NASCAR is heading closer to home as the Cup Series will take on the paperclip shape of Martinsville. Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron won the Spring race last season, could HMS do it again? Below is the breakdown and ones to watch.
Where: Martinsville, Virginia
Track: Martinsville Speedway
When: Sunday, Mar. 30, 3:00 PM EDT
Watch: Fox Sports One
Track Background
Martinsville is THE original track in NASCAR. It is the only circuit to appear on the Cup Series calendar since the inaugural season in 1948. The track also is the only speedway on the calendar to have asphalt in the straights and concrete in the corners.
The only banking on the track is in the turns as the front and back stretch are flat while the turns are 12 degrees.
The “paperclip” has seen some wild maneuvers over the past couple of seasons thanks to the track hosting the final cutoff race in the playoffs, but the Spring race has been more so quiet. Do not expect another wall ride, or manufacturer orders this time around on the .526 mile circuit.
Ones to Watch
The three premier teams in NASCAR’s top series have been the dominant ones at Martinsville. Below is a breakdown of which drivers to lookout for come this Sunday.
Hendrick Motorsports
All four HMS drivers are top-14 in average finish at the track. In last year’s Spring race, Hendrick’s Chevrolets finished 1-2-3, on the team’s 40th anniversary. While the stakes are not as high this time around, this track has always been an HMS staple.
Chase Elliott has fallen behind teammates Kyle Larson and William Byron ever since Elliott’s snowboarding accident in 2023. The bounce back started last season, and for the 9 team, this seems to be the track that could give him his first regular season victory this season. Especially after his dominant performance at Bowman-Gray.
Team Penske
The reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion has led the most laps this season, but Joey Logano still does not have a top-ten finish. On the other side of the coin, Ryan Blaney has had two blown engines in three weekends. Something has to give, and this weekend it could.
Blaney and Logano have the best average finishes at the track, while Blaney is coming off a win from the fall.
Austin Cindric has struggled here, but short, flat tracks are his bread and butter. If there were a place team Penske could earn the victory, Martinsville is the place to do so.
Toyota
Since 2022, Martinsville has been won only once by a Toyota driver. That driver was Christopher Bell. JGR teammates Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe both have great opportunities to earn the win this weekend alongside the 20 team.
In the Gen-7 era, Briscoe has started in the top five every race at the Paperclip. This puts the former Stewart-Hass driver in a good spot this weekend with the setups that Joe Gibbs’ Camrys have put together.
The other driver mentioned, Denny Hamlin, knows how to finish near the front. In the six races run at Martinsville since ‘22, Hamlin has finished inside the top five, four times. He may not have a win, but if the Hendrick Chevys are not fast, then expect the 11 of Hamlin up front again on Sunday.
