Track: Martinsville Speedway
Location: Martinsville, Virginia
Track length: 0.526 miles
When: 3:30 p.m. ET
Where to tune in: FS1, HBO Max, FOX One, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Race purse: $11,233,037
Race distance: 400 laps | 210.4 miles
Stages: 80 | 180 | 400
Sunday’s starting lineup | Cup Series pit stall assignments | Watch NASCAR video highlights
Gimme five? Martinsville obstacle next up for red-hot Reddick
MARTINSVILLE, Va. — After last week’s performance at Darlington Raceway gave him a stunning four wins in the first six NASCAR Cup Series events of the year, Tyler Reddick received the customary best wishes for the next race at the end of his press conference. That next race — Sunday’s showdown at Martinsville Speedway — gave the 30-year-old phenom a bit of pause.
“If I can win there, oh my gosh,” Reddick said as he stepped off the Darlington stage, “the world is going to end.”
That race is now, and there’s an opportunity for Reddick to write more history if he can overcome one of his toughest hurdles in Sunday’s Cook Out 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). A fifth win in seven appearances would equal the fast-start mark set by Dale Earnhardt on the way to his third Cup Series championship in 1987.
The track known for its grandfather clock trophy has been a ticking Doomsday Clock for Reddick, however, and his 12 Cup starts here have failed to produce a top-five finish. Though he qualified his No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota a capable eighth during Saturday’s time trials, his average finish of 19.4 here puts Martinsville in the bottom half of the track-comparison bracket during his career.
“I think he does struggle on short tracks for whatever reason,” said 23XI teammate Bubba Wallace, a two-time Martinsville winner in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competition. “I struggle on road courses for whatever reason, so we just kind of ham-and-egg it; that’s what we call it in the golf world. I think our cars are fast, it’s about putting it together. I think he ended up (qualifying) eighth or ninth, so yeah, he’s got some work to do. But I agree: If he did win on Sunday, the world would end, for sure.”
The world’s hopes for so-called survival, then, rest with some familiar faces who have been perpetual favorites at the tight 0.526-mile track. That list starts with Hendrick Motorsports, which has won a record 30 times here, including six of the last 11. William Byron is the most recent of those to collect another clock with a dominant, sweeping victory last fall; he’ll start second in the No. 24 Chevrolet, attempting to snare the first win of the year for the Hendrick organization in Sunday’s 400-lapper.
MORE: Weekend schedule, TV info | At-track photos
The sharer of the front row can also claim some Martinsville mastery. Denny Hamlin powered to his 49th career pole in Saturday’s time trials, and he’ll be aiming for a seventh Martinsville win — which would pad his series-best mark among active drivers. And though his fortunes are slightly mixed in the spring versus fall Martinsville races, Ryan Blaney has won two of the last five here. Hamlin and Blaney are the only drivers not named Reddick with Cup Series triumphs this year.
Blaney said before he won at Phoenix Raceway earlier this month that he felt his No. 12 Team Penske group was inching closer to the superb performance mark established by Reddick early on. Before Saturday’s preliminary sessions, Blaney said his team is “in the ballpark,” but tipped his cap to the standard that Reddick has set so far.
“I think you compare to that car and what they’re doing right now, I mean, they’re just rolling,” said Blaney, second in the Cup standings but a distant 95 points behind after running third at Darlington. “Someone asked me after the race … ‘do you see a difference in his car, and what it does?’ I’m like, I don’t know. It just goes faster. I don’t know what to tell you. It’s a good team, good driver, and they’ve just got things clicking, and you see that stuff all the time of things clicking for people. When things are going right, it’s going right, and everyone’s doing their job really well. So yeah, I mean, I think we’re close to them. Still doesn’t mean we’re within arm’s reach. I think we’re still a little bit away, but at least we’re in the game, and there’s things I think we can fine-tune to hopefully get there.”
In the details …
| DRIVER | MARTINSVILLE TOP-10 STREAK | MARTINSVILLE WINS |
|---|---|---|
| Jimmie Johnson | 17 (2002-2010) | 9 |
| Jeff Gordon | 15 (2003-2010), 12 (1995-2000) | 9 |
| Lee Petty | 14 (1949-1956) | 3 |
| Joey Logano | 13 (2019-ACTIVE) | 1 |
| James Hylton | 12 (1969-1975) | 0 |
| Dale Earnhardt | 11 (1987-1992) | 6 |
| David Pearson | 11 (1967-1973) | 1 |
Speed reads
Race-day essentials:
• Martinsville hub: Key information, pit-stall assignments, results | Read more
• Paint Scheme Preview: Timeless looks hitting Martinsville as drivers chase grandfather clock | View gallery
• Hauler Talk: Reddick powered to Darlington win within NASCAR’s battery rules | Listen now
• Sunday Setup: How more horsepower may lead to more tire wear| Read more
• ‘Like a light switch’: How Blaney, Byron and Hamlin found keys to Martinsville success | Read more
• Where emotions run high: Driver’s mental fortitude comes into play at Martinsville | What Steve Letarte, Carla Metts said
• How many wins?: Reddick continues dominant start; will it continue throughout 2026? | Neil Paine’s analysis
• Power Rankings: Cup Series’ top 20 drivers after Darlington | This week’s ranks
• NASCAR Classics: Inside the video vault from Martinsville | Watch now
Contributing: Cameron Richardson | NASCAR.com
