Martinsville Speedway race results from March 26, 2018 featuring the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series on a Monday!
Today, NASCAR makes a rare Monday appearance. The weekend action at Martinsville Speedway was snowed out. Now, the series takes to the short tracks on a Monday afternoon.
View full Martinsville Speedway results below.
The field was set by points. Martin Truex Jr and Kyle Busch will set row 1. 130 laps in stage 1, 130 more in stage 2 and 240 in stage 3 will complete the 500 lap event.
Stage 1
Martin Truex Jr will start on the outside. Busch will likely checkup and let Truex to the bottom in turn 1. Green, that’s exactly what happens.
lap 5, Kyle Busch has a run off turn 4. He looks low for the lead, Truex doesn’t put up a fight, new leader.
Lap 14, Kevin Harvick gives Larson a little shot into the corner. These two tangled last week. Larson falls outside the top 10 as the train goes by. Harvick is up to 7th.
Lap 27, Denny Hamlin has charged to the front. He started 6th. Hamlin, Busch, Logano and Truex run nose to tail.
Lap 50, the competition caution is out. Hamlin was leading Busch by .6 seconds at the yellow. The field hits the pit road. Hamlin is first in and first off. Blaney picks up three spots, he exits in 3rd. Harvick and Almirola make contact on pit road.
Green, Hamlin selects the outside. Kyle Busch lets him to the bottom in turn 1.
Lap 66, Bubba Wallace has a flat tire. He hits the pit lane under green.
31 to go in stage 1, Hamlin is catching faster lapped traffic as he rolls around Whitt in 29th. As he gets held up, Keselowski has climbed to his rear bumper.
17 to go, Keselowski is there, he puts some taps to the #11. They race through lapped traffic.
10 to go, Hamlin is trying to find a lane through the lappers, he goes high and gets blocked. Keselowski looks low but he can’t hold it off the corner. That was his chance, Hamlin maintains the lead.
Final lap, Hamlin puts the bumper to Harrison Rhodes as Keselowski and now Blaney ride his bumper. But, he holds on, Hamlin wins stage 1 at Martinsville.
Stage 1 Results: 1. Denny Hamlin; 2. Brad Keselowski; 3. Ryan Blaney; 4. Kyle Busch; 5. Clint Bowyer; 6. Kevin Harvick; 7. AJ Allmendinger; 8. Kurt Busch; 9. Joey Logano; 10. Jimmie Johnson;
Stage 2
The field hits the pit lane. 14.8 for Denny Hamlin, 13.8 for Ryan Blaney. Blaney wins the race off pit road by a nose.
Green, Blaney and Hamlin are even into turn 1. Hamlin noses ahead off turn 2. He drives it deeper on the outside of turn 3. Hamlin takes the lead on the outside of turn 4.
The battle isn’t done. Blaney dives back to the inside. Still side-by-side for the lead. Blaney completes the pass on the bottom.
Lap 235, Jimmie Johnson has just cracked the top 10. At the front, Ryan Blaney leads Clint Bowyer by .4 seconds.
20 to go in stage 2, Blaney puts the bumper to Suarez. 19th place has gone a lap down.
2 to go in stage 2, Blaney looks high around Kasey Kahne. Bowyer looks low, Kahne blocks his progress.
Ryan Blaney wins stage 2 at Martinsville.
Stage 2 Results: 1. Ryan Blaney; 2. Clint Bowyer; 3. Kyle Busch; 4. Brad Keselowski; 5. Denny Hamlin; 6. Kevin Harvick; 7. Kurt Busch; 8. AJ Allmendinger; 9. Joey Logano; 10. Jimmie Johnson;
Stage 3
The field hits the pit lane. 14.2 for Blaney. He’s first in and first off. Kyle Busch is second to the pit exit line. Blaney selects the outside line.
Green, Blaney gets the jump with help from Brad Keselowski. Blaney is clear in the middle of turn 1.
Lap 284, Bowyer is all over the back bumper of Blaney. Bowyer looks low in turn 3. Blaney lets him go. Busch moves around Blaney as well, the stage 2 winner is falling.
Lap 355, Clint Bowyer leads Kyle Busch by .9 seconds.
Lap 380, Hamlin is beating on the back bumper of Harvick. Off turn 4, Harvick throws a brake check. They all continue but Hamlin has lost several positions.
lap 385, Austin Dillon hits the curb. He bounces up the track and he spins McMurray. The caution is out.
The field hits the pit lane. Bowyer is first in and first off. Hamlin makes an additional pit stop to fix the nose damage.
Green, Bowyer selected the outside lane. He’s clear in the middle of turn 1, Bowyer maintains the lead.
68 to go, Bowyer has jumped out to a 1.1 second lead on Kyle Busch. The crew made an adjustment on the last stop to help him with drive off.
45 to go, Trevor Bayne wheel hopped turn 3 and slide up into the wall. He bounced off of it but continued. The green is still out.
15 to go, Alex Bowman has made a last run charge to the front. He’s got so much drive off the corner, he gaps them all. He currently runs 8th but might be the fastest car on the track.
3 to go, Bowyer leads by 1.1 seconds over Kyle Busch.
It’s been 190 races since Clint Bowyer went to victory lane. Clint Bowyer wins at Martinsville Speedway!
View full Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race results below.
Martinsville Speedway Race Results
March 26, 2018
NASCAR Cup Series
Pos | Driver
1. Clint Bowyer
2. Kyle Busch
3. Ryan Blaney
4. Martin Truex Jr
5. Kevin Harvick
6. Joey Logano
7. Alex Bowman
8. AJ Allmendinger
9. Chase Elliott
10. Brad Keselowski
11. Kurt Busch
12. Denny Hamlin
13. Paul Menard
14. Aric Almirola
15. Jimmie Johnson
16. Kyle Larson
17. Erik Jones
18. Daniel Suarez
19. Ryan Newman
20. William Byron
21. Michael McDowell
22. Ty Dillon
23. Chris Buescher
24. Kasey Kahne
25. David Ragan
26. Jamie McMurray
27. Cole Whitt
28. DJ Kennington
29. Ross Chastain
30. Austin Dillon
31. JJ Yaley
32. Matt DiBenedetto
33. Trevor Bayne
34. Darrell Wallace Jr
35. Harrison Rhodes
36. Gray Gaulding
37. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
38. Landon Cassill
More
Related: NASCAR pit gun snaps in half during a pit stop at Martinsville
Related: Martinsville Truck Race Results – March 26, 2018
Links
Martinsville | NASCAR
