The Cup Series Championship looms for a quartet of NASCAR’s brightest talents.
Who will be there, competing for the ultimate hardware in stock car racing? Well, that’s still up in the air.
Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell sealed their spot in the Championship 4 with wins at Las Vegas and Miami-Homestead, respectively. With only one race remaining before the big dance — and two spots left to fill — things should be get interesting when the Cup Series travels down to Martinsville for the Xfinity 500.
The Paperclip has played host to some of the greatest moments in NASCAR’s lengthy history. But it’s hard to argue there was a more dramatic showcase than last year’s iteration the race, which saw Bell secure a spot in the Championship 4 via walkoff win. Oh, and Ross Chastain pulled off the greatest move in NASCAR history, ramming his car into the wall before rocketing beyond Denny Hamlin to punch his ticket to Phoenix.
What awaits us this year? Only time will tell. But whatever happens at Martinsville, it should prove exciting. The Paperclip doesn’t favor fools. And with six drivers — Christopher Buescher, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin — all having a shot, expect plenty of hard-nosed racing this weekend.
MORE: Watch NASCAR at Martinsville live with Fubo (free trial)
With that, here’s what you need to know about the pole and starting lineup for this year’s Xfinity 500.
Martin Truex Jr. took the pole for Sunday’s race, blazing past the rest of the field with the fastest lap time in qualifying. He outpaced Ty Gibbs, who will join him in the front row. It’s the 23rd career pole and third of the season for Truex.
Leading the field for Sunday night’s race are Truex and Gibbs. Below is the rest of the starting lineup for the race:
(P) = Playoff driver