The NASCAR Cup Series reaches its penultimate event with a short-track elimination race that will determine the final two championship participants.
Kyle Larson, who won the Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Christopher Bell, who rallied to win last weekend’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, have already secured berths in the championship race. The remaining two spots in the Championship 4 will be decided Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.
The path is simple. If one of the six remaining playoff drivers wins at Martinsville, he will clinch the third spot, and the remaining slot will be awarded to the driver who accumulated the most points in the third round without a win. If none of the six win on Sunday, then both Championship 4 berths will be decided by points.
William Byron, who leads the series with six wins in 2023, enters Martinsville in the best position to capture a Championship 4 spot based on points. Byron has a 20-point lead over the next closest driver in points, Ryan Blaney. At the other end of the spectrum is Chris Buescher, who is 63 points behind Byron, and who must win on Sunday to have a chance to race for the 2023 title.
Who will be celebrating at Martinsville, and who will be left disappointed? Here is all the information you need to get ready for the Xfinity 500:
The Xfinity 500 starts at 2 p.m. ET at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia.
NBC is broadcasting the Xfinity 500. FS1 has a pre-race show at 12:30 p.m. ET, while Peacock will have a post-race show at 6 p.m. ET.
The Xfinity 500 can be live streamed on the NBC Sports website and the NBC Sports app.
NASCAR 2024 SCHEDULE: Atlanta, Watkins Glen shift to playoffs next season
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(*-former champion; x-clinched berth in championship race):
The Xfinity 500 is 500 laps around the 0.526-mile track for a total of 263 miles. The race will feature three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 130 laps; Stage 2: 130 laps; Stage 3: 240 laps.
Kyle Larson led the final 30 laps on April 16, 2023, passing Joey Logano on lap 370 of 400 before pulling away to win by 4.142 seconds.
And one year ago in the playoff race, Christopher Bell led 150 laps, including the final five, before holding off Larson by 0.869 seconds on Oct. 30, 2022.
(Car number in parentheses; P-playoff driver)
1. (19) Martin Truex Jr. (P), Toyota
2. (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota
3. (14) Chase Briscoe, Ford
4. (11) Denny Hamlin (P), Toyota
5. (5) Kyle Larson (P), Chevrolet
6. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota
7. (20) Christopher Bell (P), Toyota
8. (4) Kevin Harvick, Ford
9. (41) Ryan Preece, Ford
10. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford
11. (12) Ryan Blaney (P), Ford
12. (10) Aric Almirola, Ford
13. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
14. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
15. (22) Joey Logano, Ford
16. (24) William Byron (P), Chevrolet
17. (38) Todd Gilliland, Ford
18. (17) Chris Buescher (P), Ford
19. (45) Tyler Reddick (P), Toyota
20. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet
21. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford
22. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet
23. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford
24. (31) Justin Haley, Chevrolet
25. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet
26. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
27. (99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet
28. (21) Harrison Burton, Ford
29. (43) Erik Jones, Chevrolet
30. (7) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet
31. (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
32. (42) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
33. (51) Ryan Newman, Ford
34. (77) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet
35. (15) JJ Yeley, Ford
36. (78) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet
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