Posted on October 30, 2021October 31, 2021 by Sean Montgomery

All four spots in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship 4 were up for grabs at the start of Saturday’s Dead on Tools 250 at Martinsville Speedway, but now the season finale at Phoenix Raceway is set.

Take a look at which four Round of 8 drivers earned a title shot in the Nov. 6 championship race (8:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), and which four were eliminated.

WINNER

Entering Martinsville 24 points below the cutline, the night turned into a must-win situation for Noah Gragson and the No. 9 team — they got it done. The win is Gragson’s first-ever at “The Paperclip” after finishing third in 2020 and runner-up in this year’s spring race. As the only playoff driver to win in this year’s Round of 8, Gragson enters the Phoenix finale as the top-seeded driver among the four remaining title hopefuls. The win adds the iconic grandfather clock to his 2021 trophy case, featuring hardware from Darlington Raceway and Richmond Raceway collected in September.

MORE: Xfinity Series Playoff hub

WHO’S IN

Noah Gragson (WIN), Austin Cindric (points), Daniel Hemric (points) and AJ Allmendinger (points). Austin Cindric and AJ Allmendinger locked in via points early in the race after entering with a large cushion, while Daniel Hemric’s valiant third-place finish at Martinsville sealed his championship bid. Cindric is the defending series champion.

WHO’S OUT

Justin Allgaier (-6), Justin Haley (-51), Brandon Jones (-57) and Harrison Burton (-70) are each eliminated from title contention after Martinsville. Allgaier and Haley were both in the Championship 4 last season, finishing second and third in the final season standings. Jones and Burton entered Saturday in must-win situations. Jones finished sixth, Burton placed 20th after some late-race contact and Haley was scored 35 laps down after encountering brake issues early in the race.

STATS FOR PHOENIX

Noah Gragson

Starts: 5
Best finish: 2nd (Fall 2020)
Spring 2021 finish: 39th
Top fives: 1
Top 10s: 3
Average start: 8.2
Average finish: 13.8
Laps led: 29
DNFs: 1

Austin Cindric

Starts: 7
Best finish: 1st (Twice – Fall 2020, Spring 2021)
Spring 2021 finish: 1st
Top fives: 4
Top 10s: 6
Average start: 5.6
Average finish: 5.9
Laps led: 216
DNFs: 0

Daniel Hemric

Starts: 7
Best finish: Runner up (Fall 2018)
Spring 2021 finish: 23rd
Top fives: 2
Top 10s: 4
Average start: 12.7
Average finish: 14.0
Laps led: 45
DNFs: 1

AJ Allmendinger

Starts: 3
Best finish: 5th (Spring 2021)
Spring 2021 finish: 5th
Top fives: 1
Top 10s: 1
Average start: 16.0
Average finish: 10.0
Laps led: 5
DNFs: 0

Posted on October 30, 2021October 30, 2021 by Reid Spencer

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – To get to the Championship 4, you have to drive like a champion.

That’s what Noah Gragson did on Saturday night in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff race Dead On Tools 250 at Martinsville Speedway.

Faced with the necessity of winning the race to keep his NASCAR Xfinity Series title hopes alive, Gragson did just that, pulling off a dramatic pass of Daniel Hemric from the outside lane in the first attempt at overtime and holding off series leader Austin Cindric in the second extra period.

With Cindric’s Ford to his inside, Gragson won a drag race off Turn 4 to the finish line by .064 seconds, the closest Xfinity Series finish ever at Martinsville Speedway.

Gragson, who led a race-high 153 of 257 laps, got the lead after a restart on Lap 201, when he spun then-race-leader Ty Gibbs in a chain-reaction collision in Turn 4. After surrendering the top spot to Hemric on Lap 232, Gragson took advantage of a Lap 243 caution to regain the lead on the first overtime restart.

“This team, this Bass Pro Shops team,” said Gragson, who won for the third time this season and the fifth time in his career. “It’s been a rough, rough season. We had a couple of wins there, at Darlington and Richmond. After that deal last weekend (crashing out in 35th place at Kansas), I was pretty fired up. I told my guys we still have an opportunity. We’re still in it.

“I’m just so thankful. It’s just such an awesome opportunity. My second win here at Martinsville (his first came in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series). Get to take home another clock…This team is unbelievable. How about these badass fans out here.

“After the contact with the 54 (Gibbs)—I didn’t mean to get into him, I got hit in the back by the 22 (Cindric)—it was just a bad deal.”

Gragson’s victory was bittersweet for JR Motorsports. Though Gragson clinched a spot in next Saturday’s Championship 4 race at Phoenix, his victory simultaneously eliminated teammate Justin Allgaier, ending a string of three straight appearances in the final four.

“We played the safe strategy,” said Allgaier, who finished fifth and would have advanced if Cindric or Hemric had won the race. “We talked about it before the race and thought that was the smart strategy… Hats off to the 9 guys—same shop—so at least we’ve got one car going to the Playoff.”

Hemric came home third to earn the final Championship 4 berth by six points over Allgaier. Regular Season Champion AJ Allmendinger ran seventh, qualified on points and will race against defending series champion Cindric, Gragson and Hemric for the title.

