NASCAR at Martinsville 2018: Start Time, Ticket Info, Lineup, Odds, TV Schedule
Eight drivers remain in the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff as the series heads to Martinsville Speedway for Sunday's First Data 500.
Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman, Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson were all eliminated in ho-hum fashion at Kansas Speedway last time out. No drama or clashes—just four drivers on the way out for one reason or another, joining other eliminated faces like Jimmie Johnson.
NASCAR constructed this system for high-energy drama come elimination time. The final eight might just provide it moving forward, especially with a representative of the new generation such as Chase Elliott firing on all cylinders and ready to clash with some dominant veterans.
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Viewing Details
Where: Martinsville Speedway
When: Sunday, 2:30 p.m. ET
Watch: NBCSN
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live
Tickets: StubHub
First Data 500
1. Kyle Busch
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Martin Truex Jr.
4. Brad Keselowski
Note: Qualifying is Saturday.
2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Standings
| 1. Kyle Busch | 4055 |
| 2. Kevin Harvick | 4054 |
| 3. Martin Truex Jr. | 4038 |
| 4. Chase Elliott | 4018 |
| 5. Clint Bowyer | 4015 |
| 6. Joey Logano | 4015 |
| 7. Kurt Busch | 4015 |
| 8. Aric Almirola | 4006 |
| 9. Ryan Blaney | 2212 |
| 10. Brad Keselowski | 2194 |
| 11. Kyle Larson | 2178 |
| 12. Denny Hamlin | 2159 |
| 13. Austin Dillon | 2150 |
| 14. Erik Jones | 2148 |
| 15. Jimmie Johnson | 2148 |
| 16. Alex Bowman | 2144 |
Drivers to Watch
Martin Truex Jr.
Is Martin Truex Jr. back to form despite the whirlwind of drama surrounding him and the team at Furniture Row Racing.
That team is shutting down, and despite a dominant regular season, it appeared that fact started taking a major toll on all involved in the playoffs. Entering Kansas, Truex had finished 14th or worse in three consecutive events.
It's an elephant in the room more people are starting to point out, including NBC Sports analyst Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the Dale Jr. Download podcast (h/t Michelle R. Martinelli of For The Win):
"I'm not saying Truex can't win a championship. I'm just saying I will be surprised if he does. Not only do they not have the speed that [Harvick] has or [Busch] — clearly [Sunday] they didn't — but with everything happening with that team closing down and all those guys having new futures, that could be a big distraction, whether they want to own it or not."
And while Truex isn't running as fast and the narrative seems to coincide with the dip in performance well enough, he still pulled out a top-five finish at Kansas.
Granted, it was Truex's best finish since mid-September, and he hasn't won since mid-July. But there is always the outside possibility the situation surrounding Truex and his team quickly turns into the must-see story NASCAR keeps hoping this format will produce.
Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch is the obvious favorite going into Sunday's event, both in the minds of observers and in the minds of oddsmakers, according to Scott Hastings of OddsShark.
Not only is the seven-time winner in 2018 the defending winner at this particular race, but he also almost seized the checkered flag at Martinsville back in March, finishing second.
To be fair, Busch has been spottier than usual as of late, finishing 26th or worse in two of his past four outings. But it would be remiss not to mention some of that was simply bad luck, and his most recent outing brought a runner-up finish.
And as Jeff Burton said on NASCAR America, the fact that Busch loves the upcoming track is key (h/t NBC Sports' Dan Beaver):
"This race track doesn't change like other race tracks do. The aerodynamic advances that other teams have made, there not going to work for you here. ... I would fully expect the people who ran well here in the spring to come here and run well – unless a particular team...Hendrick Motorsports could bring four really fast cars here because they hit something."
Little has stopped Busch this season, and while the recent outings look patchy, he's brilliant at the next few tracks on the schedule, starting Sunday.
It's a problem for the remaining drivers, who clearly already know he will be on top of his game.
Chase Elliott
Elliott looks like the only person who can stop Busch.
The Hendrick Motorsports rising star has won two of his past three races. That sounds great, but keep in mind he also only has three finishes outside the top 10 over his past 13 races.
At Kansas, Elliott led a smooth 44 laps—third-highest on his season—before seizing the victory:
All this after Elliott stunned the NASCAR landscape at the start of August by taking the first checkered flag of his career.
"The difference has been going through some tougher days, having some learning experiences, making our cars faster," Elliott said, according to ESPN.com's Bob Pockrass. "Having those learning experiences, along with making our car better, has meant better results. I think we have just as good a shot as anybody, and that's our approach these next three weeks."
The hottest driver in the series, it shouldn't come as a surprise to learn Elliott had a top-10 finish at Martinsville earlier this year. With it apparent past performances are a big deal at the track and the fact that Elliott keeps winning, he's a close second favorite.
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