As the boys and girl venture on to Fort Worth, it seems apropos for some to seek a resurrection of their hopes on the season. For others, the off weekend did little to help matters from where we left off after Martinsville.
NASCAR has a long standing tradition of strictly prohibiting any manipulation or modifications of tires. But considering the extensive time and effort required to police the teams for this particular infraction, maybe it’s time for NASCAR to consider a change in the rules and allow the use of bleeder valves.
I had a feeling, and so did many others in NASCAR, that the results of the testing on tires confiscated in California would be eye opening, and they were quite eye opening. Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick, the two hottest drivers in NASCAR, had tires that were confiscated by NASCAR officials after the race at Phoenix International Raceway.
Harvick finished eighth at Martinsville, ending his streak of eight consecutive results of second or better. He remains atop the Sprint Cup points standings, 24 ahead of Joey Logano.
It is common for this writer to say I love Martinsville Speedway. Some say it’s because my home is only 150 (give or take) miles from the speedway. Some try to get into my mind and say it’s because it was the first speedway I ever visited, but the truth of the matter is that little paper clip-shaped track is exactly how the whole phenomenon we now call NASCAR started.
While Team Penske dominated the weekend at St. Petersburg, it was Tony Kanaan that came in to split up the party, finishing third in the middle of a 1-2-4-5 Penske finish.
Entering the weekend at Martinsville Speedway, Denny Hamlin's main focus in his preseason media session was on the struggles that Joe Gibbs Racing has fought through to start the season. In the first five races of the season, Hamlin had only two top-10s. Despite those struggles, Hamlin still believed his team had a shot at the victory as the driver can make up a lot at Martinsville, simply by requiring a certain style and rhythm behind the wheel.
Kevin Harvick was going to win at Martinsville, or so I thought. Having led 154 laps, it was a logical expectation, but he wound up eighth. Jeff Gordon was going to win, then a late caution and a speeding penalty in the pits ended those dreams and left him ninth.
Called upon at 3:30 a.m. EST, Regan Smith agreed to drive the No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS and sub for Kyle Larson, who was sat out of the race due to fainting during an autograph session on Saturday.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. entered Martinsville Speedway with high hopes after scoring his first Grandfather Clock last fall. However, he wouldn't have anything close to the day that he wanted, finishing 36th.
LEGACY MOTOR CLUB driver Erik Jones and team President Michael Gutilla were made available to the media on Sunday morning prior to the NASCAR Cup Series race from Kansas Speedway, with the team announcing a contract extension with Jones.
Hailie Deegan (No. 16 5.11 Tactical Chevrolet) stormed past race-long leader Trevor Huddleston (No. 50 High Point Racing / Racecar Factory Ford) on the last lap following an overtime restart to take her first win of the 2026 ARCA Menards Series West
Once the dust settled in 1926, Cyrus Avery wrote a polite thank-you letter to the federal highway official who had helped end a fight that dragged on for months.
