The NASCAR Cup Series competed at Martinsville Speedway and Denny Hamlin was the dominant driver. Hamlin won the first two stages and led 292 of the 400 laps; however, he didn’t enter victory lane. Instead, it was a Hendrick Motorsports driver who had the perfect strategy at Martinsville.
Chase Elliott and the No. 9 team for Hendrick Motorsports won the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville, earning their first victory of the 2026 Cup Series season. Elliott’s crew chief, Alan Gustafson, called the perfect strategy to put the No. 9 car in the front of the field. Before the call, Elliott was running around 10th place.
Despite Elliott not having a better car than Hamlin the entire race, he was able to hold off the No. 11 car to end the event. It is Hendrick Motorsports’ first NASCAR win with their new car body, and while Elliott didn’t have the fastest car at Martinsville, Gustafson made the perfect call to enter victory lane.
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NASCAR results: Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway (March 2026)
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No. 97 Shane van Gisbergen
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No. 42 John Hunter Nemechek
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No. 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
This article originally appeared on Motorsports Wire: Chase Elliott wins NASCAR Cup race at Martinsville in March 2026
