Martinsville Speedway Tag

By David Morgan, Associate Editor AVONDALE, Ariz. – Nearly a week after the conclusion of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway that saw him bumped out of the Championship 4, Christopher Bell is still processing everything that transpired that night in Virginia. In the final run to the finish at Martinsville, Bell found himself outside the top-four in points running a lap down to the leaders with his closest competitor to take the final transfer spot on points, William Byron, struggling with the handle on his Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Since the end of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway, the entire industry has been waiting on pins and needles to see what the sanctioning body’s reaction would be to the apparent race manipulation undertaken by 23XI Racing, Richard Childress Racing, and Trackhouse Racing in the closing laps. On Tuesday, we got our answer. NASCAR took a deep dive into the data following the race and determined the No. 23 of 23XI Racing, the No. 1 from Trackhouse, and the No. 3 from RCRRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor The final laps of Sunday’s Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway were full of drama, centered on two drivers battling it out for the final transfer spot into the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4. William Byron was fading fast, trying to hold off the drivers behind him in order to maintain his place inside the top four of the standings, while Christopher Bell was mired back in the pack, just hoping to have a chance to steal that position away. Byron would be followed by two fellowRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Hendrick Motorsports and Martinsville Speedway have gone together like glue over the past 40 years. A lot of highs and lows have happened, and Sunday’s Xfinity 500 was no different. While one Hendrick car will fight for a championship at Phoenix Raceway, the other two who were in the Round of 8 will not. Those who ended up with the short straw were Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson. Neither former champion will be a part of the Arizona pageantry after their Championship 4 bids were dashedRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service MARTINSVILLE, Va.— He did it again. For the second straight year, defending series champion Ryan Blaney won the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8 elimination race at Martinsville Speedway to advance to the Championship 4. And as Blaney took the checkered flag to win Sunday’s Xfinity 500, Christopher Bell made a kamikaze move into the final corner in a futile attempt to deprive William Byron of the final spot in the next Sunday’s title event at Phoenix Raceway. Bell drove hard into Turn 3Read More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Another night of tempers flaring at Martinsville Speedway featuring one driver’s bid of advancing into the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship 4 evaporates. Last night, it was a verbal confrontation between Taylor Gray and race winner Christian Eckes. Fast forward to Saturday night, it was a verbal confrontation with an attempted punch from Chandler Smith to Cole Custer after the National Debt Relief 250 concluded. Without a NASCAR ride in 2025, Chandler’s mission was simple — win and advance for a shot at a Xfinity Series championshipRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Denny Hamlin’s bid of capturing that elusive Bill France Cup Trophy in 2024 has reached a massive roadblock at Martinsville Speedway. During Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series practice leading up to qualifying for Sunday’s Xfinity 500, a puff of smoke on the left front of Hamlin’s No. 11 FedEx Toyota as he entered Turn 3 spelled impending doom. With little time to react, his car lost control and slid into the outside wall, causing major damage to the back end of his car. Hamlin, who was thirdRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Short track tempers flared in Friday night’s Zip Buy Now, Pay Later 200 at Martinsville Speedway after Christian Eckes moved Taylor Gray out of the way to punch his ticket into the Championship 4 at Phoenix next Friday. The particular move left Gray raging in heartbreak as a race win was his only guaranteed option to fight for a championship. Coming to a restart with five laps remaining, race leader Eckes chose the bottom while Gray chose the outside line to be alongside him. Once theRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Christian Eckes wasn’t about to lose a race he had dominated, even if it meant using the front bumper on his No. 19 Chevrolet—twice. After a restart with five laps left in Friday night’s Zip Buy Now, Pay Later 200 at Martinsville Speedway, Eckes first moved the Toyota of Taylor Gray and then the Ford of Ben Rhodes—both of which were rolling on 40-lap fresher tires—to win the race and earn a spot in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series’ Championship 4Read More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service MARTINSVILLE, Va. – William Byron has a penchant for milestones, and in Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway, he got another. Last year Byron picked up the 300th NASCAR Cup Series victory for Hendrick Motorsports at Texas Motor Speedway. On Sunday, in a race that went to overtime, Byron led an unprecedented 1-2-3 finish for owner Rick Hendrick at the 0.526-mile short track, as the organization celebrated its 40th anniversary in NASCAR’s premier division. In front of a throng of employees and supporters gathered inRead More