Two down and two to go…

Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson have secured spots in the Championship Four after winning races at Homestead-Miami and Las Vegas.

After the Xfinity 500, the final two position will be revealed.  Currently William Byron and Ryan Blaney are above the cut line with Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr, Denny Hamlin, and Chris Buescher below the cut line.  Forty-three points below the cut line, Chris Buescher is in a must win situation.

Last year the half mile track of Martinsville Speedway was the sight of the “Hail Melon” when Ross Chastain literally slammed the wall in turn three and rode the wall all the way to the finish line to set a new track record…and earn himself a spot in the Championship Four.  NASCAR has since banned the move.

A total of 36 teams brought cars to Martinsville Speedway with Ryan Newman driving the Rick Ware Racing number 51 car and Carson Hocevar returns to Legacy Motor Club and the number 42 car.

Denny Hamlin is 17 points below the cut line after leaving the race early last week at Homestead-Miami with crash damage.  This is Hamlin’s 17th time as a part of the playoffs…but he has yet to earn a championship.

Martin Truex Jr is also 17 points below the cut line after a blown engine cut his day short at Homestead-Miami.

The speculation is over where the Stewart=Haas Racing number 10 car is concerned, Aric Almirola has announced that this time around he is indeed leaving SHR after the race next week in Phoenix.  Not using the word “retire”, Almirola said that he is ready for the next adventure.

The drivers are being divided into two groups for practice and qualifying.  The top five drivers from each group will move on to a second round of qualifying to set the pole.

Goodyear has brought a new tire to Martinsville this week; and while the fall off is nowhere near as bad as it was las week in Homestead, the drivers are losing about half a second of lap time after 15 minutes on the track.  Record high temperatures are expected at Martinsville for Sunday’s race; but Goodyear is not concerned about any tire issues.

After the two practice sessions, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr topped the leaderboard.  The top 10 on the combined leaderboard were all Group A drivers.

The first driver on the track to make a qualifying run is BJ McLeod who posted a time of 20.659 seconds.

Tyler Reddick spins out during his qualifying run.  Drivers are making two laps for qualifying and Reddick spun out on his second lap.

In Group A; Ty Gibbs, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace, and Kevin Harvick will all be moving on to round two of qualifying.

Martin Truex Jr, Kyle Larson, Chase Briscoe, Ryan Preece, and Christopher Bell will all be moving on from Group B.

Only four of the top 10 drivers are playoff drivers.

The first top 10 driver on the track for round two is Kevin Harvick with a time of 20.242 seconds

With a time of 20.112 Martin Truex Jr puts his number 19 car on the pole with teammate Ty Gibbs alongside on the front row.

The starting lineup for the Xfinity 500:
Martin Truex Jr
Ty Gibbs
Chase Briscoe
Denny Hamlin
Kyle Larson
Bubba Wallace
Christopher Bell
Kevin Harvick
Ryan Preece
Brad Keselowski
Ryan Blaney
Aric Almirola
Ross Chastain
Chase Elliott
Joey Logano
William Byron
Todd Gilliland
Chris Buescher
Tyler Reddick
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Austin Cindric
Alex Bowman
Michael McDowell
Justin Haley
AJ Allmendinger
Austin Dillon
Daniel Suarez
Harrison Burton
Erik Jones
Corey LaJoie
Kyle Busch
Carson Hocevar
Ryan Newman
Ty Dillon
JJ Yeley
BJ McLeod

Stages one and two are 130 laps each with stage three lasting 240 for a total of 500 laps around the half mile track.

Martin Truex Jr brings the field down for the green flag start of the race before a sell out crowd from the outside lane with Ty Gibbs alongside.  Truex edges out in front for the lead with Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs in a battle for second.

Lap two, Martin Turex Jr has already pulled out to a second lead on Denny Hamlin; Ty Gibbs, Chase Briscoe, and Bubba Wallace round out the top five.

Lap five, Kyle Larson passes Bubba Wallace for fifth.

The drivers can complete the stage on a single load of fuel, but if the caution flag comes out, the drivers will be on pit road looking for some fresh tires.

Lap eight, Martin Truex Jr has increased his lead to a second and a half on Denny Hamlin; Ty Gibbs, Chase Briscoe, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.

