Posted on by Reid Spencer

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – The first night race for the NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway was a cakewalk for Hendrick Motorsports—until a late caution sent the race to overtime, that is.

But William Byron survived a final restart and a mistake on the white-flag lap to win Saturday night’s Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 at the 0.526-mile short track.

RELATED: Official results | At-track photos

Byron led 212 of the 403 laps. Teammate and pole winner Chase Elliott led the first 185 circuits, as Hendrick Motorsports surpassed 10,000 laps led at Martinsville, becoming the first Cup organization to hit that prodigious number at a single track.

At the end of the two-lap overtime, Byron crossed the finish line 0.303 seconds ahead of runner-up Joey Logano, who couldn’t get close enough to Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet in the final corner to make a move for the win.

Byron, who also won Thursday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, is the first driver to win two events this season. Saturday night’s Cup victory was his first at Martinsville and the fourth of his career.

With his parents on his pit box for the entire race, Byron dedicated the win to his mother.

“When that last caution came out (for Todd Gilliland’s brush with the Turn 4 wall on Lap 393), I thought

MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA - APRIL 09: William Byron, driver of the #24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet, is congratulated by his mother, Dana Byron and father, Bill Byron after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 at Martinsville Speedway on April 09, 2022 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

everyone behind us would pit,” Byron said. “Luckily, we stayed out—we were aggressive. We felt like we could refire on the tires and be OK.

“You’ve got one of the most aggressive guys behind you with Logano. I chattered the tires in (Turns) 3 and 4 (on the white-flag lap) and left the bottom open, but I was able to kind of block my exit to get a good drive off (the corner).

“This one’s for my mom. This same weekend last year, she had kind of a mini-stroke and was diagnosed with brain cancer. It means a lot to have her here, and it’s been a crazy year, but she’s doing great, and thanks, everybody, for the support. I kind of felt like she was riding in there with me. It’s cool to have her here, and I’m definitely going to enjoy this one.”

WATCH: Byron emotional after dominant win

Logano had mixed emotions after the race. The strong second-place run was gratifying, but it was second place, not first, and it extended his winless streak to 37 races.

“That final restart there, had a front row,” Logano said. “That’s what you can ask for. Got cleared to second, and Willy kind of messed up off of (Turn) 4 and let me get to him, and he did a really good job of brake-checking… He did what he was supposed to do, and kind of got me all stuffed up behind him, and I couldn’t accelerate off the corner and be as close as I needed to be down into 3 to execute the ol’ bump-and-run.

“Couldn’t get quite to him, but his corner entry was really strong, too, which I think allowed him to get in there pretty strong. Overall, the Shell-Pennzoil Mustang had a solid run. Just hate being that close to winning and not making it happen. But big points today, and it just stings. Second just sucks sometimes, that’s all.”

Austin Dillon ran a strong third behind Logano, with Ryan Blaney and Ross Chastain claiming the fourth and fifth positions, respectively.

Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Aric Almirola, Chase Briscoe and Elliott completed the top 10. Elliott leads the series standings by three points over second-place Blaney. Byron is third, 12 points back.

Elliott won the first two stages, but Byron won the race off pit road under caution at the second stage break and remained out front for 118 laps until he came to pit road during a cycle of green-flag stops midway through the final stage.

Blaney held the top spot for five laps before making his final stop, and Byron regained the lead when Blaney came to pit road on Lap 308.

After completion of the green-flag cycle, NASCAR called the third caution of the race when Denny Hamlin’s ill-handling car stopped on pit road. Byron retained control of the race after the subsequent Lap 325 restart, with Austin Dillon moving past Joey Logano into the second position.

That was the last yellow flag until the final caution on Lap 393. The four cautions total—with two for stage breaks—were the fewest in a Cup race at Martinsville since 1997. Then again, Saturday night’s race was shortened from 500 to 400 laps.

Up next for the Cup Series is the sport’s second-ever dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway next Sunday (7 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Logano won the inaugural event in 2021.

NOTE: NASCAR’s inspection is complete in the Cup Series garage with no issue, confirming William Byron as the race winner. The No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford of Aric Almirola and the No. 43 Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet of Erik Jones will be taken back to the NASCAR R&D Center for further inspection, which is not abnormal.

Posted on by Staff Report

Which channels have NASCAR programming this week? We answer that and give the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule.

Note: All times are ET.

