THE NASCAR The Cup Series reaches its penultimate event with a short track heat race that will determine the final two championship entrants.
Kyle Larsonwho won the round of 16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Christopher Bell, who rallied to win last weekend’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, have already secured a spot in the championship race. The two remaining Championship 4 spots will be decided Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.
The path is simple. If one of the six drivers remaining in the playoffs wins at Martinsville, they will earn third place and the remaining spot will be awarded to the driver who accumulated the most points in the third round without victory. If none of the six wins on Sunday, the two places for Championship 4 will be decided by points.
William Byron, who leads the series with six wins in 2023, enters Martinsville in the best position to earn a Championship 4 spot based on points. Byron is 20 points ahead of the next closest driver in points, Ryan Blaney. On the other end of the spectrum is Chris Buescher, who is 63 points behind Byron and needs to win on Sunday to have a chance to compete for the 2023 title.
Who will celebrate in Martinsville and who will be disappointed? Here’s all the information you need to prepare for the Xfinity 500:
What time does the Cup race start at Martinsville?
The Xfinity 500 begins at 2 p.m. ET at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia.
What TV channel is the Cup race at Martinsville on?
NBC is broadcasting the Xfinity 500. FS1 has a pre-race show at 12:30 p.m. ET, while Peacock will have a post-race show at 6 p.m. ET.
Will there be a live broadcast of the Cup race at Martinsville?
The Xfinity 500 can be streamed live on the NBC Sports website and the NBC Sports app.
2024 NASCAR SCHEDULE: Atlanta and Watkins Glen advance to playoffs next season
NEWSLETTER: Sign up to receive daily sports news and features
What is the standings heading into the third round race at Martinsville?
(*-former champion; X-clinched a place in the championship race):
- X-Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing — 4,110 points
- X-Kyle Larson*Hendrick Motorsports — 4,105 points
- William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports — 4,126 points
- Ryan Blaney, Team Penske — 4,106 points
- Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing — 4,096 points
- Martin Truex Jr.*Joe Gibbs Racing — 4,089 points
- Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing — 4,089 points
- Chris Buescher, RFK Racing – 4,063 points
How many laps is the Cup race at Martinsville?
The Xfinity 500 does 500 laps around the 0.526-mile track for a total of 263 miles. The race will consist of three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 130 laps; Step 2: 130 rounds; Step 3: 240 rounds.
Who won the most recent races at Martinsville?
Kyle Larson led the final 30 laps on April 16, 2023, passing Joey Logano on lap 370 of 400 before pulling away to win by 4.142 seconds.
And a year ago in the playoff race, Christopher Bell led 150 laps, including the final five, before holding off Larson by 0.869 seconds on October 30, 2022.
What is the range of the Xfinity 500?
(Car number in parentheses; P-playoff driver)
1. (19) Martin Truex Jr. (P), Toyota
2. (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota
3. (14) Chase Briscoe, Ford
4. (11) Denny Hamlin (P), Toyota
5. (5) Kyle Larson (P), Chevrolet
6. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota
7. (20) Christopher Bell (P), Toyota
8. (4) Kevin Harvick, Ford
9. (41) Ryan Preece, Ford
10. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford
11. (12) Ryan Blaney (P), Ford
12. (10) Aric Almirola, Ford
13. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
14. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
15. (22) Joey Logano, Ford
16. (24) William Byron (P), Chevrolet
17. (38) Todd Gilliland, Ford
18. (17) Chris Buescher (P), Ford
19. (45) Tyler Reddick (P), Toyota
20. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet
21. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford
22. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet
23. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford
24. (31) Justin Haley, Chevrolet
25. (16) A.J. Allmendinger, Chevrolet
26. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
27. (99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet
28. (21) Harrison Burton, Ford
29. (43) Erik Jones, Chevrolet
30. (7) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet
31. (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
32. (42) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
33. (51) Ryan Newman, Ford
34. (77) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet
35. (15) J. J. Yeley, Ford
36. (78) B.J. McLeod, Chevrolet