Eliminated from the Playoff along with Allgaier were Brandon Jones (sixth), Harrison Burton (who suffered damage in a wreck with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Gibbs and finished 20th), and Justin Haley (who fell out of the race with brake problems after completing 222 laps).

Burton’s waterloo came in the same Lap 201 incident when Gragson inadvertently turned Gibbs. With no way to avoid his teammate, Burton ran into Gibbs’s Toyota and severely damaged the nose and front-left quarter panel of his Supra.

“We had a winning car today,” Burton said. “Just so many things have to go right in racing to win that it makes it challenging to do on the drop of a dime. We just had a couple things go wrong. It’s just a bummer deal that we didn’t get to show our speed at the end.

“Wish we could have won this thing. I felt like we were definitely capable of it. Our times were better than the 9 (Gragson) and he won. We just needed to show it.”

The Xfinity Series Championship 4 season finale will take place next Saturday at Phoenix Raceway, 8:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Note: Post-race inspection confirmed the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet of Gragson as the winner. There were no issues or lug-nut issues found in post-race inspection.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on October 30, 2021 by Zack Albert

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — The Championship 4 is set for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and three-quarters of the title-eligible field came away battle-scarred after a frantic Saturday start at Martinsville Speedway.

Zane Smith emerged victorious after a bare-knuckled overtime finish, with Matt Crafton and John Hunter Nemechek filing into the title race after an eventful afternoon in the United Rentals 200. Ben Rhodes did his best to stay above the conflict, maintaining fender neutrality to make the Championship 4 while many more of his competitors bickered about their lot on pit road afterward.

Those four will run for the Camping World Trucks title next Friday (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM) at Phoenix Raceway in the Lucas Oil 150. Last year’s champ Sheldon Creed, Stewart Friesen, Chandler Smith and Carson Hocevar were eliminated.

Nemechek was among those with the most to argue about afterward. A run-in with non-playoff driver Austin Wayne Self left the Kyle Busch Motorsports driver on the receiving end of a retaliatory bump, and his No. 4 Toyota sustained terminal damage, ending his day 75 laps from the finish.

“He shouldn’t be out here if he’s just going to hook someone in the right rear and turn them in the fence,” Nemechek said after a quick stop at the infield care center. “NASCAR should definitely look at that. It’s playoff contention. You’ve got to have respect and he doesn’t.”

Self offered his own explanation after exiting his No. 22 Chevrolet.

“I have no idea. I was turning in the corner and it’s just Martinsville — main thing, whatever,” Self said. “Everybody’s fighting for the same real estate. I didn’t know who it was when I turned in, so it wasn’t anything against anybody. I guess bad judgment call on my part. At the end of the day, I’m racing for the same thing here at Martinsville. He could’ve been a little more conservative maybe, but I had no idea who it was, so it’s not like I turned left on purpose just to wreck him personally. Could’ve been anybody inside me there.”

Nemechek said he paced for the remainder of the race inside the No. 4 hauler to await his playoff fate. He entered the Round of 8 finale atop the standings with a 36-point cushion. He finished 39th and made the cut by just four points — “a little bit too close for comfort,” Nemechek said.

“I’m just glad that we advanced,” Nemechek said. “My motto coming into this was ‘survive and advance.’ We didn’t survive, but we advanced, so that’s good.”

MORE: Inside the Championship 4 field

Crafton will drive for his fourth series championship at Phoenix, but was in a fighting mood after Martinsville. He faced off with Creed on pit road in an attempt to explain his side of a crash with 16 laps remaining in regulation, a scrap worsened by a bump from Crafton’s fellow ThorSport Racing driver Grant Enfinger, who he berated as “my worthless teammate.”

Despite all the jostling, Crafton finished fifth and advanced by the same four-point margin that sent Nemechek through. In redoubling his focus for the title race, Crafton also suggested that a form of frontier justice may be needed to restore some respect to the series’ spirit of competition.

“Yeah, whip somebody’s ass after they wreck you,” Crafton said. “At the end of the day, don’t just talk about it, do something about it. That’s my motto. These guys work too hard, sponsors pay too much money just to get wrecked and show no class like that. So just bust somebody in the mouth and it’ll fix it, I think.”

Zane Smith forced his own way into the final mix, from a starting spot inside the second row for the overtime restart. He forced the issue with a bold, three-wide move that ultimately paid off, finally avoiding Friesen’s contact with late-race leader Todd Gilliland and ending a daylong contest of tempers and bumpers. “I got flipped off on Lap 2,” he said. “That’s probably a new record for me.”

Rhodes wound up sitting the prettiest of all, logging a relatively uneventful seventh-place result and keeping his No. 99 ThorSport team out of the warring factions on pit road post-race.

“I was putting more energy into avoiding the wrecks than the energy I was putting into chasing the clock,” Rhodes said, referring to the track’s traditional grandfather clock trophy for the race winner. “I knew if I’m chasing the clock, I’m going to be a target. … We did everything right. I just, after I saw what happened to John Hunter, I hated it for him because I saw his season going down the drain for nothing. So I was like, I really don’t want to be that guy. We’re good on points right now. Let’s just chill out. We don’t need to put ourselves in a pissing match with nobody and get wrecked. That was the plan and we followed it and stayed true to it.

