Straight up, Martinsville is going to be among the hardest lineups to gauge this season. It was a clear advantage for drivers to put down a better lap in Group A of practice as opposed to Group B due to the track being cooler. That also isn’t a true indicator of which cars look to be the best and which cars will struggle. So, we’re going to go by the eye test this weekend. If you notice, there are no changes in my lineup from earlier this week.
NEXT IN LINE: Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs, Kyle Larson, Chase Briscoe
RISING: Gibbs is one week away from having completed his rookie season. He’s continued to improve throughout the year and will start from the front row for the first time on Sunday at Martinsville. The last time the Cup Series visited a short track (Bristol Motor Speedway), the No. 54 car led more than 100 laps and took home a top-five finish.
Stewart-Haas Racing dominated the first half of the spring Martinsville race, with Ryan Preece leading the opening 135 laps from the pole. Briscoe added 109 laps out front later in the race, and Harvick paced the field for 20 circuits. It’s evident that SHR brought back similar speed in the fall, with all four of its cars cracking the top 10. Three of them made the final qualifying round, led by Briscoe’s third-place effort. Track position will be pivotal on Sunday, and SHR has a bunch of it early.
FALLING: Tyler Reddick ranked eighth in single-lap speed and sixth on 10-lap averages but then spun during the second lap of his qualifying attempt and will start 19th. It’s a setback for the No. 45 team, which needs to maximize earning points, entering Martinsville 10 points below the elimination line. Since joining 23XI Racing, Reddick’s tendency has been to qualify well on short tracks and drop off throughout the race. Sunday will have to be the opposite.
Another driver that was all over the leaderboard was Kyle Busch. His 31st-place qualifying position is his worst of the season in which he turned a lap. If you look at the 20-lap averages, however, it’s the No. 8 Chevrolet that ranks the best. Richard Childress Racing has tussled with its short-track program all season, and Saturday at Martinsville sums that up perfectly.
FEATURED MATCHUPS:
Tyler Reddick vs. Chris Buescher
Whereas Reddick showed glimpses of speed on Saturday, it was an overall struggle for Buescher compared to the remaining playoff drivers. It’s been a tough round for the No. 17 team, and Buescher has only one top-10 finish in 16 Martinsville starts. Reddick’s car looked to have more potential on long runs (ranked second on 20-lap average), so I’m going to remain leaning in his direction. It would be hard to consider either for your lineup with mediocre starting positions.
Ryan Blaney vs. Denny Hamlin
Both cars were competitive in practice, and Team Penske looked particularly good early on. Hamlin never made a run of more than 10 laps, which could mean he’s not showing his hand on the long run, especially after dominating the last two fall races. I’m sticking with Hamlin this weekend because he’s among the few masters of the track. Come the checkered flag, it still might not be enough to gain 17 points on Blaney.
Martin Truex Jr. vs. William Byron
This is starting to feel like Truex could come up clutch when the pressure is on the most. The 2017 Cup champion has been a part of five Championship 4 battles and needs to gain a plethora of stage points or win on Sunday to advance again this year. The playoffs have been atrocious for the No. 19 team, having just about everything go wrong. But there is still hope until the last lap on Sunday, and he’s going to be among the pre-race favorites to win. Meanwhile, Hendrick Motorsports lacked speed, with just one of its drivers making the final round of qualifying.
Christopher Bell vs. Kyle Larson
Neither driver is historically spectacular at Martinsville despite combining to win the last two Martinsville races. Larson got the leg up on Saturday, out-qualifying Bell by two positions. With both drivers having already clinched a spot into the Championship 4, it will be a stress-free day on Sunday. This is tougher than anticipated, but let’s take Larson, who has top-five finishes – and dominated the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro – in three of the four short-track races in 2023.
We’re bringing you live updates covering Sunday afternoon’s NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8 elimination 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 the Virginia short track.
Overview:
The 0.526-mile Martinsville Speedway hosts the 500-lap Round of 8 playoff elimination race on Sunday afternoon. Leaving the weekend, we’ll have our 2023 Championship 4.
Kyle Larson (Las Vegas) and Christopher Bell (Homestead-Miami) have already clinched their spots in the championship race with Round of 8 victories, leaving two entries up for grabs among six remaining contenders.
At least one driver will advance to the Championship 4 based on points. At 30 points above fifth place, William Byron’s in the best position to advance without a win, but at Martinsville, that’s far from a guarantee.
Ryan Blaney enters the weekend as the fourth-ranked driver 10 points above Tyler Reddick in fifth. Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin are 17 points below the elimination line after a pair of DNFs last week in Miami. Chris Buescher is 43 points shy of the current top four, a virtual must-win situation.
Keep up with the action on the go with NASCAR Mobile, watch live in-car cameras with NASCAR Drive and follow along with live leaderboards and scanner audio with Race Center.
Live standings to answer the question of who’s in and who’s out all race long.
All times listed are Eastern.
