NASCAR National Series News & Notes - Martinsville Speedway

03/26/2025 03:24 PM

NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: Cook Out 400
The Place: Martinsville Speedway
Track Length: 0.526 Mile Asphalt Oval
The Date: Sunday, March 30
The Time: 3 p.m. ET
The Purse: $11,055,250
TV: FS1, 1:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 210.4 miles (400 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 80), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 180), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 400)

NASCAR Xfinity Series
Next Race: US Marine Corps 250
The Place: Martinsville Speedway
Track Length: 0.526 Mile Asphalt Oval
The Date: Saturday, March 29
The Time: 5 p.m. ET
The Purse: $1,651,939
TV: CW, 4:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 131.5 miles (250 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 60), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 120), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 250)

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series
Next Race: Boys And Girls Club Of The Blue Ridge 200
The Place: Martinsville Speedway
Track Length: 0.526 Mile Asphalt Oval
The Date: Friday, March 28
The Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $782,900
TV: FS1, 7:30 p.m. ET
Radio: NRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 105.2 miles (200 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 50), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 100), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 200)

Where To Watch NASCAR This Week:

Friday, March 28
NCTS Practice & Kennametal Pole Qualifying (FS2 at 2 p.m. ET)
NXS Practice & Kennametal Pole Qualifying (The CW App at 4:30 p.m. ET)
NCTS Race: Boys And Girls Club Of The Blue Ridge 200 (FS1, NRN, SiriusXM at 7:30 p.m. ET)

Saturday, March 29
NCS Practice & Busch Light Pole Qualifying (Amazon Prime, MRN, SiriusXM at 2 p.m. ET)NXS Race: US Marine Corps 250 (The CW, MRN, SiriusXM at 5 p.m. ET)

Sunday, March 30
NCS Race: Cook Out 400 (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM at 3 p.m. ET)

NASCAR Cup Series

Martinsville Storylines and Insights:

• This weekend marks the 153rd running of a NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway. Martinsville is the only track that hosted a race every season (1949-2025).
• Martinsville Speedway, at 152 NASCAR Cup Series points-paying races, has hosted the second-most points paying events all-time, behind only Daytona International Speedway at 156.
• Martinsville is the first of six short track races in 2025.
• Martinsville has held a Playoff race every year of the postseason (2004-2025), and this is the sixth straight year Martinsville held the race prior to the Championship (2020-2025).
• Hendrick Motorsports drivers won five of the last nine Martinsville races with all four active drivers winning at least once (William Byron is the repeat winner with two).
• The last five Martinsville races were won from starting positions outside the top-10, tied for the longest streak ever at Martinsville.
• Hendrick Motorsports finished 1-2-3 at Martinsville in April, the first 1-2-3 finish by a team ever at the track.
• The last seven races at Martinsville were won by drivers 30 years old or younger, the longest streak ever at the track.
• All but three of the last 76 races at Martinsville dating to 1987 were won by a driver with at least 100 career Cup Series starts
• A total of 59 different drivers have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway. This weekend, 10 of the 59 different NASCAR Cup Series Martinsville Speedway winners will be active.

• Christopher Bell‘s win at Martinsville in October 2022 to advance to the Championship 4 Round is his only top-five finish at the track in nine starts.
• Alex Bowman‘s October 2021 Martinsville win is his only top-five finish at the track in 17 starts.
• Chase Briscoe‘s five top-10 finishes at Martinsville are his most at a track, all five came in the last six races.
• Joey Logano‘s 11 straight top 10s at Martinsville is the longest active top-10 streak at Martinsville and his longest streak at any track.
• Ryan Blaney‘s 10 top-five finishes at Martinsville are his most at a track, he finished top-seven in the last six races there including winning the Martinsville Playoff race the last two years sending him to the Championship 4 Round both times.
• The last 13 Martinsville races were won by three organizations: Hendrick Motorsports (five), Joe Gibbs Racing (four), Team Penske (four).
• Six different pole winners in first six Cup races in 2025 — has only occurred four times in the Modern Era (1998, 2014, 2019, 2025).
• 2025 is the first time since 2016 that five different teams won the pole in the first six races of the season.
• Hendrick Motorsports won the pole for four of the last six races on short-tracks.
• The last driver to win from pit stall 1 at Martinsville was Jimmie Johnson in April 2013.
• A total of 63 different drivers have won a pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway. This weekend, six of the 63 Cup Series Martinsville Speedway pole winners are active.