“Stayed patient and we let people go when they wanted to beat our bumper off or said they wanted to wreck us, and it paid off. So we’re making it to Phoenix and avoided the carnage.”

Posted on October 30, 2021October 30, 2021 by Reid Spencer

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – On a track strewn with spinning trucks and broken hearts, Zane Smith catapulted into the Championship 4 with a thrilling overtime victory in Saturday’s United Rentals 200 at Martinsville Speedway.

In a no-holds-barred race that featured 14 cautions for 89 laps, Smith won under yellow after he, Stewart Friesen and Todd Gilliland raced three-wide — yes, three-wide at Martinsville — off Turn 4 on the first lap of overtime.

Contact from Friesen’s Toyota sent Gilliland’s Ford spinning across the start-finish line to start the final lap. As Friesen moved down the track to contest the lead with Smith, contact between the two trucks spun Friesen’s Silverado into the Turn 1 wall.

RELATED: Official results

With the track blocked by spinning trucks behind Smith, NASCAR called the final caution, and Smith took the checkered flag under yellow.

Smith’s victory — his first at Martinsville, his first of the season and the third of his career — was heartbreak for his GMS Racing teammate, Sheldon Creed, the reigning series champion. Late in the race, Creed slapped the outside wall in an incident involving Matt Crafton and Grant Enfinger, finished ninth and failed to make the Championship 4 by four points.

Smith hasn’t been told whether he’ll return to GMS Racing next year, a point he made when he climbed from his No. 21 Chevrolet.

“I’m looking for a job right now,” Smith said. “I have nothing, so it’s a good day.”

Smith added a promise for next Friday’s championship race at Phoenix.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to win the damn thing,” he said.

Regular-season champion John Hunter Nemechek survived a hard wreck on Lap 130 after Austin Wayne Self hooked him on the backstretch and turned the No. 4 Toyota hard into the outside wall. Nemechek and Crafton made the final four by four points, joining Smith and Ben Rhodes in next Friday’s championship race.

“He shouldn’t be out here if he’s just going to hook someone in the right rear and turn them in the fence,” said Nemechek, who had bumped Self’s Chevrolet in Turn 1 moments before the wreck. “NASCAR should definitely look at that. It’s playoff contention. You’ve got to have respect and he doesn’t. It is what it is. Hopefully we make it to the final four and we definitely will have something for them in Phoenix.”

Knocked out of the playoffs with Creed were Stewart Friesen, who finished 17th, and Sunoco rookies Chandler Smith and Carson Hocevar.

“On one of the last restarts, he just drove into the 98 (Enfinger), his own teammate, and I ended up getting swept into the fence because of it,” Creed said. “Went back to 23rd and drove back up and finished ninth, I guess. It’s just frustrating.”

In an earlier incident on Lap 185, Enfinger had turned Crafton in Turn 4, but Crafton escaped damage with a deft move after a 360-degree spin and salvaged a fifth-place finish.

Gilliland led a race-high 133 of 204 laps but couldn’t survive the final restart when Smith used his bumper to get beneath Gilliland’s Ford in the first corner.

In the wild finish, Austin Hill was credited with second, followed by Tanner Gray, Chandler Smith and Crafton.

NOTE: Zane Smith’s No. 21 GMS Racing Chevrolet passed NASCAR’s post-race inspection, confirming his victory. The No. 19 McAnally Hilgemann Racing Toyota of Derek Kraus and the No. 49 CMI Motorsports Ford of Roger Reuse were found with one lug nut not safe and secure. There were no other issues.

Posted on October 30, 2021October 30, 2021 by Zach Sturniolo

The Championship 4 field is set for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series after Saturday’s United Rentals 200 at Martinsville Speedway.

Here’s a look at everything you need to know heading into the title fight at Phoenix Raceway:

WINNER

Zane Smith. Smith locked his spot into the Championship 4 with a victory at Martinsville Speedway Saturday afternoon after Todd Gilliland and Stewart Friesen crashed across the start/finish line while taking the white flag.

Smith snuck through and advances to the Championship 4 for the second year in a row.

WHO’S IN

Zane Smith (WIN), Ben Rhodes (+27), Matt Crafton (+4) and John Hunter Nemechek (+4). Zane Smith was the runner-up at Phoenix Raceway in 2020 behind GMS Racing teammate Sheldon Creed. He’s got an opportunity to earn one spot better next weekend but will have to beat Rhodes, Crafton and Nemechek to win the title.

WHO’S OUT

Sheldon Creed (-4), Stewart Friesen (-29), Chandler Smith (-50) and Carson Hocevar (-57). For the seventh season in a row, the Truck Series will not have a back-to-back champion as Sheldon Creed was eliminated from the Championship 4. Friesen was in position to advance with a victory coming to the white flag but turned Gilliland across the line before spinning himself in Turn 1. Smith and Hocevar both spent time toward the front of the field, but neither will race for a championship at Phoenix.

