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    • NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville: Live updates, highlights, leaderboard
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    NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville: Live updates, highlights, leaderboard

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    Sunday’s Martinsville NASCAR race was chaotic and exciting, and now the Championship 4 is set.

    Ryan Blaney won the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway to earn a spot in the Championship 4 and the opportunity to defend his championship. Blaney led 31 laps in the race.

    Chase Elliott won the first stage on Sunday, leading 88 of the first 130 laps. Brad Keselowski won the second stage. William Byron leads with just over 100 laps to go.

    Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick advanced to the Championship 4 after winning the last two races at Las Vegas and Homestead, respectively.

    Follow along with our live updates for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race at Martinsville.

    RYAN BLANEY ADVANCES: Ryan Blaney wins Martinsville NASCAR race, can defend Cup championshp

    CHRISTOPHER BELL PENALIZED: Christopher Bell penalized after Hail Melon move, William Byron moves on in NASCAR playoffs

    KYLE LARSON ELIMINATED: Kyle Larson finishes third at Martinsville NASCAR race, fails to make Championship 4

    NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville: Live updates, highlights, live leaderboard for the Xfinity 500

    LIVE LEADERBOARD: Full field leaderboard of NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 at Martinsville

    One week removed from losing the race in the final corner, Ryan Blaney has won the Xfinity 500 with a walk-off win to earn a spot in the Championship 4 next weekend in Phoenix.

    As it stands, Christopher Bell is in after getting loose going into turn 3. He passed Bubba Wallace but hit the wall in turn 4 and rode it to the checkered flag, similar to Ross Chastain’s move in 2022, which is now against the rules. NASCAR is looking at the move to determine if it was an illegal move or not.

    Ryan Blaney took the lead from Chase Elliott with a low move in turn 3 to take the lead. Elliott tried to fight back but Blaney has started to pull away.

    William Byron needs to hold in sixth place, or improve his position. Christopher Bell is one point and in 19th behind but is well behind Bubba Wallace, in 18th.

    Chase Elliott made a move on the low side of turn 3 and pushed Kyle Larson out of the way to take the lead late. Ryan Blaney also passed Larson. All three drivers need a win to advance to Phoenix.

    Tyler Reddick, who was already locked into the Championship 4, felt as if something was on fire in his No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota. He brought it behind the wall and is out. He will finish 34th.

    Larson leads the Xfinity 500 with less than 50 laps to go. Chase Elliott runs second.

    As they run, Larson and William Byron would advance to the Championship 4. But a lot can change in the final handful of laps at Martinsville.

    Larson leads the field back to green after the caution for Kyle Busch. Playoff drivers William Byron is second and Chase Elliott is fourth.

    William Byron led the field to green for about 150 feet. Kyle Busch lost his right front tire right before the restart. Drivers are not happy about NASCAR not calling the restart off.

    Carson Hocevar got spun out in turn 2. He had been racing with Alex Bowman.

    The caution helps Chase Elliott, who will pit under the caution after having stayed out to avoid going a lap down during the green flag pit cycle. Elliott will pit from the lead.

    Kyle Larson faked out other drivers and stayed out. William Byron also stayed out.

    Brad Keselowski leads with Ryan Blaney near the bumper. Denny Hamlin is the first playoff driver to hit the pit lane. Kyle Larson and William Byron are in the pits, too.

    Byron has cycled back to the lead, just in front of Keselowski and Blaney.

    Ryan Blaney made a move going into turn 3 to move Shane van Gisbergen up the track, which also moved William Byron. Blaney takes second with just over 150 laps to go.

    Byron is reporting his front left toe is bent and is making his car loose.

    Brad Keselowski leads with William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin chasing in the top five.

    Here is the playoff picture as the drivers run.

    3. William Byron +12

    4. Christopher Bell +5

    —–

    5. Kyle Larson -5

    6. Denny Hamlin -21

    7. Ryan Blaney -32

    8. Chase Elliott -49

    Chase Elliott made contact with the rear bumper of Chris Buescher, who checked up coming out of turn 3 and was going to go into the pits. Elliott dove to the low side in the backstretch and hit Buescher.

    Crew chief Alan Gustafson gave an OK signal and a thumbs up to NBC Sports cameras, signaling the car is fine.

    After a mistake on pit road, Elliott has worked his way back into the top 10.