Sunday, October 29
6:30 p.m., checkered flag: Thanks for following along with our live blog! We’ll be back at it again next Sunday for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race, where Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, William Byron and Kyle Larson will battle it out for the 2023 title crown and the Bill France Cup trophy.
6:11 p.m., checkered flag: It’s hard to think of a cooler trophy than the Martinsville grandfather clock.
6:02 p.m., checkered flag: Ryan Blaney was seeded 12th to start the playoffs and now he’s in the Championship 4. It pays to perform under pressure.
James Thomas | NASCAR
5:55 p.m., checkered flag: Two drivers are making their first-ever Championship 4 appearance: William Byron and Ryan Blaney. Want to guess the top-two finishers from the Phoenix spring race? Yep … Byron and Blaney.
5:50 p.m., checkered flag: Overshadowed by all the championship talk, a few drivers had much-needed strong finishes. Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Aric Almirola (second) and Chase Briscoe (fourth) scored their best finishes of the season. Austin Cindric (ninth) scored his fifth top 10 of the year, and Todd Gilliland (10th) picked up his fourth top 10 of 2023.
5:45 p.m., checkered flag: Chris Buescher, Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick and Martin Truex Jr. are the four drivers eliminated. This is the second year in a row Hamlin’s had a late-race heartbreak at Martinsville keeping him out of the Championship 4.
5:42 p.m., checkered flag: No burnout for YRB this time, back to his usual celebration. He’s downright ecstatic after climbing out of the car. This is his 10th career win and his first at a track shorter than 1.5 miles. And now he gets a sweet grandfather clock!
5:40 p.m., checkered flag: Ryan Blaney is making laps around the speedway in reverse, waving at the fans after his victory —— Alan Kulwicki’s “Polish Victory Lap.”
5:37 p.m., Lap 500: Ryan Blaney wins at Martinsville! He’ll advance to the Championship 4, joining Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson. William Byron also advances on points.
5:36 p.m., Lap 496: Tyler Reddick has stopped for a splash of fuel. Stick a fork in the No. 45’s season.
5:34 p.m., Lap 491: Chase Elliott has finally made his way to pit road. That’s another spot for his teammate, William Byron. Meanwhile up front, Blaney’s got things under control.
5:32 p.m., Lap 485: Leader Ryan Blaney has caught and lapped William Byron, who runs 14th. Byron’s safe to advance running there at the expense of Hamlin.
5:29 p.m., Lap 477: New leader, Ryan Blaney. Blaney made another outside-lane pass, this time by Aric Almirola.
5:28 p.m., Lap 475: Just 25 to go. Ryan Blaney has caught Aric Almirola for the lead. Meanwhile, William Byron is picking up positions mid-pack. This is all bad news for Denny Hamlin, who’s desperately clinging to fourth spot.
5:24 p.m., Lap 464: Ryan Blaney is carving through the field, now running second and running down leader Aric Almirola. Denny Hamlin is six seconds behind Blaney.
5:23 p.m., Lap 460: Forty to go. The Championship 4 as it stands is Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney and William Byron. Denny Hamlin’s three points out, while Chris Buescher (11th), Martin Truex Jr. (18th) and Tyler Reddick (22nd) need to win to keep their championship hopes alive.
5:18 p.m., Lap 448: William Byron runs 18th, but that’s still enough to advance … assuming Denny Hamlin doesn’t win. Hamlin runs fifth currently, second of cars that have enough fuel to finish, behind third-place Ryan Blaney.
5:16 p.m., Lap 440: Fascinatingly, the drivers haven’t gone totally unhinged yet, using bumpers only sparingly. But, I’d bet when the caution inevitably falls, it will trigger a flurry of follow-ups.
5:08 p.m., Lap 420: It’s looking increasingly unlikely that Tyler Reddick (22nd) and Martin Truex Jr. (19th) will advance. They need a miracle.
5:05 p.m., Lap 411: Aric Almirola has moved past Chase Elliott for the lead. Both cars are likely short on fuel, but this has to feel good for Almirola.
5:02 p.m., Lap 400: We’re down to 100 to go. That’s when things tend to get chaotic here.
4:57 p.m., Lap 389: It’s likely that the top four cars —— Chase Elliott, Corey LaJoie, Aric Almirola and Erik Jones —— will need to pit for fuel before the end of the race. If so, the battle could be between Kyle Larson, Chris Buescher, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney when all is said and done.
4:48 p.m., Lap 363: Chase Elliott has grown his lead to 2.5 seconds over Corey LaJoie. Former leaders Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney are running seventh and eighth.
4:41 p.m., Lap 343: Aric Almirola runs third after the No. 10 team’s pit-strategy call. Almirola announced Saturday that he won’t return to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2024.
4:37 p.m., Lap 332: Chase Elliott and Corey LaJoie lead the field to the green. They last pitted on Lap 304, so they opted not to pit under caution.
