by Nick DeGroot
There is one driver who stands above the rest this season in the NASCAR Cup Series. This weekend, Martinsville will determine his championship fate.
Homestead-Miami Speedway was a microcosm of Kyle Larson’s entire season. A fast car, shocking setbacks, unforced errors and remarkable comebacks — and in the end, it was all for naught. (more…)
Time has come to decide who will make-up the Championship 4 Round this season, and the historic 0.526-mile Martinsville Speedway will once again play host to the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs’ Round of 8 elimination race, the Xfinity 500 on Sunday, November 3 at 2 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
After a dazzling display of talent in the closing laps of the Homestead-Miami Speedway Playoff race, which saw 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick now joins Team Penske’s Joey Logano as the only two drivers locked into the next round. With two spots still available, at least one will be filled by a driver that earns their position in the Championship 4 Round on points.
As the NASCAR Xfinity Series winds down the 2024 season, the drivers and teams will now be heading to Martinsville Speedway for the Playoffs’ penultimate race, the National Debt Relief 250, on Saturday, November 2 at 4 p.m. ET on the CW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
This will be the 43rd NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway. The previous 42 races have produced 28 different race winners and 22 different pole winners. Only six races have been won from the pole or first starting position, but it’s been over 35 years since a driver was able to accomplish the feat – most recently by Jimmy Hensley in 1987.
For the first time since 2021, the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series returns to Martinsville Speedway for the Playoffs’ penultimate race – the Zip Buy Now, Pay Later 200 – on Friday, November 1 at 6 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM Radio (Channel 90).
The historic 0.526-mile track has hosted 47 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races since its inaugural event on September 25, 1995 – a race won by Joe Ruttman piloting the No. 84 Irvan-Simo Racing Ford.
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (October 30, 2024) – Michael McDowell will celebrate his 500th career NASCAR Cup Series start at Martinsville Speedway this weekend for the penultimate race of the 2024 season.
McDowell will become the 47th different driver in series history to make 500 starts or more and is one of six active full-time drivers in the Cup Series to reach the 500 start-plateau joining Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski. The 39-year-old also made is first Cup Series start at Martinsville in 2008 driving for Michael Waltrip Racing. McDowell will be making his 28th start at the Martinsville Speedway, looking to improve on his 21st place result in the spring. (more…)
NASCAR Cup Series — Race No. 35 – 500 laps / 263 miles
Martinsville Speedway (0.526-mile oval) – Martinsville, Va.
Fast Facts for November 2-3, 2024
Tire: Goodyear Eagle 18-inch Short Track Radials
Set limits: Cup: 2 sets for practice, 1 set for qualifying and 10 sets for the race
(9 race sets plus 1 set transferred from qualifying) (more…)
Article by Dustin Albino, Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images
Parker Kligerman had been contemplating the next chapter of his professional career prior to taking a full-time gig with Big Machine Racing in the Xfinity Series ahead of the 2023 season. But he wanted to taste Victory Lane once more.
After spending two seasons adapting to the grind of the Xfinity Series, team owner Scott Borchetta hired Kligerman to be the driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet. Kligerman, a racing journeyman, hadn’t competed in an entire schedule in any series in a decade. Simultaneously, he beefed up his broadcasting resume as a pit reporter for NBC Sports. (more…)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (October 29, 2024) – Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia, going into the Xfinity 500 on Sunday, November 3 at 2 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90). (more…)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 30, 2024) – Starting today, the voting period for the Trioval Grass Design for the 2025 DAYTONA 500 has begun. This serves as the tenth consecutive year fans can cast their vote for their favorite Trioval Grass Design to be displayed during the 67th running of The Great American Race on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025.
Voting is open now through Friday, Nov. 8. Fans can click here to submit their vote for one of the three creative designs and are encouraged to share their choice via Facebook and X (Twitter). The unveiling of the winning design will take place in January 2025.
Historic team readies for 75th anniversary season
STUART, Va. (October 30, 2024) – Miles Stanley, a seasoned race engineer in the NASCAR Cup Series and longtime employee of Team Penske, will transition to Wood Brothers Racing in 2025 – the team’s 75th anniversary season – to serve as crew chief of the famed No. 21 Ford Mustang with driver Josh Berry. (more…)
