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Penultimate NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Race From Martinsville Speedway This Sunday, Nov. 3, At 2 P.M. ET On NBC

by MikeOctober 31, 2024

Live Pre-Race Coverage of Final NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8 Playoff Race from Martinsville Speedway Begins Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC

Tyler Reddick and Joey Logano Have Clinched Berths in Championship 4

With Only Two Spots Remaining, Christopher Bell and William Byron Round out Top Four in Final Race Before Next Weekend’s Cup Series Championship

Last Week’s Race from Homestead-Miami Speedway Averaged a Total Audience Delivery of 2.4 Million Viewers, Up 4% vs. 2023

STAMFORD, Conn. – Oct. 31, 2024 – It’s an elimination race! With Tyler Reddick and Joey Logano’s Championship appearances already clinched, the final two drivers that will compete for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Championship will be determined this weekend during NBC Sports’ coverage of the Xfinity 500 from Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Va., this Sunday, Nov. 3, at 2 p.m. ET on NBC. A 30-minute Countdown to Green Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC leads into live race coverage. Martinsville is the fifth of six consecutive Cup Series playoff races to be presented live on NBC, culminating in the Cup Series Championship next weekend on Nov. 10.

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Title Favorite In Peril: Could This Be It For Kyle Larson’s 2024 Season?

by MikeOctober 31, 2024

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…)

Penultimate Cup Series Playoff Race at Martinsville to Finalize Championship Four

by MikeOctober 31, 2024October 31, 2024

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.

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Michael McDowell To Make 500th Career Cup Series Start at Martinsville with Benebone

by MikeOctober 31, 2024

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…)

Bootie Barker Set to Call Final Race for No. 23 Team at Phoenix

by MikeOctober 30, 2024

Charles Denike to replace Barker, who will remain with 23XI, following season finale

Huntersville, N.C. (Oct. 30, 2024) – 23XI Racing announced today that veteran crew chief Bootie Barker will call his final race with Bubba Wallace and the No. 23 team at the season finale at Phoenix Raceway. Following the end of the season, Barker will be replaced by Charles Denike, the current crew chief for the No. 19 truck team at McAnally-Hilgemann Racing in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. Barker will remain with 23XI and continue to work with the competition leadership team to prepare cars and strategize for races. His new role will be based at Airspeed.

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Goodyear Fast Facts — Martinsville

by MikeOctober 30, 2024

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…)

Sacrificing It All: Parker Kligerman Reflects On NASCAR Journey

by MikeOctober 30, 2024October 30, 2024

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…)

Statistical Advance: Analyzing the Xfinity 500

by MikeOctober 30, 2024

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…)

Fan Voting for the 2025 DAYTONA 500 Trioval Grass Design Kicks Off Today

by MikeOctober 30, 2024

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 67^th 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.

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Wood Brothers Racing Names Miles Stanley as Crew Chief for 2025

by MikeOctober 30, 2024

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…)