4:36 p.m., Lap 330: Oh, boy. Here’s a new one: the pace car has stalled on the track. You never know what’s going to happen at Martinsville. The original pace car has been towed behind the wall and they’re preparing the backup.
4:32 p.m., Lap 326: Pit stops! Numerous cars opted for fuel only, including Aric Almirola and Kyle Larson, who exit pit road at the front of the field. Track position is king today, so it could prove fruitful. Chris Buescher was among those who changed no tires, and it appears he’ll restart in the top 10. That championship berth-day win for the birthday boy could happen.
4:30 p.m., Lap 323: Caution No. 7. Erik Jones and Michael McDowell made contact, sending McDowell’s Ford spinning. Typical Martinsville stuff. This won’t be the last incident of that sort today.
4:29 p.m., Lap 322: William Byron’s car seems to be coming back to life. He’s now running 13th after some adjustments, the highest he’s run all day. That’s bad news for Denny Hamlin, who’s just moved back into second place.
4:26 p.m., Lap 311: Green flag! Behind leader Ryan Blaney, Bubba Wallace moves past Denny Hamlin for second. (Yeah, I said I kept Bubba in my Fantasy Live garage at the 3:46 p.m. update. I never said I was perfect.)
4:19 p.m., Lap 303: Caution No. 6. Ty Gibbs is in the wall again.
4:17 p.m., Lap 300: Let’s take inventory of the points situation with 200 laps to go, shall we?
1. Christopher Bell: Advanced (Miami win)
2. Kyle Larson: Advanced (Las Vegas win)
3. Ryan Blaney: Current leader
4. William Byron: +4 points (running 16th) —— Four drivers advance ——
5. Denny Hamlin: -4 points (running second)
6. Tyler Reddick: -20 points (running sixth)
7. Martin Truex Jr.: -30 points (running 17th)
8. Chris Buescher: -59 points (running 12th)
4:13 p.m., Lap 285: We’re green again. Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin are still battling it out for the lead.
4:10 p.m., Lap 281: The No. 99 car is rolling again … but not well.
4:04 p.m., Lap 275: Daniel Suárez’s car is beached on the apron, immobile on the curb with flat tires to boot. The No. 99 has quite a bit of damage. Among those on the damaged-vehicle policy clock are Denny Hamlin (no damage, don’t worry), Joey Logano, Austin Cindric, Michael McDowell, Todd Gilliland, Ross Chastain, Brad Keselowski, Ty Gibbs and Suárez.
4:03 p.m., Lap 274: Caution No. 5. Joey Logano sends Ty Gibbs for a spin racing for second. Numerous other cars were involved in the stack-up, but it seems no playoff contenders were involved … somehow.
Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR
4:03 p.m., Lap 273: We’re yellow!
4:02 p.m., Lap 270: We’re green!
3:59 p.m., Lap 266: Martin Truex Jr.’s pit-road woes continue. The jack dropped on the No. 19 on pit road, and he’ll line up 25th on the restart.
3:57 p.m., Lap 265: We’ve got split pit strategies as the final stage begins under caution. Blaney and Hamlin are among those who stay out. Tyler Reddick vaulted from 21st to seventh after opting not to pit. We’ll see what track position means to the No. 45.
3:55 p.m., Lap 262: Other than Blaney and Hamlin, Stage 2 was not kind to playoff contenders. Already-advanced Christopher Bell finished 10th in the stage. Chris Buescher was 14th, Kyle Larson (already clinched) crossed the line 17th, and the hard-luck trio of William Byron, Tyler Reddick and Martin Truex Jr. finished Stage 2 20th, 21st and 22nd, respectively.
3:53 p.m., Lap 260: Caution No. 4. Stage 2 belongs to Ryan Blaney. That means 10 points to the No. 12, and nine more for Denny Hamlin’s total after finishing second in the stage.
3:49 p.m., Lap 250: We’re halfway home. Ryan Blaney’s got a half-second cushion over Denny Hamlin, who’s a half second ahead of Chase Briscoe, who’s not far off from following his performance in the Martinsville spring race, where he led 109 laps.
3:46 p.m., Lap 240: If you’re a Fantasy Live player, don’t forget to finalize your lineup and swap out your garage pick if needed before Stage 2 ends in 20 laps. I’m keeping my lineup as-is; I had Bubba Wallace on deck in my garage, but I’m keeping him there since the No. 23 team had a penalty on the last round of pit stops and passing is so, so tough today.
3:43 p.m., Lap 233: Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin are trading the lead back and forth, a terrific race among two championship hopefuls. Blaney will come out on top for now.
Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR
3:41 p.m., Lap 226: Green flag! Just 35 laps remain in Stage 2, the last opportunity to grab stage points for playoff contenders this season.
3:38 p.m., Lap 222: Look away, No. 19 fans. Martin Truex Jr.’s been busted for speeding on pit road. He’ll go from third to the back of the field. That’s going to be incredibly costly for his championship hopes.
