The 2024 Cup Series championship hopes for both Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin came to an end despite both notching strong top-five runs during the Round of 8 finale at Martinsville.
The reigning Cup Series champion from High Point, North Carolina, led 32 of 500-scheduled laps and overtook Playoff contender Chase Elliott for the lead with 14 laps remaining to muscle his way to a redemptive Cup victory at Martinsville and return to the Championship 4 round with an opportunity to defend his series title.
The 40-year-old Almirola from Tampa, Florida, led a race-high 150 of 250-scheduled laps and swept both stages en route to his third Xfinity victory of the 2024 season and secure an owner's championship berth for Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 20 Toyota team.
The 2017 Cup Series champion from Mayetta, New Jersey, clocked in a pole-winning lap at 96.190 mph in 19.686 seconds, which was enough to claim his first pole in his penultimate Cup Series career start at Martinsville.
The 23-year-old Eckes from Greenville, New York, led a race-high 187 of 200-scheduled laps, swept both stages and bumped Taylor Gray from the lead with five laps remaining to clinch his first Championship 4 berth with a Truck Series victory at Martinsville.
The 21-year-old Retzlaff from Rhinelander, Wisconsin, posted a pole-winning lap at 95.151 mph in 19.901 seconds to claim his second Xfinity Series pole position of the 2024 season and of his career for Saturday's Round of 8 finale.
The 23-year-old Eckes from Greenville, New York, posted a pole-winning lap at 196.830 mph in 19.556 seconds as he will lead the field to the start of the Truck Series' Round of 8 finale at the Paperclip-shaped venue.
NASCAR heads to Martinsville Speedway for the final races in the Round of 8 to determine the four drivers in each series who will contend for the 2024 Championship.
NASCAR travels to Martinsville Speedway for the final races in the Round of 8 this weekend. Four drivers in each series will advance to contend for the coveted 2024 championship title at Phoenix Raceway.
The NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400 on Sunday, July 26, at 2:00 pm ET on TNT Sports, IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, and HBO Max.