On a late October Sundy, it is unseasonably warm at Martinsville with ambient temperatures in the eighties.

Lap 12, Denny Hamlin has closed the gap on leader Martin Truex Jr to under a second and a half.

Lap 17, Martin Truex Jr’s lead is down to under a second on Denny Hamlin; Ty Gibbs, Chase Briscoe, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.

Best friends off the track, Bubba Wallace and Ryan Blaney are in a battle for eighth place.

Kevin Harvick passes Kyle Larson for fifth.

Ryan Blaney finally gets around Bubba Wallace.

Lap 31, Martin Truex Jr has encountered slower traffic and begins to lap cars.

Lap 33, the top five are Martin Truex Jr, Denny Hamlin, Ty Gibbs, Chase Briscoe, and Kevin Harvick.

There are 33 cars on the lead lap.

Lap 38, the top four positions have not changed since the race began with Martin Truex Jr leading the race by just half a second; Denny Hamlin, Ty Gibbs, Chase Briscoe, and Kevin Harvick round out the top five.

Lap 43, there are 31 cars on the lead lap with Martin Truex Jr over a half second out in front of Denny Hamlin.

Lap 48, Denny Hamlin passes Martin Truex Jr for the lead.

Lap 53, Denny Hamlin has a lead of less than half a second on Martin Truex Jr; Ty Gibbs, Chase Briscoe, and Kevin Harvick round out the top five with 30 cars on the lead lap.

Lap 60, Denny Hamlin has a half second lead on Martin Truex Jr; Ty Gibbs, Chase Briscoe, and Kevin Harvick round out the top five.

Since losing the lead, Martin Truex Jr has dropped below the cut line with Denny Hamlin moving above the cut line.  William Byron started the race 30 points above the cut line but is now just five point above the cut line

Lap 67, Denny Hamlin has a lead of under half a second on Martin Truex Jr.; Ty Gibbs, Chase Briscoe, and Kevin Harvick round out the top five.

Lap 78, Denny Hamlin has pulled out to a lead of over half a second on Martin Truex Jr; Ty Gibbs, Chase Briscoe, and Kevin Harvick round out the top five.  There are 29 cars on the lead lap.

Lap 84, Denny Hamlin has increased his lead ot over a second on Martin Truex Jr; Ty Gibbs, Chase Briscoe, and Kevin Harvick continue to round out the top five.

Lap 88, William Byron’s points above the cut line is down to just two points with Ryan Blaney two points below the line.

Celebrating his 31st birthday, Chris Buescher is hoping to put his number 17 car in victory lane and win a grandfather clock.  Buescher is in a must win situation, 68 points below the cut line.

Lap 92, Denny Hamlin continues to lead the race with a lead of over a second on Martin Truex Jr; Ty Gibbs, Chase Briscoe, and Kevin Harvick continue to round out the top five.

Built in 1947, Martinsville Speedway has been putting on races even before there was a NASCAR.

Lap 103, Denny Hamlin continues to lead the race and lap slower cars.

The caution flag comes out on lap 104 when Alex Bowman, Austin Dillon, and Harrison Burton make contact.  Corey LaJoie was also involved.

Drivers come down pit road for service with Denny Hamlin winning the race off of pit road.  Taking only two tires, Martin Truex Jr comes out second.

Daniel Suarez is the “lucky dog”.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr was caught speeding on pit road and will have to restart the race from the back of the field.

Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag restart of the race on lap 112 with teammate Martin Truex Jr alongside.  The lap down cars took the wave around to put 34 cars on the lead lap.  Hamlin gets out in front for the lead but Ryan Blaney comes up to take second.

Drivers are getting three wide across the track.

Lap 113, the top five are Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr, Chase Briscoe, and Brad Keselowski.

Ryan Blaney is now nine points above the cut line with William Byron nine points below the line and Martin Truex Jr is 20 points below the line.

Lap 117, Ryan Blaney is just a third of a second behind leader Denny Hamlin.

Lap 121, Denny Hamlin has pulled out to a half second lead on Ryan Blaney; Martin Truex Jr, Chase Briscoe, and Brad Keselowski round out the top five.

The two lap down cars Alex Bowman and Harrison Burton battle for position…and the “lucky dog” spot.