MORE: How to find FS1 | Get FOX Sports App | Watch on USA Network | Get the NBC Sports App | Watch on Peacock | FloRacing

Monday, April 11
4:30 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Blu-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 at Martinsville Speedway (re-air), FS1
2 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Blu-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 at Martinsville Speedway (re-air), FS2
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., Motormouths, Peacock

Tuesday, April 12
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Blu-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 at Martinsville Speedway (re-air), FS1
11 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Blu-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 at Martinsville Speedway (re-air), FS2

Wednesday, April 13
2 a.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series: Call 811 Before You Dig 200 at Martinsville Speedway (re-air), FS2
4 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Boundless — Betty Skelton (re-air), FS2
5 a.m., The NASCARcade (re-air), FS2
5:30 a.m., The Relentless (re-air), FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
6 p.m., Motormouths, Peacock

Thursday, April 14
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Radioactive — Bristol, FS1

Friday, April 15
2:30 a.m., NASCAR Auto Racing Classics: 2007 Food City 500 (re-air), FS1
5:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: 1996 Coca-Cola 200 (re-air), FS1
6 a.m., The NASCARcade (re-air), FS2
7 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive — Bristol, FS2
8 a.m., NASCAR Auto Racing Classics: 2007 Food City 500 (re-air), FS2
3 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: First practice at Bristol Motor Speedway, FS1
4 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: First practice at Bristol Motor Speedway, FS1
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Weekend Edition — Bristol Dirt, FS1
5:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Final practice at Bristol Motor Speedway, FS1
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Final practice at Bristol Motor Speedway, FS1
9:30 p.m., NASCAR Auto Racing Classics: 2007 Food City 500 (re-air), FS1

Saturday, April 16
12:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: 1996 Coca-Cola 200 (re-air), FS1
4:30 a.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Final practice at Bristol Motor Speedway (re-air), FS1
5:30 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series: First practice at Bristol Motor Speedway (re-air), FS1
6:30 a.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Final practice at Bristol Motor Speedway (re-air), FS1
7:30 a.m., NASCAR Auto Racing Classics: 1996 Coca-Cola 200 (re-air), FS1
9:30 a.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Best of Radioactive — Bristol (re-air), FS1
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Qualifying at Bristol Motor Speedway, FS2
6 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Qualifying at Bristol Motor Speedway, FS2
7 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: NCWTS at Bristol Motor Speedway — Dirt, FS1
8 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway, FS1

On MRN:
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway

Sunday, April 17
10:30 a.m., NASCAR Auto Racing Classics: 2007 Food City 500 (re-air), FS1
1:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway (re-air), FS1
3:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Qualifying at Bristol Motor Speedway (re-air), FS1
4:30 p.m., Bristol Motor Speedway Easter Celebration, FS1
5:30 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: NCS at Bristol Motor Speedway — Dirt, FS1
6 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: NCS at Bristol Motor Speedway — Dirt, FOX
7 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, FOX

On PRN: 
6 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series: Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway

Posted on by Staff Report

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Rain and a smidgen of wintry weather have placed the start of Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race on hold at Martinsville Speedway.

Driver introductions took place shortly after 7 p.m. ET, but the pre-race ceremonies played out during intermittent showers that drenched the 0.526-mile track. That delayed the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), which was initially scheduled for a 7:58 p.m. ET green flag.

RELATED: Leaderboard | At-track photos

When the race begins, Chase Elliott will start from the Busch Light Pole in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. He’ll be alongside Aric Almirola’s No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford for the start.

No cars are scheduled to drop to the rear during pace laps. AJ Allmendinger will start last in the 36-car field and will have to serve a pass-through penalty shortly after the start after his No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet failed pre-race inspection three times.

Posted on by Nick Giffen

The Action Network specializes in providing sports betting  insights/analytics and is a content partner with NASCAR. Check out more NASCAR betting analysis here.

Friday’s NASCAR Cup Series practice session gave bettors plenty of information to work with in trying to handicap tonight’s Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1).

Drivers were, in some cases, able to make practice runs north of 50 laps. This abundance of data allows us to find places where books did not move quite enough from their midweek odds.

As a result, there are three bets in particular I like for tonight’s NASCAR race at Martinsville.

NASCAR Picks & Predictions for Martinsville

*Odds as of Saturday morning

Bubba Wallace Top Toyota (+3300)

BetMGM is offering an incredibly generous number on Bubba Wallace to outpace only five other Toyotas.

