NASCAR
Stratta’s Six: Who Will Master Martinsville in Playoff Crunch Time?
Elimination Sunday looms large once again in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. This time the elite eight will be cut down to the Championship 4 after 500 laps around Martinsville Speedway. The Xfinity 500 will put NASCAR’s best at their breaking points. Several past Martinsville masters need a strong day. Here are some contenders hoping to leave Virginia one Grandfather Clock richer.
Denny Hamlin
Trying to recover from a mechanical DNF at Homestead, there may not be a better track historically for Denny Hamlin. The Chesterfield, Virginia native owns five Martinsville wins, and a top-five in the last two trips here. Hamlin has not won at The Paperclip in eight years however.
While Hamlin was ultimately eliminated by Ross Chastain’s Hail Melon move here last year, he did execute a max-points day. 12 months ago the 11 swept the Stages and led 203 laps before finishing fifth. A similar effort should see Hamlin erase his points deficit for another Championship 4 bid. There is good reasoning behind Hamlin being listed as Sunday’s prerace favorite.
“We’re going to my best track,” Hamlin said. “We’ve been behind the eight ball before. I feel like we show up in these situations and put our best effort forward. I certainly feel like there is heavy motivation this week. We know what we’re capable of. Now, we just have to go do it.”
Following the late Homestead issue, Hamlin heads to Martinsville 17 points out of the Championship 4. If the 11 simply runs well across both Stages and remains in the top-five late, then points should follow. For the self-proclaimed championship front runner, a win is not needed but a banner day is required at Martinsville.
Kyle Larson
Already a Championship 4 lock, Kyle Larson eyes a 2023 sweep at what he once called his worst racetrack. Six months ago, the Hendrick No. 5 paced the field for the final 30 laps, taking his first Grandfather Clock. Hendrick Motorsports is by far the best team at Martinsville, with Larson’s victory marking win 28 for them on the half-mile. Larson already has Phoenix at the top of mind, but is still trying to gain any momentum possible from Martinsville.
“It’s obviously both comforting and exciting to know that the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team is locked into the Championship 4 by our Vegas win,” Larson said. “Martinsville had historically been a challenging track for me, and transparently not a favorite. April of this season, our team was able to help change that. Securing my first win at the Virginia short-track was super rewarding. Our team is always actively trying to build consistency. So really focusing on another solid weekend in Martinsville would help us build a good mindset to tackle the Championship at Phoenix.”
For someone who claims to not race well here, Larson has seemingly figured out Martinsville since the Next Gen car. In the last three races, the 5 has the one win, a runner-up, and 98 laps led. Should Larson sniff the front late again on Sunday, the 5 could keep one of his competitors from securing a Phoenix berth.
Martin Truex Jr
Few drivers need more of a Martinsville miracle than Martin Truex Jr. The Playoffs have been eight weeks of disappointment for the 19 team, only compounded last week with an engine failure. Having one last shot to make Phoenix, the regular season champion has three Martinsville victories, all coming since 2019. Truex explained how temperamental the Martinsville track surface can be.
“Martinsville for a long time in my career was a really tough place to figure out,” Truex said. “We eventually hit on some things and it’s been pretty good for a while. Then we went to the Next Gen car last year and it was a struggle for us. I’m really optimistic going into this weekend because we ran third there in the spring.”
“Martinsville looks so easy, it’s just a small, little half-mile track, but it’s so tricky with the concrete in the corners and, every time you go there, it’s different. It doesn’t make sense because the track is the same, but it does make it different depending on the temperature and the tire and everything that’s going on with these cars. Running third there in the spring, I think we learned a lot we can use going forward and, hopefully, we can find some of that old magic we had there a few years ago again this weekend with our Auto-Owners Insurance Camry.”
“The biggest thing is just the beating and banging that happens there and getting knocked out of the way, which there seems to be a bit less of that so far with this car. For me, I’ve really only had one issue there, which was getting taken out of the race at the end in 2018. It gets like that at Martinsville, it’s just a tough track. When it comes down to a few laps to go, you can go down there and blow the corner and run into somebody and get the spot. That’s where the frustration comes from there, from a lot of drivers (doing that) over the years.”
Truex and Hamlin are in very similar spots after their near-simultaneous issues a week ago. Both Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas enter Martinsville 17 markers back of the Championship 4. If Truex runs top-five all day and gathers Stage points, that gap could narrow quickly. Recovering to finish third at Martinsville in April gives the 19 team hope for a Phoenix lifeline.
