The NASCAR Cup Series is short-track racing this Sunday, the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville. Check out all the details regarding this weekend’s Cup Series action.
NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway Preview and Predictions
The seventh race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season is the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway. Last year, we were honoring Hendrick Motorsport’s 40th anniversary and saw an incredible Hendrick 1-2-3 finish with William Byron leading the team on an overtime restart. Can Hendrick go back-to-back this weekend and defend the race win? Or will Blaney finally have a strong motor and get his first win of 2025?
Race Preview:
The Cook Out 400 is a 400-lap, 200-mile race around the half-mile Martinsville Speedway. The stage cautions will be on laps 80 and 180, with the checkered flag flying on lap 400. Goodyear is bringing the same tires from the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray. The prize purse for this weekend is $11,055,250.
The Track:
Martinsville Speedway is one of the oldest on the Cup Series schedule and the only track to be on the schedule every year since the inception of the Cup Series in 1949. Richard Petty holds the wins record at the track with 15 wins, and Denny Hamlin holds the record for active drivers with five. Ross Chastain, with his famous ‘Hail-Melon’ move in 2022, set the track record with an 18.84-second lap.
READ MORE: NASCAR: Ross Chastain rides wall to Championship 4 spot
Cup Series Points Standings:
Here are the points standings for the Cup Series following Homestead-Miami Speedway:
1. William Byron: 244
2. Kyle Larson: 208
3. Alex Bowman: 205
4. Tyler Reddick: 189
5. Christopher Bell: 186
6. Chase Elliott: 181
7. Bubba Wallace: 166
8. Denny Hamlin: 164
9. Chris Buescher: 164
10. Ryan Blaney: 162
Drivers To Watch:
Kyle Larson is coming off a win at Homestead and has a win in the Next-Gen car here in 2023 and third last November here. He has finished. Momentum is a big factor for teams; linking together good weekends is how championships are won. Look for Larson to be a threat to win on Sunday.
READ MORE: Team Penske Flounders at Homestead as Kyle Larson Surges Late to Win
Ryan Blaney has had a rough 2025 so far. Two blown motors, with last week’s being when he was the dominant car. But put the past behind and work towards the next race. Blaney is the back-to-back winner of the fall race, and I think he has a chip on his shoulder so far in 2025. I think Blaney will be the Ford to beat come Sunday.
Again, momentum is an incredibly helpful thing to have in racing, and Bubba Wallace has some from Miami. Running up front with Bowman for the win last weekend and leading 56 laps, Wallace finished third to the two Hendrick cars. Bubba qualified second to Larson last Spring. I think he could be a competitor for the win on Sunday. But let us look at his 23XI boss, Denny Hamlin. Hamlin, in the last race at Martinsville, fall 2024, started dead last in 37th and finished 5th. Hamlin wants to get that first win in 2025 and the first in a while for Joe Gibbs Racing. Look out for Hamlin on Sunday.
How To Watch The Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway:
The Cook Out 400 race weekend begins on Saturday, March 29th. Practice and Qualifying begin at 2:05 pm Eastern, coverage is on Amazon Prime Sports. The Cook Out 400 will begin Sunday, March 30th, at 3 pm eastern. coverage is on Fox Sports One, radio coverage is on the Motor Racing Network, and driver cameras are on HBO Max.
Stay tuned to Last Word on Motorsports for all the action from NASCAR’s Martinsville Weekend.
Featured Image Credit: Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images, 4/7/2025
