The NASCAR Cup Series is on a short track for the first time this season with the Cook Out 400 on March 29 at Martinsville Speedway.
The half-mile paper clip has not produced the best racing in the Next Gen era, but increased horsepower this season could help the race quality.
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Last week, Tyler Reddick won at Darlington for his fourth victory of the season out of six overall. He is aiming to become the first driver with 10+ wins in a Cup Series season since Kyle Larson in 2021.
Denny Hamlin is the defending race champion and on the pole. Keep an eye on William Byron, who won at Martinsville last fall and has won two of the last four races at track.
Follow along with the Tennessean’s race updates below:
NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville live updates, highlights, live leaderboard for the Pennzoil 400
LIVE LEADERBOARD: Full field leaderboard of NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400
Chase Elliott holds off Denny Hamlin for first Hendrick Motorsports win of 2026 NASCAR season
Chase Elliott and Hendrick Motorsports are back in victory lane. Chase Elliott won the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville for the first win by Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet in the 2026 NASCAR season.
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Elliott led just 84 laps compared to 292 laps led by Denny Hamlin.
Lap 366: Chase Elliott holding off Denny Hamlin
Chase Elliott seems to be doing his best to bring Hendrick Motorsports its first win of the 2026 NASCAR season. Elliott leads polesitter Denny Hamlin by just over a second.
Lap 324: Bubba Wallace slams into Carson Hocevar, causes pile up
Bubba Wallace slammed into Carson Hocevar to give him a push up to the pack, then hit him again in the left rear to force a massive pile up at Martinsville after a restart.
Cars involved in the accident include: Austin Dillon, Daniel Suarez, Chris Buescher, Bubba Wallace, Austin Hill, Riley Herbst, Zane Smith, John Hunter Nemecheck, Erik Jones, Michael McDowell, Carson Hocevar and Connor Zilisch.
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Lap 312: Rare caution flag
A brake rotor is on the track, forcing the caution out with 89 laps left.
Denny Hamlin regains lead over Chase Elliott, Lap 310
Denny Hamlin has the lead again with 91 laps remaining.
Chase Elliott has lead, but can Denny Hamlin catch him?
Chase Elliott leads the NASCAR Martinsville race, but Denny Hamlin is second and closing in after completing his green flag pit stop.
Elliott stopped early, and is starting to fall off as his tires wear.
Chase Elliott on pit road, drops out of top 10
Chase Elliott has gone into the pits with 137 laps left. He should have enough to race to the end. Elliott was struggling to conserve his tires at the end.
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Dominant Denny Hamlin wins Stage 2 at NASCAR Martinsville race
Denny Hamlin has swept the two stages and led 176 laps in the Cook Out 400 at the NASCAR Martinsville race. The only thing left to see is if Hamlin can win the race.
Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Ty Gibbs finished second. Joey Logano was third, Ryan Blaney was fifth and William Byron was fifth.
1. Denny Hamilin
2. Ty Gibbs
3. Joey Logano
4. Ryan Blaney
5. William Byron
6. Austin Cindric
7. Tyler Reddick
8. Shane van Gisbergen
9. Kyle Larson
10. Josh Berry
Denny Hamlin still dominant, but what happened to William Byron?
Denny Hamlin has already 154 laps and is the leader in Stage 2. But William Byron, who is the only other driver to lead, is in sixth. Hamlin leads Ty Gibbs by 1.345 seconds.
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Denny Hamlin wins Stage 1
Denny Hamlin, the polesitter for the NASCAR Martinsville race has won Stage 1 and led all but six laps. It marks Hamlin’s first stage win of the 2026 NASCAR season.
1. Denny Hamlin
2. William Byron
3. Josh Berry
4. Ty Gibbs
5. Austin Cindric
6. Shane van Gisbergen
7. Joey Logano
8. Ryan Blaney
9. Tyler Reddick
10. Ryan Preece
Denny Hamlin regains lead Lap 45
Denny Hamlin regained the lead on Lap 45, letting William Byron hold the lead for just five laps. Hamlin has now also put Kyle Busch a lap down.
William Byron takes lead on Lap 40
William Byron has passed Denny Hamlin on Lap 40 in the NASCAR Martinsville race. Hamliin is second. Josh Berry is third.
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Denny Hamlin on the pole; full NASCAR Cup Series Martinsville starting lineup
The top 10:
1. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
2. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
3. Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Racing Ford
4. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
5. Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet6. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
7. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
8. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
9. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford10. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Find the full starting lineup here.
More: NASCAR Martinsville qualifying results, Denny Hamlin on the pole as starting lineup set
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NASCAR race radio coverage: How to listen to NASCAR Cup race at Martinsville
The Cook Out 400 will be aired on the radio by the Motor Racing Network. MRN has affiliates all across the country, and their feed can also be streamed on NASCAR.com as well as the NASCAR app. The race can also be heard on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.
NASCAR Martinsville TV schedule, start time
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Green Flag Time: Approx. 2:30 p.m. CT on Sunday, March 29
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Track: Martinsville Speedway (0.526-mile oval) in Martinsville, Virginia
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Length: 400 laps, 210.4 miles
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Stages: 80 laps, 100 laps, 220 laps
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TV coverage: FOX Sports 1
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Streaming: Watch FREE on Fubo; FOX One app; HBO MAX app for in-car cameras (subscription required); NASCAR.com and SiriusXM on Channel 90 for audio (subscription required)
The Cook Out 400 will be broadcast nationally on FS1. Other streaming options for the race include HBO MAX for in-car cameras for each driver.
Recent NASCAR Cup Series winners at Martinsville
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2025 spring: Denny Hamlin
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2024 spring: William Byron
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville. Chase Elliott wins Cook Out 400