Ryan Blaney
Despite being 0-15 at Martinsville, Ryan Blaney still has loads of confidence heading to The Paperclip. A 9.5 average finish leads all drivers, and is his personal best at any track. Driver 12 has seven top-fives and nine top-10s here, including recent finishes of fourth, third and seventh. Blaney goes into this weekend holding onto the fourth and final spot in the Playoff standings, 10 points ahead of fifth-place Tyler Reddick. Blaney hopes it’s finally time for the Grandfather Clock to strike 12.
“I personally feel fairly decent about it,” Blaney said. “We’ve run pretty good (at Martinsville) in the past. It’s nice to have run good at places that you’re going to in the past, but I don’t think you can fully rely on that. Things change. We have a different tire going there this weekend. The track changes. Cars change, so it’s important you utilize the things you’ve learned in the past that has made you good, but I don’t think you can put all your chips into that basket.”
“You have to understand that you have to continue to evolve and learn. That’s from a driver’s side and from a setup side how you unload. What have we learned this year as well at short tracks that maybe we can apply that’s made us better? Maybe we’ve done some stuff at short tracks that was worse. But you just learn that stuff and you have to be ready to do different things to be competitive.”
“Hopefully, we can put together a good race like we have the last couple of weeks and it works out for us. But everyone’s heads are up high right now and understand that you’re not in a comfortable spot whatsoever. If you haven’t won, you still have to go execute and run a good race and hopefully we can go do that.”
Blaney is in a very cautious position where he must minimize any risk yet also be on the offense. Any winner from below him in points would likely end the 12’s hopes at Phoenix. Blaney’s race outlook will be determined in qualifying; a top-10 starting spot may help alleviate the 12 through one or both Stages. If he starts deep in the field however, the Penske team may face must-win once Stage 3 begins on Sunday.
William Byron
Not many drivers have matched the recent Martinsville consistency displayed by William Byron. The winner of 2022’s spring race, driver 24 has a top-10 here in four of the last five tries. The one outlier was earlier this year, where Byron was a dismal 23rd. Still needing to secure a spot in Phoenix, Byron has been diligently preparing for the 500 lap challenge ahead.
“We spent this week digging through notes from earlier this year and last at Martinsville,” Byron said. “There was a wheel force test last week running the new tire so the teams could get information. We’re just trying to use what we have to hopefully get the car in a good place for when it’s unloaded. The fun thing about racing is you’re trying to get to the final four to go for a championship but it comes down to we all want to win every week. When you peel away all the layers of racing, it’s all about winning. We do the same processes every week with the goal of winning. That’s our number one goal still and there’s nothing like having winning momentum heading into Phoenix.”
Byron’s team has been the picture of week-to-week steadiness throughout these Playoffs. The No. 24 only has one postseason result worse than 10th, and recent finishes of first, second, second, seventh, and fourth. Entering third in the standings and 30 points above the cut line, things are looking up for another breakout Byron race.
Christopher Bell
Last year’s Xfinity 500 winner has no pressure on him this time around, so Christopher Bell could be dangerous. The Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 locked into Phoenix by winning Homestead a week ago, and now head to Martinsville chasing another clock. Bell touched on the wild mindset difference for this race now being worry-free.
“Your outlook for the race is completely different,” Bell said. “So if the strategy presents itself, an opportunity to flip the Stages and get track position, you take it because you’re not worried about points. Those guys have a lot more to race for than what I do now going into Martinsville with our Interstate Batteries Camry. The mentality is completely different for them than it is for me. You just have to be aware of that.”
“Being able to focus on just winning the race and not having to score points definitely has its benefits. That’s where we’re at. I think we should be really competitive this week. Martinsville is obviously a good track for me. I look forward to going there and having a week with no pressure. We have Interstate Batteries on our car for the final time this year. We’ll do everything we can to win for those guys. It would be sweet to get them to victory lane and then get ready for Phoenix next week.”
Much like Homestead, Christopher Bell won Martinsville a year ago in very clutch manner. After leading early, the 20 only took command inside the final five laps and held on for the victory. Now racing for another Championship, Bell is hopeful that victory momentum can carry over to the Half-Mile of Mayhem.
Some of these drivers will have their title bids end in disappointment after the Xfinity 500. The elimination race will go green Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. The most dramatic, angst-filled and desperation-heavy cut race of the season will leave many feelings hurt and one driver elated. Be sure to not miss a lap of action; each moment of Sunday’s race will have huge championship reverberations.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Sean Gardner/Getty Images
