The Cup Series caps off the triple header weekend of racing at Martinsville Speedway with the Xfinity 500. Thirty-seven drivers will take on the tiny half mile track known as the paper clip to set the four drivers who compete for the championship. Two drivers Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick – have secured spots in the championship four next week in Phoenix.
Martinsville is known for its fantastic trophy of a grandfather clock; but the track is also known for being the sight of the “Hail Melon!” No longer allowed, Ross Chastain opened up the car and rode the wall on the last lap to secure himself a spot in the championship four.
The drivers get a full 45 minute practice session and more than one set of tires to use in practice.
Denny Hamlin gets into the wall after the throttle stuck open. They believe that some of the tire rubber got stuck in the throttle body. Before his crash Hamlin was running laps in the top five. Hamlin is a five time winner at Martinsville. Hamlin will not make a qualifying run and will start from the back of the field.
The drivers have been divided into two groups for qualifying. The top five drivers from each group will move on to a second round of qualifying to set the pole.
The first driver on the track to make a qualifying run is Corey LaJoie who posted a time of 20.110 seconds.
The fifth car out, Austin Dillon breaks the 20 second mark with a time of 19.770 seconds.
Chase Briscoe, Ryan Preece, Chase Elliott, Harrison Burton, and Austin Dillon will move on to round two of qualifying in Group one.
When he takes the green flag on Sunday, Michael McDowell will make race start number 500.
Group two drivers Martin Truex Jr, William Byron, Ty Gibbs, Alex Bowman, and Kyle Larson will move on to round two of qualifying.
The first driver in the top 10 to make a run for the pole is Austin Dillon who posted a time of 19.856 seconds.
With a time of 19.686 seconds Martin Truex Jr earns his first pole of the season at the same track where he earned his last pole.
The lineup for the Xfinity 500:
Martin Truex Jr
Chase Elliott
William Byron
Chase Briscoe
Ty Gibbs
Harrison Burton
Alex Bowman
Ryan Preece
Kyle Larson
Austin Dillon
Josh Berry
Joey Logano
Todd Gilliland
Ryan Blaney
Daniel Hemric
Christopher Bell
Michael McDowell
Brad Keselowski
Bubba Wallace
Daniel Suarez
Erik Jones
Ross Chastain
Kyle Busch
Austin Cindric
Noah Gragson
Chris Buescher
Carson Hocevar
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Shane van Gisbergen
Justin Haley
Tyler Reddick
John Hunter Nemchek
Kaz Grala
Corey LaJoie
Josh Bilicki
Zane Smith
Denny Hamlin
Austin Cindric and Corey LaJoie will have to start the race from the back of the field after their crews made some unapproved adjustments to the cars.
Stage one is 130 laps, stage two is 135 laps, and stage three is 235 laps for a total of 500 laps around the half mile track.
Martin Truex Jr brings the field down for the green flag sart of the race with Chase Elliott alongside. Truex gets out in front for the lead with Chase Elliott in second and William Byron in third.
Lap three, Martin Truex Jr has the lead with Chase Elliott a quarter of a second behind; William Byron, Ty Gibbs, and Chase Briscoe round out the top five.
Goodyear has brought a new softer tire to Martinsville.
Lap seven, Denny Hamlin has moved up just two spots to 35th since the start of the race.
Lap eight, Martin Truex Jr has a lead of nearly half a second on Chase Elliott; William Byron, Ty Gibbs, and Chase Briscoe round out the top five.
Lap eleven, The top five remains Martin Truex Jr, Chase Elliott, William Byron, Ty Gibbs, and Chase Briscoe.
Lap 13, Denny Hamlin is in 34th and 59 points below the cut line.
Lap 15, there has been little change in the running order on the narrow track.
Lap 17, Martin Truex Jr has pulled out to a lead of over half a second on Chase Elliott; William Byron, Ty Gibbs, and Chase Briscoe continues to round out the top five. Truex is approaching the cars at the back of the field.
