifying, Gragson will need to race to the front from 26th. He ranked 14th on 10-lap averages, and two of his SHR teammates, Briscoe and Josh Berry, will start in the top 10.

FEATURED MATCHUPS

Denny Hamlin vs. Martin Truex Jr.: This Joe Gibbs Racing pairing has dominated at Martinsville for extended periods of time throughout their careers. And all metrics from Saturday might point to Truex being favorable this weekend. Lately, it seems when all is going good for Truex, something is bound to happen. Take Richmond for instance: Leading with two laps remaining, the caution flies and he finishes fourth. Hamlin is closing races while the No. 19 team is not.

Ryan Blaney vs. William Byron: Of the four Hendrick cars, Byron is the hardest to gauge entering Sunday’s race. The No. 24 team was solid in practice, cracking the top six in both single-lap and 10-lap averages — but then qualified 18th. Blaney remained his steady self at Martinsville, a track he’s thrived at over the past handful of seasons.

Chase Briscoe vs. Noah Gragson: In just about every category, Briscoe has a top-10 car at Martinsville. For the fifth time in 2024, the No. 14 team made the final round of qualifying and will start a season-best fifth. He was good in practice as well, ranking ninth on long-run speed. Briscoe has become a mainstay in the top 10 at Martinsville, which is impressive for a driver who used to struggle at short, flat tracks. On the flip side, the No. 10 team has made the most of many races this season, so don’t be surprised if Gragson earns another top-15 result.

Joey Logano vs. Kyle Busch: Busch was able to put together a quality lap in qualifying, placing 11th. Just hide those practice results, as the No. 8 Chevrolet was 30th on 10-lap averages. This is an easy choice this week: Logano looks to be on his way to his 10th straight top-10 finish at Martinsville.

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Aric Almirola came back to Joe Gibbs Racing’s NASCAR Xfinity Series program to win.

Mission accomplished.

Almirola, the longtime Cup Series veteran, held on in overtime to not only score the win in Saturday night’s Dude Wipes 250 but also take home the $100,000 bonus for winning the first Dash 4 Cash race of the 2024 campaign.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos 

“This is incredibly gratifying,” said Almirola, who led 148 of 251 laps. “This is exactly what I signed up for when Coach (Joe Gibbs) called me. Coach called me at the end of last year and asked me to come back and to be a part of the organization and to help in any way I could outside of the race car, and then to drive really as much as I wanted. And we looked at the schedule, and the very first conversation we ever had was to come and run full time and I can’t really tell Janice that I’m retiring from full-time racing to go full-time racing, even though it is the Xfinity Series.

“So we talked a lot about it and settled on the schedule that we have now, and it is the perfect balance of being able to be home some weekends and then go race and enjoy racing race cars, which is what I love to do. I mean, I absolutely love to drive race cars, and it’s way more fun when you drive competitive race cars. And so to run any activity series with Joe Gibbs Racing is incredible.”

To come away with the added plus of $100,000, Almirola had to fend off fierce charges from JR Motorsports’ Sam Mayer as well as Almirola’s own JGR teammates Chandler Smith and Sheldon Creed. Smith, whose team brought the No. 81 Toyota back to the shop in Huntersville, North Carolina, for overnight repairs after a Friday practice incident, started from the rear and charged to the front by the final stage. Smith was also vying for possession of that Dash 4 Cash check.

A restart with 46 laps to go pinned the Nos. 20 and 81 Toyotas on the front row side-by-side for the race lead, their battle persisting for several laps. Eventually, Almirola got clear and began to run away. But late cautions provided Smith more opportunities — chances he took to use the bumper a bit more, particularly on a restart with 10 laps remaining.

“The restart before, we ran side-by-side and I thought it was very fair, very clean,” Almirola said. “We were racing really hard but very, very clean. I was giving them plenty of room. And then the next restart, I was still (the) leader and I chose the top because I realized how hard it was for me to clear him on the bottom. And he got the bottom, and he used me up, man. He ran me way wide and I was pretty upset that he used as much race track as he did and kind of ran me up into the marbles.

“So as soon as I got clear and got down behind him, I made sure that he knew that I didn’t appreciate that.”

Aric Almirola and his son Alex celebrate a NASCAR Xfinity Series win at Martinsville Speedway.
James Thomas | NASCAR.com

Almirola wasn’t the only teammate Smith made contact with Saturday night. Creed, driving the No. 18 Toyota for JGR, collided with Smith numerous times throughout the 251-lapper. To Smith, it was all a product of short-track racing.

“I mean, we’re at Martinsville. There’s gonna be contact like that,” Smith said. “So you can get pissed off, frustrated, whatever, but at the end of the day, we’re at Martinsville, and they call it the paperclip for a reason, and the fans watch this race for a reason too.”

Bent fenders and a third-place finish ultimately didn’t bring Smith’s emotions too far down. The team’s work overnight resulted in a car capable of charging to the front of the field and challenging for the victory.