Wallace looked very comfortable in the No. 23 car in practice. His 10-lap average was sixth best among all drivers. More importantly, it placed him second among the six Toyotas.

Martinsville has also been a very strong track for Wallace.

He has four finishes inside the top 17 at the track known as “the Paperclip,” despite never driving in top-tier cars.

Wallace has a driver rating 17.2% higher at Martinsville than the average of all other tracks if we discount his rookie season.

With the switch to the Next Gen car, some drivers are still trying to figure out how to best get around Martinsville. Others, like Bubba, found their groove quickly.

Three drivers that struggled in practice were the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas of Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell and Martin Truex Jr.

The gap appears to have closed among the Toyotas this week, and my model reflects that — it gives Wallace a 5.9% chance of finishing as the top Toyota driver.

That outpaces the 2.9% implied odds at 33-1 by quite a solid margin.

The Bet: Bubba Wallace to finish as top Toyota (+3300) | Bet to: +2200

Bubba Wallace (-130) over Daniel Suarez

If long odds aren’t your cup of tea, you can get a solid position on Wallace at much shorter odds in this matchup against Daniel Suarez.

Caesars Sportsbook has these two paired against each other in a near coin-flip when removing the juice.

That simply shouldn’t be the case.

For starters, Wallace’s 15-lap average in practice was faster than Suarez’s five-lap average.

While Martinsville is one of Wallace’s better tracks, it’s a below-average track for Suarez. In Suarez’s case, his driver rating is 3.3% worse at Martinsville than his average at all other tracks.

My model has Wallace as a hefty 68.7% favorite in this matchup.

The Bet: Bubba Wallace (-130) over Daniel Suarez | Bet to: -160

Austin Cindric Top-5 Finish (+800)

Here’s a table of lap-average practice times for two drivers:

# of Laps Driver A Driver B
5 20.187 20.178
10 20.208 20.207
15 20.223 20.232
20 20.246 20.251
25 20.282 20.274
30 20.289 20.288

The lap averages look incredibly similar between these two drivers. Driver A is Austin Cindric and Driver B is his teammate Joey Logano.

BetMGM has Logano priced at +150 for a top-five finish. Meanwhile, they have Cindric at +800.

I’m not saying Cindric should be at the same odds as his teammate Logano, but the gap should not be this wide.

There’s additional reason to believe in Cindric this weekend. The Next Gen car has changed how drivers have to attack Martinsville.

Drivers are now shifting at Martinsville and they are lighter on the brakes. Subjectively, that could benefit someone coming from a sports car background like Cindric.

Other books have Cindric at +550 for a top-five finish, thus +800 is a screaming difference.

My model has Cindric finishing in the top five 16.7% of the time, which beats the 11.1% implied odds quite comfortably.

The Bet: Austin Cindric top-5 finish +800 | Bet to: +650

Posted on by Dustin Albino

Just when you thought you had a grip on who was running well, Friday at Martinsville Speedway happens and changes your outlook. Joe Gibbs Racing entered the weekend with confidence, having a strong showing in the series’ first short-track race of the season at Richmond Raceway. This weekend, three of its four drivers will start the 400-lap event outside the top 10.

RELATED: Weekend schedule | Starting lineup | Photos from ‘The Paperclip’

Dustin Albino’s race-day lineup:
Starter 1: Chase Elliott
Starter 2: William Byron
Starter 3: Denny Hamlin
Starter 4: Brad Keselowski
Starter 5: Aric Almirola
Garage pick: Christopher Bell

NEXT IN LINE: Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick

RELATED: Will JGR keep momentum going? | Set your lineups now

RISING: In 14 career races at Martinsville, Kyle Larson has just three top-10 finishes. However, joining Hendrick Motorsports last season elevated Larson’s performance at the half-mile track. Though the reigning champion doesn’t make my starting lineup, he had a strong practice and qualifying showing and will start eighth.

Ever since Chase Elliott’s run-in with Denny Hamlin in the fall 2017 race at Martinsville, Elliott has been a factor at the track. In 2020, he dominated the penultimate race of the year, leading 236 laps. Last fall, the No. 9 Chevrolet got dumped late in the race, relegating him to a 16th-place result. Before that, he paced the field for 289 laps. Elliott was first in practice and qualifying, so he should be a fantasy lock this weekend.

