Martinsville welcomes NASCAR this weekend

Virginia’s Denny Hamlin leads a high-performing Joe Gibbs Racing to Martinsville

Fresh off his second win of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season last weekend at Richmond Raceway, Chesterfield, Virginia’s Denny Hamlin leads a very-high performing Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) organization to Martinsville Speedway for the Cook Out 400 on Sunday, April 7 at 3 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, the eighth race of this year’s schedule.

Two of the four Joe Gibbs Racing drivers have won already this season – Christopher Bell (Phoenix) and Denny Hamlin (Bristol and Richmond).

All four JGR drivers are inside the top-six in the NASCAR Cup Series driver point standings, with Martin Truex Jr. holding the standings lead, followed by Hamlin in third, Ty Gibbs in fourth and Bell in sixth – the only four car team with all four drivers inside the top-10.

Also, through seven races this season four drivers are tied for the most top-five finishes with five each, and three of them are Joe Gibbs Racing drivers – Bell, Gibbs and Truex. The only other driver with five top fives this season is Chris Buescher with RFK Racing.

Plus, through seven races this season five drivers have led 100 laps or more, and four of them are from the Joe Gibbs Racing contingent – Truex (352 laps led), Hamlin (292), Gibbs (195) and Bell (119). The fifth is Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson, who has the most laps led this season with 368.

Joe Gibbs Racing has racked-up 14 NASCAR Cup Series victories at Martinsville Speedway, third-most all-time behind Hendrick Motorsports (28 wins) and Petty Enterprises (19 wins). Christopher Bell is the most recent JGR driver to win at Martinsville with his victory in the 2022 Playoff race. Hamlin leads all active drivers this weekend in wins at Martinsville with five victories (2008, 2009, 2010 sweep, 2015).

Hendrick Motorsports to celebrate organization’s 40th anniversary at Martinsville

Founded by NASCAR Hall of Fame owner Rick Hendrick in 1984, Hendrick Motorsports is the winningest team in NASCAR Cup Series history with all-time records of 304 points-paying race victories and 14 championships. The organization holds almost every major statistical record at NASCAR’s top level, including pole positions, top-10 finishes, top fives and laps led.

“When I think back on our story, I have a hard time believing it myself,” Hendrick said. “In 1984, we had five employees, 5,000 square feet of rented space and a lot of desire to make it work. I dreamed of one day winning a race, but I never imagined it would grow into what it is now. Every bit of success we’ve had is due to the contributions of our people and the incredible support we’ve received over 40 years. We’re here because of the commitment, the passion and the sacrifices made by so many. It’s been an incredible ride, and we’re just getting started.”

In the eighth race of the 1984 season at Martinsville Speedway, driver Geoff Bodine recorded Hendrick Motorsports’ first Cup Series win, which kept owner Hendrick from shutting down the fledgling team. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of that key victory, this week Hendrick Motorsports will run four ruby red paint schemes in the Cook Out 400 on April 7 (3 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Martinsville – the eighth race of 2024:

• Kyle Larson’s No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
• Chase Elliott’s No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
• William Byron’s No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
• Alex Bowman’s No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

In addition, the celebration will also include Rick Hendrick serving as the honorary pace car driver for the Cup race, and Geoff Bodine and nine-time Martinsville Speedway winner Jeff Gordon as the event’s Grand Marshals.

Hendrick Motorsports has fielded only Chevrolet race cars in the Cup Series since it was established and has 28 Cup-level victories among nine drivers at Martinsville – Jeff Gordon (nine), Jimmie Johnson (nine), Darrell Waltrip (four), Geoff Bodine (one), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (one), Chase Elliott (one), Alex Bowman (one), William Byron (one) and Kyle Larson (one), which is the all-time record for team wins at a single track.

Been a decade since a driver has won from the pole at Martinsville

Despite being considered the most proficient starting position in the NASCAR Cup Series field at Martinsville Speedway, a driver has not won from the pole or first starting position in over a decade, the last competitor to accomplish the feat was NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson on April 7, 2013.

The pole or first starting position has accounted for 21 wins (14.38%) at Martinsville Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series. And a total of 16 different drivers have won a Cup race from the pole or first starting at Martinsville Speedway, led by Jimmie Johnson with three victories (2008, 2012, 2013).