With four laps remaining in stage one, Denny Hamlin has a lead of over half a second on Ryan Blaney; Martin Truex Jr, Chase Briscoe, and Brad Keselowski round out the top five. 

Denny Hamlin wins stage one for his eighth stage win of the season.  It has been eight years since he last won a race at Martinsville.

The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Denny Hamlin
Ryan Blaney
Martin Truex Jr
Chase Briscoe
Brad Keselowski
Christopher Bell
Ty Gibbs
Ryan Preece
Joey Logano
Kevin Harvick

Drivers who did not make a pit stop during the caution flag come down for service.

As the green flag comes out, Kyle Busch brings his number eight car down pit road with a flat tire.

Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two with Ryan Blaney alongside on lap 141.  Hamlin gets out in front for the lead; Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr, Chase Briscoe, and Ty Gibbs round out the top five.

Lap 147, now 16 points below the cut line, William Byron has lost over 45 points since the race start.

Lap 149, Denny Hamlin has a lead of nearly a second on Ryan Blaney; Martin Truex Jr, Ty Gibbs, and Chase Briscoe round out the top five with 31 cars on the lead lap.

Tyler Reddick gets loose but saves the car and the track stays green.

Lap 158, Denny Hamlin holds a lead of over half a second on Ryan Blaney; Martin Truex Jr, Ty Gibbs, and Chase Briscoe round out the top five.

Tyler Reddick is reporting high water temperatures.

Leading over 120 laps so far, Denny Hamlin has a half second lead on Ryan Blaney on lap 169; Martin Truex Jr, Ty Gibbs, and Chase Briscoe continue to round out the top five.

Amid slower traffic, Ryan Blaney has closed the gap on leader Denny Hamlin to under half a second.

BJ McLeod is off the track.

There are 28 cars on the lead lap.

Lap 181, Denny Hamlin has a lead of less than half a second on Ryan Blaney; Martin Truex Jr, Ty Gibbs, and Chase Briscoe continue to round out the top five.

Lap 197, Denny Hamlin continues to hold a lead of under half a second on Ryan Blaney; Martin Truex Jr, Ty Gibbs, and Chase Briscoe continue to round out the top five.

Lap 195, Ryan Blaney catches and passes Denny Hamlin to take the lead.  Hamlin is still above the cut line but by only two points.

Now just two points below the cut line, William Byron is having some major handling issues with his car.

Lap 204, Ryan Blaney has pulled out to a lead of a second on Denny Hamlin; Martin Truex Jr, Ty Gibbs, and Chase Briscoe continue to round out the top five.

BJ McLeod is out of the race.

Lap 210, Ryan Blaney is on Tyler Reddick’s bumper and trying to put Reddick a lap down.  Reddick is 35 points below the cut line.  The two drivers are bumping each other in the battle with Blaney finally getting past Reddick.

Ryan Newman spins out after some contact from Christopher Bell and brings out the caution flag.  Tyler Reddick is the “lucky dog”.

Drivers come down pit road for service with Denny Hamlin winning the race off of pit road and Martin Truex Jr coming out second.  Blaney comes out in third.

Austin Dillon and Martin Truex Jr were caught speeding on pit road and will have to restart the race from the back of the field.

Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag restart with Ryan Blaney alongside on lap 226.  Hamin edges out Blaney for the lead but Blaney is not giving up the fight as they make contact with Blaney getting out in front but Hamlin comes back up for a side by side back and forth fight. 

Lap 231, Ryan Blaney finally gets out in front for the lead with Denny Hamlin in second; Chase Briscoe, Joey Logano, and Brad Keselowski round out the top five.

Denny Hamlin and William Byron are now separated by just one point.

Lap 238, Ryan Blaney has pulled out to a near one second lead on Denny Hamlin.  There are 29 cars on the lead lap.  BJ McLeod is the only driver out of the race.

With 13 laps remaining in stage two, Ryan Blaney has a lead of over half a second on Denny Hamlin and has encountered slower traffic.

Seven laps remaining in stage two, Ryan Blaney has a lead of over half a second on Denny Hamlin; Chase Briscoe, Joey Logano, and Brad Keselowski round out the top five.

Ryan Blaney wins stage two for his sixth of the season.

