MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- The last short track of the 2019 season will begin the final march to determining which four drivers will race for the championship.
Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway will begin the Round of 8 with Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson still vying for the title.
Last year, Logano earned a berth in the championship round by bumping Truex aside on the last corner of the last lap. Three weeks later, the Team Penske driver won his first Cup championship.
Here is the information for today’s race:
(All times are Eastern)
START: The command to start engines will be given at 3:07 p.m. The green flag is scheduled to wave at 3:14 p.m.
PRERACE: The Cup garage will open at 9 a.m. The driver/crew chief meeting will be at 1 p.m. Driver introductions are at 2:20 p.m. The invocation will be given at 3 p.m. by track chaplain Mike Hatfield. The National Anthem will be performed at 3:01 p.m. by the 380th Army Band.
DISTANCE: The race is 500 laps (263 miles) around the 0.526-mile oval.
STAGES: Stage 1 will end on Lap 130. Stage 2 will end on Lap 260.
TV/RADIO: NBCSN will televise the race. Coverage will begin with NASCAR America at 1:30 p.m. on NBCSN. Countdown to Green follows at 2:30 p.m. on NBCSN, leading into race coverage. The postrace show will be on NBCSN, followed by Victory Lap at 7:30 p.m.
Motor Racing Network’s radio broadcast will begin at 2 p.m. and also can be heard on mrn.com. SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry MRN’s broadcast.
STREAMING ONLINE: Click here for NBC’s live stream of the race.
FORECAST: Wunderground.com forecasts sunny skies with a temperature of 78 degreesand a 0% chance of rain at the start of the race.
LAST TIME(S): Logano scored his first victory at Martinsville in an Oct. 28, 2018 win over Hamlin and Truex. In the March 24 race at the track, Brad Keselowski led 446 of 500 laps in the win.
TO THE REAR: Chase Elliott (engine), Ryan Newman (failed inspection), Corey LaJoie (failed inspection), Timmy Hill (failed inspection), BJ McLeod (failed inspection).
STARTING LINEUP: Click here