On March 29, the NASCAR Cup Series made history when it held its first race on a dirt surface since 1970. And it was Joey Logano who emerged victorious after 253 laps at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The Cup Series returns to action Saturday at a short track where it made history last year. In 2020, Martinsville Speedway hosted its first Cup Series night race. And this year, the drivers will again be competing under the lights in the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500.
Coming off his first win of the season, Logano will be starting in the pole position at Martinsville. He will be joined on the front row by Denny Hamlin, who is in first in the Cup Series points standings but has yet to make it to Victory Lane through the first seven races of the year.
Here's everything else you need to know as the Cup Series prepares for another night race at Martinsville.
NASCAR at Martinsville Information
Date: Saturday, April 10
Start Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: Fox Sports 1
Live Stream: Fox Sports app
Starting Lineup
Top Odds to Win
Martin Truex Jr.: +500 (bet $100 to win $500)
Chase Elliott: +600
Brad Keselowski: +600
Denny Hamlin: +700
Joey Logano: +700
Ryan Blaney: +800
Kyle Busch: +1200
Kyle Larson: +1200
Kevin Harvick: +1400
Alex Bowman: +2500
William Byron: +2500
Christopher Bell: +3000
Kurt Busch: +3000
Complete list of odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Preview
Through his first 13 seasons as a full-time Cup Series driver, Martin Truex Jr. had never made it to Victory Lane at Martinsville. He had experienced some success at the 0.526-mile short track, but a win had eluded him.
Things have changed over the past two years for Truex, as not only has he won at Martinsville, but he's done so twice. He was victorious at the second race at the track in the 2019 season, winning the First Data 500 that October. Then he won the first Cup Series night race at Martinsville.
Truex will be looking to win for the third time in the past four Cup Series races at Martinsville when he starts seventh Saturday night. He wasn't as successful the last time he was at the track, as he finished 22nd in the race there in November.
That most recent Martinsville race (the penultimate event on the 2020 schedule) was won by Chase Elliott, who then also won the season finale at Phoenix to capture his first Cup Series championship. The victory at Martinsville was the first for Elliott, who has finished in the top 10 in five of the past six races at the track.
Each of the first seven Cup Series races this season has been won by a different driver. Elliott has yet to make it to Victory Lane, so he will look to keep that streak going. Truex, meanwhile, was victorious at Phoenix on March 14, so he will be trying to become the first repeat winner in 2021.
Among the other former Martinsville winners in Saturday's 37-car field are Brad Keselowski (2017 and 2019), Joey Logano (2018), Kyle Busch (2016 and 2017), Denny Hamlin (2008, 2009, twice in 2010 and 2015), Kurt Busch (2002 and 2014), Ryan Newman (2012) and Kevin Harvick (2011).
But none of those drivers have done what Truex did in June: win a night race at Martinsville.
"Martinsville has become one of our better tracks," Truex said, per Reid Spencer of NASCAR.com. "I just feel like, working with the same group for so long, we've hit on something the past few years and been able to keep fine-tuning that and put ourselves in position to run up front. We have a lot of confidence going into this weekend that we can put ourselves in contention again if we can avoid mistakes and stay out of trouble."
While Truex should have another strong showing at Martinsville, he will have to fend off some tough competition if he hopes to make it back to Victory Lane. Logano is coming off a win, Keselowski has fared well at Martinsville in recent years and numerous other contenders should be near the front of the field too.
But no matter who ends up taking the checkered flag, Saturday's race should provide 500 laps of exciting action at the shortest track on the Cup Series schedule.
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