STATS AT PHOENIX

John Hunter Nemechek

Starts: 7
Best finish: 2nd (twice — 2015, 2017)
Top fives: 2
Top 10s: 4
Average start: 11.3
Average finish: 13.7
Laps led: 31
DNFs: 2 (both in last two NCWTS Phoenix starts)

Ben Rhodes

Starts: 6
Best finish: 4th (2019)
Top fives: 2
Top 10s: 3
Average start: 5.3
Average finish: 10.3
Laps led: 48
DNFs: 1

Matt Crafton

Starts: 20
Best finish: 2nd (2014)
Top fives: 6
Top 10s: 12
Average start: 8.0
Average finish: 10.0
Laps led: 16
DNFs: 2

Zane Smith

Starts: 1
Best finish: 2nd (2020)
Top fives: 1
Top 10s: 1
Average start: 2.0
Average finish: 2.0
Laps led: 48
DNFs: 0

Posted on October 30, 2021 by Terrin Waack

Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway
(⏰ 2 p.m. ET | 📺 NBC, TSN5 | 📻 MRN, SiriusXM)

Everything you need to know for Sunday’s Round of 8 elimination race and 35th points-paying NASCAR Cup Series event of the 2021 season.

Where: Martinsville Speedway, located in Ridgeway, Virginia
Green flag: 2:12 p.m. ET
Grand Marshal: TBD
Flyover: The Bandit Flight Team
TV/Radio: NBC/NBC Sports App/Peacock, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Forecast: Mostly sunny, with a high near 64 degrees. Northwest wind 5-11 mph, according to NOAA.gov
Race Distance: 500 laps, 263 miles
Stages: 130 | 260 | 500
Pit-road speed: 30 mph
Caution car speed: 35 mph
Race purse:$7,778,099
Martinsville 101: Get the full lowdown
Starting lineup: See the full lineup
Pit-stall assignments: See who is pitting where | Expert breaks down pit selections

James Gilbert | Getty Images

Five to watch

Here are five big storylines we’ll be following at Martinsville Speedway.

1. Four drivers are within six points of the NASCAR Playoffs elimination line entering the Round of 8 finale. At least two drivers will make the Championship 4 on points since Kyle Larson is the only one who has won in this three-race portion, meaning he’s the only one locked into the title battle. At risk of elimination: Ryan Blaney (fifth, -1), Martin Truex Jr. (sixth,-3), Brad Keselowski (seventh, -6) and Joey Logano (eighth, -26). Currently safe: Larson (qualified, two wins), Chase Elliott (second, +34), Denny Hamlin (third, +32) and Kyle Busch (fourth, +1).

2. Martin Truex Jr. puts the “Martin” in Martinsville as of late. The driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota has won three of the last four races at the Virginia short track, including the one previously held this season in April. He was passed for the win in the other. Truex sits two spots and three points below the elimination line, in danger of not making the Championship 4. He could very well point his way in, but a win would guarantee him a spot with no stress. Martinsville’s place on the schedule just might be perfect for Truex.

3. A playoff driver below the elimination line has won the Round of 8 elimination race to advance in the Championship 4 three times. Kevin Harvick, who is no longer title eligible this season, did so in 2014; he was -6 at Phoenix Raceway. Denny Hamlin did from -20 at Phoenix in 2019. And then Chase Elliott did it last year at Martinsville when -25.

4. Kyle Larson has won the last three races in a row — starting at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, then Texas Motor Speedway and continuing the trend at Kansas Speedway. The last driver to win four consecutive races was Jimmie Johnson in 2007, and he won his second of seven championships that year. Larson has never won at Martinsville in 13 starts and averages a 21.1 finish. He placed fifth there earlier this season.

5. Hendrick Motorsports’ 25 wins at Martinsville marks the most wins by a team at a track. The next-best tally is 21 by Junior Johnson and Associates at Bristol Motor Speedway but also Hendrick Motorsports at Dover International Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway. Hendrick Motorsports has two drivers still active in the NASCAR Playoffs: Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott. Only Elliott from the Hendrick Motorsports garage, which also includes Alex Bowman and William Byron, has won at Martinsville before.

Race-day staples

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

• Power Rankings: Martin Truex Jr.’s time is ticking | Latest rankings
• Paint Scheme Preview: Spooky Halloween weekend looks | See them all
• Playoff Pulse: Analyzing the field after Kansas | Full breakdown
• Playoff Show: Does Team Penske have what it takes? | Watch the show
• Debate: Will Kyle Larson end up as NASCAR great? | Watch the debate
• Bubble Watch: Lurking Joey Logano should worry drivers | See bubble breakdown
• Fantasy Fastlane: Heavy on playoff performers | Top plays, sleepers

Get in on the action

Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy.

• What are the odds?: Betting odds for Martinsville | See them here
• Featured matchup: Breaking down betting Ryan Blaney vs. Martin Truex Jr. | The Action Network’s pick | See the analysis
• Betting pick: The 17-1 prop bet to make | Read more
• Jackpot Races: Team Penske trouble at Martinsville? | Watch for more
• Fantasy advice: Martin Truex Jr. motivated for Martinsville | Watch for more
• Talking playoffs: How Fantasy Live game works for the postseason | Read more
• On the grid: How the Cup Series Playoffs Grid Challenge works | Read more
• No risk, big reward: Take a shot at winning cash prizes with the free-to-play Jackpot Races app | Hit the jackpot
• Play it LIVE: Full guide to 2021 NASCAR Fantasy Live game | Get the FAQ

Memories from Martinsville

NASCAR heads to the final race in the Round of 8 and second race at Martinsville Speedway, so let’s take a look back at some track history.

