Kyle Larson Claims First Victory at Martinsville Speedway: Kyle Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports team gambled on a late race two-tire pit stop to give him a fighting chance for the victory, and he took the opportunity and drove away to a commanding 4.142-second win in Sunday’s NOCO 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. It was the 2021 Champion’s first victory at the famed half-mile track; making the pass for the win in his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy with 30 laps remaining, but then having to hold off another past champion Joey Logano, whose runner-up finish Sunday was also impressive considering he started at the rear of the field after a post-qualifying adjustment to his No. 22 Team Penske Ford.[Read More](4-16-2023)
#5-Kyle Larson won the NOCO 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway. The win is his 2nd win of the year, 1st at Martinsville and 21st career win.
#22-Logano finished 2nd followed by #19-Truex, Jr., #11-Hamlin, #14-Briscoe, #10-Almirola, #12-Blaney, #47-Stenhouse, Jr., #23-Wallace, and #9-Elliott.
Larson took the lead for the first time with 29 laps remaining and pulled away to win by more than 4 seconds.
Pole winner #41-Preece led the first 136 laps of the race but was caught speeding on pit road and remained stuck in traffic the rest of the race. He finished 15th.
Stage 1 was won by #41-Preece. Stage 2 was won by #4-Harvick.
There were 10 lead changes among 9 drivers and 5 cautions for 50 yellow flag laps.
The average speed of the race was: 74.005mph.
See race details at: Race Results, Driver Points Standings, Owner Points Standings, Cumulative Report, Penalty Report.
Race Fast Facts – Martinsville:
Kyle Larson won the NOCO 400, his 21st victory in 304 Cup Series races.
This is his second victory and fourth top-10 finish in 2023.
This is his first victory and fifth top-10 finish in 17 races at Martinsville Speedway.
Joey Logano (second) posted his 17th top-10 finish in 29 races at Martinsville Speedway. It is his fifth top-10 finish in 2023.
Martin Truex Jr. (third) posted his 16th top-10 finish in 35 races at Martinsville Speedway.
Ty Gibbs (18th) was the highest finishing rookie.
(NASCAR)
Cup Series Playoff Standings after Martinsville:
Race 9 of 26 in the regular season
1) #5-Kyle Larson [2 wins], 285
2) #24-William Byron [2 wins], 208
3) #20-Christopher Bell [1 win], 302
4) #45-Tyler Reddick [1 win], 265
5) #22-Joey Logano [1 win], 258
6) #8-Kyle Busch [1 win], 250
7) #47-Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. [1 win], 223
8) #1-Ross Chastain, 297
9) #4-Kevin Harvick, 287
10) #19-Martin Truex, Jr., 266
11) #11-Denny Hamlin, 247
12) #12-Ryan Blaney, 241
13) #48-Alex Bowman, 237
13) #6-Brad Keselowski, 235
15) #14-Chase Briscoe, 210
16) #17-Chris Buescher, 203
See the Driver Points Standings and Owner Points Standings.
Paint Schemes
Cars to the rear: #22-Logano (unapproved adjustments)
Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the NOCO 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway have been made.
Pole winner #41-Ryan Preece chose pit stall 1.
Outside pole sitter #99-Daniel Suarez took the sixth stall.
See all pit choices on the Martinsville Pit Stall page.
#41-Ryan Preece won the Busch Light pole for the NOCO 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway with speed of 94.780 mph. It’s the first pole of his career in 124 Cup Series starts.
#99-Daniel Suarez will start on the front row in second at 94.298 mph. #10-Aric Almirola ran the same speed (94.298 mph), but will start third as the No. 99 is higher in owners points. #14-Chase Briscoe (94.153 mph) and #19-Martin Truex Jr. (94.120 mph) round out the top five.
#45-Tyler Reddick, #4-Kevin Harvick, #24-William Byron, #23-Bubba Wallace and #17-Chris Buescher make up the top 10.
See the complete qualifying results and the NOCO 400 Starting Lineup.
Martinsville Speedway – Qualifying Fast Facts:
Ryan Preece won the Pole Award for the NOCO 400 with a lap of 19.979 seconds, 94.780 mph.
This is his first pole in 124 NASCAR Cup Series races.
This is his first pole and second top-10 start in 2023.
This is his first pole in eight races at Martinsville Speedway.
Daniel Suarez (second) posted his third top-10 start of 2023 and his fifth in 13 races at Martinsville
Speedway.
Aric Almirola (third) posted his 11th top-10 start at Martinsville Speedway. It is his third in nine races this season.
Ty Gibbs (12th) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
(NASCAR)
Qualifying Order
Practice for the NOCO 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway is complete:
The top 5:
#45-Reddick 93.663
#24-Byron 92.846
#1-Chastain 92.837
#17-Buescher 92.614
#4-Harvick 92.614
Slowest: #15-Yeley 90.175
Most laps run: #22-Logano, 55 laps.
Best 10 consecutive lap avg (of 35 drivers): #45-Reddick 92.318
See the fastest speeds, best 10 consecutive lap average, laps run, and more on the NOCO 400 Practice speeds page.
Crew Rosters
The entry list for the NOCO 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway is posted, 36 teams/drivers [for 40 spots] are listed.
Some of the drivers entered include: #9-Berry, #15-Yeley, #51-Zane Smith and #78-Alfredo.
See the full entry list on the NOCO 400 Entry List page.
Goodyear Fast Facts — Martinsville Speedway
TandemDraft Stats – Martinsville
Weekend Event Schedule