NASCAR at Martinsville 2020 Results: Martin Truex Jr. Cruises to Win
Jun 10, 2020
MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA - JUNE 10: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #19 SiriusXM Toyota, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on June 10, 2020 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Martin Truex Jr. took the lead with 129 laps remaining in the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Wednesday and didn't look back, claiming his first NASCAR Cup Series checkered flag this season.
"It feels a little strange out here, to be honest."- @MartinTruex_Jr is excited after his Martinsville win, but he misses you, NASCAR fans. pic.twitter.com/lLxvLv2Wqu
Ryan Blaney came in second, 4.705 seconds behind Truex, followed by Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Chase Elliott to round out the top five. The race featured 13 lead changes.
Logano captured stage points by winning Stage 1, while Jimmie Johnson notched his first stage win of this season in Stage 2:
Jimmie Johnson wins the second stage at Martinsville. It’s his first stage win of the season. pic.twitter.com/4IlaqgJmq2
This marked Truex's second top-five finish, having crossed the line third at the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway last Sunday.
Bubba Wallace called this the "biggest race of my career" earlier Wednesday, as he designed his No. 43 car in a Black Lives Matter paint scheme and led the banning of Confederate flags from all NASCAR events:
“Get them out of here. They have no place for them.”
Two days after Bubba Wallace called for the removal of Confederate flags at NASCAR races, NASCAR banned the flag from all events pic.twitter.com/zrQEo8jKnn
Kevin Harvick, the 15th-place finisher, entered Martinsville atop the Cup Series leaderboard, with Truex 87 points off the No. 1 spot in fifth place. Harvick was fresh off winning the QuikTrip 500 but struggled with a dead battery in the early going.
Truex will look to continue gaining ground on Harvick at the Dixie Vodka 400, set for Homestead-Miami Speedway on June 14.
NASCAR at Martinsville 2020: Odds, TV Schedule, Live Stream and Drivers
Jun 9, 2020
MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA - OCTOBER 27: Martin Truex Jr, driver of the #19 Auto Owners Insurance Toyota, leads a pack of cars during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 27, 2019 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
NASCAR's second short-track event of the 2020 season could be one of the most grueling races the drivers face.
The competitors have three days rest between the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway Wednesday and Sunday's Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 in the blistering heat at Atlanta Motor Speedway, which was won by Kevin Harvick.
Harvick is one of four racers with two wins, with Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin the others.
Each of those drivers will start in top 12 for Wednesday's race after the starting grid was chosen in a draw based off owner points.
Ryan Blaney was awarded the pole and will start alongside Aric Almirola, while Logano and Clint Bowyer begin on Row 2.
NASCAR at Martinsville Information
Date: Wednesday, June 10
Start Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV: FS1
Live Stream: Fox Sports app or FoxSports.com
Starting Lineup
Cup lineup for Wednesday night at Martinsville, 7pm ET on FS1. Based on weighted draw. Pits will be selected in order of Atlanta finish. #nascar @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/uC8TbQth3f
The 500-lap race at Martinsville will be a test of the physical condition the drivers are in.
The combination of the heat and being inside the car for close to four hours at Atlanta had some effects on the competitors.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. revealed he burned 3,150 calories Sunday afternoon, while Bubba Wallace was visibly affected by the conditions once he got out of his car.
Of course, these are well-trained athletes who will recover to the best of their abilities, but it will be interesting to see how two long races in four days affects the racers.
Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. won the 2019 races at Martinsville, and the former is the reigning champion of the spring event.
The No. 2 car driver has five top-10 finishes and two victories since NASCAR returned to competition May 17.
Truex captured the first two stages at Atlanta and has performed well of late, but he has not found Victory Lane yet this season.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has a quintet of top-10 placings and led the most laps of any competitor without a win in 2020.
However, repeating victories at Martinsville has proved tough, and Kyle Busch is the only competitor to win in back-to-back years at the track since 2013.
Just like teammate Truex, Busch has been around the top spot in most races, but he hasn't been able to capture a victory. The driver of the No. 18 car has six top-five finishes, which ties him with Harvick for most this season.
Jimmie Johnson has not placed as high as Truex, Busch and the other pre-race favorites, but he is familiar with Victory Lane at Martinsville. The seven-time Cup Series champion has nine wins at the Virginia venue and placed third in the season's first short-track race at Bristol.