For the first time this season, Chris Buescher made the final round of qualifying. In fact, both RFK Racing Fords were among the fast 10. And though it’s not Buescher’s best starting position of his Cup career, it’s the best when there has been qualifying. RFK could use a real shot in the arm, and he has Brad Keselowski as a teammate, who has 12 top-10 finishes in the last 14 Martinsville races.

FALLING: As you can see, Martin Truex Jr. has dropped from my lineup. Listening to him speak about his car after his qualifying run is worrisome. But based off recent success at Martinsville, the No. 19 Toyota will probably be battling for the win come Lap 400, having seven top-five results in the past nine Martinsville races. It’s a tossup, but totally understandable if you use him.

Bubba Wallace was third in practice on Friday but ran just the 21st-best time in qualifying. Martinsville is among Wallace’s best tracks on the circuit, and the No. 23 team desperately needs a good finish this weekend, having four finishes below 20th in the past five races. I just think there’s more methodical picks this weekend, such as Aric Almirola, who has been steady at the half-mile venue since joining Stewart-Haas Racing in 2018.

FEATURED MATCHUPS:

Chase Elliott vs. Denny Hamlin:

Prior to Friday, Hamlin would get the slight advantage, despite both drivers being exceptional at Martinsville. With Elliott winning the pole and Hamlin having to come from 25th, the pick here is Elliott. Plus, Elliott was P1 in practice.

Ryan Blaney vs. Ross Chastain:

Historically, Martinsville is one of Blaney’s best tracks on the circuit. Don’t expect that to change this weekend, as the No. 12 Ford has been among the quickest cars in every race this season. Plus, Chastain will have to come from 27th. Take Blaney’s average finish of 10.8 across 12 starts to the bank, though all Team Penske cars missed the final round of qualifying.

William Byron vs. Martin Truex Jr.:

This one is tough. Entering the weekend, Truex has turned Martinsville into his own personal playground, winning three of the past five races on “The Paperclip.” But after qualifying 20th and turning the 21st quickest lap in practice, Truex said he doesn’t have the feel he’d hoped for entering the weekend. With Byron getting additional laps and winning Thursday’s Truck Series race, the edge goes to the No. 24 Chevrolet.

Kyle Busch vs. Kyle Larson:

These JGR-HMS matchups are fun, aren’t they? Over the past 19 trips to southern Virginia, one of these two organizations have won 14 times. While Larson had a strong Friday, Busch’s race craft suits him better on the half-mile layout. Indecisively, Busch should finish better than the No. 5 car, though Larson has gotten better at Martinsville of late.

 

Posted on by Zack Albert

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Two organizations entered the NASCAR Cup Series as single-car operations last year, expanding to two-car fleets this season.

One is Trackhouse Racing, which has taken flight in 2022 with drivers Ross Chastain and Daniel Suárez. The other is 23XI Racing, the Michael Jordan-Denny Hamlin ownership supergroup which has found significant growing pains in expansion.

RELATED: Weekend schedule | At-track photos

Hamlin washed away his own early struggles last weekend at Richmond Raceway, scoring his first Cup Series victory of the season with a late-race surge in his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11. But then he checked the status of 23XI’s two drivers: Bubba Wallace in 26th; Kurt Busch in 35th. Their spot in the standings, not a ton better: Busch 18th, Wallace 22nd.

“I mean, again, just trying to stop the bleeding there,” said Hamlin during Friday’s activity at Martinsville Speedway. “… I said earlier this week, you know, it’s just, the win was really exciting until you get out of the car, and you look down the pylon and say, ‘what the (expletive), like, what’s going on?’ But it’s just, it’s agitating because it’s different things on different teams. But it’s just a two-week slump that we’ve got to get out of.”

Those two weeks have been full of hardships, starting at Circuit of The Americas. Busch crashed in the No. 45 Toyota and Wallace’s No. 23 Camry lost a wheel, sending both spiraling out of the top 30 in the finishing order. Busch’s hopes for a rebound were thwarted at Richmond, where a mechanical issue sent the No. 45 behind the wall for extended repairs. He finished 109 laps off the pace.

Wallace earned 13 points in the last two races; Busch just seven. Friday at Martinsville, Hamlin examined the trouble – team by team.