3:24 p.m., Lap 193: Move Ryan Blaney to the lead. He makes a slick pass on Denny Hamlin’s outside. You don’t see that all the time at Martinsville.
3:19 p.m., Lap 176: Ryan Blaney has closed in to the back bumper of Denny Hamlin’s car as Hamlin navigates lapped traffic. Both drivers are in the Championship 4 as they run, but there’s a long way to go.
3:11 p.m., Lap 155: Close call for Tyler Reddick, who nearly went for a spin the same way he spun out in qualifying. The No. 45 has been shuffled back to 23rd. He’s going to need this day to turn around quickly.
3:07 p.m., Lap 145: Back to green! It hasn’t been a great start to Stage 2 for William Byron, who’s been shuffled out to the high line and is going backwards quickly. He’s fallen out of the top 20. That 30-point cushion entering today is basically gone right now.
3:02 p.m., Lap 135: To pit road we go again … kind of. Many leaders opted to stay out and retain track position, which seems to be at a premium today. For the top three — Hamlin, Blaney and Truex — it’s all about stage points for 125 more laps.
2:58 p.m., Lap 130: Caution No. 2. Stage 1 is in the books; Denny Hamlin picks up the stage win and 10 valuable points. Blaney (second), Truex (third) and Bell (sixth) also pick up points. Not like Bell needed them, though, as he’s already locked in to Phoenix after winning last week in Miami. Kyle Larson (11th), William Byron (12th), Chris Buescher (17th) and Tyler Reddick (19th) did not pick up points in this stage.
2:55 p.m., Lap 122: Ryan Blaney’s on a mission lately. YRB is up to second and he’s in a good place in terms of points … for now.
Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR
2:47 p.m., Lap 106: Drivers have pulled onto pit road under caution, the first stops of the day. Hamlin and Truex keep the top two spots on exit.
2:44 p.m., Lap 104: Caution No. 1. Alex Bowman and Harrison Burton tussle deep in the field just ahead of leader Denny Hamlin, sending both cars spinning. That could have been big trouble for Hamlin. Corey LaJoie was also involved.
2:43 p.m., Lap 100: Chris Buescher needs to win today in order to advance to the Championship 4. Today is also his 31st birthday. If he can pull off the win today, he’d become the fourth-ever driver to win on his birthday, following Cale Yarborough, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth. Buescher runs 19th currently.
2:38 p.m., Lap 85: Now in the second half of Stage 1, William Byron’s running 14th, just out of the points-paying window. He entered the day 30 points safe, but it’s no sure thing, especially when he’s running sixth of eight in terms of playoff contenders, ahead of only Tyler Reddick (17th) and Chris Buescher (19th).
2:25 p.m., Lap 48: Denny Hamlin has taken over the top spot from his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, the first lead change of the day.
2:20 p.m., Lap 30: Leader Martin Truex Jr. has caught lapped traffic. That’ll be a theme this afternoon.
2:16 p.m., Lap 20: Tyler Reddick needs to get moving soon if he wants to collect stage points. He’s only passed one car since starting 19th, but there are still over 100 laps to go in the first stage. Plan B, of course, is to go for the win, but that checkered flag is a hot commodity today.
James Thomas | NASCAR
2:08 p.m., Lap 1: Green flag is in the air! Martin Truex Jr. leads his rookie teammate Ty Gibbs to kick off this 500-lapper.
Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR
2:05 p.m.: Here’s who I’ve got in my Fantasy Live lineup today. I think we’ll see some of these drivers with playoff pressure perform.
2:05 p.m.: Martinsville Speedway is sold out this afternoon. Cars are rolling and there’s no turning back now. (Sorry, didn’t mean to sound so dramatic … it’s a big race, though.)
2:33 p.m.: Playoff contenders’ qualifying positions:
Martin Truex Jr: first
Denny Hamlin: fourth
Kyle Larson: fifth
Christopher Bell: seventh
Ryan Blaney: 11th
William Byron: 16th
Chris Buescher: 18th
Tyler Reddick: 19th
2:30 p.m.: Pole position! The final car on track, Martin Truex Jr., sends his No. 19 to the top of the charts on his first lap with a speedy 20.112-second heater. He’ll need a great run tomorrow to make up 17 points to advance to the Championship 4. And what better place to make it happen than, well, Martin’s Ville? OK, I promise that’s the only time I say that this weekend. (Lineup)
2:18 p.m.: The final round of qualifying has begun. Three Stewart-Haas Racing Fords are among the drivers competing for the pole.
2:10 p.m.: Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Larson, Chase Briscoe, Ryan Preece and Christopher Bell advance from Group B. Let’s see who qualifies on pole.
1:45 p.m.: Ty Gibbs, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace and Kevin Harvick set the five quickest laps in Group A. They’ll advance to the final round of qualifying, joining the upcoming Group B’s fast five.
