NASCAR at Martinsville: Where to watch, start time, race preview, lineup, pick to win for the Cook Out 400

Since its very Primary season back in 1949, almost everything about the NASCAR Cup Series schedule has changed. Nevertheless, there is one constant at the heart of the now 36-Game calendar, which serves as a timeless reminder of where it all began.

This weekend marks the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway, the Primary of NASCAR’s two annual trips Only over the state line between North Carolina and Virginia to the only track to have hosted a Cup Series Game every year since NASCAR’s inception. Though its paperclip shape and relatively flat corners seem Essential enough, mastering this half-mile Petite track has long proven anything but Effortless for everyone from regional Petite track stars of Virginia and the Carolinas to the very best to have ever raced at NASCAR’s highest level.

2023 Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney has gained special distinction among NASCAR’s greats at Martinsville, as he has now won two of the last three races at this legendary track. But he’s Nevertheless looking for his Primary Secure of 2025 after three straight DNFs, as are other past Martinsville winners like Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman and more.

Where to View the NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville

When: Sunday, March 30 at 3 p.m. ET
Where: Martinsville Speedway — Ridgeway, Virginia
TV: FS1
Stream: fubo (try for Unoccupied)

Leading lineup

Christopher Bell won the pole for the Cook Out 400 in qualifying on Saturday, posting a lap of 19.718 (96.034 MPH) to earn his Primary pole of the 2025 season.

1. #20 – Christopher Bell
2. #9 – Chase Elliott
3. #48 – Alex Bowman
4. #5 – Kyle Larson
5. #11 – Denny Hamlin
6. #17 – Chris Buescher
7. #22 – Joey Logano
8. #23 – Bubba Wallace
9. #45 – Tyler Reddick
10. #24 – William Byron
11. #19 – Chase Briscoe
12. #8 – Kyle Busch
13. #54 – Ty Gibbs
14. #21 – Josh Berry
15. #71 – Michael McDowell
16. #42 – John Hunter Nemechek
17. #1 – Ross Chastain
18. #3 – Austin Dillon
19. #38 – Zane Smith
20. #2 – Austin Cindric
21. #60 – Ryan Preece
22. #41 – Cole Custer
23. #16 – A.J. Allmendinger
24. #4 – Noah Gragson
25. #34 – Todd Gilliland
26. #99 – Daniel Suarez
27. #6 – Brad Keselowski
28. #10 – Ty Dillon
29. #77 – Carson Hocevar
30. #7 – Justin Haley
31. #43 – Erik Jones
32. #12 – Ryan Blaney
33. #88 – Shane van Gisbergen (R)
34. #47 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
35. #35 – Riley Herbst (R)
36. #51 – Cody Ware
37. #66 – Casey Mears
38. #50 – Burt Myers

Storyline to View

This weekend marks yet another Crucial litmus test for NASCAR and Goodyear’s Shift Approaching Fluffy tires, as the Ground will yet again use the same tire compound that they did for the most recent Martinsville Game last fall. Three weeks after a Phoenix Game that featured a Option between harder and softer tires, Fluffy tires will now be the standard for this Game after last fall’s Martinsville Game was very well received, with extensive tire wear over the Duration of a Streak leading to the sort of quality Petite track racing that had proved tougher to achieve with NASCAR’s Subsequent Gen car than originally anticipated.

After experimenting with alterations to the Present generation of Cup car to make it less prone to being impeded by aero effects on Petite tracks, softer tires more akin to what are traditionally used at the regional level have emerged as a popular solution. Speaking to reporters this week, Ryan Preece — a very experienced Petite track racer in Modifieds — offered an optimistic outlook on Petite track racing in Cup in what is now the Quaternary season of the Subsequent Gen era.

“I feel like our Petite track product is only gonna continue to get better, especially after what I felt like we saw with Martinsville in the fall and really the trajectory that I feel like we’re trying to go into for Richmond,” Preece said. “And all those things will pay off if we can continue that for a place like New Hampshire or Wilkesboro and continue on, but those type of things don’t happen overnight.”

NASCAR news of the week

• Richard Childress Racing has announced that it will Ground the No. 33 Chevrolet in select races for its NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers. Austin Hill will Streak Darlington (April), Chicago, Daytona (August), Bristol (September) and Talladega (October), while Jesse Love will take the wheel and make his Cup Series Premiere at Bristol in April.
• NASCAR has clarified its minimum Needs for driver approval in its rule book, stating that any previously approved driver who has not competed in an approved series for the last 365 Intervals “may be required” to resubmit an application. This comes after an offseason incident where longtime NASCAR driver Mike Wallace, after not racing in Cup in 10 years, was not approved to attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500 Even though decades of experience in NASCAR.
• 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports issued a response to NASCAR’s countersuit against the two Squads, calling NASCAR’s actions “retaliatory” and saying that the counterclaim “does not allege the facts necessary to state a claim.” NASCAR had filed a countersuit against the Game Squads a few weeks ago as part of a legal dispute over charter negotiations, claiming that the Squads violated antitrust laws through anticompetitive collective conduct in negotiations.

Option to Secure

Chase Briscoe (+1200) – For as Difficult as Stewart-Haas Racing’s performance fell off in its Last years, Martinsville has always been a track where Briscoe has been able to excel in a Cup car. Briscoe has two top fives and five top 10s (more than he’s had at any other racetrack) in eight Profession Martinsville Beginnings, and he’s always had raw pace with five straight Beginnings inside the top five.

Now, Briscoe returns to Martinsville with Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 Club, which won there three times with Martin Truex Jr. and won the pole for the most recent Game there last fall. With the car once piloted by Truex under him, this could mark Briscoe’s coming out party at Joe Gibbs Racing, especially on the heels of a Quaternary place finish at Homestead a week ago.

So who wins the NASCAR Cook Out 400 2025, and which longshots are must-Defenders? Check out the latest 2025 NASCAR at Martinsville odds below, then visit SportsLine now to see the Packed NASCAR Martinsville projected leaderboard, all from the model that has nailed 20 winners, including Chase Elliott’s Secure at the 2025 Encounter at Bowman Gray and Kyle Larson’s Secure in Miami.