“We’re trying to address all the issues that there is,” Hamlin said. “The 23 car is, the pit crew’s not doing well. You know, I’m in a meeting with Joe Gibbs Racing, and I thank them for everything they do for me, and then we walk out of that meeting into another and I’m cussing them out, because we’re just not doing a good enough job over there. So it’s just a very interesting thing that goes on, but that’s part of it.

“And then, the freak thing that happens with the 45. We’ve got a new sponsor over there, and the car’s sitting in the garage for 100 laps. So it’s just, it’s agitating but it’s … hopefully we look back on this two months from now and say, it’s just a little bump in the road, because certainly it’s not acceptable by any means.”

MORE: Cup Series standings

Busch joined 23XI this year as the team moved to add a veteran presence with a former champion’s pedigree. He’d actually registered consecutive top-five results – fifth at Phoenix, third at Atlanta – in the two races preceding his cold streak.

Monday after Richmond, he posted a self-deprecating video clip with an Animal House rallying cry. Friday at Martinsville, he struck a hopeful tone that the worst of the team’s misfortune might be behind it.

“I look at it as, all right, the driver’s allowed to mess up once, the pit crew can mess up once, I can have a mechanical gremlin. We’re done with all those now,” Busch said. “So we’ve definitely got to put together nice, consistent runs in practice, stages, and race finishes. We’ve been through a lot already as a new team with top fives, laps led, mechanical problems, so we’re checking off all the boxes.”

Wallace, who brought 23XI its first Cup Series victory last year at Talladega, has had his results go downhill this season since a runner-up finish in the Daytona 500. He led 12 laps that opening day, and has led just three since. But like Busch, he strived to remain upbeat even during his slide in the standings.

“It’s just mistakes that happen that we’ve got to clean up,” Wallace said. “Race teams have mistakes. We seem to have a little bit more than others right now, but it’s still early in the season. We’ll be fine.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Prior to his once-a-year race Friday night in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Dale Earnhardt Jr. said he’d raise a glass — or a can — on pit road with any driver who wanted to join him. So long as he finished the race.

Well, Junior finished the race Saturday at Martinsville Speedway, steering his No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet through the late-race madness to an 11th-place finish.

Bring on the beer.

MORE: Dale Jr. through the years

Dale Jr. had his car closing in on the top five late after starting at the rear of the field, but a late-race spate of cautions — one of which involved his car — took away any shot at the win.

Still, the NASCAR Hall of Famer was beaming on pit road after racing at one of his self-professed favorite tracks … with no doubt one of his self-professed favorite beverages.

Posted on by Staff Report

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – On older tires, Brandon Jones stole an Xfinity Series win from the scion of the owner of his race team on Saturday night at Martinsville Speedway.

Jones dived to the inside of Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Ty Gibbs as the Call 811 Before You Dig 250 presented by Call811.com went to a second overtime. Jones cleared Gibbs on the second circuit (Lap 261) and got to the finish line 0.677 seconds ahead of Landon Cassill, as Sam Mayer bumped Gibbs’s Toyota and squeezed it into the outside wall off the final corner.

RELATED: Official results | At-track photos | Jones burns it down for the fans

While Mayer and Gibbs tangled, AJ Allmendinger took third and the $100,000 Xfinity Dash 4 Cash bonus that goes to the highest finisher among four eligible drivers, a group that also included Mayer and Gibbs.

Gibbs led 198 of the 261 laps in a race that was scheduled for 250. Jones led 28. But Gibbs was too busy fighting Mayer on pit road after the race to worry about the lap count.

While Jones was performing a celebratory burnout on the frontstretch, Gibbs strode to Mayer’s car, and heated words soon led to punches — Mayer with helmet off, Gibbs with his helmet still on.

“I tried to talk to him, and he got in my face, and that’s when I had to start fighting,” Gibbs said.

“The only thing I’m mad about is that he (Mayer) wasn’t going to get by the 16 (Allmendinger), and I got hit in the left rear. It’s just frustrating, but I was on the other side of it last week (moving John Hunter Nemechek for a win at Richmond), so that’s just part of it.”

The dust-up on pit road did nothing to dampen the elation of Jones, who picked up his first Xfinity Series win since 2020 and the fifth of his career.

“It’s fun to beat him (Gibbs),” Jones said. “He’s hot right now.”

Mayer Gibbs Clean
NASCAR Digital Media

If Gibbs was hot, in another figurative sense, Mayer was unapologetic after the incident, which left him with a swollen left eye.