Lap 26, Denny Hamlin has moved up to 31st.
Lap 29, Martin Truex Jr has led every lap so far and is over half a second in front of Chase Ellioitt; William Byron, Chase Briscoe, and Ryan Preece round out the top five.
Just 34 laps into the race, NBC broadcasters note that the “track is changing” as the drivers lay rubber on the track.
Lap 37, leader Martin Truex Jr has begun lapping slower traffic and has put Josh Bilicki one lap down. In 30th place, Denny Hamlin is in danger of going one lap down.
Lap 40, Chase Elliott has closed the gap on leader Martin Truex Jr to just a tenth of a second.
Lap 42, Martin Truex Jr and Chase Elliott are in a battle for the lead with Elliott taking the lead.
Lap 43, the top five are Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr, William Byron, Chase Briscoe, and Ryan Preece. Sower traffic is right in front of the leaders.
Lap 47, Chase Elliott has pulled out to a near half second lead on Martin Truex Jr; William Byron, Chase Briscoe, and Ryan Preece round out the top five.
Lap 48, only three of the eight playoff drivers are in the top 10 and all three are in a battle to fill the final two spots in the championship four.
Lap 57, Chase Elliott has pulled out to a one second lead as William Byron and Martin Truex Jr battle for second; Chase Briscoe and Ryan Preece round out the top five. Denny Hamlin is up to 27th place, four cars in front of the leader.
There are 30 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 64, Chase Elliott has pulled out to a lead of over two and a half seconds over teammate William Byron; Chase Briscoe, Ryan Preece, and Martin Truex Jr round out the top five.
Down a lap, Tyler Reddick makes a pit stop. Martin Truex Jr comes down pit road for service.
Martin Truex Jr was caught speeding on pit road and has to serve a pass through penalty; putting him another lap down.
Lap 71, there are 29 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 72, since the race start, Denny Hamlin has advanced 14 spots.
More drivers come down pit road for service.
Lap 74, the top five are Chase Elliott, William Byron, Chase Briscoe, Ryan Preece, and Ryan Blaney.
Lap 77, Christopher Bell brings out the first caution flag of the race when he gets loose, spins out, and collects Corey LaJoie.
Drivers come down pit road for service with Chase Elliott and Wiliam Byron winning the race off of pit road.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr is the “lucky dog”.
Chase Elliott brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 86 with William Byron alongside. The teammates go side by side two laps before Elliott takes the lead.
The top five are Chase Elliott, William Buron, Chase Briscoe, Ryan Preece, and Todd Gilliland.
Lap 91, Denny Hamlin has advanced to 16th place.
Lap 95, Chase Elliott has a half second lead on William Byron; Chase Briscoe, Ryan Preece, and Todd Gilliland round out the top five.
Lap 98, Denny Hamlin has entered the top 15.
Lap 100, leader Chase Elliott continues to lap slower traffic with 28 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 103, Ryan Blaney battles with Todd Gilliland for fifth.
Lap 107, Chase Elliott leads the race with teammate William Byron in second.
With 17 laps remaining in stage one, Chase Elliott has a second and a half lead on William Byron; Chase Briscoe, Ryan Preece, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
With 10 laps remaining in stage one, leader Chase Elliott is on the bumper of the slower traffic with 27 cars on the lead lap and three cars more than one lap down.
Five to go in stage one, the top five are Chase Elliott, William Byron, Chase Briscoe, Ryan Preece, and Ryan Blaney.
Chase Elliott has led more laps in today’s race then he has all season long.
Chase Elliott wins stage one.
The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Chase Elliott
William Byron
Chase Briscoe
Ryan Preece
Ryan Blaney
Kyle Larson
Alex Bowman
Austin Dillon
Joey Logano
Brad Keselowski
Drivers come down pit road for service with Chase Elliott winning the race off of pit road.
Austin Dillon was caught speeding on pit road.
Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman make contact on pit road.
Chase Elliott brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two on lap 142 with William Byron alongside. William Byron takes the lead. Chase Briscoe and Ryan Blaney battle for third.
