Technique gamble helps Chase Elliott to Martinsville NASCAR Cup win

For the primary time in 2026, a Hendrick Motorsports automobile went to Victory Lane. Chase Elliott earned the group’s thirty first win at Martinsville Speedway, taking the lead from Ross Chastain on the ultimate restart.

He then held off a charging Denny Hamlin, who had dominated a lot of the race and swept the phases, gathering his twenty second profession win.

“We took of venture,” mentioned Elliott. “We had been going to two-stop that final stint. I actually suppose it was going to work out actually good for us, both means, however simply so pleased with the group, man. They put up with loads, they usually bought to place up with me on a regular basis. I simply recognize them for sticking with me. It positive is numerous enjoyable when days like this work out.”

Watch: Elliott on first win of 2026: ‘We took of venture’

Elliott was working ninth earlier than crew chief Alan Gustafson made the decision to brief pit throughout the one green-flag cycle of stops, gaining Elliott a number of positions for when a well timed warning got here out throughout the last 100 laps of the occasion.

Added the successful crew chief: “Tremendous glad that it paid off,” mentioned Gustafson. “We had been simply form of trapped in tenth spot and it is actually laborious to go. We simply wanted to do one thing totally different. Mathematically, it was shut for us to both cut up that run or two-stop it and I simply felt prefer it was price a shot. Once we pitted early, I feel it introduced numerous guys down, and that put us in an excellent higher place. Clearly, the warning is nice. It gave us observe place. The remainder is historical past.”

Behind Elliott and Hamlin, Joey Logano completed third, Ty Gibbs fourth, and William Byron fifth. Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, Austin Cindric, Kyle Larson, and Josh Berry crammed out the rest of the highest ten.

Shane van Gisbergen’s oval development continued as effectively, scoring factors in each phases and ending eleventh after a prime 5 qualifying effort on Saturday.

Watch: Hamlin on watching win slip away: ‘We gave it our all’

Stage 1

Hamlin led from pole place in a reasonably clear opening stint to the race. At one level, he briefly misplaced the result in Byron when he bought trapped behind the slower automobile of Nemechek.

Inside a couple of laps, Hamlin was again accountable for the race. He shortly moved via the sector, and lapped as much as Justin Allgaier in twenty third when the primary warning of the race flew.

Simply three laps shy of the stage finish, Cody Ware bought despatched round as a gaggle of vehicles on the very tail finish of the lead lap had been pushing to get away from Hamlin.

Hamlin received Stage 1 over Byron, Berry, Gibbs, Cindric, Van Gisbergen, Logano, Blaney, Reddick, and Preece.

Stage 2

In the course of the stage break, Kyle Busch hit a tire and despatched it flying down pit highway, additionally making contact with Zilisch. His terrible day bought worse because the No. 8 group was issued an uncontrolled tire penalty.

On the restart, Gibbs moved as much as second behind his teammate, Hamlin. Again within the pack, Buescher needed to make an unscheduled pit cease, and across the similar time, Gragson went spinning a stack-up.

This put Briscoe again on the lead lap, courtesy of the free go. A handful of vehicles took the chance to pit, however nobody up entrance.

Hamlin led the remainder of the stage with out a lot drama, successful Stage 2 over Gibbs, Logano, Blaney, Byron, Cindric, Reddick, Van Gisbergen, Larson, and Berry.

Briscoe was as soon as once more the free go as he bought re-lapped by Hamlin.

Stage 3

Hamlin continued to guide as Blaney moved up into second on the long term to open the ultimate stage.

With about 140 laps to go, Elliott and Van Gisbergen had been the primary vehicles working contained in the top-ten to make inexperienced flag pit stops.

Throughout this run, Buescher made one other unscheduled pit cease, and Hill was compelled again to pit highway with a unfastened wheel. Fortunately, it stayed hooked up and he managed to make it again to his stall. Allgaier additionally had some hassle, issued a drive-through penalty for an uncontrolled tire.

Hamlin lastly pitted from the lead with round 110 laps to go, whereas Elliott and Van Gisbergen cycled to the entrance of the sector.

Hamlin quickly ran them down on brisker rubber and reclaimed the lead with 92 laps to go. Elsewhere within the subject, Ty Dillon slowed with a difficulty, however he additionally made it again to the pits.

Nevertheless, he dropped particles on pit highway, which compelled a warning to retrieve a brake rotor. Suarez in twentieth was granted the free go as the primary driver one lap down.

The warning made the technique for Elliott and Van Gisbergen a internet achieve — particularly Elliott who was nonetheless working second. Hamlin received the race off pit highway, however he was not the race chief.

Chastain (who was the final automobile on the lead lap in nineteenth) didn’t pit, and took over the lead with older tires. Everybody behind him had recent tires for the restart, which got here with 78 laps to go.

Chastain bought an excellent restart as Hamlin misplaced second to Elliott, however the run did not final lengthy as a multi-car wreck broke out in the midst of the sector. Wallace bought into Hocevar, and some different vehicles had been concerned. Wallace was unable to proceed, whereas Buescher earned the free go.

They went again inexperienced with 69 to go, and Elliott handed Chastain on the skin. Blaney misplaced some floor after getting squeezed into the wall by Hamlin.

Hamlin bought shut as Elliott navigated slower visitors, however he by no means may get to the rear bumper of the No. 9 Chevrolet.

Chastain’s gamble noticed him fall to sixteenth within the last working order, however it should nonetheless increased than the place he was working when the No. 1 initially selected to remain out.

Reddick continues to guide the championship standings, now 82 factors away from Blaney on the prime of the factors.

Photographs from Martinsville – Sunday

Technique gamble helps Chase Elliott to Martinsville NASCAR Cup win