Blaney, Logano, Hamlin and Chase Elliott all have to be considered as contenders given their recent performances.
Of that quartet, Blaney carries the most favorable odds to win the race. If he gets out in front early from the pole position, the No. 12 car driver should be in contention for most of the competition.
2020 Alsco Uniforms 500: Start Time, TV Schedule, Odds, More for Postponed Race
May 27, 2020
CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 24: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #19 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER/USO Toyota, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 24, 2020 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
The Alsco Uniforms 500 was postponed due to rain at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Wednesday night.
The NASCAR Cup Series race will instead run Thursday beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
Charlotte hosted the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 24, which Brad Keselowski improbably won after William Byron spun out and forced overtime. Chase Elliott had been leading and appeared to be cruising to victory before Byron's hiccup.
Elliott avenged his second-place Coca-Cola 600 finish, as well as a separate incident with Kyle Busch at the Toyota 500 on May 20, by defeating Busch in a Gander Trucks race Tuesday night:
Truex finished sixth in the Coca-Cola 600. The No. 19 car won the event in 2016 and '19, as well as the 2017 Bank of America 500 at Charlotte. Truex has 235 points in the Cup Series standings, tied with Keselowski and 56 points behind Harvick's field-leading 291 points.
Logano, having won two races this season, is second on the leaderboard with 268 points, while Bowman is in third with 266 points.
Bowman captured Stages 1 and 2 in the Coca-Cola 600 before crossing the finish line in a disappointing 19th place. The No. 88 car has only won the Auto Club 400 on March 1.
Busch won last year's Cup Series but sits in ninth place thus far this season. The No. 18 car has only led for 14 laps but has still managed to earn four top-five and four top-10 finishes.
NASCAR announced earlier Wednesday that starting lineups will be decided through a "random draw from charter teams in those positions in owner points" until the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on June 21.
NASCAR at Charlotte 2020: Start Time, Lineup, TV Schedule and More
May 23, 2020
Kyle Busch (18) drives during the NASCAR Cup Series auto race Wednesday, May 20, 2020, in Darlington, S.C. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
The NASCAR schedule features plenty of changes, but the one race that remained in the same place was the Coca-Cola 600.
The traditional Memorial Day weekend event at Charlotte Motor Speedway is the third race in a week for the NASCAR Cup Series. Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin enter Sunday's competition off wins at Darlington. They are two of four drivers with victories from the season's first six races. Joey Logano and Alex Bowman are the others.
Unlike the two Darlington races, there will be a qualifying session at Charlotte on Sunday afternoon, four hours before the longest event on the NASCAR calendar begins.
Coca-Cola 600 Information
Date: Sunday, May 24
Start Time: 6 p.m. ET
TV: Fox
Live Stream: Fox Sports app or FoxSports.com.
Preview
DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA - MAY 20: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota, races during the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota 500 at Darlington Raceway on May 20, 2020 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
The Joe Gibbs Racing teams should have the upper hand going into Sunday's race.
The team has won the past two races at Charlotte and three of the previous five, and it placed all four of its cars in the top 10 Wednesday at Darlington.
Denny Hamlin owns the team's two wins this season, while Erik Jones, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. all have multiple top-10 finishes.
Busch is at the center of the sport's top storyline heading into Charlotte. The driver of the No. 18 car wrecked Chase Elliott on the final green flag lap Wednesday, which spurred discussions as to whether it was an intentional move.
Busch told reporters he had a conversation with Elliott to work through the issue, per NASCAR.com's Chase Wilhelm.
"Yes, Chase and I talked and it went really well," Busch said. "He's a class act. We've all seen that. The conversation overall was good."
Elliott addressed the incident Friday and understood Busch made a mistake in their fight for second place, per the Charlotte Observer's Alex Andrejev:
"I get that mistakes happen and that's part of life. I get it. He's just not a guy that makes many mistakes, so for me to be on the poor end of a rare mistake on his end is, at the end of the day, unfortunate for me and my team."
While it looks like tempers have cooled, it will be interesting to see how both drivers react if they are fighting for position at the top of the grid Sunday.
Elliott will try to end Hendrick Motorsports' five-year drought in Victory Lane at the Coca-Cola 600. The driver of the No. 9 car is the top-ranked racer in the points standings without a victory, and teammate Alex Bowman had one of the strongest rides during both Darlington competitions.
