Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway

(⏰ Sunday, 2 p.m. ET | 📺 NBC, NBC Sports App | 📻 MRN, SiriusXM)

Everything you need to know for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway, the 35th points-paying race of the 2023 Cup Series campaign.

Weekend schedule | TV schedule | Weather tracker | Martinsville playoff race 101

📍 Location: Martinsville, Virginia
📐 Track length: 0.526 miles
🎟️ Buy tickets: Find weekend passes, seats for the race
💰 Cup Series race purse: $8,587,800
📏 Race distance: 500 laps | 263 miles
🔢 Stages: 130 | 260 | 500
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📋 Starting lineup: TBA
🚗 Pit stall assignments: TBA
🏆 Defending winner: Christopher Bell, fall 2022

Key things to watch 🔑

Big storyline

With Christopher Bell clinching a spot in the Championship 4, will his other Joe Gibbs Racing teammates join him?

Unlike last year, Bell does not need a walk-off win to advance to Phoenix. JGR teammates Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr., however, might have to take a page from Bell’s playbook. Both drivers enter Martinsville 17 points below the elimination line. Before the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs got underway, Hamlin and Truex were two favorites to make the Championship 4. Now, the possibility of both drivers not making the final round is very much in the cards. Hamlin’s Homestead DNF puts him in a tough spot, but the veteran is capable of handling the pressure in these now-or-never playoff moments. The No. 11 Toyota is good at Martinsville and will be one of the favorites to win the race, as Hamlin has five career Cup Series wins at the short track and three top-five finishes in the last five races there.

On the other hand, Truex is facing more of an uphill battle. Despite winning the Regular Season Championship, the No. 19 Toyota went seven straight races without a top 15 to open the playoffs and ended the bruising stretch with a meager ninth-place run at Las Vegas. The positive reset was brief, though, as a mechanical failure put Truex out of the race in Miami. With three Martinsville wins under his belt, Truex definitely knows how to get the job done at the Virginia short track. The 2017 champ’s recent performances there have been hit or miss, however, picking up a third-place finish and two finishes of 20th or worse in his last three races at Martinsville. Given the circumstances, Hamlin probably has a slight edge at returning to the Championship 4, but it’s a bit of a toss-up. | Inside the Race: Hamlin’s unfortunate early exit at Homestead

History tells us…

The Martinsville playoff race winner will likely come from Hendrick Motorsports or Joe Gibbs Racing.

Hendrick and JGR have combined to win the last eight Martinsville races. There is a good chance that the streak will be extended to nine given the strength of these two powerhouse organizations. When Kyle Larson won the Martinsville spring race, this gave team owner Rick Hendrick his 28th win at the 0.526-mile short track. All four current Hendrick drivers have won at the track in the last six races. Larson is looking to bounce back from the mistake in Miami at the pit-road entrance wall, while William Byron would love to secure his spot in the Championship 4 with a second win at Martinsville. Meanwhile, Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman simply want to get a win on the board before the season comes to an end after their respectively difficult 2023 campaigns. It would not be surprising to see another Hendrick Chevrolet in Victory Lane and take home another iconic grandfather clock.

The same can be said about the group of drivers at JGR. Christopher Bell is on fire in the Round of 8 and winning on Sunday in Virginia would give the No. 20 team even more momentum leading into the championship round. Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. will each have to step up their game, knowing a victory could ease all the stress of trying to transfer to Phoenix on points. Rookie Ty Gibbs has shown flashes of brilliance at times throughout the year and won the Xfinity Series race during this weekend last year. The driver of the No. 54 Toyota has 10 top-10 finishes so far in his first full season at the premier level. He may not take the checkered flag at Martinsville, but he will be up there winning races in no time with a bright future ahead. With 500 laps set for Sunday, it is anyone’s game but do not bet against Hendrick or JGR. | Time ticking for last two spots in championship: Martinsville preview

He may not be the betting favorite to win, but watch out for…

Chase Elliott. There are two more races remaining in 2023 and NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver could be on the verge of his first winless season since 2017. The final two races at Martinsville and Phoenix, however, are tracks where Elliott has won in the past. In his last nine Cup Series races, Elliott picked up six top-10 finishes, although he is coming off two straight finishes of 15th or worse. His stats at Martinsville may give some slight optimism for all the Elliott fans out there. His odds of winning the Martinsville fall race are 20-1 after scoring a top 10 in the spring race, which was his first race back behind the wheel after suffering a leg injury.

He is currently riding a streak of three consecutive 10th-place finishes at Martinsville, to go along with six top 10s in the last seven races there. His only career Cup win at Martinsville occurred in the fall of 2020, helping to propel him to a title victory the very next week. While the situation is much different this time around, visiting Victory Lane for the first time this year would give the No. 9 team something to smile about heading into 2024 as it looks to get back to championship contender status. | Relive Elliott’s last Martinsville win | Watch the race on NASCAR Classics

Familiar favorites ⭐️

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

• At-track photos: TBA
• Bubble Watch: More moments to be made at Martinsville | Get the lowdown
• Fantasy Fastlane: Heavy hitters on the bubble for Martinsville | See fantasy tips
• Paint Scheme Preview: See the schemes for Martinsville | Pick a favorite
• Power Rankings: Hamlin, Truex Jr. aim to make it in Martinsville after Miami mayhem | Latest driver rankings
• Stacking Pennies: LaJoie talks about Larson taking out the sand barrels in Miami and Christopher Bell punching his Phoenix ticket. | Listen to the podcast

💎 NASCAR 75: Learn more about the history of the sport, from pioneers to current stars | Visit NASCAR 75 hub

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🔮 Advance to Victory Lane: Racing Insights projects the finishing order