NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville

Denny Hamlin won the first stage of the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, holding off fellow playoff drivers Ryan Blaney and Martin Truex Jr.

Hamlin, who started third, and Truex Jr., who started second, both got boy pole-sitter Ty Gibbs by the end of lap 2. Hamlin then got by Truex Jr. in lapped traffic on lap 48 and held it throughout the end of the stage. Blaney was a big mover in the first stage, starting 11th after barely missing out on the final round of qualifying Saturday.

The lone caution in the stage came on lap 105 when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Harrison Burton tangled with Hamlin just behind looking to lap them.

The NASCAR Cup Series shifts to the tight confines of Martinsville to whittle the playoff field from eight to four Sunday.

Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell already know they will race for the championship Nov. 5 in Phoenix, but six others need to win or bag a good result to join them. On the positive side of the cut line are William Byron (+30) and Ryan Blaney (+10), while Tyler Reddick (-10), Denny Hamlin (-17), Martin Truex Jr. (-17) and Chris Buescher (-43) are on the outside looking in.

Last year’s penultimate race was the scene of one of the wildest scenes in NASCAR playoff history, as Ross Chastain rode the wall with the throttle wide-open in order to nose ahead of Hamlin and qualify for the final on points.

We won’t see a similar move this year, however, as NASCAR responded by outlawing the maneuver in the offseason.

Here’s what else to know ahead of the Xfinity 500:

Xfinity 500 TV/streaming schedule

All times Eastern

Saturday
12:30-1:20 p.m.: Practice (USA, NBC Sports app)
1:20-2:30 p.m.: Qualifying (USA, NBC Sports app)

Sunday
1:30-2 p.m.: Pre-race show (NBC, NBC Sports app)
2-5:30 p.m.: Xfinity 500 (NBC, NBC Sports app)

Xfinity 500 details

Track: Martinsville Raceway, .526-mile paperclip oval in Ridgeway, Virginia
Race length: 500 laps for 263 miles
Banking: 12 degrees in the turns, none on straightaways
Stage lengths: Stages 1 and 2 – 130 laps | Stage 3 – 240 laps
Last year’s winner: Kyle Larson (5), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Xfinity 500 qualifying results

1. Martin Truex Jr. (19), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

2. Ty Gibbs (54), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

3. Chase Briscoe (14), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

4. Denny Hamlin (11), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

5. Kyle Larson (5), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

6. Bubba Wallace (23), 23XI Racing Toyota

7. Christopher Bell (20), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

8. Kevin Harvick (4), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

9. Ryan Preece (41), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

10. Brad Keselowski (6), RFK Racing Ford

11. Ryan Blaney (12), Team Penske Ford

12. Aric Almirola (10), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

13. Ross Chastain (1), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

14. Chase Elliott (9), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

15. Joey Logano (22), Team Penske Ford

16. William Byron (24), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

17. Todd Gilliland (38), Front Row Motorsports Ford

18. Chris Buescher (17), RFK Racing Ford

19. Tyler Reddick (45), 23XI Racing Toyota

20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (47), JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet

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