Jimmie Johnson can't be counted out since he has won the 600-mile race on four occasions and has run well for most of the season. The 44-year-old, who will retire at the end of the season, earned top-12 finishes in four of the past five races and was at the front Sunday at Darlington before he crashed.
Kurt Busch is another older driver to keep an eye on, as he owns a trio of top-10 finishes this year and won the Coca-Cola 600 in 2010.
NASCAR at Miami 2019 Qualifying Canceled Due to Weather; Field Set by Points
Nov 16, 2019
Denny Hamlin celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series auto race Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, in Avondale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ralph Freso)
With rain forcing the cancellation of two practice sessions Friday, the scheduled NASCAR Cup Series qualifying Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida, was canceled in favor of a final practice.
As a result, the field for Sunday's Ford EcoBoost 400 will be set by owner points, meaning championship contenders Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch will start first through fourth, respectively.
Here is a full rundown of the lineup, courtesy of NASCAR.com:
1. Denny Hamlin 2. Kevin Harvick 3. Martin Truex Jr. 4. Kyle Busch 5. Joey Logano 6. Kyle Larson 7. Ryan Blaney 8. Brad Keselowski 9. William Byron 10. Clint Bowyer 11. Chase Elliott 12. Alex Bowman 13. Kurt Busch 14. Aric Almirola 15. Ryan Newman 16. Erik Jones 17. Daniel Suarez 18. Jimmie Johnson 19. Paul Menard 20. Chris Buescher 21. Matt DiBenedetto 22. Austin Dillon 23. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 24. Ty Dillon 25. Daniel Hemric 26. Ryan Preece 27. Bubba Wallace 28. Michael McDowell 29. Corey LaJoie 30. John H. Nemechek 31. David Ragan 32. Joe Nemechek 33. Landon Cassill 34. J.J. Yeley 35. Reed Sorenson 36. Ross Chastain 37. Drew Herring 38. Josh Bilicki 39. BJ McLeod 40. Timmy Hill
Sunday's race is the season finale, meaning the highest finisher between Hamlin, Harvick, Truex and Busch will win the 2019 points championship.
Over the past five years, Harvick, Truex and Busch have each won their first career championship. Hamlin is the only remaining contender who hasn't won a points title, but he has the advantage of starting on the pole Sunday.
Also, Hamlin won last week's race at Phoenix and has won two of the past four races overall, which means he has the hot hand.
Among the four championship contenders, Hamlin has two career wins at Homestead, while Harvick, Truex and Busch each have one. In terms of average finish, Harvick is tops at 6.6, followed by Hamlin (10.6), Truex (10.8) and Busch (17.4).
The stats point to a championship race that should come down to the wire with all four participants having a legitimate chance to win.
NASCAR at Miami 2019: Start Time, Ticket Info, Lineup, TV Schedule and More
Nov 16, 2019
MIAMI, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 14: (L-R) Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Light Ford, Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota and Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota speaks with members of the media during NASCAR 2019 Championship 4 Media Day at the Edition Hotel on November 14, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
The 2019 NASCAR season comes down to one final race, with four drivers vying for the title at Homestead in Miami in the Ford EcoBoost 400 on Sunday.
Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch will take the top four spots on the grid after qualifying was canceled because of the weather. Truex, Busch or Harvick could join Jimmie Johnson as one of the only two active drivers with multiple championships, while Hamlin could finally land his long overdue maiden title.
Whoever crosses the finish line first out of these four will end the year on top. It's the sixth time the Cup championship race has been held under the elimination playoff format, and in the previous five editions, the championship winner also won the race, per NBC Sports' Daniel McFadin.
Here is all you need to know ahead of Sunday's race.
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This will be the last year Homestead holds the championship weekend, a tradition that has existed since 2002, before the event moves to Phoenix in 2020. Rain has already affected this final edition greatly, forcing NASCAR to cancel qualifying altogether, per The Athletic's Jeff Gluck:
NASCAR announces it has *canceled* qualifying tomorrow and replaced it with a 50-minute practice session.
Lineup for championship race will be set by owner points, which makes the Championship 4 roll off 1-2-3-4.
Hamlin―who will celebrate his birthday on Monday―will start from pole position. He's the only championship contender gunning for his first title and is coming off a big win in Phoenix, building plenty of momentum for Sunday's race.