Lap 144, the top five are William Byron, Chase Elliott, Chase Briscoe, Ryan Blaney, and Ryan Preece.
Lap 145, the caution flag comes out when Daniel Suarez gets into the wall after some on track contact involving Josh Berry, Austin Cindric, and Daniel Hemric.
Kyle Busch is the “lucky dog”.
William Byron brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 152 with Chase Elliott alongside. Byron gets out in front for the lead.
Lap 153, the top five are William Byron, Chase Elliott, Chase Briscoe, Ryan Blaney, and Ryan Preece. There are 29 cars on the lead lap. Josh Bilicki is off the track.
The caution flag comes out on lap 158 when Harrison Burton spins out after a stack up involving Austin Dillon and Carson Hocevar.
Some of the drivers back on the field come down pit road for service.
Bubba Wallace and Daniel Hemric were caught speeding on pit road.
William Byron brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 165 with Chase Elliott alongside. The teammates battle for the lead, swapping back and forth.
Drivers are getting three wide on a track that only has two lanes.
The top five are William Byron, Chase Elliott, Chase Briscoe, Ryan Blaney, and Kyle Larson. Denny Hamlin has entered the top 10!
Lap 175, William Byron has a lead of over half a second on Chase Elliott; Chase Briscoe, Ryan Blaney, and Kyle Larson round out the top five. All four of the playoff drivers in the top five are in a battle to make it in the championship four.
Josh Bilicki is out of the race.
Lap 179, William Byron has a lead of over half a second on Chase Elliott; Chase Briscoe, Ryan blaney, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.
Ryan Blaney passes Chase Briscoe for third.
The caution flag comes out on lap 184 when Martin Truex Jr spins out in a cloud of smoke.
Several drivers come down pit road for fresh tires but Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney are among the drivers who stayed out on the track. Chase Elliott had a slow stop after the jack man had to raise the car a second time to get the tires tightened and comes back on the track in 25th place.
Ryan Blaney brings the field down for the green flag restart with Denny Hamlin alongside on lap 192. Blaney takes the lead with Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski in a battle for second.
Lap 185, the top five are Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Austin Dillon, and Christopher Bell.
The caution flag comes out on lap 196 when Daniel Hemric and Todd Gilliland spins out after contact from Carson Hocevar.
Ryan Blaney brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 203 with Brad Keselowski alongside. Blaney and Keselowski battle for the lead.
Lap 205, Brad Keselowski gets out in front for the lead with Ryan Blaney in second; Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, and Austin Dillon round out the top five.
Lap 210, Brad Keselowski has a third of a second lead on Ryan Blaney; Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, and Austin Dillon round out the top five. Chase Elliott is working his way through the field and is now in 15th place.
Corey LaJoie is off the track.
Lap 218, Kyle Larson passes William Byron for sixth.
Lap 219, leader Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney battle for the lead.
Lap 233, the battle between Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney continues.
The top five are Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, and Kyle Larson.
Chase Elliott continues to work his way through the field and is now up to 12th place.
Lap 239, Brad Keselowski leads the race with Ryan Blaney less than a third of a second behind; Denny Hamlin is nearly two seconds back in third; Christopher Bell, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.
There are 31 cars on the lead lap with only one driver out of the race.
With 12 laps remaining in stage two, portions of the track are already in the shadows as the sun has begun dropping behind the grandstands.
Ten laps remain in stage two, Brad Keselowski leads the race with Ryan Blaney in second. Leaders have encountered slower traffic and are beginning to lap cars.
Four laps remain in stage two, Brad Keselowski leads the race with Ryan Blaney in second; Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, and William Byron round out the top five.
Brad Keselowski wins stage two for his first stage win of the season.
The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Brad Keselowski
Ryan Blaney
Denny Hamlin
Kyle Larson
William Byron
Christopher Bell
Austin Dillon
Alex Bowman
Noah Gragson
Ryan Preece
Drivers come down pit road for service with Brad Keselowski winning the race off of pit road with Kyle Larson in second. Christopher Bell dropped four spots with a slow pit stop and had to make a second stop on pit road for a loose lug nut.
