{"id":57091,"date":"2026-03-29T19:00:55","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T00:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=57091"},"modified":"2026-03-29T22:12:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T03:12:11","slug":"pit-strategy-call-delivers-chase-elliott-popular-victory-at-martinsville","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/29\/pit-strategy-call-delivers-chase-elliott-popular-victory-at-martinsville\/","title":{"rendered":"Pit strategy call delivers Chase Elliott popular victory at Martinsville"},"content":{"rendered":"
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MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA – MARCH 29: Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 UniFirst Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway on March 29, 2026 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

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By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service<\/em><\/p>\n

MARTINSVILLE, Va. \u2013 Good pit strategy and a highly-motivated team rallied Hendrick Motorsports\u2019 Chase Elliott to the NASCAR Cup Series victory Sunday in the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville (Va) Speedway; the sport\u2019s reigning Most Popular Driver delivering Chevrolet its first win of the season all to the delight of a huge enthusiastic crowd at the historic half-miler.<\/p>\n

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MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA – MARCH 29: Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 UniFirst Chevrolet, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway on March 29, 2026 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Elliott short-pitted on lap 261 to gain track position then moved his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet into the lead for good after a restart with 68 laps remaining \u2013 ultimately out-running the day\u2019s most dominant driver, Joe Gibbs Racing\u2019s Denny Hamlin to the checkered flag by .565-second to extend the Hendrick team\u2019s track record win total to 31 victories.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was definitely a team effort, how about that, that was awesome,\u2019\u2019 said Elliott, the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion, who made his very first NASCAR Cup Series start at Martinsville exactly 11 years ago to the day.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve never had a win this early in the season. Just a really great team effort. So proud of [crew chief] Alan [Gustafson] the crew really did a great job. We took a gamble and were going to two-stop that last stage and honestly believe it was going to work out either way.<\/p>\n

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MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA – MARCH 29: Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 UniFirst Chevrolet, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway on March 29, 2026 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cJust so proud. Sure is a lot of fun when days like this work out.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Elliott, 30, of Dawsonville, Ga., said he had been confident in the car\u2019s speed all weekend and on Sunday, just needed that clutch pit call to get up front and seize the chance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis whole deal is really weird the way it works,\u2019\u2019 said Elliott, who now has 22 career wins. \u201cFortunately got that lead on the last one [restart] and fell into a good pace. Just had enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cProbably needed a little bit to be just the absolute best out-right but we were really close and were able to manage and save enough to get through traffic at the end.<\/p>\n

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MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA – MARCH 29: Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 UniFirst Chevrolet, and crew celebrate after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway on March 29, 2026 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cBut man, it\u2019s really cool when this stuff works out. To win these races is just so tough. Really grateful for the opportunity as always. I never take it for granted.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Hamlin\u2019s No. 11 JGR Toyota led a race-best 292 of the 400 laps and for much of the afternoon looked to absolutely run away with his seventh grandfather clock trophy. But after Elliott got out front, Hamlin was playing catch-up and never really was able to get close enough to attempt a pass in the closing laps as the leaders navigated lapped traffic.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe did a good job controlling the pace there,\u2019\u2019 said Hamlin, who won both stages and was actually leading by three-seconds at the point Elliott made that all-important short pit stop to get up to the front.<\/p>\n

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MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA – MARCH 29: Crew members of the #9 UniFirst Chevrolet, celebrate driver, Chase Elliott winning the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway on March 29, 2026 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by David Jensen\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cJust really came from that bad restart \u2013 just not much more that I could have done there. I felt like we gave it our all.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s Las Vegas winner, Hamlin said he was also concerned in the final laps that perhaps the car had a loose wheel on the final run, but said either way, \u201cthere are some races that get away from you in your career and this was certainly one of them.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Team Penske\u2019s Joey Logano rebounded from a rough 33rd-place outing last week at Darlington, S.C. to finish third Sunday \u2013 equaling his best showing of the season in the No. 22 Ford.<\/p>\n

\u201cWeekends like last weekend you start to question everything, you have to right, as a competitor you have to do that, but nice to have a good rebound, solid car,\u2019\u2019 the three-time series champion Logano said. \u201cOur car honestly, if we were able to get to the lead, I don\u2019t know that the nine-car [Elliott] was any better than us, he just got the clean air at the right time. Proud of this team.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

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MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA – MARCH 29: <>during the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway on March 29, 2026 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by David Jensen\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Fourth place finisher Ty Gibbs earned his fifth consecutive top-six of the season in the No. 54 JGR Toyota, and fourth top-five in the last five races. It marks his first top-10 at Martinsville.<\/p>\n