• All-time fall wins: Martinsville Speedway | See the list
• 14 times: Martinsville fall winners who won title | See the champs
• Memory lane: Most memorable moments at Martinsville | Relive the moments
• Martinsville mayhem: Years of crumpled cars |Relive the carnage
• A race to remember: Ricky Rudd, Jeff Gordon battle | Watch 1998 NAPA Autocare 500
• One year ago: Chase Elliott cashes in on must-win to make Championship 4 | Full race recap

Fast facts

Hard-hitting, race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.

• Ford is winless in the last four Martinsville races after winning the three prior races.
• Joe Gibbs Racing drivers were passed for the win in the last two Martinsville races.
• The Stage 2 winner won four of the last six Martinsville races.
• Denny Hamlin won five of eight stages on short tracks this season but has not won a race.
• Four playoff drivers are within six points of the elimination line.

Next Gen update

Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media

• Next steps: Why Next Gen was at Bowman Gray | Read more
• See the scenes: Photos from Next Gen’s time at Bowman Gray | Scroll the gallery
• One for the history books: Column on Next Gen at Bowman Gray | Read more
• Clash preview: Less than 100 days until NASCAR’s in LA | Watch the video
• Stadium tracks: History of racing around football fields | Watch the video
• Hear that?: Next Gen’s sound will be ‘amazing’ in LA | Watch the video
• Clint Bowyer’s perspective: Seat time critical before Clash | Watch the video
• ‘Does everything better:’ Dale Jr. evaluates Next Gen car | Watch the video

Catch the pack

Read up on all the headlines from the week leading up to Sunday’s race.

• Two more races: Other national series set Championship 4 fields | Xfinity preview | Truck preview
• Halloween heroics: Races ran on the spooky holiday | See the five winners
• Big shots: Modern-era drivers to win 10 races in a season | See the stars
• One point away: Ryan Blaney aiming to hit next career milestone | Read more
• Moving up: Austin Hill to run Xfinity season for RCR | Read more
• Sponsor makes moves: GearWrench to back Kevin Harvick in 2022 | Read more
• Big picture: What Bubba Wallace’s win at Talladega Superspeedway means | Read more
• He’s back: Dale Earnhardt Jr. sets lone 2022 Xfinity Series start | Find out where
• Philanthropic efforts: 2021 Comcast Community Champion of the Year finalist revealed | See the three
• Man in charge: Joe Fowler named Michigan International Speedway’s new track president | Read more
• Stacking Pennies: Corey LaJoie’s latest and greatest thoughts | Listen to podcast
• Mark your calendars: ARCA Menards Series releases 2022 schedule | See the slate

Say what?

Notable quotes from the stars of the sport heading into Sunday’s race.

Sean Gardner | Getty Images

• “Martinsville, I made my first-ever NASCAR start there in the Truck Series. It didn’t go very well and I learned so much from it and it’s been a great track for me ever since then. I’ve had some tough breaks. One year we blew a tire and this past year we lost power-steering and had a mechanical failure and then got caught up in a wreck because I didn’t have any steering, so that was not a good run, but outside of that, I feel like we’ve ran 15 maybe 20 races there that have gone really, really well. It’s been a great track for us.” — Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford.

• “Martinsville has been a really tough track for me in the past. Earlier this year, we were really good there in Hendrick (Motorsports) equipment and I was able to run top five. That run helped my confidence a lot. I think if we can go there and have another good run and, heck, if we can get a win there, yes – I’ll be feeling great going to Phoenix (Raceway).” — Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

• “I expect it to be pretty similar (to the April race). We’ll just wait and see how it plays out. Martinsville is funny because it can change 10 or 15 degrees, or the start time of the race can be a little different and you can find yourself being a little off. It’s a funny, quirky little place, but we have a lot of confidence and it’s been good to us over the past few seasons. Hopefully, we can go there and get the job done.” — Martin Truex Jr., driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

Posted on October 29, 2021October 29, 2021 by Marcus DiNitto

The oddsboard for Sunday’s Xfinity 500 (2 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App/Peacock, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) falls off a cliff, from the drivers in title contention to the also-rans. All eight drivers whose playoff hopes remain alive are priced with single-digit odds; William Byron, who has already been eliminated, is the first non-playoff driver listed, ninth on the betting board at 14-to-1 odds, despite back-to-back stand-out performances.

This weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Martinsville Speedway is the penultimate race of the 2021 season, narrowing the field from eight to the Championship 4 ahead of Phoenix.

