NASCAR at Martinsville 2019: Start Time, Ticket Info, Lineup, TV Schedule, More

The sixth date of the 2019 NASCAR calendar sees teams travel to Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia, this weekend in preparation for the STP 500 on Sunday.

Kyle Busch has won the last two race days in succession and leads the standings by 13 points, and he'll be hoping to win three races in a row for the second season running.

Last year's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano sits second in the standings and is searching for his second win of the campaign, while third-place Kevin Harvick is yet to record a victory in 2019.

Stewart-Haas driver Clint Bowyer won the 2018 STP 500 in Martinsville, but his hopes of retaining the title seem slim since he's notched only one top-10 finish in the first five races of the season.

TV Schedule

Saturday, March 23

Cup Series First Practice: 9:35 a.m. ET/1:35 p.m. GMT

Truck Series qualifying: 10:40 a.m. ET/2:40 p.m. GMT

Cup Series final practice: 12:30 a.m. ET/4:30 p.m. GMT

NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series Race at Martinsville: 2 p.m. ET/6 p.m. GMT

NASCAR qualifying: 5:10 p.m. ET/9:10 p.m. GMT

Sunday, March 24

STP 500: 2 p.m. ET/6 p.m. GMT

Visit StubHub to purchase tickets for Sunday's race.

Preview

All eyes are on the younger Busch brother travelling to Martinsville this weekend, and there are questions as to whether Kyle can advance his lead at the summit of the standings.

Victory at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, last Sunday saw the 2015 NASCAR champion go clear at the top of the table and clinch a historic career achievement in the process, via Fox Sports:

Kyle Busch, 33, is off to one of the best starts he could hope for in a season and earned congratulations from older brother Kurt, 40:

The No. 18 Joe Gibbs driver won the STP 500 in 2016 and will look to make the most of Martinsville's tight corners once more three years down the line, but a host of other contenders will vie for contention.

Denny Hamlin opened his 2019 NASCAR Cup Series by triumphing at the Daytona 500. Although he's yet to pick up another win since, he still sits fourth in the standings and has been nothing if not consistent in challenging for the top spots:

Team Penske representative Brad Keselowski is one place behind him in the overall standings but trails Hamlin by 29 points. Keselowski won the STP 500 in 2017 and is seeking his second win this season, having finished top three in three of his previous four races.

Jimmie Johnson has won this event three times in his career—only three drivers have won it more—although Fox noted it doesn't look likely he'll add to that tally on Sunday:

The field will hope to prevent Busch from extending his lead at the top of the standings, with this season's standout yet to finish outside the top six in five races so far this term.