A two-time winner at Homestead, Hamlin has enjoyed more success at the track than any of his rivals, who have one win apiece there.
Truex has been the form driver in the playoffs, with an impressive three wins this postseason. He has finished inside the top seven in all but one playoff race and also had more wins than any of his direct opponents in the regular season, with seven.
The Fox Sports crew likes his chances to win the title but named Harvick the favourite:
Harvick and his Stewart-Haas Racing Ford will be up against three Toyota cars from Joe Gibbs Racing. The 43-year-old has won four of the past 16 races.
Busch has no win in his past 21 outings, but he took second place in Phoenix and may just have found his best form at the right time.
Per NBC Sport's Nate Ryan, the stats show these four drivers are incredibly evenly matched, explaining why oddsmakers are having trouble picking their favourite. Harvick just about edged the other three from a statistical point of view, and his experience could prove vital on Sunday.
NASCAR at Phoenix 2019 Results: Denny Hamlin Wins, Advances to Championship 4
Nov 10, 2019
AVONDALE, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 10: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Ground Toyota, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bluegreen Vacations 500 at ISM Raceway on November 10, 2019 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
Denny Hamlin won the Bluegreen Vacations 500 at ISM Raceway in Avondale, Arizona, on Sunday to advance to the championship four of the 2019 NASCAR playoffs.
Hamlin joined Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick, who earned victories in the round of eight, and Kyle Busch, who claimed the final championship spot on points.
This is Hamlin's sixth victory of the season and his second career checkered flag at ISM Raceway.
Bluegreen Vacations 500 Leaderboard
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Kyle Busch
3. Ryan Blaney
4. Kyle Larson
5. Kevin Harvick
6. Martin Truex Jr.
7. Erik Jones
8. Clint Bowyer
9. Joey Logano
10. Brad Keselowski
Phoenix was the scene for one of Hamlin's biggest professional disappointments. The points leader going into the 2010 Kobalt Tools 500, he ended the race in 12th and was runner-up to Jimmie Johnson at the end of the year. That was as close as the 38-year-old has gotten to winning the NASCAR Cup championship.
It looked like a tactical gamble could doom Hamlin once again.
Inside the final 10 laps, the No. 11 car headed to pit road during a caution to prepare for the final sprint. Hamlin only took two fresh tires, which left some to wonder whether he'd be able to hold off Busch and Ryan Blaney on the restart.
Busch and Blaney went low in an attempt to pass Hamlin on Turn 2, but he remained in first on the outside.
From there, Busch, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, settled into second and Blaney into third as neither gained ground on the leader. Hamlin cruised to the finish line with minimal drama.
The result was likely a little more satisfying for Hamlin knowing he knocked Joey Logano out of the postseason hunt.
Hamlin and Logano got into ashoving match after the First Data 500 two races ago. Logano had been frustrated after Hamlin forced him into the wall in the final stage. Dave Nichols Jr., a crew member for Logano,earned a suspensionafter dragging Hamlin to the ground during the altercation.
Logano led 93 laps Sunday but ended up in ninth. Knowing Hamlin denied him an opportunity to defend his points title will be a bitter pill to swallow.
Trailing Logano by 78 points for fourth place entering the event, Chase Elliott needed a victory in order to move on to the next round.
The No. 9 car experienced mechanical issues early in the race that eventually necessitated a trip to the garage. Elliott's day ended after 165 laps, ensuring a last-place finish and ending his playoff chase.
That left Hamlin, Logano, Busch, Blaney and Larson fighting for the final two spots.
The respective performances of Hamlin and Busch made things pretty straightforward as the day wore on. Hamlin was holding strong at the top of the field, and Busch would round out the round out the championship four barring an unforeseen catastrophe.
The restart provided some late intrigue because Hamlin would've fallen out of the top four altogether if Busch or Blaney had passed him for the lead.
But the 14-year Cup veteran remains in contention for his first title as the Cup calendar ends at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 17 for the Ford EcoBoost 400.
Hamlin has two wins in 14 tries in Miami, but Harvick's average finish of 6.56 is the best at the track among the four playoff drivers, perDriverAverages.com.
