MARTINSVILLE, Va. — A 12 months after William Byron capped the fortieth anniversary of Hendrick Motorsports’ first NASCAR Cup Collection victory with a win of his personal at Martinsville Speedway, the winningest group in NASCAR historical past will look to maintain the nice instances rolling on Sunday within the Prepare dinner Out 400.
Following Kyle Larson’s win at Homestead-Miami Speedway final Sunday, HMS is nearing the forty first anniversary of Geoff Bodine’s 1984 Martinsville win that stored the doorways open and led to Rick Hendrick’s staff turning into the best in NASCAR historical past.
All 4 of Hendrick’s drivers — Larson, Byron, Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman — have not less than one Martinsville victory on their respective resumes, with Byron profitable twice on the Paperclip within the final six Martinsville races.
It’s miles from a foregone conclusion {that a} Hendrick Chevy will come throughout the road first on Sunday, nevertheless. The largest menace to the four-car HMS secure might very properly be 2023 Cup Collection champion and two-time Martinsville winner Ryan Blaney, who has gained the final two fall races on the half-mile oval.
Group Penske’s Blaney boasts a profession common end of 8.3 at Martinsville, and hasn’t completed worse than eleventh since 2018. After an engine failure pressured Blaney — who led 124 laps and gained Stage 1 within the Straight Speak Wi-fi 400 — behind the wall late within the race at Homestead, he’d like nothing greater than to enact revenge at a observe that statistically is certainly one of his greatest. His Penske teammate Joey Logano — a winner at Martinsville within the fall of 2018 — additionally cannot be counted out.
Nor can the Penske-affiliated Wooden Brothers with driver Josh Berry, who earned his first NASCAR win within the Xfinity Collection race at Martinsville within the spring of 2021.
Whereas Hendrick Motorsports and Group Penske have each put collectively legendary Martinsville resumes, Joe Gibbs Racing can by no means be counted out. Denny Hamlin has probably the most Martinsville wins (5) of all lively Cup Collection drivers, whereas Christopher Bell gained at Martinsville within the fall of 2022.
Three-time Martinsville winner Martin Truex Jr. is now not behind the wheel of Gibbs’ No. 19, however Chase Briscoe seems to be an acceptable alternative. Within the six Martinsville races with NASCAR’s Subsequent-Gen automotive, Briscoe hasn’t completed worse than fifteenth in a stretch that features 5 top-10 finishes and 4 top-five outcomes. Briscoe led 109 laps at Martinsville within the spring of 2023.
By way of six races within the 2025 season, the Cup Collection has seen a comparatively low degree of parity. 4 drivers — Berry, Byron, Larson and three-time winner Bell — have discovered victory lane this season, and 10 of the drivers at the moment contained in the top-16 within the standings race out of the Gibbs, Hendrick or Penske store.
Traditionally, Martinsville would not pander to parity, both. It is a observe the place champions and legends are sometimes these standing in victory lane, and a observe the place one mistake can rapidly develop into a number of. Cool brakes and cooler heads prevail at Martinsville, and underdog tales do not normally play out into the latter phases of races.
In that facet, Martinsville may very well be in comparison with the 2 tracks it is sandwiched between within the early portion of the 2025 schedule — the previous race at Homestead-Miami Speedway and the succeeding race at Darlington Raceway, two tracks that additionally see veterans and champions rise to the event.
When the pay window opens at Martinsville on Sunday afternoon, do not be shocked if the solid of characters up entrance is comprised of drivers that at the moment reside within the top-10 within the standings or people who have a champion’s patch sewn onto their firesuit. Martinsville is without doubt one of the hardest tracks on the circuit for a purpose, and it is a venue that has earned its status as one the place solely the best earn a coveted grandfather clock.
–Samuel Stubbs, Area Stage Media
