Martinsville Speedway is set to host the first true short track race of the 26-race 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season this Sunday afternoon, and that race, the Cook Out 400, is the first of two events scheduled to take place at the "Paperclip" in 2026.
Because Martinsville, a four-turn, 0.526-mile (0.847-kilometer) oval in Ridgeway, Virginia, is considered a short track, each driver on the entry list is permitted to make a two-lap qualifying attempt, rather than just a single-lap attempt, during Saturday afternoon's single-car qualifying session.
Drivers are allowed to forgo their second qualifying lap if they so choose, as the 37-car starting lineup is based on each driver's top lap speed, rather than two-lap average speed.
There is also no second round shootout for the pole position like there is for superspeedway races; round one speeds are set to determine the full starting lineup.
Saturday's full qualifying order, which can be found here, was determined by NASCAR's qualifying metric, which was created in 2020 and revised ahead of the 2025 season.
A full breakdown of that formula can be found here.
Follow along with our Cook Out 400 qualifying updates from Martinsville.
NASCAR Cup Series starting lineup at Martinsville
1 - Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
2 - William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
3 - Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
4 - Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
5 - Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
6 - Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
7 - Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
8 - Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
9 - Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
10 - Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
11 - Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
12 - Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
13 - Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
14 - Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
15 - Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
16 - Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford
17 - Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
18 - Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
19 - Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
20 - Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
21 - Justin Allgaier, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
22 - Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
23 - Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford
24 - Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet
25 - Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
26 - Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota
27 - Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
28 - A.J. Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
29 - Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
30 - Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
31 - Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford
32 - John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
33 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet
34 - Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
35 - Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
36 - Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
37 - Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
The Cook Out 400 is set to be shown live on Fox Sports 1 from Martinsville Speedway beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET this Sunday, March 29. Begin a free trial of FuboTV today and catch all of the action from the "Paperclip"!
Martinsville Speedway is set to host the first true short track race of the 26-race 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season this Sunday afternoon, and that race, the Cook Out 400, is the first of two events scheduled to take place at the "Paperclip" in 2026.
Because Martinsville, a four-turn, 0.526-mile (0.847-kilometer) oval in Ridgeway, Virginia, is considered a short track, each driver on the entry list is permitted to make a two-lap qualifying attempt, rather than just a single-lap attempt, during Saturday afternoon's single-car qualifying session.
Drivers are allowed to forgo their second qualifying lap if they so choose, as the 37-car starting lineup is based on each driver's top lap speed, rather than two-lap average speed.
There is also no second round shootout for the pole position like there is for superspeedway races; round one speeds are set to determine the full starting lineup.
Saturday's full qualifying order, which can be found here, was determined by NASCAR's qualifying metric, which was created in 2020 and revised ahead of the 2025 season.
A full breakdown of that formula can be found here.
Follow along with our Cook Out 400 qualifying updates from Martinsville.
NASCAR Cup Series starting lineup at Martinsville
The Cook Out 400 is set to be shown live on Fox Sports 1 from Martinsville Speedway beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET this Sunday, March 29. Begin a free trial of FuboTV today and catch all of the action from the "Paperclip"!