Here are odds to win Sunday’s race from four sportsbooks around the betting market (as of Friday morning):

Driver	Barstool	BetMGM	WynnBET	SuperBook
Martin Truex Jr.	+400	+400	+375	+350
Denny Hamlin	+600	+600	+600	+600
Kyle Larson	+600	+650	+800	+800
Chase Elliott	+650	+650	+650	+700
Ryan Blaney	+700	+700	+700	+700
Kyle Busch	+900	+900	+800	+800
Brad Keselowski	+900	+800	+800	+800
Joey Logano	+900	+800	+800	+800
William Byron	+1400	+1400	+1400	+1400
Kevin Harvick	+2500	+2500	+2800	+3000
Christopher Bell	+2800	+2500	+2500	+2500
Alex Bowman	+4000	+3300	+3300	+5000
Kurt Busch	+4000	+4000	+4000	+5000
Tyler Reddick	+5000	+6600	+6000	+10000

Sure, the eight still in the playoffs are generally the better drivers – that’s why they’re still in the hunt – but there’s another factor at play in the odds pricing: the notion that eliminated drivers will stay out of contenders’ way.

“In the Cup Series, you just don’t have non-playoff guys win,” Ed Salmons, who handles NASCAR oddsmaking duties at the influential SuperBook USA in Las Vegas, said in a text message to NASCAR.com.

Last week at Kansas Speedway, Byron finished second in Stage 1, won Stage 2, and led 57 laps along the way, but ultimately finished sixth; his title-contending Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott were first and second, respectively. Two weeks ago in Texas Motor Speedway, the No. 24 came in second, again behind Larson.

“Byron has had the best car the last 2 weeks and hasn’t won,” Salmons added. “(Kevin) Harvick, who’s running much better, has finished top 5.”

There are, of course, exceptions to the rule: Kyle Busch won in the Round of 8 at Texas last year after having already been eliminated.

Austin Dillon got into Ryan Blaney late in last weekend’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas, hurting the No. 12’s chances of advancing to the Championship 4.

“After what Dillon did to Blaney, it’s tough for the non-playoff guys because they don’t want to be that guy,” said Salmons.

Value on the longshots?

The bookmaker’s reasoning, though, begs the question: Do the longer-than-usual odds on out-of-contention drivers present betting value on guys like Byron, Harvick and even Christopher Bell?

Well, yes, but even for quantitative handicappers, there is a smell test to pass.

“My model does not adjust for whether or not a driver is in the playoffs,” Jim Sannes, a NASCAR betting and fantasy analyst at numberFire, said in a direct message. “…. As a result, my numbers do show some outright value on Kevin Harvick and Christopher Bell this week. However, I’m not, personally, betting those outrights. …. There is some value on the non-playoff drivers, but it’s not enough for me to bet them rather than sticking with the narratives and taking an undervalued playoff driver.”

The undervaluing of non-playoff guys, though, necessarily means at least some contenders are overvalued by the bookmakers.

“If (a bookmaker) prices non-playoff guys at longer odds, he’s certainly making up for it by shortening the playoff contenders’ odds,” texted professional bettor Zack White.

There may be some value to be found, however, among the playoff field – the No. 22 at 10-to-1 odds at FanDuel, for example.

“(I’m) opting to ride with Joey Logano, who shows value (11.0% in my simulations versus 9.1% implied) even after the playoff bump,” Sannes said.

Marcus DiNitto is Senior News Editor at Gaming Today and has been covering sports business for more than 20 years and sports betting for about 10. NASCAR is among the many sports he bets – and typically loses – on. Follow him on Twitter; do not bet his picks.

Posted on October 29, 2021October 29, 2021 by PJ Walsh

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

And then there were two … races that is.

Sunday’s Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway (2 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App/Peacock, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) is the final race of the NASCAR Cup Series’ Round of 8, giving drivers one last opportunity to lock themselves into the championship finale at Phoenix next week.

Kyle Larson, by way of wins at Texas Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway, has already punched his ticket to the Championship 4, meaning that three positions are still very much up for grabs Sunday at Martinsville.

While anything can happen at the track known as “The Paperclip,” Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin currently sit 34 and 32 points, respectively, above the playoff cutline, so each driver can take a conservative approach on Sunday to advance.

On the other hand, Ryan Blaney sits just one point behind the final playoff position, while Martin Truex Jr. trails by three points heading into Sunday’s race.

The performances of Truex and Blaney will be huge storylines throughout Sunday’s Xfinity 500, and oddsmakers are taking full advantage.

NASCAR at Martinsville Betting Pick

WynnBET‘s NASCAR Matchup of the Week has Truex priced at -130 vs. Blaney at +110.

Both drivers have been phenomenal at Martinsville over the last three races, with Truex scoring two wins and the second-best driver rating while Blaney has posted the fourth-best rating.

In addition, all four of the Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s wins have come using the 750-horsepower package that cars will run in Sunday’s race.

Based on the data, Truex has an edge, albeit a small one, over Blaney at this track, though the odds seem to reflect that with the current pricing.

Still, I believe that the No. 19 Toyota will finish ahead of the No. 12 Ford more than 56.5% of the time, which is the probability that -130 odds imply.

To be honest, I don’t feel too strongly about it, but prefer Truex at -130 in the matchup.

The bet: Truex (-130) over Blaney

Posted on October 29, 2021October 29, 2021 by Chase Wilhelm

NASCAR has announced new truck body updates beginning with the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season.