1:42 p.m.: Tyler Reddick goes for a spin out of Turn 4 on his second qualifying lap, but the No. 45 car is safe and appears to be damage-free. But, he won’t start in the top 10 tomorrow, meaning stage points won’t come easy for a driver 10 points out of the championship picture.
1:18 p.m.: That’s it for Group B practice. Martin Truex Jr. was quickest of the bunch with a 20.367-second lap, followed by fellow championship hopeful Ryan Blaney in second. Christopher Bell was seventh and Kyle Larson was eighth, but they’ve got relatively easy weekends since they’re already locked into Phoenix. Denny Hamlin’s Group A time was the fastest overall. On to qualifying!
1:15 p.m.: You might notice the cars are outfitted with windshield wipers this weekend. That’s due to a 2023 rule where a wet-weather package is in place on road courses and some short oval tracks, including Martinsville. No, there’s no precipitation in the forecast — but, if it happens, these cars are good to go.
1:00 p.m.: Group B cars are on track, featuring championship contenders Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr.
12:56 p.m.: Group A practice is in the books. Denny Hamlin was quickest with a 20.160-second lap. Of the other championship contenders, William Byron was third, Tyler Reddick was eighth, and Chris Buescher was 13th out of 18.
12:50 p.m.: One surprise in Group A practice with five minutes remaining is second-quickest Corey LaJoie, who joins current leader Denny Hamlin as the only driver to turn a lap under the 20.2-second barrier.
12:35 p.m.: Group A cars are rolling off pit road for practice. That group includes championship contenders Chris Buescher, William Byron, Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick.
10:35 a.m.: By tomorrow night, we’ll know this year’s Championship 4. Exciting, right? Practice takes place today at 12:35 p.m. ET, aired on USA Network. Qualifying will follow at 1:20 p.m. ET.
MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Likely needing a victory in Sunday’s Xfinity 500 to qualify for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4, Martin Truex Jr. took the first step in the right direction on Saturday, winning the pole position for the Round of 8 elimination race (2 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).
Truex turned a lap in 20.112 seconds (94.153 mph) in the final round of time trials to edge Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Ty Gibbs (94.115 mph) for the top starting spot by 0.008 seconds. The Busch Light Pole Award was Truex’s third of the season, his second at Martinsville and the 23rd of his career.
Truex has won three of the last eight races at the 0.526-mile short track but none since the introduction of NASCAR’s Next Gen race car in 2022.
“The first round I wasn’t really sure how hard to go and how hard to push it or what the balance was going to be like,” said Truex, who nevertheless posted the fastest lap of the day in Round 1 (20.018 seconds). “The last time we ran here, the tires were different—a lot was different.
“Our car was pretty free in practice, and I was a little concerned about that, but the guys made good adjustments, and the car was really close. Round 2, we just made a small adjustment and made the car more comfortable. It gave me a little more confidence on throttle, and that’s where the time was.”
The margin between Gibbs and third-place qualifier Chase Briscoe (94.106 mph ) was even tighter than the gap between first and second—0.002 seconds. Denny Hamlin qualified fourth at 94.055 mph to give JGR three of the top four starting positions.
Like Truex, Hamlin almost certainly needs a victory on Sunday to advance to the Championship 4. Gibbs and Briscoe did not qualify for the playoffs this season.
Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell, already locked into the title race with their respective victories at Las Vegas and Homestead, will start fifth and seventh, respectively, with non-playoff driver Bubba Wallace taking the sixth position on the grid.
In his final Cup season, Kevin Harvick will start his final Martinsville race from the eighth position, followed by fellow Ford drivers Ryan Preece and Brad Keselowski. The starting field includes five Toyotas, four Fords and one Chevrolet (Larson).
In the first round of Group A qualifying, three playoff drivers made the possibility of advancement to the Championship 4 relatively more difficult. Tyler Reddick, fifth in the standings and 10 points below the current cut line for Championship 4, spun in Turn 4 on his second qualifying lap and will start 19th.
Chris Buescher, needing a victory to advance, will start one position ahead of Reddick. William Byron, with a 30-point edge over Reddick and likely to earn a Championship 4 spot on points, qualified 16th.
“We just can’t qualify here,” lamented Byron. “Chattered tires—last year it was front, this year it’s rear. Just can’t hit it, weather changes… not happy about qualifying, just the way we’ve been right on the edge of the bubble here the last few times.
“But I think our race car in race trim is honestly pretty good, so we’ve just got to focus on that now. We can’t change qualifying…but we’ll fight from there.”
In Group B, Ryan Blaney, fourth in the standings and trailing Byron by 20 points, will start 11th.
Hamlin fastest in Martinsville practice
Denny Hamlin topped the leaderboard in Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series practice at Martinsville Speedway.
Hamlin drove the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota straight to the top of the single-lap speed chart with a 93.929 mph. Hamlin owns five wins at the 0.526-mile paperclip, which is the most among current drivers.
Track conditions were favorable for Group A as right behind Hamlin was Corey Lajoie in the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet who punched in a 93.747 mph.