MORE: Teenagers brawl on pit road | Alternate angle of the fight

“With a hundred grand on the line, I put the bumper to him — that’s what short-track racing’s all about,” Mayer told FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass. “He got upset… he threw a couple of punches that were weak… But I just put the bumper to him for a hundred grand, and he got upset, but he’s been doing that to everyone else every week so far.”

Long before the chaotic ending, the race got off to a rocky start. Rain began falling right after the command was given to start engines and the green flag was delayed until a small storm cell left the area.

And before the field could complete a lap, the engine in Brennan Poole’s No. 47 Chevrolet exploded, sending a plume of smoke into the cool night air and dropping a trail of oil on the track.

The smoke was an appropriate metaphor. For the rest of Stage 1, Gibbs smoked the rest of the field, leading 59 of the 60 laps.

By pitting early under caution on Lap 42, Noah Gragson inherited the lead when Gibbs brought his No. 54 Toyota to pit road at the Stage 1 conclusion, but it didn’t take Gibbs long to prevail on new tires. (Gragson’s winning chances would evaporate in a wild multicar wreck that stopped the first attempt at overtime almost before it started.)

On Lap 88, the 19-year-old Gibbs passed Gragson for the top spot and began to pull away until Stefan Parsons’ spin in Turn 2 on Lap 101 caused the fifth caution.

Undeterred, Gibbs maintained his advantage, but the restart on Lap 108 allowed Jones to slip past Gragson for second. Gibbs elected to pit under caution on Lap 117 after contact from Anthony Alfredo’s Chevrolet turned the Toyota of Derek Griffith in Turn 1, causing the sixth caution.

That handed the stage win to Jones, who surrendered the lead to Parsons — with Gibbs running fourth — by pitting during the stage break, along with other drivers who had stayed out to collect stage points.

It took Gibbs fewer than two circuits to regain the lead after a restart on Lap 129. But at that point, barely past halfway, there were still nine cautions, two overtimes and a fistfight to go.

Making his annual one-and-done, Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran his No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro around the top 10 all evening until contact with Josh Berry on Lap 243 sent him spinning down the leaderboard. Berry and Earnhardt also tangled earlier in the race, with Berry suffering a flat tire after contact with his JR Motorsports team owner. Earnhardt rebounded to finish 11th, and Berry crossed the line in 19th.

The series takes two weeks off before returning on April 23 for the Ag-Pro 300 (4 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Talladega Superspeedway.

Note: Inspection in the Xfinity Series garage is complete, confirming Brandon Jones as the winner. The No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Ty Gibbs had one lug nut not safe and secure, resulting in a monetary fine.

Contributing: Staff reports.

Posted on by Zack Albert

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Sam Mayer said Ty Gibbs had snapped. Gibbs admitted as much.

On a fevered Friday night at Martinsville Speedway, the two Xfinity Series rivals clanged fenders and exchanged words and hands on pit road after a heated second overtime. Instead of pocketing the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash prize both drivers were eligible for, Mayer and Gibbs earned two trips – one to the pit-road concrete after their altercation became physical and another to the Xfinity Series hauler for a talking-to from NASCAR’s brass.

RELATED: At-track photos | Alternate angle of pit-road tangle

Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Brandon Jones sailed through for the win in the Call 811 Before You Dig 250, and AJ Allmendinger – with help from Kaulig Racing teammate Landon Cassill bowling through for second – crept by for the Dash 4 Cash bonus in third. Mayer bruised his way to fifth, with Gibbs wilting to an eighth-place finish.

Gibbs had been dominant again from the pole position, leading 197 of the 261 laps in a strong bid for his fourth victory of the season. But the fateful two-lap sprint to the end opened the door for fireworks on the track and off.

“That restart, the 19 (Jones) pushed us both up the race track,” Mayer told NASCAR.com. “So at that point, the race win was out of my hands. So I had the $100,000 in my sights and I was gonna do what I had to do to try to get back, and yeah, I put the bumper to him. That was like, in my opinion, we talked in the trailer and it was just a clean bump and run, and the 10 (Cassill) kind of stuck it in there, kind of got us both crossed up, and that’s kind of what, where it kind of went to crap.”

Gibbs planted his No. 54 Toyota on the bumper of Mayer’s No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet during and after the cool-down lap, as Gibbs’ JGR crew implored him to remain calm over the radio. That lasted until the two drivers dismounted on pit road, and punches were thrown.

