Following Kyle Larson's drive from fourth to first in the final 20 laps to win at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Martinsville Speedway for the running of the Cook Out 400. It is the first stop of the season for a points-paying race at a short track and will be the first of six races on that type of track this season.
With six races complete, Larson became the fourth driver to win this season, joining teammate William Byron (Daytona 500), Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell (Atlanta, COTA, Phoenix) and Wood Brothers Racing's Josh Berry (Las Vegas). With his consistency of five top 12s in six races, Byron maintains the points lead (+36) over Larson entering a track the Hendrick Motorsports organization finished 1-2-3 at in last year's spring race.
While this will be the first of two stops at the paperclip this season, with a return trip scheduled for Oct. 26 in the Round of 8 of the playoffs, Sunday's race is only 400 laps instead of the 500 laps in the fall. As the series prepares for its first stop of the season at a short track, these three drivers are in search of a rebound performance following Homestead-Miami.
Ryan Blaney, No. 12 (Team Penske Ford)
This sounds like a broken record at this point, but Blaney finds himself in need of a rebound weekend following another blown engine in Miami and a 36th-place result. That was the second time in three weeks (Phoenix) that Blaney's engine let go and his third consecutive DNF, which has never happened before in his Cup Series career.
As the winner of the last two fall races at Martinsville, Blaney has to feel encouraged going into the weekend. He has also led laps in two of the last three races there, including 145 laps in his 2023 win. The 2023 champion has produced 10 top fives in his last 14 starts at the half-mile paperclip. That type of consistency is exactly what Blaney needs as he tries to capitalize on the speed in his No. 12 Ford.
Ross Chastain, No. 1 (Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet)
It has not been a good start to the 2025 season for Chastain and his 31st-place finish in Miami certainly did not help. With only a pair of top 10s in six races and 39 laps led, Chastain has not been a consistent threat for wins up to this point. He missed the playoffs entirely last season and did not win a race until Kansas Speedway in September.
Chastain has finished in the top 10 in three of his last six Martinsville starts and recorded top 15s in all six. He will forever be remembered for his miraculous wall-riding maneuver to make the Championship 4 in 2022. With an average start of 19.8 and an average finish of 17.83 so far, Chastain is still searching for speed on Saturdays, which continues to put him in the middle of the pack at the beginning of each race. If the No. 1 team can improve its starting position and put itself toward the front, perhaps better results will come and a turnaround will be in store.
Christopher Bell, No. 20 (Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
It was not that long ago that Bell had won three races in a row and was in position to become the first driver to win four straight since NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson in 2007. However, after some loose wheel issues on pit road at Las Vegas and a spin down the frontstretch at Homestead-Miami, Bell comes into Martinsville with finishes of 12th and 29th, respectively.
Bell does have a previous win at Martinsville (2022) to his credit when he led 150 laps and advanced to the Championship 4. Besides that, he only has two other finishes inside the top 10 and has finished 16th or worse in the last three spring races there. Based on recent history, this may not be the week for Bell to respond to the adversity, although a clean day could be all he needs to put a good run together at a track known for producing contact.