The sanctioning body will permit Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota to update their truck noses and tails to better match production trucks for consumers, while adding more identity from the front fascia (nose of the truck) to the A-post.

Previously, the lower fascia was common on all three truck models. Now, it has been opened for the manufacturers to better replicate the looks of the Silverado, F-150 and Tundra.

Ford unveiled its 2022 F-150 model via social media on Thursday with current Truck Series driver Hailie Deegan. Toyota revealed the new-look Tundra TRD Pro on Friday with NASCAR Cup Series champion and Truck Series owner Kyle Busch. Chevrolet unveiled its new Silverado in a social media post at the end of October.

Toyota

The enhanced manufacturer identity will allow for the trucks on the race track to closely resemble those driven by fans off the car-dealership lot. While the body style is set to change, the thrilling on-track performance product fans are used to seeing will not be impacted and the same high-quality racing is anticipated for next season and beyond.

“We’re always looking for ways to be more relevant for our OEMs,” John Probst, NASCAR’s senior vice president of innovation and racing development, told NASCAR.com. “One of the ways to do that is to have the products on the race track more accurately reflect what’s available in the showroom. I think you’ll see a lot more characteristics of the production trucks in the trucks that you see on track in 2022.”

The submission process for all three manufacturers initially began in September 2020 and followed the OEM Body Approval Process outlined in the NASCAR Rule Book. All three OEMs passed wind-tunnel testing on their first attempt, which prompted final approval from NASCAR officials.

Chevrolet

Like the current body, next year’s truck versions will include a mixture of materials. The nose and tail affected by the updates will now be made of a strong composite material compared to the current nose and tail. The remainder of the body will consist of sheet metal.

While NASCAR would like all Truck Series teams to compete with the new body in 2022, the current body will also be approved for competition in 2022 to assist teams in the management of costs.

The manufacturers were able to add their own creativity to the new body updates, which Probst said is likely the biggest change that was made with the new process of determining the final product.

“We had opened up a lot more areas for the OEMs to basically implement their DNA into the race truck,” Probst said. “As part of that, though, we wanted to make sure that from a performance perspective, we keep parity on the race track. If you look at the Truck Series now, that’s some of the best racing we have going on. First and foremost, we didn’t want to hurt that, so we actually used the performance of the current truck for the new truck with additional character to them. While they have a lot more character from our process, from a performance perspective, the parity will still be really good in the Truck Series.”

Ford

That manufacturer ingenuity during the process has made for a more stylish on-track product for the fans’ enjoyment.

“They look really good with all that additional styling on the fenders and the hood and in the lower nose,” Probst said. “It’s even striking again when you see them all painted up with the decals on them and the paint schemes they implement. There’s a lot of thought that went behind them. I think the fans are going to be over the moon with how these trucks look.”

Probst indicated that before conversations about the body updates, two of the three manufacturers were contemplating changes to their trucks under the current format. The production of the Next Gen for the NASCAR Cup Series facilitated deeper conversations for changes to the trucks.

“We said why don’t we just take this opportunity to take some of the lessons that we learned on the Next Gen to open a lot more of the truck to OEM characteristics and that’s where we landed,” Probst said. “We got all three (manufacturers) on board. They were excited to go ahead and do that and take advantage of the opportunity to bring even more of the production truck to the race track.”

Posted on October 29, 2021October 29, 2021 by Zach Sturniolo

The NASCAR Cup Series rolls into Martinsville Speedway on Sunday to officially set the 2021 Championship 4 grid.

Ahead of the Xfinity 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App/Peacock, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), Kyle Larson remains the only driver whose ticket to compete for a title is punched. The remaining seven drivers in the Round of 8 are set to make sure they head to the desert as one of the four competitors with championship hopes still burning at Phoenix.

LINING THEM UP

By virtue of his third consecutive victory and ninth of the season, Kyle Larson will once again lead the field to green this weekend at Martinsville. The front three rows of Sunday’s starting grid feature pairs of teammates: Hendrick Motorsports teammates Larson and Chase Elliott will start up front ahead of the Joe Gibbs Racing duo of Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr., who are followed by Team Penske housemates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski. Row 4 rounds out the playoff drivers with Kyle Busch and Ryan Blaney starting seventh and eighth, respectively. For the full starting lineup, click here.

THE PURSE

NASCAR released purse information for the upcoming national series races.

NASCAR Cup Series: $7,778,099

NASCAR Xfinity Series: $1,325,013

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: $674,952

MARTINSVILLE HISTORY

— Martinsville Speedway held its first race on Sept. 7, 1947, a modified stock car race won by Red Byron and promoted by Bill France Sr., who convinced track co-founder Henry Clay Earles stock cars were the future of racing.

— NASCAR held its first sanctioned race at Martinsville on July 4, 1948, another modified stock car race and won by Fonty Flock. Bill France finished eighth.

— The Cup Series has raced at Martinsville since the series’ inaugural season in 1949. Byron claimed the victory on Sept. 25, 1949 over Lee Petty on what was then a dirt surface. The first 12 Martinsville Cup races were held on dirt.

