The Cup Series comes to Martinsville Speedway for the first short track race of the season. “Rubbin’ is racin’” may be the word of the day with plenty of beating and banging on the half mile track.
The oldest track in the NASCAR circuit, Martinsville was originally a dirt track in 1947 and became a part of NASCAR in 1949.
Home of the famous “Hot Dog Stand” and the grandfather clock trophy; and then there’s the “Hail Melon!” No longer legal, riding the wall helped to put Ross Chastain in the Final Four drivers for the championship.
Burt Myers’ grandfather was the first driver to win a race on the paved Martinsville Speedway.
The 38 drivers have been divided into two groups for a 25 minute practice session but will qualify in a single round event. After several years away from NASCAR, Casey Mears makes a return to make a run at Martinsville as works toward 500 career starts.
Locked up left front tires is an issue for many of the drivers.
Goodyear has said that the minimum tire pressure at Martinsville is 12psi…for the NASCAR teams that is a mere suggestion with tire pressures below the recommended number.
Three time winner Christopher Bell topped the leader board in Group 1.
Austin Cindric reports that his car is “plowing” no matter what line he runs.
Race fans will have the opportunity to take the train to Rockingham Speedway when NASCAR returns to the historic track next month. The train will make a stop right behind the track.
The caution flag comes out when the hood blows up on Justin Haley’s car. The hood pins were not properly secured.
NASCAR has added a few minutes to Group 2 practice after the incident with Justin Haley’s car.
Bubba Wallace tops the leaderboard with the fastest lap in Group 2 and overall.
The Xfinity Series has Jeremy Clements with the Martinsville Hot Dog and the Cup Series has Noah Gragson with A&W root beer.
The first driver to make a qualifying run is Burt Myers making his Cup debut and posted a time of 20.613 seconds.
On his march toward 500, Casey Mears qualifies for race start number 491 with a time of 20,583 seconds. Mears has never driven a Next Gen car before today.
Carson Hocevar is the first driver to break the 20 second mark with a time of 19.981 seconds.
With a time of 19.754 seconds, Christopher Bell put his number 20 on the pole with Chase Elliott starting alongside on the front row. Bell won the pole by 17 thousandths of a second!
The starting lineup for the Cook Out 400:
Christopher Bell
Chase Elliott
Alex Bowman
Kyle Larson
Denny Hamlin
Chris Buescher
Joey Logano
Bubba Wallace
Tyler Reddick
William Byron
Chase Briscoe
Kyle Busch
Ty Gibbs
Josh Berry
Michael McDowell
John Hunter Nemechek
Ross Chastain
Austin Dillon
Zane Smith
Austin Cindric
Ryan Preece
Cole Custer
AJ Allmendinger
Noah Gragson
Todd Gilliland
Daniel Suarez
Brad Keselowski
Ty Dillon
Carson Hocevar
Justin Haley
Erik Jones
Ryan Blaney
Shane van Gisbergen
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Riley Herbst
Cody Ware
Casey Mears
Burt Myers
Stage one is 80 laps, stage two is 100 laps, and stage three is 220 laps for a total of 400 laps around the half mile track. The drivers can run stages one and two on a single load of fuel but will need to make a pit stop in order to complete stage three.
Pit road speed at Martinsville is just 30mph!
Christopher Bell brings the field down for the green flag start of the race with Chase Elliott alongside. Bell gets out front for the lead with Chase Elliott in second.
Lap three, the top five are Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Larson.
Lap eight, Christopher Bell has a lead of over half a second on Chase Elliott; Alex Bowman, Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.
Lap 13, Christopher Bell has led every lap so far with Chase Elliott in second; Alex Bowman, Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Larson continue to round out the top five.
Martinsville is a sensitive track when it comes to temperature and the sun; this is a very overcast day with inclement weather heading in later.
Lap 20, Christopher Bell has a lead of over a second on Chase Elliott as he closes in on slower traffic.
Lap 23, Chase Elliott has caught Christopher Bell and passed for the lead.
