Martinsville, Va. (AP) — Chase Elliott outdueled Denny Hamlin at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, earning his first NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season.
Elliott capitalized on a shrewd gamble by crew chief Alan Gustafson to pit the No. 9 Chevrolet earlier than the other contenders. When the caution flew on the 312th lap, Elliott was in second behind Hamlin and pitted with the rest of the lead-lap drivers aside from Ross Chastain, who took the lead by staying
on track.
Elliott took first from Chastain after a restart and led the final 69 laps to win by 0.565 seconds over Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota, which faded in the final stage.
Joey Logano finished third, followed by Ty Gibbs and William Byron.
Elliott, who has been voted NASCAR's most popular driver for eight consecutive seasons, led 84 laps in delivering the first win this year for Hendrick Motorsports. The winningest team in NASCAR history has a record 31 victories at Martinsville.
Hamlin, who has a series-best six wins at Martinsville, started from the pole position and dominated, leading 292 of the first 317 laps. The Joe Gibbs Racing star got shuffled from the lead during a pit stop sequence under a yellow flag that began on the 312th lap.
Tyler Reddick’s blazing start to the Cup season comes during a contract year for the 23XI Racing driver. Though he would be the hottest free agent in NASCAR on the open market, Reddick has said he’s committed to staying at the team he joined three years ago.
After winning the pole position Saturday, Hamlin guaranteed that 23XI would sign Reddick to an extension soon.
“Tyler’s one of those guys that was very important for us to get our hands on him very early,” Hamlin said. “I think he’s lived up to the expectations for us. We’re seeing it this year. He’s putting it all together, and our race cars are really fast, too.”
The NASCAR Hall of Fame unveiled a list of 15 candidates for the three-member class of 2027 that will include two from the Modern Era category and one from the Pioneer division. Among the new nominees are 2014 Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick, six-time ARCA champion Ray Elder, championship crew chief and engine builder Ernie Elliott, winning car owner Ray Fox and championship crew chief Herb Nab.
Some of the notable holdover nominees are Cup Series winners Jeff Burton and Greg Biffle, who was killed in a plane crash last December.
After an off weekend for Easter, the NASCAR Cup Series will continue its short-track swing at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee on Sunday, April 12. Kyle Larson has won two of the past three races at the 0.533-mile oval, leading 411 of 500 laps in a victory last April.
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