Denny Hamlin, who many had thought would be a favorite for the title this year, has had a lackluster Chase, and sits in 2nd behind Larson, just ahead of teammates Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe. Winning and dominating a race can bring major points shakeups, so if Denny can gain ground this week, there is hope at Homestead, but that would require Larson to have a bad day … something that is exceedingly rare these days.
History is on Denny’s side a bit, as he has won 6 races at Martinsville and has 22 top-5 runs during his more than two-decade career in the Cup Series.
Elliott seeks a sweep
Another driver hungry for a victory is Chase Elliott, Larson’s teammate, who took the checkered flag and grandfather clock trophy in the spring at Martinsville after some smart pit strategy calls by his team.
While it hasn’t been the year Elliott wanted, closing out the year strong would provide good momentum into 2027.
Hocevar is hopeful
Spire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar, aka NASCAR’s latest lightning rod, is also hoping to end his year strong and run up front at Martinsville this weekend.
“Martinsville has always been tough. I think we had our best day going there this Spring, but then we got run over and that ruined our day. We were super-fast at Bowman Gray to open the year, so I know we can run well on these types of tracks.”
Pink Stingray pace car
Sunday’s Xfinity 500 will mark the fifth and final race in Chevrolet’s ‘Making Strides Against Breast Cancer’ campaign for the 2026 season.
The themed pink Corvette Stingray will serve as the official pace vehicle for the NASCAR Cup race, with every caution lap it completes generating a donation of $500 (up to $25,000). Sunday’s race at Martinsville will begin at 2 p.m. and air on NBC (TV), MRN (radio) and SiriusXM Channel 90.
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