Lap 29, Chase Elliott has a half second lead on Chrisotpher Bell; Alex Bowman, Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.
Lap 30, the first caution flag of the race comes out for debris on the track.
Drivers come down pit road for service with Christopher Bell winning the race off of pit road.
Burt Myers was caught speeding on pit road and will restart the race from the back of the field.
After staying out on the track, Josh Berry brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 40 and gets out in front. The first six drivers stayed out on the track.
Lap 41, Josh Berry leads the race with Austin Cindric in second; Cole Custer, Ryan Blaney, and Brad Keselowski round out the top five. Christopher Bell is the first driver in the field to make a pit stop.
Cole Custer passes Austin Cindric for second.
Drivers are getting three wide in a battle for position…and blocking.
Lap 48, Josh Berry has pulled out to a lead of a second and a half on Cole Custer.
Back in 31st, William Byron’s team had trouble getting tires off of the car; causing a slow stop.
Lap 53, Josh Berry now has a two second lead on Cole Custer; Austin Cindric, Joey Logano, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
Lap 62, Josh Berry leads the race by over two seconds on Cole Custer; Joey Logano, Alex Bowman, and Chase Elliott round out the top five.
Lap 71, Casey Mears is the only driver not on the lead lap.
The second caution flag of the race comes out on lap 71 after Chris Buescher spins out. Casey Mears is the “lucky dog”.
Several of the drivers short pit the end of stage one and come down pit road for fresh tires. Chase Elliott wins the race off of pit road.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr was caught speeding on pit road.
Josh Berry needs some help getting going after he made contact with Bubba Wallace on pit road.
Cody Ware was charged with an uncontrolled tire. Both drivers will have to restart the race from the back of the field.
Joey Logano brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 79.
Joey Logano wins stage one.
The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Joey Logano
Alex Bowman
AJ Allmendinger
Brad Keselowski
Ryan Preece
John Hunter Nemechek
Erik Jones
Denny Hamlin
Chase Elliott
Kyle Larson
Drivers who have yet to make a pit stop.
Chris Buescher is the “lucky dog”.
Alex Bowman brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two on lap 92 with Chase Elliott alongside.
Lap 93, Chase Elliott passes Alex Bowman for the lead; Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, and John Hunter Nemechek round out the top five.
Lap 96, Denny Hamlin passes Alex Bowman for second; Chase Elliott has a half second lead.
Lap 100, Chase Elliott’s lead is down to a third of a second on Denny Hamlin; Kyle Larson, Alex Bowman, and Bubba Wallace round out the top five.
Josh Berry is two laps down after the crew had to make a battery change.
Lap 103, Bubba Wallace has passed Alex Bowman for fourth.
Lap 106, Chase Elliott has a lead of over half a second on Denny Hamlin; Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace, and Ty Gibbs round out the top five.
Lap 111, Chase Elliott is nearly one second in front of Denny Hamlin; Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace, and Ty Gibbs round out the top five.
Erik Jones and AJ Allmendinger have been playing bumper cars with some hard hits.
The caution flag comes out on lap 122 after Burt Myers stopped near the entrance of pit road and had to be pushed to his pit stall.
When pit road opens on lap 125 most of the lead lap cars come down for service.
For the second time in the race Ricky Stenhouse Jr was caught speeding on pit road and will restart the race from the back of the field.
After staying out on the track, Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag restart with Bubba Wallace alongside on lap 132. Hamlin gets out in front for the lead.
The top five drivers stayed out on the track. Ninth place driver Chase Elliott is the first driver on the track with four fresh tires.
Lap 134, the top five are Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, Ty Gibbs, Daniel Suarez, and Chase Briscoe.
Lap 143, Denny Hamlin has pulled out to a one second lead on Bubba Wallace; Ty Gibbs, Chase Briscoe, and Ross Chastain round out the top five.
Ty Gibbs, Erik Jones, and Austin Cindric have issues with their cool suits and have had to turn them off.
Lap 148, Denny Hamlin has a lead of nearly a second and a half on Bubba Wallace; Ty Gibbs, Chase Briscoe, and Ross Chastain round out the top five.
