Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. head to Martinsville Speedway on Sunday with their seasons on the line. The Joe Gibbs Racing teammates are both 17 points below the cutline in NASCAR's round of eight of the playoffs.
Denny Hamlin does the traditional burnout on the start finish line after winning the 2023 Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. Driver Martin Truex Jr. gestures before the start of the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023 in Homestead, Fla. .FILE - Christopher Bell, left, and Kyle Larson, right, are shown at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Oct. 22, 2023.
Martinsville is Hamlin’s favorite track. The Virginia-raised driver has five career wins at the paperclip-shaped short track, and even though a victory is his only guaranteed path into the finale, he said it is not a must-win race. Hamlin and regular-season champion Truex can both advance without a win but must somehow overcome their points deficit.
Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports have one driver through with Larson, the 2021 Cup champion. Toyota and Gibbs are already represented in the finale by Bell, Larson’s longtime dirt rival.What’s Ahead: Larson is already locked into the finale for the second time in three years, and it’s given him breathing room to prepare for Phoenix. At Homestead last week, he ran into the sand barrels entering pit road.
Martinsville History: Byron won at Martinsville in 2022 and has six top-10 finishes in 11 career starts. His worst finish was 39th in a crash in his 2018 rookie season.What’s Ahead: Blaney is the last Ford driver with a chance from heavyweights Team Penske and Stewart-Haas Racing, and is coming off a second-place finish at Homestead. He’s been surprisingly strong on intermediate tracks, where Ford has struggled as an organization, and now puts his season on the line at a short track.
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