The NASCAR 2024 season is nearing its end and the tension is rising. Martinsville will play the penultimate race before we get the champions of all three NASCAR series. After Grant Enfinger won both the races of the round of 8 in the Truck Series, three spots remain in Phoenix. Would it be Corey Heim, Christian Eckes, or Ty Majeski? or will any driver from the bubble rise to the occasion? As opposed to the Truck Series, only two spots are remaining in Xfinity. Justin Allgaier and Cole Custer are the favorites to fill them. But don’t underestimate the drivers below the cutline, as all have shown consistent performances at Martinsville in the past.
Even in the Cup Series, it’s a battle to fill the final two spots after Joey Logano won Las Vegas and regular season champion Tyler Reddick won Homestead. Christopher Bell is the top-seeded driver in points, but William Byron is the most recent winner of the track. Also, Kyle Larson might find himself in the elimination zone, but we all know his short-track dominance this year. Martinsville’s winningest active driver is Denny Hamlin, having won 5 times, starting -18 below the cutline. And while Ryan Blaney probably cannot point his way in, he’s the most consistent driver amongst all at Martinsville, his average finish is 8.8 here. Overall, it’s going to be a tight battle and only time will tell who succeeds!
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In addition to the already present uncertainties, NASCAR is bringing a new tire compound for its shortest, short track. The left tire on the Cup cars is going to be the softest compound the drivers have ever driven with. The softer the tire, the faster the car and the higher the wear. It’s going to be challenging for the teams and will surely make the race interesting. The right tires would be the same one we saw in Richmond. Also a soft compound, adding to the challenge of teams to balance between the two. A lot of racing awaits as the NASCAR Series reaches Martinsville.
The NASCAR weekend will kick off with the Truck Series practice from 1:30 -2 p.m. ET, followed by the Truck Series qualifying at 2:05 ET, both events will be broadcast on FOX Sports 2. After we find out the pole sitter for the Truck elimination race, the Xfinity Series practice will commence at 3:30 p.m. ET, followed by the Xfinity qualifying at 4:05 p.m. ET; Xfinity fans can catch the events on NBC Sports App. The sundowner for Friday is the Truck Series race scheduled to begin at 6:18 p.m. ET. All the action will be broadcast on FS1, MRN, and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
The intensity will keep increasing with each passing day of the race weekend. On Saturday, the Cup Series garage will open at 8 a.m. ET, starting the day with the Cup practice at 1:00 p.m. ET and then the qualifying at 2:05 p.m. ET. The Cup action can be watched on the NBC Sports App. Soon after, we’ll get the final two drivers to join AJ Allmendinger and Austin Hill at Pheonix after the Xfinity Series race kicks off at 4:17 p.m. ET, the race will be broadcast on CW Network, MRN, and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. And finally, Sunday will feature the race we all have been waiting for, the race that will determine the final 4 in the Cup series finale. The race will take the white flag at 2:03 p.m. ET for the 500-lap race. Would Ryan Blaney reach the final four to defend his title? Well, things are about to get intense!
Martinsville
ETFri
1:30-FS2-Truck p&q
3:30-NBCSportsApp-Xfin p&q
6:18-FS1-Truck 50-50-100, 4sets
NWS:70s,10% rainSat
NBCSportsApp
1-Cup prac (45 min)
2:05-Cup q
CW
3:30-Prerace
4:17-Xfin 60-60-130, 4sets
NWS:60s,5%Sun-NBC
1:30-Prerace
2:03-Cup 130-130-240, 10sets
NWS:60s,5%— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) October 31, 2024
What’s your perspective on:
Can Kyle Larson's short-track dominance save him from the elimination zone at Martinsville?
Have an interesting take?
Tickets for the events have mostly sold out but for those still looking to attend the race, they can be booked on Richmond Raceway’s official website, https://www.martinsvillespeedway.com. The Cup Series tickets might already have been sold out, but there is a good chance of availing the Xfinity Series and the Truck Series race tickets.
