Six NASCAR Cup Series drivers enter the Martinsville weekend fighting for two remaining spots in the Championship 4. Christopher Bell has the advantage in points, but Ryan Blaney has the edge based on recent performances.
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Blaney, the reigning Cup Series champion, is the defending playoff winner at Martinsville Speedway. He won last season's Round of 8 elimination race to punch his ticket to the Championship 4 for the first time in his career.
That win is not the only reason why Blaney, who sits 38 points below the cutline, will enter as the top driver to watch. The other reason is that he leads these six drivers in multiple statistical categories. This includes his average finish of 8.8 and 11 consecutive finishes of 11th or better.
Denny Hamlin, for comparison, leads the active Cup drivers with five wins at his home state track. His last win at Martinsville was in 2015. He was in the lead during the 2021 Round of 8 elimination race before contact from Alex Bowman spun him in the closing laps.
Hamlin has remained in contention for strong finishes at Martinsville since the move to the Next Gen era. He has three top-five finishes in the five races including two in elimination races.
This statistic is key considering that Hamlin is 18 points below the cutline. This is a deficit he could overcome with a points-heavy day. Blaney is in a must-win situation.
Recent Martinsville stats
Note: These numbers do not include Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick because they already won their way into the Championship 4.
- Ryan Blaney — One Martinsville win, an 8.8 average finish, and five top-10 finishes in five Next Gen races (four top-fives)
- Denny Hamlin — Five Martinsville wins, a 10.2 average finish, and three top-five finishes in five Next Gen races.
- Chase Elliott — One win (2020), a 12.7 average finish, and four top-10 finishes in five Next Gen races (one top-five).
- William Byron — Two wins, a 13.8 average finish, and three top-10 finishes in five Next Gen races (two wins).
- Christopher Bell — One win (2022), a 16.2 average finish, and two top-10 finishes in five Next Gen races (one win).
- Kyle Larson — One win (2023), an average finish of 16.7, and four top-10 finishes in five Next Gen races (one win and two runner-ups).
