There's a chance this weekend at Martinsville Speedway that for the first time since the 2003 NASCAR Cup Series season, the championship could be clinched before the season finale, as Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson is set to enter Sunday's Xfinity 500 with a 73-point lead over Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin.
Given how hard it has been to pass at the four-turn, 0.526-mile (0.847-kilometer) Ridgeway, Virginia oval in the Next Gen era, qualifying could prove crucial for Sunday's 500-lap race, and Hamlin dominated the race at the track back in March, winning the first two stages from pole before ultimately being beaten on a pit strategy decision by Hendrick Motorsports' Chase Elliott to gain crucial track position. Larson only finished ninth.
For short track races, drivers are allowed to take two qualifying laps if they so choose, although they only need to take one, as it's top speed, not average speed, that counts toward determining the starting lineup. There is no second-round shootout for pole.
The qualifying order was determined by the qualifying metric, with the non-playoff drivers slotted in first before the playoff drivers are taken into account. Note that the playoff drivers still include all 16 playoff drivers, even the nine who have already been mathematically eliminated from title contention.
Follow along with our qualifying updates from the "Paperclip".
NASCAR Cup Series starting lineup at Martinsville
Note that this starting lineup is not official until all 37 drivers on the entry list are included.
1 - Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
2 - Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
3 - Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
4 - Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
5 - Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
6 - Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet
7 - Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
8 - Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford
9 - Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
10 - Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota
11 - Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
12 - Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
13 - Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
14 - Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford
15 - A.J. Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
16 - Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
17 - John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
18 - Josh Bilicki, No. 66 Garage 66 Ford
19 - Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
NBC's live coverage of the Xfinity 500 from Martinsville Speedway is set to begin at 2:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, November 1. Start a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss any of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season's penultimate race!
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