Joe Gibs Racing’s Denny Hamlin is the only active driver to win a race at Martinsville from the pole (2010).

In total, 63 drivers have won the pole at Martinsville Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series. This weekend, seven of the 63 will be entered in the Cook Out 400.

All the NASCAR Cup Series on-track action will begin with practice at 4:35 p.m. ET, followed by Busch Light Pole Qualifying at 5:20 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 6 – both events will be broadcast on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Perfectors of the ‘Paper Clip’ to pay attention to

In the NASCAR Cup Series, a total of 59 different drivers have won at Martinsville Speedway. This weekend, 11 of the 59 different NASCAR Cup Series Martinsville Speedway winners will be active, led by Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin with five victories (2008, 2009, 2010 sweep, 2015).

NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Martinsville Speedway with 15 victories (1960, 1962, 1963, 1967 sweep, 1968, 1969 sweep, 1970, 1971, 1972 sweep, 1973, 1975, 1979) – tied with North Wilkesboro (R. Petty, 15 wins) for the most wins by a driver at a single track in the series.

Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson is the defending winner of the Martinsville Spring race, and Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney is the most recent winner at Martinsville Speedway, grabbing the win last Fall.

 Earning the Grandfather Clock as your first Cup trophy

Heading into Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway, 13 of the 37 drivers entered (35.1%) in the race are looking for their first career win in the NASCAR Cup Series, a feat not accomplished since Ricky Craven earned his first career win at the 0.526-mile track in 2001 – more than 20 years ago.

The baker’s dozen of drivers looking for their first win this weekend at Martinsville are Josh Berry, Harrison Burton, Ty Gibbs, Todd Gilliland, Noah Gragson, Kaz Grala, Daniel Hemric, Carson Hocevar, Corey Lajoie, John H. Nemechek, Ryan Preece, Zane Smith and Josh Williams.

In total, 12 drivers have won their first career NASCAR Cup Series win at Martinsville Speedway.

Looking to this weekend at Martinsville, of those aspiring 13 drivers looking for their first Cup win, seven are former NASCAR Xfinity and/or NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series winners at the track – NASCAR Xfinity Series Martinsville winners include John H. Nemechek (2023), Ty Gibbs (2022), Noah Gragson (2021), Josh Berry (2021) and Harrison Burton (2020), and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Martinsville winners include Zane Smith (2021), Todd Gilliland (2019), John H. Nemechek (2018) and  Noah Gragson (2017).

“I think it should be another good opportunity for us to build on the success we’ve have had at the short tracks this year,” said Josh Berry about this weekend’s venue. “Martinsville has been a good place for me in the past. I feel like if we can continue to carry the momentum we have had at some of the other short tracks this year, there’s no reason we can’t go contend for a win.”

NASCAR Cup Series, Etc.

Hamlin looking for third win this season on a track less than a mile in length – Since 1997 the NASCAR Cup Series has run six races each season on tracks that measure less than a mile in length (two races at each track) – Richmond (0.75-mile), Bristol (0.533-mile), and this weekend’s facility Martinsville Speedway (0.526-mile). The only season since 1997 to not have six total races on tracks less than a mile was the 2020 season, due to Covid restrictions the series only ran five races that season.

This year, Hamlin has won the first two of the six races on tracks less than a mile and will be looking for his third this weekend.

Since 1997, the most wins by a driver on tracks measuring less than a mile in a single season is four by NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson in 2007.

Three other drivers have been able to win three of the six races measuring less than a mile in a single season since 1997 – Denny Hamlin (2010), Kyle Busch (2009, 2018) and Martin Truex Jr. (2019).

Stat Watch: Upcoming Milestones in the NASCAR Cup Series – This weekend the NASCAR Cup Series will be at Martinsville Speedway, and below are a few of the possible milestones that can be achieved this Sunday and over the next few weeks.

Starts

William Byron will make his 225th NASCAR Cup Series career start at Texas Motor Speedway.

John H. Nemechek will make his 50th NASCAR Cup Series career start at Texas Motor Speedway.

Michael McDowell will make his 475th NASCAR Cup Series career start at Talladega Superspeedway.

Alex Bowman is expected to make his 300th NASCAR Cup Series career start at Dover Motor Speedway.

Noah Gragson is expected to make his 50th NASCAR Cup Series career start at Dover Motor Speedway.