— The popular grandfather clock awarded as the victor’s trophy was introduced in 1964, when Earles worked with the nearby Ridgeway Clock Company to produce it. The first clock was awarded in September 1964 to Fred Lorenzen.

— Richard Petty has 12 clocks (as well as three wins before the tradition began), besting Darrell Waltrip (11 clocks), Jeff Gordon (9) and Jimmie Johnson (9).

— International Speedway Corporation purchased the then-privately-owned Martinsville Speedway in 2004 for $192 million and resurfaced the entire track following the 2004 spring race, which saw Jeff Gordon run over loose concrete in Turn 3 while leading the event.

— Lights were added for the 2017 season as part of a $5 million project that coincided with the track’s 70th anniversary.

— Sunday marks the 146th race at Martinsville and just the second time it serves as the penultimate race of the season, the first of which occurred in 2020.

Source: Racing Insights

RULES PACKAGE

NASCAR Cup Series cars will utilize the 750-horsepower, low-downforce package this weekend, which features shorter spoilers and front splitters in an effort to minimize the impact of aerodynamics at tracks shorter than 1.4 miles in length. This package will also be used in next week’s season finale at Phoenix Raceway.

GOODYEAR TIRES

As the series heads to its penultimate race of 2021, Goodyear returns to Martinsville with the same tire compound and construction used during the spring race. Focus has gone into allowing the tires to lay more rubber in colder temperatures, but with current forecasts predicting a high of 64°F on Sunday, that may not come into play.

What always comes into play at the bullish paperclip half-mile is traction, especially with 750 HP underneath the drivers’ right feet.

“We adjusted the tread compounds last season at Martinsville to not only lay rubber but to give the cars more grip,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “The other key element of the tire is the construction, which we also updated in 2020. Our constructions for Martinsville have to consider that the cars are hard on the brakes entering the corners and hard on the gas exiting and must be able to handle those conditions.”

STORYLINES AND TRENDS HEADING INTO MARTINSVILLE

— While Kyle Larson is locked into the Championship 4, Chase Elliott (+34), Denny Hamlin (+32) and Kyle Busch (+1) sit above the elimination line entering Martinsville.

— On the outside looking in are Ryan Blaney (-1), Martin Truex Jr. (-3), Brad Keselowski (-6) and Joey Logano (-26).

— This is the third time at least four drivers were within six points of the bubble entering the Round of 8 elimination race.

— Martin Truex Jr. has won three of the last four races at Martinsville, including this spring’s event.

— The last eight Martinsville races were won by six different drivers. Truex is the only driver to earn multiple victories in that span.

— Chase Elliott’s victory in November 2020 is Chevrolet’s lone Martinsville triumph in the last nine races at the half-mile paperclip-shaped track.

— Ford is winless in the last four Martinsville races after winning each of three prior events.

— Joe Gibbs Racing has won four of the last eight contests at Martinsville.

— Martin Truex Jr led only 20 laps in his win at Martinsville in the spring, the fewest laps led by a winner in the last 18 races.

— The Stage 2 winner won four of the last six Martinsville races.

— Kyle Larson won three straight races twice in 2021, he is the first driver to do so since Dale Earnhardt in 1987.

— Three races at Martinsville were won with a last-lap pass, two coming in the last eight races.

Source: Racing Insights

TIME TO BET ON IT

While Kyle Larson has dominated the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs with wins in four of the last eight races, the nine-time race winner is not the favorite at Martinsville, according to BetMGM.

That honor goes to Martin Truex Jr., who the sportsbook lists at 4-1 odds. With wins in three of the last four Martinsville races, it’s clear to see his advantage over the rest of the field this Sunday.

Larson, meanwhile, only has two top fives and three top 10s in 13 Martinsville starts but is still listed at 13-2, likely thanks to a fifth-place effort back in April. Denny Hamlin (6-1) and Chase Elliott (13-2/+650) have great track records at the paperclip but don’t necessarily need top-tier runs to advance to the Championship 4.

Kyle Busch is a two-time winner at Martinsville, but four straight finishes of ninth or worse at Martinsville leave him with the worst odds of all playoff drivers at 9-1.

FANTASY LIVE

Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out the playoff version of NASCAR Fantasy Live, which is open now and offers a fresh start for those of you who played the regular-season contest. The free-to-play game lets you choose your drivers each week and show off your crew-chief instincts, and there is a $10,000 prize for the winner.

The 2021 Fantasy Live points leaders are Kyle Larson (1,370), Denny Hamlin (1,363) and Chase Elliott (1,150).

This year, NASCAR.com also has the Playoffs Grid Challenge game, presented by Ruoff Mortgage, where you can pick the winners for each round of the playoffs right up through the Championship 4. First prize is $10,000.

How to play: Playoffs Grid Challenge | Playoff Fantasy Live

ALSO ON NASCAR.COM

Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week a select number of in-car cameras will be available — as well as a battle cam and an overhead look.

New for this season, NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement in the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.

And finally, head over to the NASCAR Mobile App for AR Racing presented by Mobil 1, where you can design your own car and race the playoff drivers at the playoff tracks in augmented reality.

Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway (⏰ 2 p.m. ET | 📺 NBC, TSN5 | 📻 MRN, SiriusXM)