• The eventual Martinsville winner didn‘t lead for the first time until at least lap 186 in each of the last eight races.
• The pass for the win came in the final 30 laps in each of the last five Martinsville races.
• Three full-time teams have not had a DNF yet in 2025:  Hendrick Motorsports, Hyak Motorsports and Legacy Motor Club.
• Chase Elliott is the only driver to finish top-10 in all seven short-track races in 2024, his seven straight top 10s on short tracks is the longest of his Cup career.
• Ryan Blaney will make his 261st Cup start for Team Penske this weekend, passing Ryan Newman for 4th most all-time in team history.
• The 201 lead changes in 2025 are the most ever through six races.
• 153 lead lap finishers in 2025 are the most ever through the first six races of a season.
• 20 drivers have scored a top-five finishes through the first six races, tied for the fifth most in series history and most since 2010.
• William Byron is the only driver to lead in each of the first six races of 2025.
• Christopher Bell can become only the third driver in history to win 4 of the first 7 races in a season (Bill Elliott — 1992, Dale Earnhardt — 1987, Richard Petty – 1975)
• A stage winner went on to win once this season (Christopher Bell — stage 2 at Phoenix), the fewest ever through six races.
• Ford has only five top-five finishes through the first six races of 2025, the fewest since 2016. Josh Berry accounts for two of Ford‘s five top-five finishes in 2025 including the only win.
• 2024 NASCAR Cup Champion Joey Logano‘s 247 laps led in 2025 is the most ever through six races by a driver without a top 10 finish (in those six races).
• Joey Logano is the first defending champion without a top-10 finish in the first six races of the following season.
• Ty Gibbs earned 40 fewer stage points in 2025 through six races compared to six races in 2024, the biggest decline among all drivers.
• Bubba Wallace‘s 61 stage points through six races in 2025 are his most ever at this point in a season by 40 points.
• John Hunter Nemechek finished on the lead lap in the last six races, his longest streak ever in Cup.
• Kyle Larson‘s average finish in the last five Martinsville races is 2.8, compared to 20.5 in the 15 prior races.
• Ryan Blaney ranks second in 2025 in stage points earned, 43% of his total points this season came from stages.

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Martinsville Storylines and Insights:

• This weekend will be the 44th running of a NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway (1982-2025).
• Martinsville is the second of four Dash 4 Cash races: Miami, Martinsville, Bristol, Rockingham.
• The four Dash 4 Cash drivers for Martinsville are: #00 Sheldon Creed, #7 Justin Allgaier, #21 Austin Hill and #41 Sam Mayer.
• Justin Allgaier won his sixth Dash 4 Cash bonus at Homestead-Miami, most all-time.
• Justin Allgaier won back-to-back races for the second-time in his career, the last driver to win three in a row was Noah Gragson in 2022 when he won four straight.
• Justin Allgaier‘s 27th NXS win tied him with Jeff Burton for ninth all-time.
• Martinsville is the first of five short track races in 2025.
• The last nine Xfinity Series races at Martinsville were won by eight different drivers.
• Richard Childress Racing‘s next win will be their 100th in NASCAR Xfinity Series; only two other teams won at least 100 NXS races (Joe Gibbs Racing-215, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing-138)
• Corey Day is making his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Martinsville driving the Hendrick Motorsports‘ #17, which has finished in top-five in all three starts this season.
• Three drivers are making their Xfinity Series debut: #17 Corey Day, #24 Patrick Staropoli, #66 Tyler Tomassi.
• Four drivers in the field are past Xfinity Series Martinsville winners: Aric Almirola (2 wins), Justin Allgaier (1), Brandon Jones (1) and Harrison Burton (1).
• Christian Eckes won both CRAFTSMAN Truck races at Martinsville last year, Carson Kvapil won the late model race there last September.
• Three drivers finished runner-up at Martinsville in NASCAR Xfinity Series but are still winless there: Creed-2, S. Smith-2 and Mayer-1.
• Three races this year ended with a last lap pass, the most ever through six races in a season.
• Three of the last six Martinsville races featured last-lap passes.
• The driver starting first failed to win the last 27 races at Martinsville.
• The Stage 1 winner won the last four Martinsville races.
• Five of the last seven Martinsville races finished in overtime.
• Joe Gibbs Racing (6) and JR Motorsports (3) combined to win the last nine Martinsville races (all nine since the series returned to the track).
• Three of the six races this season went to overtime.
• Three drivers have a series leading four top-five finishes in 2025 (Mayer, Hill, Allgaier), Mayer is the only one without a win this season.
• Aric Almirola finished in top three in his last six starts and swept both Martinsville races in 2024.
• Brandon Jones‘ average finish in last three races is 21 positions better than his average finish in first three races of season.
• Justin Allgaier and Jesse Love are the only drivers to finish on the lead lap in all six Xfinity races of 2025.
• Jesse Love is the only driver to score top-20 finishes in all six races of 2025.
• Chevrolet has led 809 of 963 laps this season (84%).
• Sheldon Creed scored 28 more stage points through six races than he did last year, the biggest improvement of any full-time driver.

