This Week in Motorsports: October 26-November 1, 2026
NCS/NOAPS/NCTS: Martinsville Speedway – October 30-November 1
ARCA West: Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway – October 31
PLANO, Texas (October 28, 2026) – NASCAR’s Cup, O’Reilly Series, and Truck Series head to Martinsville Speedway for the second of two visits this season around the famous 0.526-mile short track. The ARCA Menards Series West finishes up their 2026 season at the same track where it began – at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway in Bakersfield, California.
NASCAR National Series – NCS/NOAPS/NCTS
Camry XSE drivers look to close points gap … With just two races remaining in the season, Denny Hamlin leads Team Toyota in the standings in second place, with a logjam of Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) Toyota Camry XSE’s following closely behind heading into this weekend’s race at Martinsville Speedway. Hamlin sits 73 points behind the leader, with teammates Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe third and fourth in the standings, respectively. Bell sits just one point behind Hamlin and 74 out of the lead, while Briscoe is only six points behind Hamlin and 79 markers behind the leader.
Hamlin looks to recapture Martinsville magic … With Hamlin looking to gain ground in the standings, there’s no better place to head than back to his home state, where he’s found plenty of success over the course of his 21-year career in NASCAR’s top series. Hamlin will make his 42nd career Cup Series start at ‘The Paperclip’ on Sunday, where he has six wins, 22 top-five and 28 top-10 finishes during his impressive career. The Virginia native captured his most recent win there last spring and started this year’s spring race with a pole-winning effort. Hamlin knows a seventh career Martinsville win would go a long way to be a part of the championship fight next weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Briscoe eager to continue Martinsville success … Chase Briscoe returns to Martinsville Speedway this weekend where he’s found solid success over the last several years. Entering this weekend, the JGR driver has earned six top-10 finishes in the last nine Martinsville races, dating back to the spring of 2022. His best career Cup Series finish at Martinsville was a fourth-place result in the fall of 2023.
Thompson looking to extend late season surge … Dean Thompson left Talladega Superspeedway last weekend with his second consecutive top-10 finish – the first time in his career he has recorded back-to-back top-10 runs. Since Labor Day weekend, Thompson has finished every race inside the top-20, including three top-10 finishes. Even better news for the driver of the No. 26 Toyota GR Supra is the O’Reilly Series heads to Martinsville this weekend and a good shot to extend his top-10 streak. In fact, Thompson has finished inside the top-10 in all three career starts at the .526-mile short track, most recently bringing home a seventh-place finish there in the spring.
Gray looks for Fall Martinsville repeat … JGR driver Taylor Gray captured his maiden NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory in last fall’s race at Martinsville Speedway. Gray started 13th and led 52 laps on his way to taking home the checkered flag at the race’s end. He will make his fourth career O’Reilly Series start at ‘The Paperclip’ this weekend in search of another victory at the track and his third career win in the series.
Honeycutt eyeing first Truck Series Championship…Toyota Development Driver Kaden Honeycutt heads to Martinsville looking to continue his solid run in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Chase. The driver of the No. 11 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro extended his points lead last weekend to 43 points with a fifth-place finish at Talladega. With two races remaining in the season and the championship fight, Honeycutt looks to add another solid run during this year’s postseason. Honeycutt has been a model of consistency during the first five races of the Chase, as he has posted two wins, four top-five and five top-10 finishes. The Texas native brought home his best career finish at Martinsville of second last fall driving a Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for Halmar-Friesen Racing, as a win would go a long way towards capturing the series title.
NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA Menards Series West
Lovell eyes strong finish to her impressive ARCA West rookie season … Mia Lovell heads to the ARCA West Series finale at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway in California hoping to finish strong in her fulltime ARCA Menard’s West Series rookie campaign. Lovell, who moved from the world of professional skateboarding to racing, sits third in the rookie standings heading into Saturday night’s season finale. The Nitro Motorsports driver and Phoenix resident is eighth in the standings with one race remaining with two top-five and six top-10 finishes on the season and is hoping to best the 12th-place finish.
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