Ross Chastain is expected to make his 200th NASCAR Cup Series career start at Darlington Raceway.

Chase Elliott is expected to make his 300th NASCAR Cup Series career start at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Corey Lajoie is expected to make his 250th NASCAR Cup Series career start at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Wins

Denny Hamlin currently has 53 NASCAR Cup Series wins, if he were to win another race, he would tie NASCAR Hall of Famer Lee Petty for 12th on the all-time wins list with 54 victories each.

Martin Truex Jr. currently has 34 NASCAR Cup Series wins, if he were to win another race, he would tie Brad Keselowski for 24th on the all-time wins list with 35 victories each.

Joey Logano currently has 32 NASCAR Cup Series wins, if he were to win another race, he would tie NASCAR Hall of Famer Fireball Roberts for 27th on the all-time wins list with 33 victories each.

Kyle Larson currently has 24 NASCAR Cup Series wins, if he were to win another race, he would tie Jim Paschal and Joe Weatherly for 34th on the all-time wins list with 25 victories each.

Sunoco Rookie Update: Berry takes rookie standings lead following Richmond – Stewart-Haas Racing’s Josh Berry has jumped to the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings lead by nine points over Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar in second with his season’s best 11th-place finish. Prior to Richmond, Hocevar held the rookie points lead following four races (longest streak this season) – Las Vegas, Phoenix, Bristol and COTA.

Looking to this weekend, Berry is a former NASCAR Xfinity Series winner at Martinsville Speedway, but will be making his Cup Series track debut at 0.526-mile track this weekend. His closest competitor, Hocevar made his series track debut at Martinsville last season, but started 32nd and finished 31st.

“We had some back luck in my past races at Martinsville, so I feel hopeful about this weekend to put that behind me,” said Carson Hocevar. “I feel confident in myself, and the team feels confident in our program that we can just keep building our notebook.”

Rounding out the rookie standings is Rick Ware Racing’s Kaz Grala, currently ranked third in the Sunoco rookie standings, -30 points back from the lead, and Hocevar’s Spire Motorsports teammate, Zane Smith, who ranks fourth in the rookie points, -36 markers behind Berry.

NASCAR Xfinity Series

The Field Is Set: Xfinity Dash 4 Cash kicks off at Martinsville Speedway

Last weekend’s race at Richmond Raceway served as the qualifier for the first round of the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Dash 4 Cash program, and this weekend’s DUDE Wipes 250 at Martinsville Speedway (Saturday, April 6 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) will be the first chance for drivers to win the big bonus check.

Chandler Smith, Aric Almirola, Jesse Love and Parker Kligerman are the four highest-finishing series regulars from Richmond that will be competing for a $100,000 bonus at Martinsville Speedway.

Let’s take a look at how the competition has performed at the famed 0.526-mile short track: 

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chandler Smith (No. 81 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) has made two starts at Martinsville posting one top-10 finish. 

Smith’s Joe Gibbs Racing’s teammate Aric Almirola (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) will be making his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Martinsville this weekend. Almirola will have to lean on his experience from the 30 NASCAR Cup Series starts he has made at the track posting nine top-10 finishes to help him navigate the weekend. 

Richard Childress Racing’s rookie Jesse Love (No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet) will be making his series track debut at Martinsville Speedway this weekend. 

Big Machine Racing’s Parker Kligerman (No. 48 Big Machine Racing Chevrolet) has made two Xfinity Series starts at Martinsville posting one top-10 finish.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chandler Smith does it again at Richmond

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chandler Smith posted his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series win last season at Richmond Raceway and then managed to go back to Victory Lane yet again in last weekend’s ToyotaCare 250 catapulting him into the driver standings lead by 10 points over second place Austin Hill.

The victory at Richmond was Smith’s second win of the 2024 season – the first being at Phoenix Raceway a few weeks ago. The 21-year-old driver has had a standout season, posting a top-five finish in all but one race this season thus far. His only finish outside the top-five was at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) where he finished in eighth.

Smith will look to keep this early momentum going as the series heads to the “paperclip” of short tracks this weekend, Martinsville Speedway. The Georgia native has only made two starts on Martinsville’s 0.526-mile track. He posted a 10th-place finish in his debut at the track last season and in last year’s fall race, he fell victim to an incident and ultimately finished 36th.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to the ‘paperclip’ of short tracks

Staying in the short track groove, the NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers will now be making their way to Martinsville Speedway for the DUDE Wipes 250 on Saturday, April 6 at 7:30 p.m. ET (FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR radio).

