Hamlin dominates and Xfinity's demo derby: Winners and losers from Martinsville

Motorsport photo

NASCAR completed its triple-header weekend at Martinsville Speedway featuring three very different races and plenty of drama. Most of the conversation centers around the highly controversial finish to Saturday’s Xfinity race, but there was plenty of action beyond that. Denny Hamlin, Austin Hill and Daniel Hemric walked away with checkered flags as Hendrick Motorsports failed to repeat their 1-2-3 effort from one year ago in the Cup Series. The weekend ended with several drivers mighty frustrated and eager to just move on to Darlington, which is now just days away.

Here’s a look at the biggest winners and losers from Martinsville:

WINNER: Denny delivers with new sponsor and crew chief

Denny Hamlin recaps dominant day at Martinsville

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Bubba Wallace is having a great start to the 2025 season. Sitting eighth in the standings, Wallace now has back-to-back podium finishes after placing third at both Homestead and Martinsville. In both races, he was a legitimate contender for the race win. Facing a winless streak that is quickly approaching 100 races, it’s a much-needed turnaround for the driver of the No. 23. He seems happier, more confident, and is working well with a new crew chief atop the pit box.

LOSER: Jones hit with a post-race DQ

Erik Jones, Legacy MotorClub Toyota

Getty Images

Martinsville wasn’t a particularly great race for Jones, placing 24th. However, he did manage to finish fifth in the first stage, allowing him to leave with a decent haul of 19 points. Unfortunately, his No. 43 Toyota failed to meet the minimum weight requirements after the race, resulting in an immediate disqualification. The DQ dropped him seven positions in the championship standings, from 22nd to 29th, giving Jones his worst finish in over four years (38th).

WINNER: Preece with the best stretch of his career

Ryan Preece, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford

Jonathan Bachman – Getty Images

Ryan Preece is quietly showcasing some real potential in the third RFK Racing entry. Although the year began with him flipping wildly at the Daytona 500, Preece is now enjoying the best streak of his entire Cup career with three consecutive top tens. To put that in perspective, Preece’s best 36-race season featured just five top tens, but he’s well on his way to topping that. Preece has been in and out of the Cup Series since 2015 and some began to wonder if the former Modified champion was capable of competing at the sport’s highest level, but Preece is leaving little doubt about his ability now.

LOSER: Logano gets a top ten, but he’s still mad

Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford

Getty Images

The reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion has had a rough start to the year. Only Denny Hamlin has led more laps than him, but Logano didn’t even have a top-ten finish until this past weekend at Martinsville. Yet even that wasn’t enough to alleviate the Team Penske driver’s frustration. Earlier this month, he said how he has left every race this year “mad at something” and that trend continued at Martinsville. He finished eighth, but only after fighting back through the field following a mid-race spin. Logano took issue with the way Ross Chastain cut him off to get to the bottom lane, blaming him for another similar incident that ended with Logano spinning. He said Chastain “races like a jackass every week and I keep paying the price.” Could this be the beginning of a rivalry between two of the sport’s most aggressive drivers?

WINNER: Hemric backflips to redemption in the Truck Series

Back-flipping to victory: Daniel Hemric scores Martinsville triumph

Logan Riely / Getty Images

Josh Berry’s Martinsville showing started strong, leading 40 laps in the opening stage. It’s the most laps the Wood Brothers have led at Martinsville since David Pearson dominated the race in the No. 21 back in 1973. He was about to win the opening stage as well when a caution forced them to change up the strategy. He dove to the pits with the lead but was never seen up front again. A battery issue cost him track position and laps as the team scrambled to swap it out on pit road. He never recovered, ending the race four laps down and in 32nd place.