NASCAR changes Martinsville schedule due to weather

Due to the threat of inclement weather, NASCAR has moved up the start time for Sunday afternoon’s Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway.

Martinsville Speedway is scheduled to host the ninth race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season this Sunday afternoon, and NASCAR has made a slight change to the weekend schedule.

The green flag for Sunday’s NOCO 400 at the four-turn, 0.526-mile (0.847-kilometer) Ridgeway, Virginia oval is now set to fly at 3:01 p.m. ET, 10 minutes earlier than its initial 3:11 p.m. ET start time.

The change was made because of the potential for a line of rain showers and scattered thunderstorms to approach the venue in the late afternoon and early evening.

NASCAR is doing their best to make sure that the full 400-lap distance can be completed before any inclement weather sets in.

Fox Sports 1 is still set to broadcast the NOCO 400 live from Martinsville Speedway beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET. Bobby Labonte is set to be in the booth with full-time announcers Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer, replacing Tony Stewart as this week’s guest analyst.

The move comes as somewhat welcome news to those planning to watch the IndyCar race at Long Beach, which is set to go green at 3:45 p.m. ET on NBC, though the two races will still unfortunately go head-to-head for much of the afternoon.

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Ryan Preece is set to start Sunday’s Cup Series from the pole position for this first time in his career after posting the fastest speed in the second round of qualifying on Saturday afternoon behind the wheel of his No. 41 Ford.

He is set to start alongside Trackhouse Racing Team’s Daniel Suarez in second place behind the wheel of his No. 99 Chevrolet.

Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron, last year’s race winner, is set to start in eighth place behind the wheel of his No. 24 Chevrolet. Teammate Chase Elliott, who has been sidelined with a fractured left tibia since February, is set to start in 24th behind the wheel of his No. 9 Chevrolet.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell, who is both the points leader and the winner of the most recent race at Martinsville Speedway last October, is set to start in 22nd place behind the wheel of his No. 20 Toyota.

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