Weather forecasts, qualification lineup
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According to the Weather Underground report, the Truck Series race will be partly cloudy with there being a 5% chance of rain. The highest temperature of the day would reach up to 71 degrees. The same kind of weather will continue into Saturday, with it being mostly cloudy during the Cup qualifying as well as the Xfinity Series race. The forecast shows that there is no chance of rain for both events, the highest temperature would be 66 degrees on the day. Lastly, for the Cup Series eliminator, the highest temperature would be 64 degrees, with the sky being mostly cloudy. According to the forecast, Mother Nature will remain kind, with no chance of rain.
The qualification lineup for the Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Truck Series is as follows:
Cup Series:
(Group A)
- #51 Corey LaJoie
- #7 Justin Haley
- #42 John Hunter Nemechek
- #71 Zane Smith
- #3 Austin Dillon
- #1 Ross Chastain
- #47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- #21 Harrison Burton
- #2 Austin Cindric
- #6 Brad Keselowski
- #17 Chris Buescher
- #41 Ryan Preece
- #99 Daniel Suarez
- #14 Chase Briscoe
- #22 Joey Logano (P)
- #9 Chase Elliott (P)
- #12 Ryan Blaney (P)
- #Christopher Bell (P)
(Group B)
- #66 Josh Bilicki
- #15 Kaz Grala
- #31 Daniel Hemric
- #16 Shane van Gisbergen
- #8 Kyle Busch
- #43 Erik Jones
- #54 Ty Gibbs
- #10 Noah Gragson
- #38 Todd Gilliland
- #19 Martin Truex Jr.
- #34 Michael McDowell
- #23 Bubba Wallace
- #4 Josh Berry
- #77 Carson Hocevar
- #48 Alex Bowman
- #5 Kyle Larson (P)
- #24 William Byron (P)
- #11 Denny Hamlin (P)
- #45 Tyler Reddick (P)
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Xfinity Series:
- #50 Preston Pardus
- #174 TBA
- #153Mason Maggio
- #35 Carson Ware
- #145 Garrett Smithley
- #92 Dawson Cram
- #107 Patrick Emerling
- #114 Greg Van Alst
- #29 Blaine Perkins
- #38 Matt DiBenedetto
- #15 Dylan Lupton
- #91 Myatt Snider
- #42 Leland Honeyman
- #26 Bubba Pollard
- #43 Ryan Ellis
- #31 Parker Retzlaff
- #11 Josh Williams
- #27Jeb Burton
- #39 Kyle Sieg
- #51 Jeremy Clements
- #19 William Sawalich
- #44 Brennan Poole
- #5 Anthony Alfredo
- #9 Brandon Jones
- #97 Shane Van Gisbergen
- #28 Ryan Sieg
- #48 Parker Kligerman
- #98 Riley Herbst
- #18 Sheldon Creed
- #8 Sammy Smith (P)
- #81 Chandler Smith (P)
- #1 Sam Mayer (P)
- #16 AJ Allmendinger (P)
- #7 Justin Allgaier (P)
- #2 Jesse Love # (P)
- #21 Austin Hill (P)
- #20Aric Almirola (P)
- #00 Cole Custer (P)
Truck Series:
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- #6 Norm Benning
- #16 TBA
- #81 Corey Day
- #19 Justin Carroll
- #22 Clayton Green
- #44 Matthew Gould
- #4 Brett Moffitt
- #02 Dylan Lupton
- #66 Johnny Sauter
- #42 Matt Mills
- #76 Spencer Boyd
- #41 Bayley Currey
- #91 Jack Wood
- #56 Timmy Hill
- #33 Lawless Alan
- #13 Jake Garcia
- #77 Chase Purdy
- #7 Connor Zilisch
- #25 Dawson Sutton
- #1 William Sawalich
- #38 Layne Riggs
- #5 Dean Thompson
- #15 Tanner Gray
- #99 Ben Rhodes
- #88 Matt Crafton
- #45 Kaden Honeycutt
- #43 Daniel Dye
- #52 Stewart Friesen
- #2 Nick Sanchez (P)
- #71 Rajah Caruth (P)
- #18 Tyler Ankrum (P)
- #17 Taylor Gray (P)
- #19 Christian Eckes (P)
- #98 Ty Majeski (P)
- #11 Corey Heim (P)
- #9 Grant Enfinger (P)
Who do you think will be the final four in all three series? Let us know your picks in the comments down below.
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Can Kyle Larson's short-track dominance save him from the elimination zone at Martinsville?