The short-track bumps and bruises were plenty apparent at Martinsville Speedway this weekend, as was crisp speed and savvy strategy. When the Virginia dust settled, Chase Elliott not only clinched his first NASCAR Cup Series victory of 2026 (and for Hendrick Motorsports entirely), but did so at the expense of Denny Hamlin, who dominated the day and led 292 laps only to finish runner-up in the contest.
Of course, Elliott and Hamlin weren’t the only drivers who had prosperous days; plenty did. On the flip side, several drivers will look to brush off the Virginia half-miler immediately. Here’s a glance at three drivers on the upswing and three more on the downturn following Martinsville and heading into the off week before action begins once more at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 12 (3 p.m. ET, FS1, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Martinsville
THREE UP
1. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
Started: 9th
Finished: 3rd
What happened: The difference one race makes. A 33rd-place finish at Darlington Raceway had the three-time Cup Series champion on the opposite end of this installment last week, but this time, Logano put those woes to bed with a strong showing at “The Paperclip.” The No. 22 Ford got stronger as the weekend went on, finishing Stages 1 and 2 in seventh and third, respectively, with P3 the final result when the checkered flag waved. The finish acted as the 14th-consecutive top 10 for Logano at Martinsville, tied for the third-longest streak in the track’s storied history.
What’s next: Though he has two career Cup wins there, Bristol has been tough sledding for Logano since the Next Gen era began in 2022, with five finishes outside the top 20. There is a glimmer of hope, though: The most recent race there (September 2025) resulted in a fifth-place result.
2. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Started: 2nd
Finished: 5th
What happened: Finishing worse than where you started shouldn’t be a knock on Byron. If anything, it should emphasize just how strong the cars ahead of him were because the No. 24 wheeled it. From top-10 practice times and a front-row starting position to top-five finishes in Stages 1 and 2, the No. 24 Chevrolet was in the mix from start to finish. Byron’s 47 Martinsville points accumulated ranked fourth overall, and his seven top fives at the track are his most at any facility.
What’s next: Though he has excelled at Martinsville, Bristol has been a different beast for Byron in his Cup career. The 28-year-old North Carolina native has two top fives and five top 10s with zero laps led and a 16.1 average finish at the track. Byron and the No. 24 camp will have work to do should the team wish to leave a winning mark at “The Last Great Colosseum” for the first time.
3. Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Started: 5th
Finished: 11th
What happened: Road-course ringers have had a knack for Martinsville success, and for one in van Gisbergen still learning the oval ropes, the 36-year-old Kiwi had a respectable showing at “The Paperclip.” Though his practice time ranked 34th, that proved to be the outlier. Van Gisbergen started inside the top five to begin the 400-lapper and maintained track position, finishing Stages 1 and 2 in sixth and eighth, respectively. Though he finished outside the top 10, the growth on these tracks is very noticeable, and that should only make van Gisbergen that much more of a threat in due time.
What’s next: Speaking of growth, it will be put to the test at Bristol. Van Gisbergen’s first Cup exposure there came during his 2025 rookie campaign, with the pilot finishing outside the top 25 on both occasions. During the spring race, van Gisbergen completed only 208 laps before a suspension issue resulted in a DNF. The sample size is small, surely, but more seasoning is needed.
MORE: Watch NASCAR video highlights
THREE DOWN
1. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
Started: 15th
Finished: 36th
What happened: Wallace will want to wash this one. After top-20 track position through Stages 1 and 2, the No. 23 Toyota made contact with Carson Hocevar’s No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet on Lap 324. A stack-up ahead of Hocevar resulted in Wallace hitting the No. 77 again, with the damage from the contact — in addition to other cars in the vicinity — enough to send Wallace to the garage for the duration. Wallace tallied one point from the race.
What’s next: With only one top five and two top-10s in 13 Bristol Cup races, Wallace could be in for another grind of a day. That said, nearly any performance will be an improvement after Martinsville’s one-point affair. The fact that Wallace has led at least one lap in three of the last four Bristol contests suggests that a rebound could come in a semi-decent fashion.
2. Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
Started: 14th
Finished: 34th
What happened: All looked swell for Smith and the No. 38 camp through the opening two stages at Martinsville, with finishes of 14th and 17th, respectively. Any chance of maintaining top-20 track position was undone, however, on Lap 324 after the No. 38 Ford was involved in a late multicar crash, resulting in damage that required a garage visit. While Smith returned to on-track action, the damage was done, finishing the race 29 laps behind the top finishers.
What’s next: In four career Cup races at “The Last Great Colosseum,” Smith has failed to finish on the lead lap in three instances, including both the 2024 and 2025 spring races, with results of 36th and 27th, respectively. Last fall’s contest, however, was a breakthrough of sorts, finishing third and leading five laps. It might not be much, but it’s definitely something to build upon for this year’s spring running.
3. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Started: 28th
Finished: 27th
What happened: While some road-course ringers have found success at Martinsville, Allmendinger hasn’t. That theme continued this weekend, with little speed to break free of middle-road track position. Since the Next Gen era began in 2022, Allmendinger has made seven Martinsville starts, all resulting in finishes between 23rd and 28th.
What’s next: Unfortunately for Allmendinger, Bristol hasn’t been much kinder. In 27 career Cup starts, the 44-year-old has three career top 10s with 78 laps led. He did start on the Bristol Cup pole last fall, only for a steering issue to result in a 36th-place DNF. That said, he started inside the top 10 (eighth) and finished ninth in last year’s spring race.