Xfinity Dash 4 Cash Rundown:

• Martinsville is the second of four Dash 4 Cash races: Miami, Martinsville, Bristol and Rockingham.
• Justin Allgaier won Dash 4 Cash at Miami, his record sixth win.
• Martinsville Dash 4 Cash drivers: #00 Sheldon Creed, #7 Justin Allgaier, #21 Austin Hill, #41 Sam Mayer.
• The best finishing of the four Dash 4 Cash drivers will win a $100,000 bonus.
• 2025 is the 17th season of Dash 4 Cash in the NXS.
• $6,025,000 awarded since the start of the program in 2009.

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series

Martinsville Storylines and Insights:

• This weekend will be the 49th running of a NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway (1995-2025).
• 49 Truck Series races at Martinsville are the second-most held at a track in the series, behind only Texas with 50.
• Triple Truck Challenge starts at Martinsville, win one race win $50K, win two races and bank $150K, but win all three races and pocket a $500K bonus.
• This weekend‘s race is the first of seven short track races in 2025 for the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.
• Martinsville, along with Phoenix, are the only two tracks the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series has raced on in every season since its inception in 1995.
• The last three Martinsville races have seen a driver sweep both stages and then go on to win (Corey Heim — 2023, Christian Eckes — both 2024 races).
• There have been four drivers to sweep both stages and win at Martinsville, tied with Kansas for the most at any track in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.
• Grant Enfinger finished top-10 in the last nine races, this is the longest of his career.
• Layne Riggs was the final lead change in the last two races (33 laps to go at Las Vegas, 2 to go at Miami).
• Corey Heim became the youngest driver to reach 13 wins two weeks ago at Las Vegas.
• Corey Heim has won double the races of any other driver since the start of 2024.
• Corey Heim has won six of the last eight rain-effected Truck races including the last four.
• Corey Heim has led 129 laps this season, 90 more than any other series regular. Heim is the only driver to lead all four races this season.
• There have been 83 lead changes in the first four CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races, the most through four races in series history.
• 26 drivers have led a lap in 2025, the most different leaders through four races in series history.
• The last 18 races ended at the scheduled distance, the second longest streak without overtime, the record is 20 races.
• Three of the four drivers in the Championship 4 Round in 2024, are top 4 in points in 2025, only one missing is Christian Eckes, who moved to the Xfinity Series.
• Spire Motorsports and TRICON have won all four Truck Series races in 2025.
• Seven different Stage winners in the first four Truck Series races of 2025 is the most ever.
• Four teams have won the pole in the first four races of 2025, the first time this has happened since 2015.
• This is Stewart Friesen‘s best start to a season since 2022.
• Ford only has one win in the last 15 Martinsville races (Grant Enfinger — Oct 2020).
• The Martinsville qualifying track record was set in this race last season (97.523 mph).

Luke Baldwin Bio

• Running three races for ThorSport Racing in 2025.
• Son of former Cup Series Crew Chief and car owner Tommy Baldwin Jr.
• Four starts in Whelen modified tour, with three top-10s including a seventh at Martinsville.
• 2024 Smart Modified tour winner.