Martinsville Speedway has hosted 41 NASCAR Xfinity Series races since 1982, producing 27 different race winners and 22 different pole winners. It seems it’s difficult to win at Martinsville from the pole position as the feat has only been accomplished six times and the last time it was done was by Jimmy Hensley in 1987.

A few drivers hold records at the 0.526-mile track:

• Most wins: Sam Ard (five)
• Most top fives: Dale Jarrett (11)
• Most top 10s: Jimmy Hensley and Tommy Houston (17)
• Lead lap finishes: Jimmy Hensley (14)
• Laps led: Tommy Ellis (713)
• Race Record: Sam Ard (79.607 mph) – 9/25/1982
• Qualifying Record: Ty Gibbs (95.985 mph) – 4/8/2022

NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers will kick off their weekend with practice at 5:05 p.m. ET followed by qualifying at 5:40 p.m. ET on Friday, April 5. Both sessions will be streamed on FS1.

 Battle of the JR Motorsports teammates

JR Motorsports drivers are still looking for their first win of the season, but the organization must be optimistic about this weekend at Martinsville Speedway because there are only two drivers entered in the DUDE Wipes 250 that have conquered ‘paper-clip’ track formerly – teammates Justin Allgaier and Brandon Jones.

Jones, who pilots the No. 9 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports, has made seven starts at Martinsville posting one win (2022), three top fives, five top 10s and has led 142 laps.

Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports, also has seven starts under his belt with one win (2023), four top fives, six top 10s and 33 laps led.

The competition will be sure to heat up as both drivers will be looking to post their first win of the 2024 season and break the different winners streak at the track which is currently 13 drivers deep.

Streaking! Martinsville Speedway has reached 13 different winners in as many races

It’s alive! The different streak in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Martinsville Speedway that is, alive and well, and has reached a staggering 13 different winners dating all the way back to 1992.

The current streak at Martinsville started with Bobby Labonte’s win in 1992 and has since been followed by Ward Burton (1993), Chuck Bown (1993), Terry Labonte (1994), Kenny Wallace (1994), Kevin Harvick (2006), Harrison Burton (2020), Josh Berry (2021), Noah Gragson (2021), Brandon Jones (2022), Ty Gibbs (2022), John H. Nemchek (2023) and Justin Allgaier (2024).

Allgaier and Jones are the only former Martinsville winners this weekend that could snap the streak. 

NASCAR Xfinity Series, Etc. 

Ryan Truex returns at Texas Motor Speedway – Ryan Truex will be back with Joe Gibbs Racing at Texas Motor Speedway for his third Xfinity Series start of the 2024 season.

He will pilot the No. 20 Toyota at Texas for the first of three straight races (Talladega Superspeedway and Dover Motor Speedway to follow).

He’s made two other starts with the team this season. The first at the season-opener in Daytona where he finished 21st and the second at Atlanta Motor Speedway where he finished ninth.

Truex earned his first NASCAR Xfinity Series career win at Dover Motor Speedway last season.

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series 

Five action-packed races lead to record start in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series

The first five races of the 2024 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series season have passed the eye-test producing intense side-by-side, action-packed competition, and the stats are in to back it up.

This season is just the fourth time since the inception of the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series in 1995 that the series has started a season with five different race winners and five different pole winners through the first five events of a season – joining the 1996, 2005 and 2012 seasons.

The 2024 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series season has seen 23 different drivers lead laps producing an average of eight different lap leaders per race, which is tied with 2005 for the second-most average lap leaders through the first five races in series history, behind only the 2022 season with 8.4 lap leaders per race. Christian Eckes, driver of the No. 19 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet, has led the most laps this season with 173.

The CRAFTSMAN Truck Series first five races have also generated an average of 16.20 lead changes per race, which is the series record for the most average lead changes through the first five races of season in series history (1995-2024). The previous record was 15.20 set in 2022. 

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series goes night racing at ‘The Paper Clip’

After a week off to regroup and go over some short track strategy, the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series returns to competition with the Long John Silver’s 200 at Martinsville Speedway on Friday, April 5 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

There have been 46 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races at Martinsville, producing 33 different winners and 30 different pole winners. Nine races have been won from the pole or first starting position, most recently by Chase Elliott in 2017.

