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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

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Debate

Can Kyle Larson's short-track dominance save him from the elimination zone at Martinsville?

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!

Are you ready for the action-packed races? when and where to watch

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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!

 

What’s your perspective on:

Can Kyle Larson's short-track dominance save him from the elimination zone at Martinsville?

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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)

  1. #51 Corey LaJoie
  2. #7 Justin Haley
  3. #42 John Hunter Nemechek
  4. #71 Zane Smith
  5. #3 Austin Dillon
  6. #1 Ross Chastain
  7. #47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
  8. #21 Harrison Burton
  9. #2 Austin Cindric
  10. #6 Brad Keselowski
  11. #17 Chris Buescher
  12. #41 Ryan Preece
  13. #99 Daniel Suarez
  14. #14 Chase Briscoe
  15. #22 Joey Logano (P)
  16. #9 Chase Elliott (P)
  17. #12 Ryan Blaney (P)
  18. #Christopher Bell (P)

(Group B)

  1. #66 Josh Bilicki
  2. #15 Kaz Grala
  3. #31 Daniel Hemric
  4. #16 Shane van Gisbergen
  5. #8 Kyle Busch
  6. #43 Erik Jones
  7. #54 Ty Gibbs
  8. #10 Noah Gragson
  9. #38 Todd Gilliland
  10. #19 Martin Truex Jr.
  11. #34 Michael McDowell
  12. #23 Bubba Wallace
  13. #4 Josh Berry
  14. #77 Carson Hocevar
  15. #48 Alex Bowman
  16. #5 Kyle Larson (P)
  17. #24 William Byron (P)
  18. #11 Denny Hamlin (P)
  19. #45 Tyler Reddick (P)

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Xfinity Series:

  1. #50 Preston Pardus
  2. #174 TBA
  3. #153Mason Maggio
  4. #35 Carson Ware
  5. #145 Garrett Smithley
  6. #92 Dawson Cram
  7. #107 Patrick Emerling
  8. #114 Greg Van Alst
  9. #29 Blaine Perkins
  10. #38 Matt DiBenedetto
  11. #15 Dylan Lupton
  12. #91 Myatt Snider
  13. #42 Leland Honeyman
  14. #26 Bubba Pollard
  15. #43 Ryan Ellis
  16. #31 Parker Retzlaff
  17. #11 Josh Williams
  18. #27Jeb Burton
  19. #39 Kyle Sieg
  20. #51 Jeremy Clements
  21. #19 William Sawalich
  22. #44 Brennan Poole
  23. #5 Anthony Alfredo
  24. #9 Brandon Jones
  25. #97 Shane Van Gisbergen
  26. #28 Ryan Sieg
  27. #48 Parker Kligerman
  28. #98 Riley Herbst
  29. #18 Sheldon Creed
  30. #8 Sammy Smith (P)
  31. #81 Chandler Smith (P)
  32. #1 Sam Mayer (P)
  33. #16 AJ Allmendinger (P)
  34. #7 Justin Allgaier (P)
  35. #2 Jesse Love # (P)
  36. #21 Austin Hill (P)
  37. #20Aric Almirola (P)
  38. #00 Cole Custer (P)

Truck Series:

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  1. #6 Norm Benning
  2. #16 TBA
  3. #81 Corey Day
  4. #19 Justin Carroll
  5. #22 Clayton Green
  6. #44 Matthew Gould
  7. #4 Brett Moffitt
  8. #02 Dylan Lupton
  9. #66 Johnny Sauter
  10. #42 Matt Mills
  11. #76 Spencer Boyd
  12. #41 Bayley Currey
  13. #91 Jack Wood
  14. #56 Timmy Hill
  15. #33 Lawless Alan
  16. #13 Jake Garcia
  17. #77 Chase Purdy
  18. #7 Connor Zilisch
  19. #25 Dawson Sutton
  20. #1 William Sawalich
  21. #38 Layne Riggs
  22. #5 Dean Thompson
  23. #15 Tanner Gray
  24. #99 Ben Rhodes
  25. #88 Matt Crafton
  26. #45 Kaden Honeycutt
  27. #43 Daniel Dye
  28. #52 Stewart Friesen
  29. #2 Nick Sanchez (P)
  30. #71 Rajah Caruth (P)
  31. #18 Tyler Ankrum (P)
  32. #17 Taylor Gray (P)
  33. #19 Christian Eckes (P)
  34. #98 Ty Majeski (P)
  35. #11 Corey Heim (P)
  36. #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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