It all comes down to this – 500 laps around one of the most storied tracks on the circuit, Martinsville Speedway, to finalize the list of contenders that will vie for the title in next weekend’s season finale at Phoenix Raceway. Joey Logano has already secured his place in the Championship 4 with his win in the NASCAR Playoffs Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Team Penske is still in the hunt for a second spot in the Championship 4 with Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 team, last year’s Martinsville winners and Cup Series champions, pushing to repeat their 2023 success.
Under sunny skies on Saturday afternoon, drivers took to the 0.526-mile track for a full-field, 45-minute practice session, allowing teams to adjust to a new tire compound ahead of Sunday’s Xfinity 500. During practice, Austin Cindric encountered power steering issues, prompting the team to replace the steering rack after qualifying. As a result, the No. 2 car will start from the rear of the field.
Joey Logano, driver, No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil/Partners Powering Recovery Ford Mustang
12th
Ryan Blaney, driver, No. 12 Discount Tire Ford Mustang
14th
Austin Cindric, driver, No. 2 Menards/Cardell Cabinetry Ford Mustang
24th
TEAM PENSKE AT MARTINSVILLE: Team Penske has visited victory lane 10 times at Martinsville Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series. The organization won four of five consecutive Cup Series races at the paperclip-shaped track from 1993 to 1995 with Rusty Wallace. The team’s most recent triumph at the Virginia short track came in the 2023 edition of this race with a clutch win by Ryan Blaney that locked him into the Championship 4 where he ultimately earned the Cup Series title a week later at Phoenix Raceway. Through 17 Martinsville starts, Blaney has an impressive average finish of 8.8. Teammate Joey Logano, who is also a former Martinsville winner (2018), has top-10 finishes in 19 of his 31 Cup Series starts at the track. Austin Cindric, who only has five premier series starts at Martinsville, earned his best Martinsville finish at the Cup level in the spring 2023 Martinsville race with a ninth-place finish. Throughout his career in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the 26-year-old driver never finished outside the top 10 at the historic track.
TUNE IN ON SUNDAY: Coverage of Sunday’s Xfinity 500 from Martinsville Speedway is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. ET. Viewers can tune in to watch the race live on NBC, with radio coverage available on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Team Penske PR