William Byron was third fastest overall with a speed of 93.696 mph in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Byron has a 30-point cushion in the playoff standings with a 5.5-average finish in the playoffs this year.
Rookie driver Ty Gibbs continues to impress as he had another strong showing practice going fourth fastest. Austin Cindric rounded out the top five in Saturday’s practice
Reddick who is 10 points below the elimination line showed great pace in practice. Since joining 23XI racing, Reddick has improved his short-track skills and walked away eighth fastest overall and was one of only three playoff drivers to crack the top 10 in practice.
Citing he’s “ready for the next adventure,” Aric Almirola announced Saturday on social media that he will not return to Stewart-Haas Racing following the 2023 season.
The 39-year-old is finishing out his sixth season as driver of the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series. Two of his three Cup Series victories came with the Tony Stewart and Gene Haas-led organization.
“It’s been great,” Almirola said Saturday before Cup Series practice and qualifying at Martinsville Speedway, the site of Sunday’s Xfinity 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App). “Obviously, as a race car driver and as a competitor, you always want more. I would have loved to have won more races and won a championship. That’s what I went over there for. I have won some races, so I’m proud of that, and we’ve had a lot of success, but I think at the end of the day that’s temporary. The friendships that I’ve made. The relationships that I’ve made, all of that will last forever, and I’m grateful for that. I really am. I’m very grateful for the six years that I’ve showed up to work every day there, and they treat me like family. I feel extremely close to all of the employees over there, and they brought me in with welcoming arms when I showed up in 2018, and it has been a really fun ride ever since.”
In addition to his three Cup wins, Almirola has also scored four victories in the Xfinity Series and two in his lone full-time campaign in the Craftsman Truck Series. The most recent of those wins came this year in Xfinity competition at Sonoma Raceway in June.
The announcement ends more than a yearlong process in which Almirola’s future changed multiple times. In January 2022, the Florida native set forth plans to end his driving career after the 2022 season. Almirola changed course in late August, announcing before the regular-season finale in Daytona that he and sponsor Smithfield would return to the No. 10 Ford for 2023.
Almirola’s departure leaves open a Cup Series ride in the No. 10 for next year. Stewart indicated in a statement that Stewart-Haas Racing would remain a four-car operation in the NASCAR Cup Series and that a new driver and new partners would be announced for the No. 10 group “in the near future.” Stewart also made a note of appreciation for Smithfield, which announced Saturday morning that it would end its sponsorship in the sport.
Almirola indicated Saturday at Martinsville that he hoped to step back into a part-time role with SHR, but that such a deal did not materialize after talks throughout the summer with the organization. Almirola did not specify what his plans for 2024 were but said that participating in the Xfinity Series was an option.
“I’d like to not quit cold turkey,” Almirola said. “I think there are some opportunities, but it’s hard. It’s challenging to figure out things that make sense for race teams to do it part-time. Most race teams want somebody to run full-time and race for a championship, so we’ll see if we can get it worked out. I’d love to still scratch the itch, but just don’t want to do it like I have been doing it for the last 12 years, where it’s 38 weeks, and it’s a grind. I’m not complaining that it’s a grind because I’ve loved it and I signed up for it, but I think, for me, as I look toward the future and what my life looks like, I would like to find a better work-life balance than what I have currently.”
Stewart met Almirola in 2004 when the two were under the Joe Gibbs Racing banner. By then, Stewart had the first of his three Cup Series championships, and Almirola was a prospect in JGR’s diversity pipeline.
“I’m proud of everything Aric has accomplished and am especially proud that his last six years have been with Stewart-Haas Racing,” Stewart said in the team statement. “He and Smithfield formed an incredible partnership that resonated on and off the race track, and a lot of that is a testament to Aric. He always puts forth maximum effort, and he makes everyone around him better. Simply put, he’s a great person – an awesome dad to Alex and Abby and an exceptional husband to Janice. I know all of them really well and am genuinely happy for their next steps together as a family. Smithfield has been an outstanding partner and a NASCAR staple for more than a decade. Their platform with Aric was a model for the sport, and it was an honor to represent them.”
Almirola is the second Stewart-Haas driver to announce a change in plans for next season. Kevin Harvick announced before the 2023 campaign that he would end his driving career, transitioning to the FOX Sports broadcast booth next year.
Almirola currently ranks 22nd in the Cup Series standings, scoring just one top-five finish so far and missing out on playoff eligibility for the second consecutive year. His season highlights include notching two pole positions (at Atlanta in July and Talladega in September) and winning a 150-mile qualifying race in the run-up to the season-opening Daytona 500.
When asked about his decision to return this season, Almirola said he had no misgivings – “not one bit.” He noted his Xfinity Series victory at Sonoma as one of the more special occasions this year and that he took extra care to savor the celebration with his family.
