gettyimages-2146889981.jpg
Getty Images

RIDGEWAY, Va. -- The small town of Ridgeway, just a stone's throw from the state line between Southern Virginia and North Carolina, represents the very essence of stock car racing. The oldest continually operating racetrack in all of NASCAR is woven directly into the fabric of the town, with the Martinsville Speedway lying just beyond the back porches of homes in the town and a little ways beyond water towers, railways lines and other sights of everyday life in this community.

Life in Martinsville, like many southern towns surrounding it, is fairly simple and markedly humble. But in NASCAR, to win at Martinsville is to put your name in an unceasing line of legendary drivers dating all the way to 1949 and the very beginning of the sport. And in the Xfinity 500, the reward is not only one of Ridgeway's signature Grandfather clocks, but also the opportunity to become a NASCAR legend forever.

This weekend marks the penultimate race of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season and the elimination race in the Round of 8, marking the last chance for the remaining playoff drivers to make the Championship 4 and earn the right to race for the Cup title next week in Phoenix. With a last lap pass to cap off a thrilling race a week ago at Homestead, Tyler Reddick joined Joey Logano in clinching a Championship 4 spot, leaving just two spots remaining for six drivers.

Christopher Bell and William Byron enter Martinsville above the cut line, and both are in position to potentially clinch on points. Bell can make his way into the final round with 26 points and Byron with 49. But for Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott, the simplest -- and in some cases, only -- way to get to the next level is to take the checkered flag and automatically advance.

Where to watch the NASCAR playoffs at Martinsville

When: Sunday, Nov. 3
Where: Martinsville Speedway -- Ridgeway, Virginia
Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: NBC
Streaming: fubo (try for free)

What to Watch

As the racing product at Martinsville and short tracks as a whole has proven enigmatic since the introduction of the Next Gen car in 2022, this weekend will feature the next step for NASCAR towards softer tire compounds in an effort to create better short track racing for Cup cars. The right side tire compound for this weekend will be the same "option tire" that was used earlier this year at North Wilkesboro and Richmond, while the left side compound will be one of the softest that Goodyear has to offer.

This weekend's tire setup comes as a result of a tire test conducted in August, and it will also mean that teams will be given extended practice time with a 45-minute session for all competitors.

"Martinsville is a tricky track for many reasons -- not only the time of year we race there, but also the layout with the tight, concrete corners," Goodyear director of racing Greg Stucker said. "We had a good test there in August and came out of it with this setup, which is another step forward on our short track package."

While making passes or even putting the bumper to another driver has proven difficult in Next Gen races at Martinsville, the track's fall races over the last two years have generally been regarded with some acclaim. The 2022 and 2023 races both proved to be rife with playoff drama, and the former has earned a permanent place in NASCAR lore thanks to Ross Chastain's "Hail Melon" wall ride on the final lap to make the Championship 4.

News of the Week

  • A judge has denied a request by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports for expedited discovery in order to obtain documents from NASCAR prior to a preliminary hearing set for Monday in the teams' antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR. According to court documents, it was ruled that the teams' request was "overly broad" and that the timeframe of their request -- within five days of a court order -- placed an undue burden on NASCAR as the defendants. It was also ruled that the teams had indicated that they could prevail on the preliminary injunction even without the documents.

    In his first public comments on the matter, NASCAR president Steve Phelps expressed disappointment with the lawsuit, particularly given his relationship with 23XI co-owner Michael Jordan, and also expressed hope that the legal proceedings would not be a distraction for the sport as a whole.

    "We negotiated in good faith for over two years. We had the majority of the teams -- 13 of 15, representing 32 charters -- extend with us," Phelps said on the Varisty podcast. "I love that Michael Jordan is in our sport. I personally like Michael and think he's good for the sport. Do I like that he's taking this course of action? I don't. Would I like to put it behind us? Yes, I would.

    "I'm hopeful it can be somewhat speedy. But for us, it's going to be business as usual."
  • 23XI Racing announced that Charles Denike will take over as the crew chief for Bubba Wallace in 2025, earning his first Cup crew chief job after a successful tenure as crew chief for the No. 19 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing team in the Craftsman Truck Series. Denike will take the place of Bootie Barker, who will remain with 23XI and take a new role within the competition leadership team.

    Denike has nine career victories as a Truck Series crew chief, including seven over the past two years with Christian Eckes behind the wheel. He will be tasked with building on the work Wallace and Barker did together, which includes the first two wins of Wallace's Cup career at Talladega in 2021 and Kansas in 2022.
  • Wood Brothers Racing announced that they have hired current Team Penske performance engineering manager Miles Stanley as the new crew chief for Josh Berry in 2025, giving Stanley his first full-time job as a Cup crew chief since he served in that role for Robby Gordon Motorsports in 2010 and 2011. Stanley's most recent crew chiefing experience came in an interim role with Ryan Blaney in 2022, when he earned a career-best finish of second at Talladega.
  • NASCAR has suspended Craftsman Truck Series driver Conner Jones for this weekend's race at Martinsville for a violation of the sport's Code of Conduct after Jones intentionally wrecked competitor Matt Mills last weekend at Homestead. Jones turned Mills into the wall in retaliation for a defensive move he was unhappy with, and Mills wound up spending two nights in the hospital after suffering smoke inhalation from a fire that broke out in his truck as a result of the impact.
  • Comcast has announced the nominees for the 2024 Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award, one of NASCAR's highest honors for the philanthropic efforts of those in the sport. This year's nominees include Cup Series driver Erik Jones, NASCAR Productions senior manager of facility operations Scott Crowell, and Charlotte Motor Speedway senior director of HR/IT Susan McKee.

Pick to Win

Denny Hamlin (+400) -- There isn't much more you can say about Hamlin at Martinsville other than that he is one of the most accomplished drivers in the long and venerated history of NASCAR's oldest continually operating racetrack. His career resumé at Martinsville -- five wins, 19 top fives and 25 top 10s in 37 career starts – speaks for itself, and it makes him arguably the biggest X factor in the field among drivers trying to make their way into the Championship 4 from below the cut line.

Whatever circumstances Hamlin finds himself at the end of the race, expect him to be in the mix for the win all day long. From the fall of 2020 onwards, Hamlin has led a total of 882 laps at Martinsville with four top five finishes to show for it, but he's still looking for his first Martinsville win in almost 10 full years. The last time Hamlin took the checkered flag at Martinsville was the spring of 2015, and his sixth Martinsville win would give him yet another opportunity to finally win his first Cup championship that has eluded him over the years.