NASCAR at Texas 2019 Qualifying Results: Kevin Harvick Takes Pole Position
Nov 2, 2019
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 02: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Beer/Ducks Unlimited Ford, walks on the grid during the Salute to Veterans Qualifying Day Fueled by The Texas Lottery for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on November 02, 2019 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Kevin Harvick's weekend is off to a good start with a win in Saturday's qualifying run for the AAA Texas 500.
NASCAR's return to Texas Motor Speedway for the first time since March is shaping up to be a good one for Stewart Haas Racing. Harvick's pole win is his sixth of the year, most on the Monster Energy circuit. He beat out Erik Jones for the top spot by 0.123 seconds.
Sunday's race is a key step in the Monster Energy Cup Series Playoffs as the bridge event in the Round of 8 and the antepenultimate event of the season.
As things currently stand, the Championship 4 will include Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Joey Logano. The four drivers on the outside still clinging to hope are Harvick, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott.
While that field of contenders will continue to sort itself out, here's how the 40-driver lineup will start out Sunday.
The last time Harvick started from the pole was at the Brickyard in September. He went on to win that race, which kicked off a string of five straight top-seven finishes for the No. 4 car.
Logano will have to make up ground Sunday if he wants to maintain his spot in the Championship 4. The No. 22 car will start from the 11th spot, though he sounded optimistic about his qualifying finish:
Truex, who enters this weekend with a 20-point lead over Hamlin for the top spot, will start from the 17th position in Row 9. He's on track to go an entire season without winning a pole, yet that hasn't prevented him from going home victorious seven times in the actual races.
Eight months ago Truex finished 12th at Texas Motor Speedway, which ended his streak of five straight top-10 showings. He's already locked up a spot in the Championship 4 thanks to his win in Martinsville last week, easing some of the pressure for these next two races.
There is still a great deal left to be sorted out this weekend in Texas and next week at Arizona. Harvick will attempt to take advantage of his performance Saturday with a win when the actual race begins at 3 p.m. ET Sunday.
NASCAR at Martinsville 2019 Results: Martin Truex Jr. Wins; William Byron 2nd
Oct 27, 2019
MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA - OCTOBER 27: Martin Truex Jr, driver of the #19 Auto Owners Insurance Toyota, races during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 27, 2019 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
Martin Truex Jr. capped off a dominant Sunday with a victory in the First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia.
Truex, who started third, led 464 of the race's 500 laps. He finished 0.373 seconds ahead of runner-up William Byron. Brad Keselowski, who won the spring race at Martinsville in March, came in third place.
The result means Truex advances to the championship round of the 2019 NASCAR playoffs, with three more spots now up for grabs.
As the race neared its conclusion, Byron slowly chipped away at Truex's lead. The No. 19 car was firmly in control, though, and the only question was whether one of the lapped cars would help open the door for Byron to pull off an improbable comeback.
The Athletic's Jeff Gluck also questioned whether Byron would approach the final stretch with the same kind of aggressiveness as he might have earlier in the season:
Here’s the thing: What if Byron tries to move Truex and accidentally wrecks him? Then you just wrecked a playoff contender. Does that change the perception of his move? I’d think so.
Instead, it was a pretty anticlimactic day following last week's Hollywood Casino 400, which went down to the wire in terms of the filling out the final eight drivers in the playoffs.
I’m not rooting against Martin Truex Jr. but it would be cool for the sake of entertainment if someone actually passed him for the lead
According toDriver Averages, Truex led a total of 261 laps in 27 previous races at Martinsville. He also had only five top-five finishes over that stretch.
"I can't believe we won Martinsville," Truex said after the race, perPRN. "I used to be terrible here, just an awesome bunch of guys, what can I say? Can't say enough about everybody on our team and all these guys out here. To get a grandfather clock is pretty exciting."
Joey Logano's day quickly took a turn with 43 laps to go. Denny Hamlin had forced him into the wall, the result of which caused his left front tire to rub against the wheel well. The problem became bad enough the No. 22 car spun out and forced a caution.
Logano, who last fall's Martinsville race, deserves credit for not losing total control of the car. His crew was able to address the issue on pit road, allowing him to return to the race. An eighth-place finish will be disappointing, but it could've been much worse.
Logano and Hamlin exchanged words on pit road once the race was over. Logano gave an overly exuberant pat to Hamlin's shoulder, which sparked a brief scuffle.
Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin battled hard on the track.
