After a two-tire call on his final pit stop, Kyle Larson drove past Joey Logano and then away from the rest of the field to win the NOCO 400 at Martinsville Speedway, earning his first win at Martinsville Speedway. Larson's win is the 21st of his Cup career, his second of the 2023 season, and his second in the last three races after previously winning at Richmond Raceway.
With a variety of strategies playing out during the race's final caution, crew chief Cliff Daniels elected to put two tires on Larson's car on his final stop. That put Larson ahead of Chase Briscoe on four tires and behind only four cars led by Logano, who elected to stay out to gain track position. After disposing of the other three cars on old tires, Larson got physical to complete the winning pass on Logano, driving away to earn his first Grandfather Clock and the 28th win by Hendrick Motorsports at Martinsville.
By his own admission, Martinsville hadn't been one of Kyle Larson's favorite tracks. And through much of Sunday's 400 laps, it didn't look as though Larson was bound for Victory Lane -- until the late stages of the race, when the track began to change and circumstances put Larson closer and closer to the front.
"I never, ever would have thought that I would've won here at Martinsville," Larson told Fox Sports. "This place has been so tough on me, just does not suit my driving style at all. I like to charge the center [of the corner], I like to roll momentum, and that's just not what this place is like. But thanks to Cliff Daniels and everybody for making me feel like I know what I'm doing sometimes around here."
Hendrick's 28th win at Martinsville is also the 295th victory in the history of the company, putting them just five wins away from 300 in the NASCAR Cup Series. Hendrick's Martinsville mark, which dates back to the company's very first win with Geoff Bodine in 1984, is the most wins by any one organization at any one racetrack in the history of NASCAR.
Since the introduction of the Next Gen car, the right combination of aerodynamic package, tire wear and conditions to produce the right sort of racing at Martinsville has been tricky to land on. Passing proved difficult all day, particularly at the front of the field, putting a premium on track position and strategy.
Polesitter Ryan Preece led the opening 135 laps from the pole, but a pit road speeding penalty mired Preece back in traffic and he never saw the top 10 again. From there, it seemed as though Chase Briscoe, Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin all had firm control of the race at different points -- until circumstances led to them losing the lead.
One such circumstance was a caution in the middle of a round of green flag pit stops, as the right rear tire off of Anthony Alfredo's car turned out to be a golden opportunity for several drivers who, having been mired in traffic for most of the race, ran long in hopes of catching a caution to gain track position.
One of those drivers was Joey Logano, who to that point had been unable to break out of mid-pack after having to start at the back of the field due to unapproved adjustments after qualifying. When J.J. Yeley crashed to bring out the final caution of the race, Logano again took advantage of the opportunity to gain track position, staying out and taking advantage of clean air over the final 46 laps to get a second-place finish.
Although Sunday offered a somewhat more dynamic race than last year's spring race at Martinsville, many bemoaned how difficult it was to pass for much of the race even with fresher tires and a better car, including Denny Hamlin.
"Racing is track position. This is the new NASCAR where these cars, you cannot pass," Hamlin told reporters. "You just get out front, don't mess up on pit road, don't mess up on strategy and you'll win."
Sunday's race marked the much-anticipated return of Chase Elliott, who made his third start of the 2023 season and his first after suffering a fractured tibia in a snowboarding accident in early March. After starting 24th, Elliott spent much of the race in mid-pack, but his car would end up coming to life over the final run of the race en route to a 10th-place finish.
"We struggled really bad for every run but the last one," Elliott told Fox Sports. "We finally got it going there at the end and I was able to make some passes and do things that I didn't really think I was gonna be capable of doing. ... So I was pleasantly surprised by that, and I got us a top 10 out of our first day back. So that was definitely nothing to be too bummed out about."
Only a week after being medically cleared to return to racing and not long after his injury and physical therapy changed his conditioning, Elliott admitted to being a bit winded after the checkered flag -- he sat beside his car for a moment, where he rehydrated while chatting with fellow top-10 finishers Bubba Wallace and Ryan Blaney. But overall, Elliott was pleased with the results of his return to the racetrack and the support he received from fans and colleagues alike.
"Really nice to be back, and I appreciate the warm welcome this weekend by everybody," Elliott said. "It definitely didn't go unnoticed."
The NASCAR Cup Series goes from its smallest track to its largest next week, as they head to Talladega Superspeedway for the GEICO 500 next Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on Fox.
Hendrick Motorsports continues its Martinsville domination, as Kyle Larson gets his first win at Martinsville and his second in the last three races!
1 - #5 - Kyle Larson
2 - #22 - Joey Logano
3 - #19 - Martin Truex Jr.
4 - #11 - Denny Hamlin
5 - #14 - Chase Briscoe
6 - #10 - Aric Almirola
7 - #12 - Ryan Blaney
8 - #47 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
9 - #23 - Bubba Wallace
10 - #9 - Chase Elliott
White flag. One lap to go for Kyle Larson.
Chase Elliott has made the pass on Austin Dillon for 10th. Five to go for Kyle Larson.
Martin Truex Jr.'s car has come to life in this final run, as he's now working over Denny Hamlin for third with four fresh tires on his last stop. If he can hang on here, he'll get his first top five of the season.
Larson's lead is up to nearly four seconds. 10 laps to go
Chase Elliott has one of the fastest cars on the racetrack, and he's taken 11th from teammate Alex Bowman. If he can pass Austin Dillon in 10th at the very least, Elliott will have a Top 10 in his first race back from that fractured tibia.
Kyle Larson has driven away to a two second lead on Joey Logano.
If Larson can hang on over these final 20 laps or so, he'll give Hendrick Motorsports their 28th victory at Martinsville: This is where Hendrick won its first race with Geoff Bodine in 1984, and nearly 40 years later, no team has won more at a single racetrack than Hendrick Motorsports at Martinsville.
After several laps of side-by-side racing, Larson finally moves Logano out of the way and clears him to take the lead! 28 laps to go.
Larson is laying into Logano's rear bumper, but it isn't enough to move him out of the way. Larson now forces his nose to Logano's inside and divebombs him, but Logano is fighting back on the high side!
Larson has run down Logano for the lead. Even with just two tires on Larson's car, fresher tires are making as big a difference as they have all day late in this one.
Larson now drives past Hamlin for second. He's got seven tenths of a second to make up on Joey Logano, and the good news for him is that Hamlin continues to run third just ahead of Chase Briscoe.
Denny Hamlin takes second from Aric Almirola, and Almirola also loses third to Larson. Almirola can't hold the bottom, which gives Briscoe the chance to take fourth spot. Fresher tires trying to come to the front.
Green flag with 46 laps to go. Great launch for the inside line, which allows Logano to get clear and try to drive away.
Harvick's team has replaced his right front tire with a qualifying scuff. Apparently, the lug nut came off the car and split the rim, which cut down Harvick's tire but kept the wheel from coming off entirely.
Four cars stayed out under this caution. Joey Logano -- who was trapped at the back for virtually the entire race before that caution during green flag stops -- is the race leader. Aric Almirola is second followed by Denny Hamlin and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Kyle Larson, the first car on two tires, is fifth. Chase Briscoe, the first on four tires, is seventh.
