MARTINSVILLE, Va. (April 15, 2023) – The NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) hit the track this afternoon for the first time this weekend, with the field taking on a 20-minute practice session before qualifying to set the lineup for tomorrow’s NOCO 400 at Martinsville Speedway. The .526 mile Virginia oval marks the first of two appearances at the track for the series, with the oldest track on the circuit returning as the host for the NCS’ Playoffs Round of Eight elimination round.
The event’s defending winner William Byron led Chevrolet on the overall practice speed chart, driving his No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 to a second-fastest lap overall. The Bowtie brand showed speed in both Group A and B practice sessions with Byron leading six drivers from four different Chevrolet teams to top-10 lap-times in practice. Byron’s Hendrick Motorsports’ teammate Chase Elliott was tenth-fastest overall in his first laps back behind the wheel of his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 after a six-race absence during recovery from a leg injury.
Byron and fellow Team Chevy driver Daniel Suarez followed up strong practice runs with a lap time that took their Camaro ZL1’s to the final round of qualifying. Suarez posted a lap of 20.081 seconds, at 94.298 mph, to take a front-row starting position for tomorrow’s 400-lap race; his third top-10 start of the 2023 season. Byron clocked-in a lap of 20.155 seconds, at 93.952 mph, ultimately qualifying in the eighth position.
FS1 will broadcast the NASCAR Cup Series’ NOCO 400 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, April 15, at 3 p.m. ET. Live coverage can also be found on the MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1: Post-Qualifying Quotes
GETTING OUT OF THE CAR, HOW IS YOUR LEG?
“I actually feel pretty good. I had a dismal qualifying lap, but I can’t blame my leg on that one. I had a pretty good first lap and then I really messed up the exit of (turn) two there on the second lap. Judging off of practice, starting in the back is going to be a lot of fun, so looking forward to that in the No. 9 NAPA Chevy. We’ll try to go forward there tomorrow.”
37 LAPS OF PRACTICE IN 2O MINUTES AND YOU HAD YOUR QUALIFYING LAP. WHERE’S THAT PAIN LEVEL AND WHERE’S YOUR COMFORT LEVEL RIGHT NOW?
“Yeah, I felt fine in the car. Like I said, the entire practice run, I felt fine. Once you kind of get out there on the track and you start focusing on the little things that you need to be doing to hit your marks, I feel like some of that goes away, so that’s a good thing. Again, my qualifying lap wasn’t because of that, it was just a poor effort.
