Practically since the Next-Gen car was introduced, NASCAR and Goodyear have been working on tires to resolve its short-track problems. One attempt was already visible this year at Phoenix when teams had the ability to choose between primary and alternate compounds throughout the race. The other option is what was seen at Martinsville last year.
That compound made for a very exciting finish in last year’s fall Playoff race, and the whole race featured more passing at the front of the field than last year’s spring race. It’s that same compound in Sunday’s Cook Out 400, airing at 3 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. It should spruce up the racing again at the 0.526-mile paper-clip track.
Odds via BetMGM
+375 – Ryan Blaney
+575 – Kyle Larson
+700 – Chase Elliott
+750 – Denny Hamlin
+800 – William Byron
+1100 – Christopher Bell
+1100 – Joey Logano
+1400 – Chase Briscoe
+2500 – Alex Bowman
+2500 – Tyler Reddick
What exactly was the change last year? The right-side tires were the same as the soft option tire used in previous races last year. The left-side tires were a specially designed compound that marked the softest tires ever raced at Martinsville with potential falloff up to a second a lap.
The best indication of what that might look like from this season is Phoenix, when Joey Logano and others stretched out the soft alternate tires. They were fast at the restart, but falloff quickly had to be managed as they slowed down. This sort of falloff was key on short tracks before the Next Gen car and gives drivers a new challenge throughout the race, makes passing easier as cars run at different speeds, and opens up strategy decisions as to when to get new tires and when to stay out.
Who will rise to the challenge? Last year, it was Ryan Blaney. He got the win under pressure, needing to advance to the Championship 4. He’s the odds-on favorite this year and he’s embraced the tire compound changes.
“The softer tire has been good, and I think it’s helped,” Blaney said. “I think we can continue to be aggressive on it because that’s the place to be the most aggressive with tires. It’s the slowest racetrack and you don’t have to worry about massive blowouts at high speeds, so I think Goodyear has continued to work their way softer, which is a good thing.
“I think it’s important as we continue to work on short track racing that you have fall off, and I think they’ve just been getting better at it.”
Blaney has the best average finish at the track in the Next Gen era (3.5) followed by his Team Penske teammate Joey Logano with the next-best average (5.2). Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson has the third-best closely behind (5.5).
The drivers who’ve led the most laps in recent years haven’t managed to pick up a win. However, both Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin have won at Martinsville in the past, with Hamlin having a huge five wins at Martinsville and the most top-fives in recent years. Both want to win here again: Elliott drives for the most successful team at the track, and Martinsville is Virginia native Denny Hamlin’s home track.
Adding to that Hendrick success, the team finished first, second, and third in last year’s spring race, with William Byron getting the victory of that group. It was Hendrick’s 40th anniversary so the cars wore special ruby-red paint schemes.
This isn’t an anniversary race for Byron and the Hendrick camp, but just another chance to win. He thinks he has a shot if the team brings a fast enough car, but he seemed to remember his comparative struggles in other races at the track in recent years.
“I’m confident but also not extremely confident. We’ve had some good runs, and we’ve also had some just okay runs,” Byron said. “It’s really about having a good long-run car, and that’s what we will really focus on.”
While there is that group of drivers with proven success at Martinsville, the track can also throw up some surprises. Both Alex Bowman and Christopher Bell have scored a win in the last five years at the track without earning another top-five finish since.
The tires might just add to that.
Practice will begin at 2 pm ET on Saturday followed by qualifying at 3:10 pm ET. Both sessions will stream on Amazon Prime and will be broadcast on MRN Radio.
Allgaier Goes for Double the Cash in the Xfinity Series
The Xfinity Series is entering the second race of its four-race Dash 4 Cash bonus, and that means another chance for last week’s winner Justin Allgaier to bring home the $100,000 bonus.
In fact, he’s looking for a third win in a row for the first time in his career in Saturday’s US Marine Corps 250, airing at 5 p.m. ET on CW, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
That won’t be easy, though, as he’ll be facing another challenge from Aric Almirola. The former Cup Series now drives part-time for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series in the No. 19 and has proven that he’s a threat to win almost every time he does. In fact, Almirola won both times the series came to Martinsville last year and has already won once in his three starts this year.
But even if he doesn’t win the race, if Allgaier ends up the highest finisher of the Dash 4 Cash drivers he’ll pick up the cash for the sixth time in his career, more than any other driver.
To do so, he’ll have to face down Sam Mayer, Austin Hill, and Sheldon Creed.
Allgaier has a long career in the Xfinity Series, but the division didn’t race at Martinsville for much of it. However, in the past five years when it has, he’s managed to pick up a win. That makes him the only one of the four eligible drivers who’ve ever won at Martinsville, though both Mayer and Creed have finished second before.
Practice will begin at 4:30 pm ET on Friday followed by qualifying at 5:35 pm ET. Both sessions will stream on the CW App.
Corey Heim Looks to Extend Points Lead in Trucks
Corey Heim has taken the lead in the Truck Series points standings, but with an eight-point margin it remains tight over Ty Majeski. Those two have separated themselves from the pack, but it’s still early in the season and a lot can change.
Nothing would cement Heim’s position at the front more than a win in the Boys and Girls Club of the Blue Ridge 200 at Martinsville Speedway, airing at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Heim has already won twice in four races and is the only truck series regular to win so far this year (the other two races were won by Cup Series drivers Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson, both in the No. 07 Spire Motorsports truck).
Heim and the rest of the field will have to face down another challenger in the No. 07, though. This time it will be in the form of William Byron, a multi-time Cup Series winner at Martinsville and a past Truck Series winner at Martinsville where he gave Spire its first series win.
There’s another bonus for the full-time field. It’s the first race of the Craftsman Triple Truck Challenge, meaning the highest-finishing series regular will get $50,000 in bonus cash. The prize money multiplies several times over for a driver who can win two or all three of the races, so there’s plenty of motivation to go for the first win and open up that opportunity.
