By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service

Two Hendrick crew chiefs have vastly different perspectives at Martinsville

MARTINSVILLE, Va.—Cliff Daniels has multiple options. Alan Gustafson has one.

The two Hendrick Motorsports crew chiefs come to Martinsville Speedway with significantly different points of view entering Sunday’s Xfinity 500 (2 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Daniels, who calls the shots from Kyle Larson’s pit box, has the luxury of a 36-point margin above the current elimination line in the final race in the NASCAR Cup Series’ Round of 8.

Much of his focus will center on the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Christopher Bell, who enters the race in third place, 37 points above the cut line. If Larson can outscore Bell, he’s likely to claim one of the two remaining spots in the Championship 4.

Daniels believes both drivers will execute similar strategies, such as staying out for stage points while others in more desperate straits may short-pit to set up a potential race win.

“Ultimately, I think there’s a scenario where us and Bell would probably end up being very similar to each other, and what that would look like, unless there’s a big disparity in our running positions,” Daniels said on Saturday morning at Martinsville.

“I think that will (be) almost dictated in the moment. If we’re really close on track, we may end up matching each other. If we’re not, then either of us could end up doing something different.”

The best case for Larson and Bell is for none of the four drivers below the elimination line—William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano or Chase Elliott—to steal a berth in the title race by winning on Sunday.

But that’s not an assumption Daniels can afford to make.

“We’ve looked at it from a lot of different angles, and certainly our goal is to execute a good enough day that we can take care of our own circumstance without relying on whatever may happen with the others around us.

“Certainly, that’s one of those scenarios we have to look at, that if a car below the cut line wins, have we done enough to get through? I think the way the race could play out could present a lot of different circumstances for that, and it’s going to be our job to cover those and execute in the moment.”

Every decision Gustafson makes will be guided by one objective—to win the race. His driver, Elliott, comes to Martinsville in eighth place, 62 points below the cut line. Elliott’s only path to the Championship 4 goes through Victory Lane at the 0.526-mile short track.

That circumstance isn’t a new one for either Elliott or Gustafson. In 2020, Elliott won at Martinsville to qualify for the Championship 4 and went on to win the Cup title.

“I think it helps a little bit,” Gustafson said of the experience he and Elliott gained five years ago. “I think it gives you confidence to know that you can accomplish that, right? I think any time that you do that—whatever it is in your life—you do something, and you’re like, ‘OK, this isn’t impossible.’

“Past that, I’m not sure that… in racing years, it’s been forever ago. You’ve just got to make it happen again. Really, for me, it’s more about how we’re running currently and how we ran in the spring. I feel good about all those things and the preparation leading up to it.”

Joey Logano says pressure reaches crescendo in Championship Week

Having trouble with insomnia? Joey Logano suggests trying to fool yourself to sleep.

The way Logano sees it, anyone who says the Championship 4 NASCAR Cup Series event is just another race is engaging in self-delusion.

“I said it last year, and I’ll say it forever, if you say it’s a normal week, it’s just a way to help you sleep—because you can’t sleep,” Logano asserted before Saturday’s final Cup Series practice at Martinsville Speedway.

Logano ought to know. He has three titles to his credit, earned in 2018, 2022 and 2024. In order to maintain his championship defense this year, however, the driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford believes he’ll have to win Sunday’s Xfinity 500, the race that will cut the Playoff field from eight drivers to the final four.

Still, the win-or-bust scenario in the Round of 8 isn’t as intense as the season finale with the Cup title on the line.

“The pressure ratchets up every week,” Logano said. “It affects you—no doubt. I would assume it affects everyone. I don’t see how it doesn’t. If you care enough about it, you’re going to be digging deep and trying to find that little bit more, and what’s it going to take and all that.

“The balance gets pretty off track in the Playoffs a lot of times. What’s your main goal? In this time of year, it’s all about winning championships. Your balance ticks a little more towards… you might have a little shorter fuse and all those type of things that happen.”

Harrison Burton joins Dean Thompson at Sam Hunt Racing

As Sam Hunt Racing expands to two full-time cars, each with a full-time driver in 2026, Harrison Burton will join Dean Thompson on the organization’s driver roster.

Burton will drive the No. 24 Toyota in the newly entitled NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, with Thompson remaining in the No. 26 Toyota. Thompson has scored seven top-10 finishes this season, with a best of fifth at Charlotte in May.

“I feel like Dean has earned his seat at Sam Hunt Racing this year, and I wanted him back,” said team owner Sam Hunt. “He’s just done a great job, and there’s a lot of pressure on Dean next year to continue that upward trajectory and continue to grow as a driver.

“On the other hand, Harrison is something I’m thrilled to announce. I’ve known Harrison for years now at a bit of a distance, but I’ve always admired how he treats people and how he acts along with how hard he works along with being a very accomplished race car driver.

“For me, this was just a very good human fit all the way around. These two guys I think a lot of and want to see succeed and make it to Sunday at some point. I just asked they buy in at the same level and be a part of this team’s growth, and if they do, then we will have a chance to get both cars in the Playoffs.”

In the past two years, Burton has been in both the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series Playoffs. He won with Wood Brothers Racing at Daytona in 2024 to qualify for the Cup postseason. This year, he made the Playoffs on points with AM Racing and was eliminated in the Round of 12.

“For me, it’s just an alignment of beliefs with Sam and their group and Dean,” said Burton, who drove Toyotas earlier in his career for both Kyle Busch Motorsports in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series.

“What they believe in and how they race and the way they approach things, it’s just a great fit. I couldn’t be more excited to join this group for what feels like going back home with our friends with Toyota.”

Burton collected all four of his Xfinity wins with JGR in 2020.