Austin Cindric was charged with equipment interference.
Ryan Blaney knocked a tire out of the hand of Carson Hocevar’s tire changer after a slow stop
Brad Keselowski brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three on lap 271 with Kyle Larson alongside. Keselowski holds on to the lead.
The top five are Brad Keselowski, William Byron, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, and Alex Bowman.
Corey LaJoie has returned to the track 73 laps down.
Lap 278, fourth place driver Denny Hamlin bumps the rear of third place driver Kyle Larson’s rear bumper.
Lap 280, Chase Elliott has entered the top 10. All four of the Hendrick Motorsports cars are now in the top 10.
Brad Keselowski has a quarter of a second lead on William Byron; Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
This is Martinsville start number 30 for Brad Keselowski.
Lap 290, Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin battle for fourth.
Lap 292, Ryan Blaney passes Denny Hamlin for fourth.
Alex Bowman reports a power steering issue.
Lap 299, the top five are Brad Keselowski, William Byron, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, and Denny Hamlin.
Chase Elliott and Chris Buescher make contact as Buescher is coming down pit road.
Lap 309, Brad Keselowki has a half second lead on William Byron; Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.
Lap 329, leaders have encountered slower traffic with Brad Keselowski one second ahead of William Byron; Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.
In the playoff standings, tyler Reddick and Joey Logano have clinched their spots in the championship four; currently William Byron and Christopher Bell are above the cut line; leaving Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott below the cut line.
Lap 334, Brad Keselowski has a lead of over half a second on William Byron.
Lap 345, caught up in traffic, Ryan Blaney passes William Byron for second; Brad Keselowski has a lead of over half a second.
Lap 352, Chase Elliott comes down pit road for service as green flag pit stops begin.
Lap 355, Brad Keselowski has a quarter second lead on Ryan Blaney; William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.
Ryan Blaney is slowly closing the gap on leader Brad Keselowski.
Chase Elliott is running laps over half a second faster on fresh tires.
Harrison Burton is off the track.
Lap 366, there are only 19 cars on the lead lap.
Ryan Blaney begins to pressure Brad Keselowski to take the lead.
Lap 367, the battle begins between Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney.
Lap 370, leader Brad Keselowski puts Christopher Bell one lap down.
Lap 371, Denny Hamlin comes down pit road for service.
Third place driver Kyle Larson makes his green flag pit stop.
Lap 374, Ryan Blaney comes down pit road for fresh tires.
Leader Brad Keselowski comes down pit road for service; Bubba Wallace is the new leader.
Lap 378, the top five are Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott, Michael McDowell, Christopoher Bell, and William Byron.
William Byron passes Christopher Bell for fourth. Bell comes down pit road for service.
Lap 380, Bubba Wallace makes his pit stop and gives the lead over to Chase Elliott.
Lap 384, Michael McDowell makes his pit stop and has to change the battery.
Kyle Laron made contact with Erik Jones coming down pit road and nearly hit the wall.
Lap 389, Chase Elliott leads the race with William Byron over half a second behind; Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.
The caution flag comes out on lap 398 when Carson Hocevar gets into the wall.
Several drivers come down pit road including leader Chase Elliott; but teammates William Byron and Kyle Larson stay out on the track.
William Byron brings the field down for the green flag restart with Kyle Larson alongside on lap 407.
The caution comes out right after the drivers took the green flag for a tire rolling down the track. The tire came from Kyle Busch’s car.
Kyle Larson was scored the leader.
Kyle Larson brings the field down for the green flag restart with William Byron alongside with 87 laps remaining in the race. Larson edges out in front for the lead with William Byron and Austin Cindric in a battle for second; Ryan Preece and Chase Elliott round out the top five.
William Byron passes Austin Cindric for second. Kyle Larson has a one second lead.