With 23 laps remaining in stage two, Bubba Wallace is nearly two seconds behind bossman Denny Hamlin; Chase Elliott, Ty Gibbs, and Chase Briscoe round out the top five.
Lap 170, leader Denny Hamlin has caught the slower traffic.
Just eight laps remain in stage two, Denny Hamlin leads the race with Bubba Wallace less than a second behind; Chase Elliott, Ty Gibbs, and Chase Briscoe round out the top five.
Lap 175, Chase Elliott passes Bubba Wallace for second.
Denny Hamlin wins stage two.
The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Denny Hamlin
Chase Elliott
Bubba Wallace
Ty Gibbs
Chase Briscoe
Ryan Blaney
Ross Chastin
Christopher Bell
Kyle Larson
Tyler Reddick
Drivers come down pit road for service with Denny Hamlin winning the race off of pit road.
Mired back in the field, William Byron has led at least one lap in every race so far…except today.
Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three with Chase Elliott alongside on lap 194. Hamlin gets out in front for the lead.
Lap 195, the top five are Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Bubba Wallace, Christopher Bell, and Chase Briscoe. Ryan Blaney started the race in 32nd and is now just outside the top five in sixth.
Ryan Blaney passes Chase Briscoe for fifth.
The caution flag comes out on lap 200 when Riley Herbst gets in a three wide battle and spins out after contact from Austin Cindric.
Ryan Preece was caught speeding on pit road.
Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 207 with Bubba Wallace alongside. Hemlin gets out in front with Bubba Wallace and Chase Elliott in a battle for second.
Lap 210, Deny Hamlin has the lead with Chase Elliott in second; Bubba Wallace, Christopher Bell, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
Lap 214, Denny Hamlin has pulled out to a lead of over half a second on Chase Elliott.
Lap 217, Denny Hamlin is now over a second out in front of Chase Elliott; Bubba Wallace, Chrisotpher Bell, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
Lap 223, there are 33 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 225, Denny Hamlin holds a lead of over a second on Chase Elliott; Bubba Wallace, Christopher Bell, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
With 168 laps remaining in the race, Chase Elliott has closed the gap on leader Denny Hamlin to under a second; Bubba Wallace, Christopher Bell, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
Lap 240, leader Denny Hamlin has encountered slower traffic.
Lap 247, Denny Hamlin has begun lapping cars and the gap back to Chase Elliott is just over half a second; Bubba Wallace, Christopher Bell, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five. There are 30 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 255, Denny Hamlin’s lead on Chase Elliott is down to a third of a second; Bubba Wallace, Chrisotpher Bell, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five. There are 29 cars on the lead lap.
Burt Myers was caught speeding on pit road during a green flag pit stop and has to serve a passthrough penalty.
Lap 254, Denny Hamlin continues to lap slower cars and there are now just 26 cars on the lead lap.
With 134 laps to go, drivers are beginning to make green flag pit stops.
Denny Hamlin has increased his lead and is now a second and a half in front of Chase Elliott; Bubba Wallace, Chrisotpher Bell, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
There are now 24 cars on the lead lap.
It has been 10 years since Denny Hamlin won a race at Martinsville.
The caution flag comes out on lap 274 when Shane van Gisbergen loses a tire. He will have to serve a two lap penalty.
Erik Jones is the “lucky dog”.
Drivers come down pit road for service with Denny Hamlin winning the race off of pit road. Cole Custer had a slow pit stop.
Several drivers were charged with coming down pit road too soon and John Hunter Nemechek was caught speeding on pit road. Carson Hocevar was charged with pitting outside of his pit box.
The restart is delayed while workers clean up the big chunks of rubber on the track.
Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag restart with 114 with Bubba Wallace on the outside lane. Hamlin jumps out in front for the lead with Chrisotpher Bell taking second.
Bubba Wallace and Chrisotpher Bell battle for second.
The top five are Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott.
Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain battle for fifth.
Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe battle for sixth.