“That moment, several other moments throughout the year like that, we would have never had that, and I do not regret one minute of this season,” Almirola said. “There’s been trials, absolutely. But who doesn’t go through trials in life? I didn’t expect this year to be easy. I didn’t expect it to be all rainbows and kittens. I knew it would be a challenge. I knew that there would be ups and downs, but I signed up for it, and I don’t regret one minute.”
Contributing: Zack Albert from Martinsville, Virginia
Although he arrived in Virginia below the elimination line, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. responded to the pressure by locking down the Busch Light Pole Award at Martinsville Speedway. This comes at a great time for the driver of the No. 19 Toyota to turn around an underwhelming 2023 Cup Series Playoffs campaign and return to the Championship 4 with a good performance at the 0.526-mile short track. Truex prevented rookie JGR teammate Ty Gibbs from picking up his first pole award as the No. 54 Toyota rolls off the grid in second. Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson round out the top five. | Read the full practice, qualifying recap
Big story line
With Christopher Bell clinching a spot in the Championship 4, will another Joe Gibbs Racing teammates join him?
Unlike last year, Bell does not need a walk-off win to advance to Phoenix. JGR teammates Hamlin and Truex Jr., however, might have to take a page from Bell’s playbook. Both drivers enter Martinsville 17 points below the elimination line. Before the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs got underway, Hamlin and Truex were two favorites to make the Championship 4. Now, the possibility of both drivers not making the final round is very much in the cards. Hamlin’s Homestead DNF puts him in a tough spot, but the veteran is capable of handling the pressure in these now-or-never playoff moments. The No. 11 Toyota is good at Martinsville and will be one of the favorites to win the race, as Hamlin has five career Cup Series wins at the short track and three top-five finishes in the last five races there. Starting fourth in the race gives Hamlin much-needed track position and may play to his advantage if he can stay up toward the front.
Truex faces more of an uphill battle. Despite winning the Regular Season Championship, the No. 19 Toyota went seven straight races without a top 15 to open the playoffs and ended the bruising stretch with a ninth-place run at Las Vegas. The positive reset was brief, though, as a mechanical failure put Truex out of the race in Miami. Truex Jr. has three Martinsville wins under his belt, but he’s had a third-place finish and two finishes of 20th or worse in his last three races at Martinsville. Given the circumstances surrounding Truex’s bad luck throughout the 2023 playoffs, Hamlin probably still has a slight edge at returning to the Championship 4, but it remains a bit of a toss-up. | Inside the Race: Hamlin’s unfortunate early exit at Homestead
History tells us…
The Martinsville playoff race winner will likely come from Hendrick Motorsports or Joe Gibbs Racing.
Hendrick and JGR have combined to win the last eight Martinsville races. There is a good chance that the streak will be extended to nine given the strength of these two powerhouse organizations. When Kyle Larson won the Martinsville spring race, this gave team owner Rick Hendrick his 28th win at the 0.526-mile short track. All four current Hendrick drivers have won at the track in the last six races. In qualifying, Larson put the No. 5 Chevrolet in fifth place as William Byron managed to qualify 16th. Meanwhile, non-playoff drivers Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman simply want to get a win on the board. Elliott will start 14th and Bowman starts in 22nd place. It would not be surprising to see another Hendrick Chevrolet in Victory Lane and take home another iconic grandfather clock.
The same can be said about the group of drivers at JGR. Christopher Bell is on fire in the Round of 8 and winning on Sunday in Virginia would give the No. 20 team even more momentum leading into the championship round. Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. will each have to step up their game, knowing a victory could ease all the stress of trying to transfer to Phoenix on points. Rookie Ty Gibbs has shown flashes of brilliance at times throughout the year and won the Xfinity Series race during this weekend last year. The driver of the No. 54 Toyota has 10 top-10 finishes so far in his first full season at the premier level. He may not take the checkered flag at Martinsville despite an impressive second-place qualifying effort, but he will be up there winning races in no time with a bright future ahead. With 500 laps set for Sunday, it is anyone’s game but do not bet against Hendrick or JGR.
He may not be the betting favorite to win, but watch out for…
Chase Elliott. There are two more races remaining in 2023 and NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver could be on the verge of his first winless season since 2017. The final two races at Martinsville and Phoenix, however, are tracks where Elliott has won in the past. In his last nine Cup Series races, Elliott picked up six top-10 finishes, although he is coming off two straight finishes of 15th or worse. His stats at Martinsville may give some slight optimism for all the Elliott fans out there.
