Venue and date/time: The race is at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia (Henry County, just south of Martinsville). It is Race 35 of 36 in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series and the ninth of 10 races in the Chase. The event is scheduled for Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Coverage begins with a pre-race show around 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC; the race itself is set for 2:00 p.m. ET (green flag expected near 2:09 p.m. ET). It airs on NBC (with streaming options including HBO Max) and is on radio via MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Practice and qualifying are Saturday, October 31 (roughly 1:00–3:00 p.m. ET window on TruTV).
Track details: Martinsville is a 0.526-mile (0.847 km) paperclip-shaped short-track asphalt/concrete oval—the shortest track on the Cup schedule and one of the oldest continuously operating tracks in the U.S. (opened 1947 as a dirt track; paved later; continuous NASCAR presence since the series’ early days). It features four tight turns banked at 12 degrees each, with flat (0-degree) frontstretch and backstretch, each approximately 800 feet long. The surface is asphalt on the straights and upper turn lanes, with concrete on the lower grooves of the turns (a distinctive feature from earlier repairs). Track width is about 55 feet. The layout demands hard braking into the corners, precise rotation, strong drive off the turns, and excellent tire/brake management over 500 laps. It produces physical, bump-and-run short-track racing with heavy emphasis on track position.
Race length and format: 500 laps / 263 miles. Stages are 130/260/500. Purse is listed around $11.2 million. Goodyear short-track tire package is in use (with noted fall-off characteristics from recent left-side compound changes).
Weather conditions: Forecasts for Sunday, November 1, call for cool, mostly dry conditions favorable for racing. Expect highs in the mid-60s°F (around 64–67°F), partly sunny to mostly cloudy skies, light winds (around 5 mph, often NE/ENE or variable), and very low precipitation chances (generally under 5–10% during race window). Overnight lows in the mid-40s. No significant rain threat is indicated for the race itself based on available outlooks around race week.
Championship/Chase context and driver matchups: Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet) enters with a substantial points lead (reported around 73 points over Denny Hamlin after his dramatic last-lap win at Talladega the prior week). Larson can potentially clinch the championship with a strong points day (around 59 points in some analyses would lock it regardless of others). Key remaining title contenders include Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota, ~73 back), Christopher Bell (JGR No. 20), Chase Briscoe (JGR No. 19), Joey Logano (Team Penske No. 22 Ford), Ryan Blaney (Penske No. 12), and Tyler Reddick (23XI No. 45), with others further back or already eliminated from pure title math.
Key matchups center on short-track specialists and Chase pressure:
Larson vs. Hamlin/Bell/Briscoe: Larson has strong recent Martinsville consistency (multiple top-6 finishes in recent visits) but limited wins there. Hamlin is a Martinsville master (multiple career wins, including strong historical dominance and recent competitive runs). Bell and Briscoe bring JGR Toyota short-track strength and need big results (or Larson issues) to stay alive.
Team Penske Fords (Blaney, Logano, Cindric): Blaney has elite recent form here (wins in recent fall races, excellent average finishes). Logano is consistently strong on short tracks.
Hendrick group (Larson, Byron, Elliott, Bowman): Byron is a recent fall winner here; Elliott has strong historical short-track results.
Others to watch: Ty Gibbs, Josh Berry (Wood Brothers, home-area team), Ross Chastain, and value runners who thrive in the tight, physical environment.
Passing is difficult, so qualifying, pit strategy, and restart execution are critical. Brake and tire management over the long run will decide many finishes.
Race history and recent trends: Martinsville has a deep history of classic short-track battles. Among active drivers, Hamlin leads in career wins (multiple, including sweeps in earlier years). Recent fall races have seen strong performances from Blaney (wins in consecutive recent falls in some accounts), Byron (defending fall winner in some reports), and others like Elliott. Average finishes in recent visits favor drivers like Blaney, Logano, and Larson. The track rewards consistency and survival more than pure speed at times, with cautions often clustering around the physical racing in the tight corners.
Recent driver forms (heading into the race): Larson arrives hot after the Talladega win (his third in the Chase window in some counts) and solid overall Chase performance, with strong short-track credentials. Hamlin has been consistently competitive all season (high top-5/top-10 counts) and historically dominant here. Blaney and Logano show strong short-track and Martinsville averages. Bell and Briscoe have shown speed in the Chase. Many eliminated Chase drivers (e.g., Byron, Elliott, Gibbs in some standings views) still race hard for wins, stage points, or pride. Overall field speed is competitive, with Toyota and Chevrolet often strong on this style of track, and Penske Fords excelling in recent short-track runs.
Betting trends
Trends favor drivers with proven Martinsville success and recent short-track form (Hamlin, Blaney, Logano, Larson). Value is often sought in top-5/top-10 props for consistent runners (e.g., Larson top-5, Logano top-10, or mid-pack short-track specialists). Track position and qualifying performance heavily influence late line movement. Manufacturer trends and stage points can also factor into prop markets.
This is a high-stakes, physical short-track showdown with championship implications. Larson is in the driver’s seat but faces a track that historically rewards veterans like Hamlin and specialists like Blaney. Expect tight racing, strategic pit stops, and potential drama in the closing stages as contenders fight for every point heading into the Homestead finale.
DRIVER ODDS
Denny Hamlin + 400
Ryan Blaney + 450
Joey Logano + 700
Kyle Larson + 750
Chase Elliott + 800
William Byron + 900
Christopher Bell + 1000
Chase Briscoe + 1000
Ty Gibbs + 1200
Josh Berry + 1800
Bubba Wallace + 2200
Tyler Reddick + 2500
Austin Cindric + 3000
Carson Hocevar + 3500
Ryan Preece + 4000
Ross Chastain + 4000
Chris Buescher + 5000
Brad Keselowski + 5000
Alex Bowman + 5000
Shane Van Gisbergen + 7000
Daniel Suarez + 10000
Connor Zilisch + 15000
Austin Dillon + 15000
Erik Jones + 20000
Zane Smith + 25000
Michael McDowell + 25000
Austin Hill + 25000
Todd Gilliland + 35000
Riley Herbst + 35000
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. + 35000
John Hunter Nemechek + 35000
AJ Allmendinger + 35000
Noah Gragson + 50000
Ty Dillon + 70000
Cole Custer + 70000
Cody Ware + 100000
Josh Bilicki + 100000
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Saturday, October 31, 2026