    Brad Keselowski won the race off pit road to retain the lead. Ryan Blaney had a slow pit stop and dropped four positions while Kyle Larson and William Byron each moved up two spots. Denny Hamlin only dropped on spot.

    Christopher Bell had a mistake on pit road, leaving too early before the left front was secure. He had to make a second pit stop and now runs 30th.

    Brad Keselowski has won the second stage of the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville, his first stage win of the season.

    Here’s the top 10 of the second stage:

    1. Brad Keselowski
    2. Ryan Blaney
    3. Denny Hamlin
    4. Kyle Larson
    5. William Byron
    6. Christopher Bell
    7. Austin Dillon
    8. Alex Bowman
    9. Noah Gragson
    10. Ryan Preece

    Here’s the playoff picture after the second stage, starting with third place.

    3. Christopher Bell +29

    4. William Byron +7

    ———

    5. Kyle Larson -7

    6. Denny Hamlin -18

    7. Ryan Blaney -38

    8. Chase Elliott -43

    Brad Keselowski leads ahead of Ryan Blaney at the halfway point of the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville.

    The top five:

    1. Keselowski
    2. Blaney
    3. Hamlin
    4. Larson
    5. Byron

    Brad Keselowski passed Ryan Blaney on the outside to take the lead. Keselowski started the playoffs in the Round of 16 but was eliminated.

    A Keselowski, or another non-playoff driver, win would create a scenario where the points standings alone decides who gets into the Championship 4.

    Ryan Blaney leads the Xfinity 500 NASCAR race at Martinsville. Brad Keselowski is second and Denny Hamlin is third.

    Daniel Hemric was tagged by Carson Hocevar going into turn 1 and collected Todd Gilliland with a spin.

    Ryan Blaney has taken the lead at Martinsville with Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski nearby. The drivers with new tires are also chasing down the leaders already.

    Polesitter Martin Truex Jr. took contact from Daniel Hemric, who got shoved by John Hunter Nemechek, and spun out going into turn 3. Truex now runs 30th.

    Some teams elect to pit including Chase Elliott, William Byron and Kyle Larson. Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin stayed out. Elliott had a 20-second pit stop. The right rear tire did not get tightened properly before the jack dropped. Elliott has dropped to 26th.

    Here’s the top 5 before the race goes back to green.

    1. Ryan Blaney
    2. Denny Hamlin
    3. Brad Keselowski
    4. Christopher Bell
    5. Austin Dillon

    We’re back to green at Martinsville. Chase Elliott and William Byron are fighting for the lead with Byron out front.

    Harrison Burton spun out in turn 3 while running 19th. Burton hit the wall coming out of turn 2, then he went to block Carson Hocevar going into the corner but got the bumper from the No. 77 and spun out.

    Lead lap drivers are staying out this early in the stage, just 29 laps in. Drivers who were scored a lap down made early pit stops under the caution.

    Green flag is back out after the third caution of Sunday’s race. William Byron leads with Chase Elliott second.

    Daniel Suarez got contact from Daniel Hemric, who hit Josh Berry and Austin Cindric, and spun the No. 99 in turn 1 to bring out another caution.

    William Byron leads ahead of Chase Elliott. Ryan Blaney, another driver who needs to win to advance to Phoenix, runs fourth.

    Chase Elliott and Willaim Byron lead the field back to green. William Byron takes the lead from Chase Elliott in the first corner.

    Kyle Larson made contact with Alex Bowman on the pit lane. Doesn’t appear to have a ton of damage on the No. 5 car. Bowman appeared to check up as Ryan Blaney was exiting his pit box.

    Denny Hamlin and his team were discussing braking, similar to The Clash at the LA Coliseum.

    “If you lock up severe enough to flat spot it, it’s going to be bad from there on out,” said crew chief Chris Gabehart.

    Chase Elliott has picked up his second stage win of the season, his first since the Daytona 500. He held off William Byron in the final corner, even fighting off a bit of contact to the left rear from the No. 24.

    Here’s the top 10 after the first stage.

    1. Chase Elliott
    2. William Byron
    3. Chase Briscoe
    4. Ryan Preece
    5. Ryan Blaney
    6. Kyle Larson
    7. Alex Bowman
    8. Austin Dillon
    9. Joey Logano
    10. Brad Keselowski

    Here’s the playoff bubble through the first stage, starting with third place with two drivers already through.