He is currently riding a streak of three consecutive 10th-place finishes at Martinsville, to go along with six top 10s in the last seven races there. His only career Cup win at Martinsville occurred in the fall of 2020, helping to propel him to a title victory the very next week. While the situation is much different this time, visiting Victory Lane for the first time this year would give the No. 9 team something to smile about heading into 2024 as it looks to get back to championship contender status. Elliott will start Sunday’s race in 14th place. | Relive Elliott’s last Martinsville win | Watch the race on NASCAR Classics
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• At-track photos: Sights and scenes from Martinsville | Photos • Bubble Watch: More moments to be made at Martinsville | Get the lowdown • Fantasy Fastlane: Heavy hitters on the bubble for Martinsville | See fantasy tips • Paint Scheme Preview: See the schemes for Martinsville | Pick a favorite • Power Rankings: Hamlin, Truex Jr. aim to make it in Martinsville after Miami mayhem | Latest driver rankings
• Stacking Pennies: LaJoie talks about Larson taking out the sand barrels in Miami and Christopher Bell punching his Phoenix ticket. | Listen to the podcast
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MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Ron Silk’s championship campaign in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour nearly ended several times during Thursday’s Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200 at Martinsville Speedway.
From narrowly avoiding several multi-car accidents to being shuffled through the field due to diverging pit strategies, Silk kept his No. 16 Blue Mountain Machine and Future Homes Modified clean through every obstacle to bring home a sixth-place finish.
Even though the final showing was far from his most impressive in 2023, it was enough for Silk to secure the 2023 title, his first in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour since the 2011 season.
“It’s awesome,” Silk said. “A lot of effort goes into [the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour] and it’s been a long season. It feels really rewarding to finally win another one.”
The year Silk put together on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour was more than worthy of a second championship.
For the first time since 2011, Ron Silk is a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion.
After going the entire 2022 season without obtaining a victory, Silk kicked 2023 off in thrilling fashion by holding off a stalwart charge from Justin Bonsignore to take home a checkered flag at New Smyrna Speedway.
No one knew it at the time, but the battle between Silk and Bonsignore would set the tone for the rest of 2023.
The two NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour heavyweights exchanged literal and metaphorical blows during the remaining 17 races on the schedule. A solid outing from Silk one race would be followed up by a stellar performance from Bonsignore the next, with neither side giving the other any room to work with.
By the time the two championship contenders arrived at Martinsville for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200, they each had five victories on the year with almost an identical number of Top 5s and more than 625 laps led apiece to complement their stellar title bids.
A bad restart for Bonsignore late in the previous race at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park gave Silk a 13-point cushion ahead of the season finale. All Silk needed to do was finish eighth or better on Thursday regardless of how Bonsignore performed.
Bonsignore did win one last battle over Silk with a second place run. Despite this, luck ended up favoring Silk when the checkered flag waved, who did everything possible to salvage the finish he needed after several close calls.
“It was kind of weird racing tonight,” Silk said. “Knowing what the scenario was, I tried to keep myself in a decent position most of the night. We got turned around once on the backstretch, but luckily we didn’t hit anything.”
Any hopes of Silk and Bonsignore obtaining one last victory to close out 2023 were thwarted by 2013 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Ryan Preece, who dominated in his season debut while driving his own No. 40.
Welcome back to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour @RyanPreece_!
Thursday’s triumph proved to be emotional for Preece. He dedicated the victory to his late car owner Eddie Partridge, who guided Preece to 14 victories in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour before his sudden passing just more than two years ago.
“The last time I won on [the NASCAR Whelen Modified] Tour was at Richmond [in 2021] and that was the day I lost one of my best friends [in Eddie Partridge] Preece said. “This is the same car that we bought from [Partridge’s] wife, so [tonight] really hit me.”
Preece was also relieved to finally celebrate a traditional victory at Martinsville. Although he earned his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour win at the facility in 2008, Preece obtained that milestone after Burt Myers was disqualified, which he admitted left him feeling hollow afterwards.
Being able to visit Victory Lane at Martinsville on Thursday was something Preece knew would not come easy. Having raced against drivers like Silk and Bonsignore regularly before progressing into the NASCAR Cup Series, Preece expected them to provide a tough challenge throughout the 200-lap event.
While Preece enjoyed his 26th career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory, Silk found himself relieved and elated after assembling the best statistical season of his career, which also yielded Haydt Yannone Racing the owner’s title in just their second year as a team.
Silk said his inability to win a second championship until now is a testament to how tough the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is every season. Every mistake big or small kept Bonsignore within striking distance all year, but Silk credited everyone at Haydt Yannone Racing for persevering to ensure they would be the ones celebrating a title at Martinsville.
“The first thing you need [to win a title] is to have fast cars and a good team behind you,” Silk said. “I had that all year but need to have quite a bit of luck go your way. It doesn’t take too many missteps to find yourself too far behind.”
Following Preece and Bonsignore in the running order was Patrick Emerling in third, with Matt Hirschman and Tyler Rypkema completing the top-five.
Seventh place belonged to J.B. Fortin, with the rest of the top-10 finishers consisting of Max McLaughlin, Andrew Krause and Bobby Labonte.
A brief winter awaits Silk and the rest of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour competitors before they regroup for the 2024 season, which formally begins at New Smyrna Speedway on Feb. 10.
A rebroadcast of the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200 will take place on Sunday, Nov. 5 at 11 a.m. ET on CNBC.