There are 105 laps remaining in the race, Denny Hamlin has a near half second lead on Christopher Bell; Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott, and Ross Chastain round out the top five.
The caution flag comes out for the eighth time when Ty Gibbs spins out after some contact on the track with Tyler Reddick and later Zane Smith.
Some of the drivers back on the field come down pit road. Ty Dillon in 13th is the highest placed driver to make a pit stop.
Chris Buescher is the “lucky dog’.
Alex Bowman was caught speeding on pit road and Cody Ware was charged with pitting too soon.
Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag restart with 94 laps remaining in the race. Bubba Wallace is alongside Hamlin on the outside lane. Hamlin gets out in front with Bubba Wallace in second; Christpher Bell, Ross Chastain, and Chase Elliott round out the top five.
The caution flag comes out on lap 308 for Chris Buescher jumped the curb and stacked up the field. Noah Gragson spun out as well.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr is the “lucky dog” to put 25 cars on the lead lap.
Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag restart with Bubba Wallace alongside on lap 315. Once again Hamlin jumps out in front with Christopher Bell and Bubba Wallace in a battle for second.
The 10th caution flag comes out on lap 317 when Chase Briscoe and Joey Logano make contact; spinning Logano out.
John Hunter Nemechek is the “lucky dog”.
Noah Gragson was charged with a restart violation and will have to restart from the back of the field.
Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag restart with Christopher Bell alongside on lap 325. Hamlin and Bell got side by side in a battle for the lead. Denny Hamlin gets the lead on lap 328.
Cody Ware has to serve a passthrough penalty after a restart violation – changing lanes before crossing the start/finish line.
Lap 330, the top five are Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott.
Lap 334, Denny Hamlin has just a third of a second lead on Christopher Bell; Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott round out the top five.
Sixty to go, Christopher Bell has caught leader Denny Hamlin and begins to challenge for the lead.
Chase Elliott has passed teammate Kyle Larson for fourth.
Lap 349, Denny Hamlin has a narrow lead on Christopher Bell; Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott, and Kyle Larson round out the top five as the leaders approach slower traffic. There are 26 cars on the lead lap.
Forty to go, Denny Hamlin continues to lead the race with Christopher Bell in second.
Lap 368, leader Denny Hamlin begins lapping slower cars.
Thirty to go, Denny Hamlin has pulled out to a one second lead on Christopher Bell; Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.
Denny Hamlin has caught the last of the lead lap cars and battle with John Hunter Nemechek.
Austin Cindric takes his car to the garage with mechanical issues. Team Penske is out of batteries!
Lap 379, Denny Hamlin has increased his lead on Christopher Bell to over a second.
Twenty to go! Denny Hamlin has a second and a half lead on Christopher Bell; Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.
Thirteen to go, Denny Hamlin now has a lead of over two seconds on Christopher Bell. Bell and Bubba Wallace begin a battle for second.
Ten to go, Denny Hamlin has a near three second lead on Christopher Bell.
Seven to go, 2-3-4 are nose to tail with Christopher Bell, Bubba Wallace, and Chase Elliott; Denny Hamlin has a three and a half second lead on the field.
Denny Hamlin takes the white flag with a four and a half second lead.
Denny Hamlin wins his first Martinsville race in 10 years.
The unofficial results of the Cook Out 400:
Denny Hamlin
Christopher Bell
Bubba Wallace
Chase Elliott
Kyle Larson
Ross Chastain
Ryan Preece
Joey Logano
Chase Briscoe
Todd Gilliland
Ryan Blaney
Michael McDowell
Ty Gibbs
Tyler Reddick
Ty Dillon
Zane Smith
Kyle Busch
Austin Dillon
Carson Hocevar
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Daniel Suarez
William Byron
AJ Allmendinger
Erik Jones
Chris Buescher
John Hunter Nemechek
Brad Keselowski
Alex Bowman
Justin Haley
Noah Gragson
Cody Ware
Riley Herbst
Josh Berry
Cole Custer
Shane van Gisbergen
Casey Mears
Burt Myers
Austin Cindric