The NASCAR Xfinity Series Heads Back to the ‘Paperclip’

Sammy Smith Starts on Pole

 

• Next Race: Dead On Tools 250
• The Place: Martinsville Speedway
• The Date: Saturday, October 28
• The Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
• The Purse: $1,380,935
• TV: USA, 3 p.m. ET
• Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
• Distance: 131.5 miles (250 Laps)
• Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 60)
• Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 120)
• Final Stage (Ends on Lap 250)

As the series winds down the 2023 season, the NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers will now be heading to Martinsville Speedway for the penultimate race – the Dead On Tools 250 today at 3:30 p.m. ET (USA Network, NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR radio).

 

This will be the 41st NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway. The previous 40 races have produced 26 different race winners and 21 different pole winners. Only six races have been won from the pole or first starting position, but it’s been over 35 years since a driver was able to accomplish the feat – most recently by Jimmy Hensley in 1987.

 

This season will be the fourth consecutive year that Martinsville Speedway serves as the penultimate, or sixth race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, the elimination race of the Round of 8 (2020 – 2023). The track was not on the NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule from 2007 to 2019.

 

A few drivers have been able to etch their names in the Martinsville Speedway record books – Sam Ard (most wins – five), Brett Bodine (most poles - five), Dale Jarrett (most top fives – 11), Jimmy Hensley and Tommy Houston (tied for most top 10s – 17), and Tommy Ellis (most laps led – 713).

 

Three drivers in the field have already taken the checkered flag at the 0.526-mile track, one of which is a Playoff contender – John Hunter Nemechek (2023), along with Brandon Jones (2022) and Josh Berry (2021).

 

Although he hasn’t won a race at Martinsville Speedway. JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier could also be a favorite to win this weekend as he knows what it takes to win the penultimate race of the season. In 2019, he won the final race in the Round of 8 when it was held at Phoenix Raceway.

 

Biggest lap of the night.

Ride with @sammysmithSS on the way to P1! pic.twitter.com/lP619Pd79x

— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) October 27, 2023

 

Here are the starting positions of the 38 NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers at Martinsville Speedway:

 

1. #18 - Sammy Smith
2. #7 - Justin Allgaier
3. #00 - Cole Custer
4. #98 - Riley Herbst
5. #20 - John Hunter Nemechek
6. #9 - Brandon Jones
7. #16 - Chandler Smith
8. #2 - Sheldon Creed
9. #21 - Austin Hill
10. #31 - Parker Retzlaff
11. #19 - Myatt Snider
12. #8 - Josh Berry
13. #39 - Ryan Sieg
14. #10 - Daniel Hemric
15. #48 - Parker Kligerman
16. #25 - Brett Moffitt
17. #1 - Sam Mayer
18. #91 - Josh Bilicki
19. #11 - Layne Riggs
20. #51 - Jeremy Clements
21. #4 - JJ Yeley
22. #78 - Anthony Alfredo
23. #26 - Kaz Grala
24. #92 - Josh Williams
25. #24 - Connor Mosack
26. #44 - Rajah Caruth
27. #6 - Brennan Poole
28. #29 - Kyle Sieg
29. #45 - Jeffrey Earnhardt
30. #08 - Chad Finchum
31. #02 - Blaine Perkins
32. #43 - Ryan Ellis
33. #38 - Joe Graf, Jr.
34. #28 - CJ McLaughlin
35. #35 - Chris Hacker
36. #53 - Akinori Ogata
37. #07 - Devin Jones
38. #27 - Jeb Burton

Up next, the #DeadOnTools250 at @MartinsvilleSwy.

LIVE @ 3:00 PM ET

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— Motor Racing Network (@MRNRadio) October 28, 2023

 

source: NASCAR Media