MARTINSVILLE, Va. — The time has come to set the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 lineup. Only Martinsville Speedway stands between the playoff drivers and Phoenix.
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This Sunday afternoon race will determine the final two spots of the Championship 4. Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe have already secured their spots with wins, so only two remain available.
Martinsville Speedway Cup Series playoff race information
Weather: The WeatherUnderground forecast calls for cloudy skies throughout the day. A high of 59 degrees and no chance of rain at the start of the Cup Series playoff race.
Green flag time: The grand marshal will give the command to fire engines at 2:08 p.m. ET. The starter will wave the green flag at 2:17 p.m. ET.
Starting lineup: William Byron won the pole. Full lineup here.
Pre-race: The garage opens at 11 a.m. ET. Driver introductions will take place at 1:25 p.m. ET. Pre-race coverage begins with "Countdown to Green" on USA Network at 1:30 p.m. ET. Race coverage continues at 2 p.m. ET on USA Network.
The invocation will be at 2 p.m. ET. The national anthem will be at 2:01 p.m. ET.
Stages: The race will consist of three stages. The first stage ends at Lap 130. The second stage ends at Lap 260. The scheduled end of the race is Lap 500.
Playoff picture: The Cup Series playoff drivers have completed two races of the semifinal round. Denny Hamlin punched his ticket to the Championship 4 by winning the opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Chase Briscoe then secured his spot by winning at Talladega Superspeedway.
Christopher Bell enters the race 37 points above the cutline. He leads Kyle Larson, who is 36 points above the cutline.
The four drivers currently out of the Championship 4 are William Byron (-36), Joey Logano (-38), Ryan Blaney (-47), and Chase Elliott (-62).
Past winners: Several drivers have celebrated wins at Martinsville Speedway. Blaney has won the last two playoff races at the short track. Bell won the 2022 playoff race while Elliott won the 2020 playoff race.
Kyle Busch has two wins at Martinsville Speedway, as do Brad Keselowski and Byron. Alex Bowman won the 2021 playoff race. Larson won the 2023 spring race. Logano won the 2018 playoff race.
Hamlin leads all active Cup Series drivers in Martinsville wins. He has six trips to victory lane at the short track, including this season's spring race.