Chase Elliott passes Austin Cindric for third putting HMS cars 1-2-3.
Eighty to go, Kyle Larson has a near one second lead on William Byron. Chase Elliott passes William Byron for second.
The top five are Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, William Byron, Austin Cindric, and Denny Hamlin.
Harrison Burton is out of the race.
There are 18 cars on the lead lap.
With 72 laps to go, Kyle Larson has a near one second lead on Chase Elliott with Elliott slowly closing the gap; William Byron, Austin Cindric, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.
With 66 laps to go, Ryan Blaney passes Denny Hamlin for fifth.
Just 55 laps remaining in the race; Kyle Larson has pulled out to a lead of over a second on Chase Elliott but he is approaching slower traffic; William Byron, Ryan Blaney, and Austin Cindric round out the top five.
Kyle Larson is lapping slower cars.
Corey LaJoie is off the track.
Just 48 laps to go, Kyle Larson has a near one second lead on Chase Elliott; William Byron, Ryan Blaney, and Austin Cindric round out the top five.
Forty-two laps to go, Kyle Larson has a lead of over half a second as he battle Bubba Wallace to put Wallace one lap down.
The top five are Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, and Austin Cindric.
Ty Gibbs is having transaxle issues again.
Tyler Reddick is in the garage with no brakes and says there is a fire somewhere in the car.
Tyler Reddick has a fire inside the car but Ryan Blaney is driving like he is on fire and is less than two seconds behind the leader in third place.
Thirty to go, the top five are Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, and Austin Cindric.
Austin Cindric battles with William Byron for fourth.
With 25 to go, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, and Ryan Blaney are separated by less than half a second.
Chase Elliott passes Kyle Larson for the lead.
Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson battle for second.
Twenty to go, Chase Elliott has a one second lead on Ryan Blaney; Kyle Larson, Austin Cindric, and William Byron round out the top five.
Chunks of rubber are coming out of the cars out onto the track.
Denny Hamlin passes Austin Dillon for sixth.
Fifteen to go, Ryan Blaney has caught Chase Elliott for a battle for the lead. Ryan Blaney takes the lead. Elliott is now out of the playoffs.
Denny Hamlin passes William Byron for fifth. Byron is just one point above the cut line.
Ten to go, Ryan Blaney has a lead of over a second on Chase Elliott; Kyle Larson, Austin Cindric, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.
Seven to go, William Byron is just one point above the cut line with Ross Chastain, Austin Dillon, and Brad Keselowski all on his bumper looking to pass.
Four to go, Ryan Blaney has a two and a half second lead on Chase Elliott. William Byron is still fighting to hold on to his single point lead over Christopher Bell.
Ryan Blaney takes the white flag.
Ryan Blaney wins the race and will have to opportunity to defend his championship in Phoenix. Christopher Bell passes Bubba Wallace and runs the wall to earn the final spot in the championship four.
With the last lap pass by Christopher Bell, none of the Hendrick Motorsports drivers made it into the championship four.
There are some incidents that NASCAR is reviewing that could have an impact on the results of the race and the drivers moving on to battle for the championship.
NASCAR has made a decision and charged Christopher Bell with a safety violation for riding the wall and given the final spot to William Byron.
The unofficial results of the Xfinity 500:
Ryan Blaney
Chase Elliott
Kyle Larson
Austin Cindric
Denny Hamlin
William Byron
Austin Dillon
Ross Chastain
Brad Keselowski
Joey Logano
Noah Gragson
Shane van Gisbergen
Alex Bowman
Ryan Preece
Chase Briscoe
Josh Berry
Daniel Hemric
Christopher Bell
Bubba Wallace
Erik Jones
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Zane Smith
Daniel Suarez
Martin Truex Jr
Carson Hocevar
Todd Gilliland
Kaz Grala
Kyle Busch
Justin Haley
Chris Buescher
John Hunter Nemechek
Ty Gibbs
Michael McDowell
Tyler Reddick
Corey LaJoie
Harrison Burton
Josh Bilicki