Here’s a look at the drivers who have etched their names in the half-mile track’s record books:

• Race record: Jimmy Hensley 74.282 mph (4/17/1999)
• Qualifying record: Joey Logano, 97.088 mph (3/28/2015)
• Most poles: Jack Sprague (4)
• Most wins: Johnny Sauter (4)
• Most top fives: Matt Crafton and Johnny Sauter (11)
• Most top 10s: Matt Crafton (23)
• Laps led: Kyle Busch (627)
• Laps Completed: Matt Crafton (8,736)

Friday’s Long John Silver’s 200 will be broken up into three stages. The first two stages will be 50 laps each and the final stage will be 100 laps for a race total of 200 laps (105.2 miles). Practice will begin Friday, April 5 at 3:05 p.m. ET on FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio followed by Cometic Gasket Pole Qualifying at 3:40 p.m. ET. 

Hot streak: 10 different winners in last 10 races at Martinsville

Martinsville Speedway continues to uphold its race winner streak with 10 different NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series winners in the last 10 races at the historic track. The streak is currently second to Bristol Motor Speedway (8/21/2014 – 03/16/2024) for the longest active streak in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.

The different winners streak began in 2017 when Chase Elliott took the checkered flag in the spring race, followed by Noah Gragson in the fall, John Hunter Nemechek (2018 spring), Johnny Sauter (2018 fall), Kyle Busch (2019 spring), Todd Gilliland (2019 fall), Grant Enfinger (2020), Zane Smith (2021), William Byron (2022), and most recently, Corey Heim (2023).

Only two previous winners are entered in Friday’s under-the-lights 200-lap tilt. Let’s take a look at how they have fared overfall at Martinsville: 

Grant Enfinger: The veteran driver from Alabama has yet to crack the top-five this season with his new team but has two top-10 finishes under his belt. The driver of the No. 9 CR7 Chevrolet has made 11 starts at Martinsville Speedway and posted one win (2020), three top fives, and five top 10s. In addition, he’s led 56 laps at the paper-clip shaped track. 

Corey Heim: The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series’ most recent winner is on course for another breakout year. In two starts, the driver of the No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota has posted one win (2023), one top five, and one top 10. The Marietta, Georgia native has also led 82 laps.

As the series returns to the half-mile track this weekend, all eyes will be on the two stars to see if they will make another trip to Victory Lane. 

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, Etc. 

Supercars star Cam Waters to make NASCAR debut at Martinsville – Eleven-time Supercars winner, Cam Waters, departed Australia bound for the USA to make his NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series debut at Martinsville Speedway piloting the No. 66 ThorSport Racing Ford.

The Mildura, Victoria (AUS) native has started nearly 250 Supercars races during his career. He has been the championship runner-up twice and has three podiums in the series’ crown jewel event — the Bathurst 1000.

Waters has had a long-time ambition to race in the states. Following the footsteps of Shane van Gisbergen and Brodie Kostecki, the 29-year-old will become the third Supercars driver who has ventured into NASCAR in the past year. Waters has also been a long-time NASCAR fan so he understands the racing can be quite aggressive at times.

“I’ve watched about 50 races, so I’ve kind of picked that up myself,” Waters said. “I spoke to Shane about how he’s obviously tackled the races and then obviously all the ThorSport drivers have given me a few tips with how truck races go down. They say it gets pretty wild at times so hold on. But the way I want to treat it is, you know, just finish the race, keep the truck clean and learn as much as I can.” 

CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Upcoming Milestones – Several drivers in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series will be making milestone starts in the upcoming races this season. 

Matt Crafton is expected to make his 550th career NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start at Martinsville Speedway. Crafton leads the Truck Series in starts, all of which are consecutive. Crafton leads the series in starts and consecutive starts. 

Tanner Gray is expected to make his 100th career NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start at Martinsville Speedway. 

Bayley Currey is expected to make his 50th career NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start at Martinsville Speedway. 

Christian Eckes is expected to make his 100th career NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start at Darlington Raceway. 

Ty Majeski is expected to make his 75th career NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start at Darlington Raceway. 

Corey Heim is expected to make his 50th career NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start at Darlington Raceway.