Written by Gabriel Tsui, Ashleigh McGregor & Sean McKean
For our first short track of the year, the NASCAR circuit heads to Martinsville Speedway in Virginia for round six.
Martinsville first opened in 1947 and began hosting Cup competition in 1949 – the first ever season. The Xfinity Series began with their first season too in 1982 but stopped after 1994 before returning again in 2021. Finally, the Truck Series has run at the short oval since their first season in 1995.
The “paperclip-shaped” track is 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometres) in length, with banking of 12 degrees in corners and zero on the straights.
The spring Martinsville date has seen some iconic moments – including Gordon and Johnson v. Bowyer in 2012, Busch’s Cup-Trucks sweep in 2016 and John Andretti’s shock win in 1999.
Below are the start times for each race plus lap count:
Trucks: Friday, 28 March, 19:30 local (23:30 UK) – 200 laps
Xfinity: Saturday, 29 March, 17:00 local (21:00 UK) – 250 laps
Cup: Sunday, 30 March, 15:00 local (20:00 UK) – 400 laps
Below are the defending winners for each race:
Trucks: No. 19 - Christian Eckes (McAnally-Hilgemann Racing)
Xfinity: No. 20 - Aric Almirola (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Cup: No. 24 - William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports)
Cup Series: Cook Out 400 Preview
Written by Gabriel Tsui
As Kyle Larson took his first win of the season to complete a dominant weekend in Homestead-Miami, we headed north to the state of Virginia for the final race in the month of March. As the Hendricks boys dominate the top of the championship standings, will they be able to hold onto the dominating lead or will someone else below break up this hot streak?
The drivers will be driving 400 laps around the half-mile race track, with 80 laps in the first stage, 100 laps in the second stage, and 220 laps in the final stage, totalling a distance of 210.4 miles (338.61 kilometres) run around the shortest racetrack on the NASCAR calendar.
The weather report indicates there will be temperatures around 24 degrees Celsius (76 degrees Fahrenheit), with prospects of precipitation during the race weekend, so delays might be possible. The race will commence on the Sunday of March 30th, at 15:00 ET (12:00 PT, 21:00 CET).
Race Predictions
Hendricks Motorsport are having a heck of a season for themselves, with William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Alex Bowman holding down the top-three spots, while Chase Elliott trails closely in sixth place, only eight points away from the fourth place spot. After Byron secured a win for himself in a chaotic Daytona 500, Larson finally found himself in victory lane following a great start to the season.
Safe to say, the Hendricks boys will be looking to carry their hot streak into Martinsville, and history tells us that they are the dominant force at this track. Last season, the team came around to secure a 1-2-3 finish, while marking their third consecutive win of this race.
Therefore, my pick for the race is Chase Elliott of the No.9 car. Though Elliott is riding a 33-race win drought, Martinsville can be the place where the 29-year-old breaks the streak and makes his return to victory lane. He has won at the track in the past, during his championship season in 2020, while securing multiple top-ten finishes at the track in the past two seasons.
The Hendricks are inevitable, and it is time for the Hendrick superstar to complete his statement win.
Three things to look out for
23XI’s statement season
23XI and their two primary drivers, Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace, are having a great start to the season. They have both secured multiple top-ten finishes, and currently sit within the top-ten of the championship standings. They have an up-and-down record at short tracks, so this will be a defining point in whether they can continue their challenge for top-five in the standings.
Trackhouse struggles continue
Following the Homestead-Miami weekend, Ross Chastain fell out of the top-ten, while Daniel Suarez and Shane Van Gisbergen are still unable to break through into the top-20. Their continued struggles are concerning, especially for a team that recently expanded their operations. However, it is still early in the season and we will see if they can bounce back in the following weeks.
Chase Briscoe settling in
Chase Briscoe received devastating news following the end of the Daytona 500, as he was issued an L2 penalty for a modified part. However, the penalty was overturned and the fifth-year Cup Series driver had the tied-best finish of the season of fourth place in Homestead-Miami, jumping seventh spots to 13th in the championship standings.
Historically Briscoe has had great performances in short tracks, securing multiple top-ten finishes. He could find his first win of the season in Martinsville if he can prolong his hot streak, something he has struggled to do so in his career.
Xfinity Series: U.S. Marine Corps 250 Preview
Written by Ashleigh McGregor
The sizzling heat of Miami saw Justin Allgaier take home the win and the first Dash 4 Cash prize. Making it a back to back win for him after the race last week in Las Vegas. This week it’s all about Martinsville and what these drivers can do to secure the second dash 4 cash bonus prize.
Race Weekend Guide
Drivers will cover 250 laps going a distance of 131.5 miles. Stage 1 and 2 are 60 laps each and the final stage will round out with 130 laps.
Practice starts at 4:30pm ET on Friday and will run for one hour followed immediately by qualifying at 5:35pm ET.
Race day will be cloudy but free from rain. A pleasant 76 degrees for the race start time means it will be just a bit warmer than practice and qualifying.
Dash 4 Cash round two
Justin Allgaier clinched the first round of dash 4 cash and took home the bonus prize of 100,000 dollars. He’ll be looking to do it again, this time in Virginia. Allgaier currently holds the record for the most dash 4 cash wins. Austin Hill, Sam Mayer and Sheldon Creed make up the remaining three spots to fight for the bonus. There is an additional bonus prize for the driver who can win all four races but the chances of this happening are quite slim. With a previous win at Martinsville under Allgaier’s belt he can’t be counted out of this race.
Drivers’ debuts
Drivers Corey Day, Tyler Tomassi and Patrick Staropoli are all making their debut at the Martinsville Speedway. This short track will make for an exciting yet tricky first race.
At only 19 years old, Day has carved a path to reach the NASCAR Cup Series. He has 10 race starts planned for the 2025 season in the Xfinity Series with Hendrick Motorsports.
Staropoli has previously raced in the ARCA West Series but will now begin his Xfinity Series journey with Sam Hunt Racing. He most famously became the first doctor in the history of NASCAR to win a race.
Tomassi has previously raced in ARCA and the NASCAR Truck series. With two races scheduled this season in Xfinity, he’s looking to put Rhode Island on the map for racing.
Truck Series: Boys and Girls Club of the Blue Ridge 200 Preview
Written by Sean McKean
Following Larson’s dominant display in Homestead, the Truck Series now travels to the half-mile oval in Martinsville Speedway.
This trek to Martinsville continues a streak of races at this track for the Truck Series stemming back to 1995. In that time, many iconic moments have happened: Heim’s first TRICON win in a damp 2023 race, Logano’s first win in 2015 and Harvick v. Ty Dillon in 2013.
Race Predictions
Usually, I would pick a Truck Series regular for victory, as they are the favourites at most tracks. Historically, however, the Truck Martinsville race has been dominated by Cup drivers. Therefore, give me William Byron for victory on Friday night.
Two storylines to look out for
Drivers in rotation
This year, many rides have been consistently rotated – namely the No. 07 Spire Motorsports, which will be taken by William Byron this weekend. Spire also holds the No. 7, which will see Hendrick prospect Corey Day take behind the wheel. Lastly, moving onto Toyota, TRICON Garage fields the No. 1, which will see Lawless Alan pilot the truck.
The “Triple Truck Challenge” begins
This Friday, the Truck Series will begin the Triple Truck Challenge – an official three-race stretch that rewards drivers with prize money for strong performances. The Truck Series regular who finishes the highest will receive a 50,000-dollar cash prize. This challenge extends from now to Bristol and Rockingham.
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