The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Ryan Blaney
Denny Hamlin
Chase Briscoe
Joey Logano
Brad Keselowski
Ty Gibbs
Ryan Preece
Todd Gilliland
Kevin Harvick
Christopher Bell

Only four of the eight playoff drivers have earned stage points in today’s race.

Some of the drivers come down pit road for service but the leaders stay out on the track.  Martin Truex Jr has a slow stop after the jack dropped.

Ryan Blaney brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three on lap 271.  After some contact, Blaney and Denny Hamlin battle for the lead.  Blaney gets out in front. 

Ty Gibbs brings out the caution flag after spinning out after contact from Joey Logano.  He collects up some other drivers in the spin.  Brad Keselowski, Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, JJ Yeley, Michael McDowell, Todd Gilliland, and Daniel Suarez were also involved.

Ryan Blaney brings the field down for the green flag restart with Denny Hamlin alongside on lap 285.  The two go side by side and on lap 287, Blaney finally gets out in front.

Lap 290, the top five are Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, Joey Logano, and Austin Cindric.

JJ Yeley is out of the race. 

Daniel Suarez is on pit road.

There are 26 cars on the lead lap.

Daniel Suarez becomes the third driver out of the race.

Lap 297, Ryan Blaney has pulled out to a one second lead on Denny Hamlin; Bubba Wallace, Joey Logano, and Austin Cindric round out the top five with 26 cars on the lead lap

Lap 303, Ty Gibbs brings out the caution flag after spinning out again after some contact from Carson Hocevar.  The caution erases a near second and a half lead for Ryan Blaney.

Some of the drivers come down pit road for service.

Brad Keselowski brings his number six car down pit road with flames coming out from under the car.

Ryan Blaney brings the field down for the green flag restart with 190 laps remaining in the race.  Bubba Wallace gets around the boss Denny Hamlin for second with Ryan Blaney out in front.

Lap 313, the top five are Ryan Blaney, Bubba Wallace, Denny Hamlin, Austin Cindric, and Joey Logano.

Lap 318, Ryan Blaney has pulled out to a two second lead on Denny Hamlin; Bubba Wallace, Austin Cindric, and Joey Logano round out the top five.

With 179 laps remaining in the race, all of the drivers will have to make at least one more stop with a fuel load of 160 laps.

Michael McDowell spins out and brings out the caution flag after some tight racing with Erik Jones with 177 laps remaining in the race.

Ryan Blaney brings the field down pit road for service.  Taking fuel only Aric Almirola and Kyle Larson win the race off of pit road.

Ty Dillon, Austin Dill, Alex Bowman, and Ryan Newman were all caught speeding on pit road and will have to restart the race form the back of the field.

There is an issue with the pace car on pit road and the tow truck has to be called out.  The drivers continue moving around the track.  A backup pace car is being deployed.

Chase Elliott brings the field down for the green flag restart with Corey LaJoie alongside on lap 333.  LaJoie and Elliott go side by side in a battle for the lead; swapping back and forth.

Chase Elliott takes the lead with Corey LaJoie in second; Aric Almirola, Erik Jones, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.

There are 26 cars on the lead lap.

With 153 laps to go, Chase Elliott has pulled out to a lead of nearly two seconds on Corey LaJoie; Aric Almirola, Erik Jones, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.  Sixth place driver Chris Buescher is the first playoff driver in the lineup.

There are 141 laps remaining in the race; Chase Elliott has a two and a half second lead on Corey LaJoie; Aric Almirola, Erik Jones, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.  In eighth place, Ryan Blaney is 16 points above the cut line and William Byron is finally in the green with six points above the line;  Denny Hamlin is six points below the line.

Some of the teams are reporting that they are short on fuel and cannot make it to the end of the race.

With 131 laps to go, Chase Elliott’s lead is down to under two seconds on Corey LaJoie.

Some of the drivers are reporting excessive heat issues inside the cars.  It is an exceptionally warm day at Martinsville with temps over 80 degrees.  Broadcaster Jeff Burton noted that the hottest he has ever been in a car was at Martinsville; adding that Ricky Rudd won the race that year and when he got out of the car, he could not stand up due to the heat.

There are 118 laps remaining in the race; Chase Elliott has a lead of over two and a half second on Aric Almirola; Corey LaJoie, Erik Jones, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.

With 113 laps to go, Chase Elliott’s lead is down to under two seconds on Aric Almirola.