    3. Chase Elliott (Leader)

    4. William Byron +15

    ———

    5. Christopher Bell -15

    6. Kyle Larson -19

    7. Ryan Blaney -47

    8. Denny Hamlin -49

    Chase Elliott brings the field back to green at Martinsville. The No. 5 team is reporting that the rear tires are more worn the front tires and that’s expected to be the same throughout the entire field at Martinsville.

    Christopher Bell over drive his car into turn 1 and spun out, bringing Corey LaJoie with him. Caution is out for the first time today.

    Kyle Larson is pitting and is looking for more longevity in his tires with an air pressure adjustment. Chase Elliott wins the race off pit road, narrowly, against William Byron.

    Martin Truex Jr. was too fast entering the pit lane. That’s his third pit road penalty in four races at Martinsville.

    Tyler Reddick pitted halfway through the first stage and finds himself two laps down. However, the No. 45 team confirmed the idea is to split the 130-lap first stage. They will likely do the same in the second.

    Chase Elliott was on Martin Truex’s bumper for the first 41 laps. Elliott made a pass on the low side against Truex to take the lead, Sunday’s first lead change. William Byron runs third. Elliott needs a win to get into the Championship 4, Byron can get in on points.

    It’s time to race at Martinsville. Martin Truex Jr. leads the field to green with Chase Elliott on the outside of the front row.

    Look for close racing on the short track, especially in the corners. Drivers will be making contact throughout most of Sunday’s race.

    Track position will be at a premium on the 0.5-mile oval. Drivers may not elect to pit for tires at times and may only take right side tires in a pinch to save track position, especially late in the race. The right-side tires will wear out faster than the left sides with all the force coming from the car.

    Brakes will also be heating up, even glowing red hot. Drivers will need to manage their brake temperatures throughout the race.

    On the track itself, there is concrete in the corners rather than asphalt. The concrete generates more grip, but drivers will need to avoid the curb that lines the bottom line of the corners. Getting up into the asphalt in the turns will almost guarantee a scrape, or worse, with the outside wall.

    Don’t expect any moves similar to Ross Chastain’s wall ride from 2022. It’s not allowed anymore, and rather dangerous yet legendary.

    The cars have roared to life and are ready for 500 laps at Martinsville Speedway. Six drivers racing for two spots to race for a spot in the Championship 4. The winner receives a Grandfather clock trophy to celebrate the win.

    Denny Hamlin crashed in Saturday’s practice and was not able to post a qualifying time. Hamlin will start 37th in Sunday’s race. No one has ever won the race from last place in the starting lineup.

    NASCAR news and notes going into Sunday’s Xfinity 500 at Martinsville

    EXPERT PICKS: NASCAR Martinsville predictions 2024: Expert picks for Cup Series race

    PLAYOFF PICTURE: NASCAR playoff picture: Cup Series points standings after Homestead

    LAST TIME OUT: Homestead NASCAR race winners and losers: Tyler Reddick steals win, Kyle Larson spins out

    NASCAR Martinsville TV schedule, start time for the Xfinity 500

    Green Flag Time:  Approx. 1 p.m. CT on Sunday, Nov. 3

    Track:  Martinsville Speedway (.526-mile oval) in Martinsville, Virginia

    Length:  500 laps, 263 miles

    Stages:  130 laps, 130 laps, 240 laps

    TV coverage:  NBC

    Radio:  MRN

    Streaming: FUBO (free trial available); NBC Sports app (subscription required); NASCAR.com and SiriusXM on Channel 90 for audio (subscription required)

    The Xfinity 500 will be broadcast nationally on NBC. Streaming options for the race include the NBC Sports app and FUBO, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.

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    Martin Truex Jr. on pole for Xfinity 500, full starting lineup

    Martin Truex Jr. earned his first pole award of the season during Saturday’s qualifying session.

    1. Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

    2. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

    3. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

    4. Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

    5. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

    6. Harrison Burton, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford

    7. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

    8. Ryan Preece, No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

    9. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

    10. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

    See the full starting lineup for Sunday’s race here.

    Recent NASCAR Cup Series winners at Martinsville Speedway

    Spring 2024: William Byron

    Fall 2023: Ryan Blaney

    Spring 2023: Kyle Larson

    Fall 2022: Christopher Bell

    Spring 2022: William Byron

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