For the primary time in 2026, a automobile went to Victory Lane. earned the group’s thirty first win at Martinsville Speedway, taking the lead from on the ultimate restart.
He then held off a charging , who had dominated a lot of the race and swept the levels, gathering his twenty second profession win.
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“We took a bet,” mentioned Elliott. “We had been going to two-stop that final stint. I actually assume it was going to work out actually good for us, both manner, however simply so happy with the group, man. They put up with so much, and so they received to place up with me on a regular basis. I simply admire them for sticking with me. It positive is quite a lot of enjoyable when days like this work out.”
Watch: Elliott on first win of 2026: ‘We took a bet’
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 in the course of the closing 100 laps of the occasion.
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Added the profitable crew chief: “Tremendous blissful that it paid off,” mentioned Gustafson. “We had been simply type of trapped in tenth spot and it is actually arduous 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 value a shot. After we pitted early, I believe it introduced quite a lot of guys down, and that put us in a fair higher place. Clearly, the warning is nice. It gave us observe place. The remainder is historical past.”
Behind Elliott and Hamlin, completed third, fourth, and fifth. , , , , and crammed out the rest of the highest ten.
‘s oval development continued as nicely, scoring factors in each levels and ending eleventh after a prime 5 qualifying effort on Saturday.
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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 received trapped behind the slower automobile of Nemechek.
Inside just a few laps, Hamlin was again in charge of the race. He shortly moved by the sector, and lapped as much as in twenty third when the primary warning of the race flew.
Simply three laps shy of the stage finish, received despatched round as a gaggle of automobiles on the very tail finish of the lead lap had been pushing to get away from Hamlin.
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Hamlin gained Stage 1 over Byron, Berry, Gibbs, Cindric, Van Gisbergen, Logano, Blaney, Reddick, and Preece.
Stage 2
In the course of the stage break, hit a tire and despatched it flying down pit highway, additionally making contact with Zilisch. His terrible day received 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.
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This put Briscoe again on the lead lap, courtesy of the free go. A handful of automobiles took the chance to pit, however nobody up entrance.
Hamlin led the remainder of the stage with out a lot drama, profitable 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 received 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.
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With about 140 laps to go, Elliott and Van Gisbergen had been the primary automobiles 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 pressured again to pit highway with a free 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.
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Hamlin quickly ran them down on more energizing rubber and reclaimed the lead with 92 laps to go. Elsewhere within the subject, slowed with a problem, however he additionally made it again to the pits.
Nonetheless, he dropped particles on pit highway, which pressured 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 web acquire — particularly Elliott who was nonetheless working second. Hamlin gained the race off pit highway, however he was not the race chief.
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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 contemporary tires for the restart, which got here with 78 laps to go.
Chastain received 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 received into Hocevar, and some different automobiles 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 surface. Blaney misplaced some floor after getting squeezed into the wall by Hamlin.
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Hamlin received shut as Elliott navigated slower site 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 closing working order, however it can nonetheless larger 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.
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