“Just being methodical about working our way up through there,” Smith said of his night. “Really proud of everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing taking this car back last night, working through the night hours and getting up in the morning and thrashing on it more to get this No. 81 Wheelers GR Supra as fast as Xfinity internet today, and we did just that. So learned a lot. Good Lord definitely blesses us in weird ways sometimes. Today, we were able to start in the back and make our way forward and have a good solid race and get good notes for we come back in the fall time when it really matters.”

Heading into the final restart in overtime, Smith had an opportunity to line up in the second row on the outside lane but instead opted for the inside of Row 3 in fifth place.

“It’s just a green-white-checkered,” Smith said. “I was kind of in the catbird seat. Typically, honestly, the 20 got pretty lucky where he was at that he didn’t get used up more than he did, I felt like. The fifth-place car usually comes away with a victory sometimes. So I didn’t think being in fourth — I knew they were gonna get shucked up to the outside, and I was gonna be stuck behind them. So I was able to give one row up to gain, get back to (third), ended up getting three spots there.”

With Almirola watching next week’s race at Texas Motor Speedway from home, he will not be able to defend his Dash 4 Cash crown. Smith, on the other hand, will pursue the next $100,000 bonus on Saturday (1:30 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) against Sam Mayer, Justin Allgaier and Sheldon Creed.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — With a dramatic victory Saturday night at Martinsville Speedway, Aric Almirola removed an asterisk from his career record and collected a $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus in the process.

With considerable help — perhaps unintentional — from Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Sheldon Creed after an overtime restart, Almirola grabbed the lead from Sam Mayer and won the DUDE Wipes 250 under caution when Riley Herbst, pole winner Brandon Jones and Ryan Ellis wrecked in Turn 2 on the final lap.

The victory was Almirola’s first since retiring from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition and rejoining Joe Gibbs Racing this season. The record book will show that the driver of the No. 20 JGR Toyota has five NASCAR Xfinity Series wins to his credit, but Almirola has always considered his first one tainted.

In 2007, he won the pole at the Milwaukee Mile and started the race but turned the car over to Denny Hamlin, who was late in his commute from a Cup date at Sonoma Raceway. Hamlin won the race, but Almirola got credit for the victory as the driver of record.

“Man, this is so awesome,” Almirola said. “To win for Joe Gibbs Racing. I’ve had an asterisk next to a win for Coach (Joe Gibbs) for 17 years, and this is so awesome to finally put a real win banner up inside the shop at Joe Gibbs Racing.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, Coach for calling me and giving me this opportunity to have some fun and still scratch the itch of racing but still get to spend a lot of time with our family.”

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos 

Though Almirola led 148 of 251 laps, the outcome was in doubt until he took command after the final restart. Race runner-up Sam Mayer held the lead at that point, but when Almirola’s JGR teammate Sheldon Creed took Almirola and Mayer three-wide in Turn 2 on the penultimate lap, contact slowed Mayer’s progress and allowed Almirola to break clear for the lead.

“Man, those restarts here are just ruthless,” said Mayer, who wrested the top spot from Almirola on Lap 243, moments before a five-car pileup on the frontstretch caused the 10th caution of the race.

“Painful. Obviously, the 20 was really, really good today. It was good that I was able to keep up and be as fast as them and pass all those JGR cars there at the end and march up to the front. That’s the first time I’ve done that here…

“But at the end of the day, we needed a ‘W’, and I got one I feel like stolen from me there a little bit.”

Mayer’s pass on Lap 243 was one of four lead changes over the final 12 laps. On Lap 239, JGR’s Chandler Smith, who started from the back of the field after crashing in practice on Friday, muscled past Almirola, who returned the favor by moving his teammate into the top lane for a pass on Lap 241.

“Chandler, I felt like used me up pretty good, so when I got back to him, I was going to make sure he knew it,” Almirola said. “From there the race was on. Mayer did a great job of getting to me and moving me out of the way.

“And then on that restart I knew it was going to be tough. I was really thankful to be able to hold on to it. They drilled me in the left rear, and I was able to hold on to it and get a good run off (Turn) 2.”

Smith ran third, followed by Carson Kvapil, who finished fourth in his Xfinity Series debut. Justin Allgaier came home fifth after starting from the rear. Creed, Sammy Smith, Cole Custer, Sunoco rookie Jesse Love and Josh Williams completed the top 10.

New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen was 11th in his first trip to Martinsville.

Almirola also won the Dash 4 Cash bonus as the highest finisher among four eligible drivers. Since he is not competing at Texas next weekend, the four Dash 4 Cash drivers in Fort Worth are Mayer, Smith, Allgaier and Creed.

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

Posted on by Zack Albert

Cook Out 400

(⏰ Sunday, 3 p.m. ET | FS1 | MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Weekend schedule | TV schedule | Weather tracker | NASCAR 101

Location: Martinsville, Virginia
Track length: 0.526 miles
Cup Series race purse: $7,669,028
Race distance: 400 laps | 210.4 miles
Stages: 80 | 180 | 400
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Starting lineup: Kyle Larson to lead field to green flag
Pit stall assignments: See where drivers will pit
Defending winner: Kyle Larson, April 2023

Key things to watch

Saturday sessions

Kyle Larson logged his second consecutive Busch Light Pole with a best final-round lap of 96.034 mph in the No. 5 Chevrolet. The Hendrick Motorsports driver’s speed wound up being one-thousandth of a second faster than Bubba Wallace, who will start second in the 23XI Racing No. 23 Toyota. Larson enters as the defending race winner, and his next Cup Series victory will be the 25th of his career.