Patrick Staropoli Bio

• Made one Truck start at Homestead-Miami in 2016, finished 31^st.
• Attempting to make Xfinity Series debut this weekend in addition to second Truck start.
• Making first Martinsville Speedway start in any series.
• Finished eighth in ARCA Menards Series race at Phoenix Raceway in 3/25.
• Is a board-certified medical and surgical retina specialist who practices for Retina Consultants of Texas in Houston.

Triple Truck Challenge Rundown:

• 2025 Triple Truck Challenge features three races: Martinsville (March 28th), Bristol (April 11th) and Rockingham (April 18th).
• All Truck Series drivers are eligible; however, the Triple Truck Challenge will not be open to NASCAR Xfinity Series or NASCAR Cup Series regulars who participate in the races.
• The highest finishing full-time CRAFTSMAN Truck Series driver of the race will receive a $50k bonus.
• If a driver wins the Triple Truck Challenge in two of the three events, they are awarded $150,000 total.
• If a driver wins the Triple Truck Challenge in all three designated events, they win $500k in total prize money.
• Since its inception into the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series in 2019, the Triple Truck Challenge has awarded $950,000 in bonus prize money.

Former Triple Truck Challenge Winners:

• 2019 Winners: Texas: Greg Biffle ($50k), Iowa: Brett Moffitt ($50k), Gateway: Ross Chastain ($50k).
• 2020 Winners: Daytona RC and Gateway: Sheldon Creed ($150k), Dover: Zane Smith ($50k).
• 2021 Winners: Darlington: Sheldon Creed ($50k), COTA: Todd Gilliland ($50k), Charlotte: John H. Nemechek ($50k).
• 2022 Winners: Gateway: Corey Heim ($50K), Nashville: Ryan Preece ($50K), Mid-Ohio: Parker Kligerman ($50K).
• 2023 Winners: Charlotte: Ben Rhodes ($50K), Gateway: Grant Enfinger ($50K), Nashville: Carson Hocevar ($50K).
• 2024 Winners: Charlotte: Nick Sanchez ($50K), Gateway: Corey Heim ($50K), Nashville: Christian Eckes ($50K)

NASCAR & Martinsville, Etc.

Historical & Significant Events at Martinsville Speedway:

• Opened in September of 1947 by Henry Clay Earles, Martinsville Speedway, originally a dirt track, is one of the oldest continuously-operating race tracks in the United States.
• Located at an overgrown 30 acre cornfield just outside Martinsville. Construction of the track was soon underway in 1947 and ended up costing $60,000.
• The first NASCAR-sanctioned race at Martinsville Speedway was on July 4, 1948.
• The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway was on September 25, 1949, and was a 200 lap (100 mile) race that was won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Red Byron driving an Oldsmobile for car owner Raymond Parks.
• The track was paved during the summer months of 1955. The first race at the track that season was on dirt (May 15) and the second race of the year was the first on the paved track (Oct. 16). Prior to paving the track, the Cup Series ran 12 races total on the dirt at Martinsville (1949-1955).
• The first 500-lap (250 mile) event at Martinsville Speedway was in 1956 and was won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Buck Baker from the pole position. Baker was driving a 1956 Dodge for car owner Carl Kiekhaefer.
• In 1964 Earles decided it was time for a different type of trophy for race winners. His choice was a grandfather clock produced by nearby Ridgeway Clock Company. On September 27, 1964, Earles awarded the first clock trophy to Fred Lorenzen, the winner of the Old Dominion 500 that afternoon.
• Richard Petty has the most clocks with 12 (he won three times at Martinsville prior to the introduction of the clock). Darrell Waltrip won 11, while Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson each have 9 clocks.
• Concrete corners were added atop asphalt in 1976 at Martinsville Speedway.
• International Speedway Corporation (now NASCAR) purchased the privately owned Martinsville Speedway in 2004 for $192 million.
• In the past 20 years the track has stepped up its investment in improvements and additions to establish the once dusty ½ mile dirt track on 30 acres into a modern facility encompassing over 300 acres.
• In 2017, lights were added to Martinsville Speedway. The project cost an estimated $5 million to complete.
• In total, there have been 152 NASCAR Cup Series points-paying races at Martinsville Speedway, one in the inaugural year and two races per year since 1950.
• Martinsville Speedway, at 152 NASCAR Cup Series points-paying races, has hosted the second-most points paying events all-time, behind only Daytona International Speedway at 156.

— NASCAR —