“What led up to that moment was, I talked to Sam, I was frustrated,” Gibbs told NBC Sports‘ Dustin Long, adding it wasn’t his intention to fight when he approached Mayer. “I was like, ‘What are you doing when we got drove into the fence?’ And you know, we kind of shoved a little bit and I turned away. And when I got grabbed and kind of pulled, that just led up to that moment. I think just build-up, build-up, build-up and I snapped, and that’s just part of it. You know, hopefully I’ll learn from it. I made some other mistakes. But you know, just once I got off the bottom (lane), it was just game over for me when Brandon got inside of me.”

Mayer went to the infield care center after the race, and his face bore some scrapes from the grappling. As far as what escalated their confrontation, Mayer said the post-race emotions were running hot.

“Heat of the moment type stuff,” Mayer said. “I mean, I think it’s more I was just trying to get his attention, and he took it the wrong way, and it just … he just snapped. I mean, that’s what I say just happened. Nothing anything horrible, but it’s just part of the sport.”

The two were separated, and Gibbs conducted a brief TV interview before disappearing inside the officials’ hauler. All along the way, the healthy crowd sent boos in his direction – a cacophony Gibbs didn’t seem to mind.

“It’s just part of it, you know. At least they’re making noise, so that’s a good thing,” Gibbs said. “And I got to talk with all the NASCAR guys in here, and Wayne (Auton), and Steve (O’Donnell) and all of them, and I got to talk to Sam. So no, we’re all good. We’re on the same page. It’s just, boys are playing hard out there and it led up to that moment.”

The two weren’t exactly singing kumbaya after their 10-minute consultation in the Xfinity Series hauler, but it seemed a temporary cooling-off had at least been achieved.

“I just talked to him, he came back over, he was upset and just decided to throw a couple punches, but it’s fine by me. We talked about it,” Mayer said. “We’ll be good going forward, especially at Talladega. That’s a place where you don’t want to be enemies, so we’re gonna move on and be A-OK, keep our head down and go out try to get a win next week or next time.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

In the history of Martinsville Speedway, no driver had better results at the iconic short track than seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Richard Petty.

In total, “The King” won a record 15 races at the 0.526-mile venue. He took to the venue from his earliest days in NASCAR’s premier division, winning the second of his record 200 races — and his first on asphalt — at Martinsville.

RELATED: Petty through the years | Historic Martinsville moments

Both Petty and NASCAR Hall of Fame crew chief Dale Inman quickly developed a knack for racing at the Southern Virginia facility.

“It was just a Richard Petty track, I guess,” Petty told the NASCAR Wire Service. “It fit my style of driving, and it fit Dale’s style of setting the car up. It was just a good combination.

“You go to other tracks, and you run good, but you only win two or three races. Fate was just a little better for us up there.”

Fate wasn’t the only determining factor. Unlike most other competitors, Petty was a right-foot braker and was never on the gas and brakes at the same time. That helped him develop the rhythm necessary for success at Martinsville.

“I could use my brakes different from what other people did,” Petty said. “Sunday morning of the race, we’d put on a brand new set.”

Petty estimated that the superiority of his brake package helped him notch at least half his Martinsville wins.

Brakes have always been an issue at Martinsville, but the larger and more durable brake package on NASCAR’s new Next Gen Cup Series race car has the potential to change the dynamic of Saturday night’s race.

RELATED: Key story lines for Saturday | Weekend betting favorites

Drivers should be able to charge harder into the tight corners at the short track. And the brakes should be able to withstand more abuse, says Ryan Blaney, driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford.

But will that make a difference as to which drivers excel and Martinsville and which drivers can’t figure out the tricky-rhythm track?

“You never know,” Blaney said. “Everyone’s kind of adapted to this car differently. So it’s hard to tell. Martinsville is a unique place. Sometimes it kind of clicks for you, so I can see some guys who have run good there for a while still be really good, and I can see some guys who maybe haven’t run the best there be really good.

“Denny (Hamlin) has always been great at Richmond, and he’s still great at Richmond. But then you have some other guys who weren’t great at Richmond that ran pretty good (in last week’s race, won by Hamlin).

“I think you’ll have that at all these tracks. You’ll have guys that always know what to do around those places and are still going to be good, but then this new car might suit other drivers who maybe haven’t been as good at these certain tracks, and they’re going to run well. So we’ll have a mixed bag, I think.”