Corey LaJoie was the fastest in 20 minutes of practice, putting the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet atop the leaderboard. His speed of 94.585 mph was just ahead of second-fastest Wallace and third-fastest Ryan Preece, who set the pace in the consecutive 10-lap averages speed chart. | Full Saturday recap

Big story line

Restarts come under sharper scrutiny post-Richmond

Denny Hamlin’s pre-emptive overtime fire-off foiled Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. last weekend at Richmond Raceway, putting restarts and officiating under a microscope. Truex cried foul post-race after Hamlin rolled to his second victory of the young NASCAR Cup Series season.

Elton Sawyer, NASCAR senior vice president of competition, said earlier this week that Hamlin’s decision to make an envelope-pushing start as the control car on the race’s final green flag came at a crucial time as “a bang-bang call.” Hamlin made his case this week on his “Actions Detrimental” podcast, saying he didn’t want to “give up the advantage of being the leader,” adding that his focus was more on Truex’s front fender alongside him than on the restart-zone border.

The circuit lands at another Virginia short track this weekend, and restarts will be a prime focus — especially if caution flags come in a flurry late in Sunday’s 400-lapper. Both drivers may well figure into that mix again, given their legacy of success here; Hamlin leads all active Cup Series drivers with five Martinsville wins, just ahead of second-ranking Truex’s three victories.

History tells us…

Hendrick Motorsports has won the last two springtime events at the 0.526-mile oval, with Kyle Larson (2023) and William Byron (2022) savoring the laurels. All four of the organization’s drivers have found Victory Lane in the last seven Martinsville races, with Alex Bowman (October 2021) and Chase Elliott (November 2020) claiming the track’s famed grandfather clock trophy. Three of the team’s four drivers — Larson, Elliott and Bowman — qualified among the top 10.

Cars fielded by Rick Hendrick have won 28 times at Martinsville — the most victories by a single Cup Series organization at any track. The team’s drivers won’t lack motivation this weekend, with all four of Hendrick Motorsports’ cars sporting commemorative ruby-red designs to mark the centerpiece race of its 40th anniversary season at the site of the team’s first-ever victory in 1984.

Interestingly enough, earning front-row real estate in qualifying hasn’t necessarily equaled race-winning performance here in recent years. The last time a Martinsville winner came from the first two starting spots was 20 races ago on April 7, 2013, when Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson drove Hendrick’s No. 48 Chevrolet to victory from the pole position.

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

Josh Berry. After a sterling performance last Sunday at Richmond Raceway, momentum seems to be brewing for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate. This weekend, Berry heads to more familiar ground at Martinsville, where he sets off at 28-1 odds.

Berry first arrived on NASCAR national series radars at Martinsville in April 2021, when he prevailed in just his 13th Xfinity Series start. His first season with Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 4 Ford team has had its uneven patches, but his short-track knack has room to thrive this weekend. Another option further down the betting board is SHR teammate Ryan Preece, a 65-1 shot who won the pole, led 135 laps early here a year ago and showed sustained speed in Saturday’s practice in the No. 41 Ford. | Martinsville odds

Speed reads

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

• Turning Point: Trends from Richmond, heading to Martinsville | Read article
• Triumph and tragedy: Deep-rooted ties bind Hendrick team, Martinsville | Read article
• ‘Big morale boost’: Crew chief swap in place for Austin Dillon, RCR No. 3 team | Read article
• Rookie potential: Josh Berry making early strides for Stewart-Haas | Read article
• Keselowski’s aspirations: RFK owner/driver focused ‘on the process, not the outcome’ | Read article
• Dash 4 Cash back in action: Xfinity Series’ four-race initiative opens at Martinsville | Program overview
• Moments from Martinsville: Take a trip through history, memories | Photo gallery
• NASCAR Classics: Picks to click from our Martinsville video archives | Read article
• 36 for 36: NASCAR survivor pool selections for Martinsville | Read article
• Fearless prediction: Racing Insights projects Sunday’s final race results | Read article
• Fantasy Fastlane: Lineup advice for Martinsville | Sleepers, drivers to avoid
• Paint Scheme Preview: Springtime designs for Martinsville | Pick a favorite
• Hendrick 40th commemorative: Ruby-red paint for the four-car fleet | Photo gallery
• Power Rankings: Chase Elliott rises in updated top-20 list | Latest driver rankings

Fast facts ⏩

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

• Denny Hamlin has led the most laps at Martinsville Speedway in the Next Gen car — 395 — since the start of the 2022 season. He has led more than 100 laps in four of the last six Martinsville races, but his last victory here was in March 2015.
• Joey Logano, last weekend’s runner-up at Richmond, has the longest active streak of top-10 finishes at Martinsville with nine in a row.
• King Richard Petty leads the all-time list of Cup Series wins recorded in the state of Virginia with 38 — 15 of those came at Martinsville and 13 at Richmond.