There are 107 laps to go, Chase Elliott’s lead is down to under a second and a half on Aric Almirola; Corey LaJoie, Erik Jones, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.

Just 95 laps remain in the race with Chase Eliott leading by less than a second on Aric Almirola; Corey LaJoie, Erik Jones, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.

Lap 412, Aric Almirola has caught leader Chase Elliott and is in a battle for the lead with Almirola taking the lead.

Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin are in a battle for position again; currently Blaney is 18 points above the line with Hamlin seven points below the line.

Lap 421, Aric Almirola has a one second lead on Chase Elliott; Corey LaJoie, Erik Jones, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.

Leader Aric Almirola has encountered slower traffic and has begun to lap cars.  Almirola’s lead is now under a second on Chase Elliott.  There are only 24 cars on the lead lap.

Just 66 laps remain in the race, Aric Almirola has pulled out to a lead of over two seconds on Chse Elliott; Corey LaJoie, Ryan Blaney, and Erik Jones round out the top five.  Ryan Blaney is now 20 points above the cut line.

Fifty-nine to go, Denny Hamlin battles with Kyle Larson for sixth place.  Hamlin finally gets around Larson and is now only six points below the cut line.  Hamlin will have to finish the race in front of William Byron in order to make it as a part of the Championship Four. 

At 116 laps, the drivers are making the longest green flag run of the day.

Fifty to go, Aric Almirola has pulled out to a lead of over four seconds on Chase Elliott; Ryan Blaney, Corey LaJoie, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.

With Denny Hamlin now in fourth place, there is just three points separating him and William Byron.

Harrison Burton and Tyler Reddick are in a battle to stay on the lead lap with leader Aric Almirola on their bumper.

Just 35 laps to go, Aric Almirola has a lead of nearly two and a half seconds on Ryan Blaney; Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, and Chase Briscoe round out the top five.

With 32 laps to go, Aric Almirola’s lead is down to under two seconds on Ryan Blaney.

Just 28 laps to go, Ryan Blaney has cut Aric Almirola’s lead down to just half a second.

With 27 to go, Ryan Blaney has caught leader Aric Almirola.

Denny Hamlin passes Chase Elliott for third.  Five points now separate Hamlin and William Byron.

With 23 laps to go,  Aric Almirola and Ryan Blaney battle for the lead with Blaney getting back in front.

Twenty to go, the only way Denny Hamlin can make in as one of the final four drivers is if he wins the race or William Byron loses spots on the track.

There are 17 laps remaining in the race; the drivers who stayed out on the track at the last caution are now making their pit stops to fuel. 

Ryan Blaney has a one second lead on Aric Almirola; Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, and Chase Elliott round out the top five. 

Leader Ryan Blaney has passed William Byron to put the driver a lap down; leaving 13 cars on the lead lap.

Ten to go, Ryan Blaney has a lead of nearly a second and a half on Aric; Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, and Chase Briscoe round out the top five.

William Byron has an eight point advantage on Denny Hamlin for the final spot in the Championship Four.

Just five laps to go, Ryan Blaney has a near one second lead on Aric Almirola.  There are just 12 cars on the lead lap.

Ryan Blaney takes the white flag.

Ryan Blaney wins the race to secure his spot in the Championship Four as a race winner.  William Byron is the final driver to compete for the championship next week in Phoenix.  Again this year Denny Hamlin is eliminated in the final race in the round of eight.

Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr, Denny Hamlin, and Chris Buescher have all been eliminated from the playoffs.

The unofficial results of the Xfinity 500:
Ryan Blaney
Aric Almirola
Denny Hamlin
Chase Briscoe
Joey Logano
Kyle Larson
Christopher Bell
Chris Buescher
Austin Cindric
Todd Gilliland
Bubba Wallace
Martin Truex Jr
William Byron
Ross Chastain
Harrison Burton
Kevin Harvick
Chase Elliott
Ty Gibbs
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Ryan Preece
Erik Jones
Corey LaJoie
Ty Dillon
Michael McDowell
Tyler Reddick
Kyle Busch
AJ Allmendinger
Ryan Newman
Justin Haley
Carson Hocevar
Alex Bowman
Brad Keselowski
Daniel Suarez
JJ Yeley
BJ McLeod