The stakes are obviously high in each of the remaining races, which means the eight playoff drivers feel an added level of pressure. Logano's anger was understandable, but the reigning series champion remains on solid footing for the championship round, perNASCAR.com.
2019 NASCAR Playoff Standings
1. Martin Truex Jr.
2. Denny Hamlin (plus-24)
3. Kyle Busch (plus-17)
4. Joey Logano (plus-14)
5. Kevin Harvick (minus-14)
6. Ryan Blaney (minus-15)
7. Kyle Larson (minus-24)
8. Chase Elliott (minus-44)
Chase Elliott narrowly avoided elimination a week ago as a runner-up finish was enough to catapult him ahead of Keselowski.
The First Data 500 couldn't have gone much worse for the 23-year-old. His enginecaught fireSaturday during practice, which was a bad omen. He told his crew early in the race he thought he had a broken axle. A trip to pit road didn't solve the problem, so the No. 9 car headed to the garage.
Although Elliott returned, he was 52 laps off the lead and completed only 445 laps en route to a 36th-place finish.
Anything short of a win over the next two weeks probably won't be enough for Elliott to climb into the top four.
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series moves to the Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 3 for the AAA Texas 500.
NASCAR at Martinsville 2019 Qualifying Results: Denny Hamlin Wins Pole Position
Oct 26, 2019
MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA - OCTOBER 26: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Freight Toyota, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 26, 2019 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Denny Hamlin further energized his quest for a championship Saturday at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia, by capturing his third NASCAR Cup Series pole of the 2019 season.
Hamlin will start on the inside of Row 1 for Sunday's First Data 500 alongside Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. Here is a look at the full qualifying order, courtesy of NASCAR.com (time in seconds):
1. Denny Hamlin: 19.354 2. Chase Elliott: 19.383 3. Martin Truex Jr.: 19.429 4. Aric Almirola: 19.453 5. Michael McDowell: 19.471 6. Ryan Blaney: 19.487 7. Clint Bowyer: 19.488 8. Erik Jones: 19.492 9. Daniel Suarez: 19.506 10. Joey Logano: 19.509 11. William Byron: 19.525 12. Matt DiBenedetto: 19.545 13. Kyle Busch: 19.547 14. Kyle Larson: 19.547 15. Brad Keselowski: 19.579 16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: 19.593 17. David Ragan: 19.619 18. Daniel Hemric: 19.641 19. Alex Bowman: 19.650 20. Chris Buescher: 19.669 21. Ryan Preece: 19.686 22. Kevin Harvick: 19.688 23. Austin Dillon: 19.732 24. Jimmie Johnson: 19.742 25. Kurt Busch: 19.745 26. Bubba Wallace: 19.756 27. Ryan Newman: 19.762 28. Corey LaJoie: 19.796 29. Ty Dillon: 19.821 30. Paul Menard: 19.900 31. Matt Crafton: 20.031 32. Landon Cassill: 20.070 33. BJ McLeod: 20.141 34. Reed Sorenson: 20.150 35. JJ Yeley: 20.292 36. Ross Chastain: 20.401 37. Timmy Hill: 20.449 38. Garrett Smithley: 20.477
When Hamlin took the track for his qualifying attempt, he edged out Joey Logano for the top spot in his first lap and then blew away the rest of the field on his second lap:
While Chase Elliott technically qualified second, an engine change in practice will result in him starting at the back of the field, meaning Truex will start on the outside of Row 1:
.@chaseelliott places second, but will move to the rear of the field due to his engine change during practice.
Elliott barely made it into the playoffs' round of eight by edging out Brad Keselowski last week, but he will have to work his way through the field in order to get off to a strong start.
Meanwhile, Hamlin is coming off a win last week at Kansas to cement his place in the round of eight, and he has to be considered the favorite to win again this week given how good his car looked Saturday. On top of that, Hamlin has five career wins at Martinsville to his credit, which is second among active drivers behind only Jimmie Johnson.
Aside from Hamlin and Elliott, the other drivers still in playoff contention qualified as follows: Kyle Busch (13), Truex (3), Logano (10), Kevin Harvick (22), Kyle Larson (14) and Ryan Blaney (6).
After getting eliminated prior to the round of eight, Aric Almirola, Clint Bowyer, Erik Jones and William Byron are among the strong qualifiers who have a chance to play spoiler Sunday.
