Drivers to watch in Sunday's Cup race at Martinsville
NASCAR Cup teams return to Martinsville for a Sunday afternoon short track race (3 p.m. ET on FS1).
Martin Truex Jr. continues to lead the Cup standings after a fourth-place finish at Richmond. He is one of 11 full-time Cup drivers with a previous win at Martinsville. Seven of these drivers still seek their first win of the season.
From Geoff to Jeff and Jimmie to Chase, Martinsville special to Hendrick Motorsports
The winningest Cup team and Martinsville Speedway share a special bond.
Here are the drivers to watch Sunday afternoon at Martinsville Speedway.
FRONTRUNNERS
Denny Hamlin
Points position: 3rd
Best finish this season: 1st (Bristol I, Richmond I)
2024 stats: Seven starts with three top-10 finishes, two top fives and two wins. An average finish of 11.0 with 292 laps led. Both wins this season were on short tracks.
Past at Martinsville: Thirty-six starts with 25 top-10 finishes, 19 top fives and five wins. Hamlin has top-five finishes in each of the last three Martinsville races. His last win at the short track was in 2015.
Martin Truex Jr.
Points position: 1st
Best finish this season: 2nd (Bristol I)
2024 stats: Seven starts with five top-10 finishes and two top fives. An average finish of 8.1 with 352 laps led. Top-five finishes at Bristol and Richmond.
Past at Martinsville: Thirty-six starts with 16 top-10 finishes, 10 top fives and three wins. Truex finished third in last season's spring race at Martinsville. His last win at Martinsville was the 2021 spring race.
Kyle Larson
Points position: 2nd
Best finish this season: 1st (Las Vegas I)
2024 stats: Seven starts with three top-10 finishes, three top fives and one win. An average finish of 11.9 with 368 laps led. Top-five finishes at Bristol and Richmond.
Past at Martinsville: Eighteen starts with six top-10 finishes, four top fives and one win. Larson has finished sixth or better in the last three races at Martinsville, including a win last season.
Christopher Bell
Points position: 6th
Best finish this season: 1st (Phoenix I)
2024 stats: Seven starts with five top-10 finishes, three top fives and one win. An average finish of 12.7 with 119 laps led. Top-10 finishes at Bristol and Richmond.
Past at Martinsville: Eight starts with three top-10 finishes, one top five and one win. Bell won the 2022 fall race at Martinsville.
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QUESTIONS TO ANSWER
Brad Keselowski
Points position: 16th
Best finish this season: 3rd (Bristol I)
2024 stats: Seven starts with three top-10 finishes and two top fives. An average finish of 18.1 with six laps led. Keselowski finished top 10 at Bristol and Richmond.
Past at Martinsville: Twenty-eight starts with 17 top-10 finishes, 12 top fives and two wins. Keselowski last won at Martinsville in 2019. He has finished 17th or worse in every Next Gen race at Martinsville.
Chase Elliott
Points position: 8th
Best finish this season: 5th (Richmond I)
2024 stats: Seven starts with two top-10 finishes and one top five. An average finish of 12.7 with 23 laps led. Both of Elliott's top-10 finishes were at Bristol and Richmond.
Past at Martinsville: Seventeen starts with 10 top-10 finishes, five top fives and one win. Elliott's win at Martinsville was in the fall of 2020. He finished 10th in the first three Next Gen races at Martinsville and 17th in last season's fall race.
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Kyle Busch
Points position: 13th
Best finish this season: 3rd (Atlanta I)
2024 stats: Seven starts with two top-10 finishes and one top five. An average finish of 16.7 with 63 laps led. Busch finished 20th or worse in the first two short track races this season.
Past at Martinsville: Thirty-seven starts with 21 top-10 finishes, 17 top fives and two wins. Busch has finished 21st or worse in the last three races at Martinsville. He last won at Martinsville 2017.
Joey Logano
Points position: 19th
Best finish this season: 2nd (Richmond I)
2024 stats: Seven starts with two top-10 finishes and one top five. An average finish of 19.7 with 79 laps led. Logano's best finish this season is second at Richmond.
Past at Martinsville: Thirty starts with 18 top-10 finishes, 11 top fives and one win. Logano has top-10 finishes in all four Next Gen races at Martinsville. He last won at the short track in 2018.
