9 – Chase Elliott vs. 11 – Denny Hamlin
Two of NASCAR’s very best short track racers square off in a rematch of their infamous dustup in the 2017 Martinsville Playoff race, in which Hamlin wrecked Elliott on a late restart, costing Elliott a shot at advancing to the Championship 4 Round of the ’17 Playoffs.
Hamlin has the best all-time stat line at Martinsville among active drivers, with a 10.16 average finish and a stout five wins to his credit at the facility.
Elliott is no slouch at Martinsville either. Elliott won the 2020 Fall Martinsville race in dramatic fashion – a win which cashed him a ticket to the 2020 Championship 4 Round. Since 2019, Elliott has led the second- most laps at Martinsville (575) among active drivers.
Elliott enters the weekend as one of the most consistent drivers in NASCAR in 2022, as he is currently tied for the points lead with Ryan Blaney. Hamlin sits 20th in points and is coming off a short track win this past weekend in Richmond.
1 – Ross Chastain vs. 12 – Ryan Blaney
This past weekend in Richmond, Blaney and Chastain, two of the hottest drivers in the sport entering the weekend, feuded throughout the race, making contact numerous times with each other battling in the top five throughout the race. With another short track race on deck in Martinsville this weekend, will these two find each other on track again?
In the matchup, Blaney would appear to have the early edge, as he has the best average finish among active drivers at the track since 2019 (5.83).
Chastain however continues to buck statistics and has run well in nearly every race this season. His limited stat profile for Martinsville shows a 26.75 average finish since 2019, but recent stats have not been a good indicator of results for Chastain in 2022.
19 – Martin Truex, Jr. vs. 24 – William Byron
Truex and Byron went toe-to-toe over the course of the final stage of last week’s race in Richmond in a battle of tire strategy, with both drivers coming up just short of a victory after Denny Hamlin shocked the field in the closing laps and passed the leaders via a tire gamble.
Both drivers figure to be in the mix for the win on Sunday, as both have shown recent speed at Martinsville.
Truex in particular is among the best in the series at The Paperclip, having won three of the last five Cup races at the track.
Byron has three top-five finishes at Martinsville in his last six starts at the track
18 – Kyle Busch vs. 5 - Kyle Larson
It’s the Kyle and Kyle Show in the final matchup of the week, in a battle between two drivers who, despite having great records at short tracks, have not seen much success in recent events at Martinsville.
Larson has oft-described Martinsville as one of his weakest tracks, but his 11.50 average finish since 2019 at the facility suggests he has a better handle on the track than he gives himself credit for.
Busch has two Martinsville wins to his name in his career, but none have come in the last 4 years. He’ll look to change that after a disappointing showing in Richmond in which a strong run was undone by a pit penalty late in the race.
Brief history of the unique NASCAR trophy at Martinsville Speedway – There is nothing else out there like it and that’s what makes it so unique, the Martinsville Speedway trophy that is. The seven-foot-tall trophy is known as the ‘Grandfather Clock’ or the Ridgeway Clock. It was presented for the first time in 1964 to NASCAR Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen. Back then, and for many years, the trophy was manufactured just down the road from the iconic short track. Clockmakers Howard Miller then bought Ridgeway, who were the manufacturers of the clock, and started making them in their unit in Zeeland, Michigan.
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