Hendrick Motorsports William Byron \u2013 a three-time Martinsville winner – was fifth after leading six laps in the No. 24 Chevrolet. Penske\u2019s Ryan Blaney, JGR\u2019s Christopher Bell, Penske\u2019s Austin Cindric, Hendrick\u2019s Kyle Larson and Wood Brothers\u2019 Josh Berry rounded out the top-10.<\/p>\n

The season\u2019s four-time race winner Tyler Reddick finished 15th but still holds a massive 82-point advantage over Blaney and is 94 points ahead of Hamlin atop the NASCAR Cup Series standings. Reddick\u2019s 23XI Racing teammate Bubba Wallace, who finished 36th after triggering a 12-car accident on lap 325, dropped from third place to 11th in the standings.<\/p>\n

The NASCAR Cup Series takes the first of the season\u2019s two off-weeks next weekend before resuming competition April 12 in the Food City 500 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (3 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Larson is the defending Bristol Spring race winner.<\/p>\n

Interviews: <\/h3>\n

Cook Out 400 Race Winner Chase Elliott –<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Race winning crew chief Alan Gustafson and Jeff Gordon (Vice Chairman, Hendrick Motorsports) –<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/JGAlan.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

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NASCAR Cup Series Race – Cook Out 400<\/b><\/p>\n

Martinsville Speedway<\/b><\/p>\n

Martinsville, Virginia<\/b><\/p>\n

Sunday, March 29, 2026<\/b><\/p>\n

                  1. (10)  Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 400.<\/p>\n

                  2. (1)  Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 400.<\/p>\n

                  3. (9)  Joey Logano, Ford, 400.<\/p>\n

                  4. (4)  Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 400.<\/p>\n

                  5. (2)  William Byron, Chevrolet, 400.<\/p>\n

                  6. (12)  Ryan Blaney, Ford, 400.<\/p>\n

                  7. (11)  Christopher Bell, Toyota, 400.<\/p>\n

                  8. (6)  Austin Cindric, Ford, 400.<\/p>\n

                  9. (13)  Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 400.<\/p>\n

                  10. (3)  Josh Berry, Ford, 400.<\/p>\n

                  11. (5)  Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet, 400.<\/p>\n

                  12. (17)  Ryan Preece, Ford, 400.<\/p>\n

                  13. (23)  Brad Keselowski, Ford, 400.<\/p>\n

                  14. (27)  Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 400.<\/p>\n

                  15. (8)  Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 400.<\/p>\n

                  16. (18)  Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 400.<\/p>\n

                  17. (7)  Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 400.<\/p>\n

                  18. (20)  Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 400.<\/p>\n

                  19. (16)  Chris Buescher, Ford, 399.<\/p>\n

                  20. (22)  Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 399.<\/p>\n

                  21. (19)  Erik Jones, Toyota, 399.<\/p>\n

                  22. (21)  Justin Allgaier(i), Chevrolet, 398.<\/p>\n

                  23. (29)  Todd Gilliland, Ford, 398.<\/p>\n

                  24. (34)  Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 398.<\/p>\n

                  25. (30)  Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 398.<\/p>\n

                  26. (25)  Connor Zilisch #, Chevrolet, 397.<\/p>\n

                  27. (28)  AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 397.<\/p>\n

                  28. (31)  Noah Gragson, Ford, 397.<\/p>\n

                  29. (32)  John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 397.<\/p>\n

                  30. (33)  Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 397.<\/p>\n

                  31. (24)  Cole Custer, Chevrolet, 396.<\/p>\n

                  32. (35)  Cody Ware, Chevrolet, 394.<\/p>\n

                  33. (37)  Austin Hill(i), Chevrolet, 394.<\/p>\n

                  34. (14)  Zane Smith, Ford, 371.<\/p>\n

                  35. (26)  Riley Herbst, Toyota, Accident, 323.<\/p>\n

                  36. (15)  Bubba Wallace, Toyota, Accident, 322.<\/p>\n

                  37. (36)  Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, Brakes, 298.<\/p>\n

Average Speed of Race Winner:  75.457 mph.<\/p>\n

Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 47 Mins, 18 Secs. Margin of Victory:  .565 Seconds.<\/p>\n

Caution Flags:  5 for 54 laps.<\/p>\n

Lead Changes:  8 among 6 drivers.<\/p>\n

Lap Leaders:   D. Hamlin 1-38;W. Byron 39-44;D. Hamlin 45-289;R. Blaney 290-291;J. Berry 292-293;C. Elliott 294-308;D. Hamlin 309-317;R. Chastain 318-331;C. Elliott 332-400.<\/p>\n

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Denny Hamlin 3 times for 292 laps; Chase Elliott 2 times for 84 laps; Ross Chastain 1 time for 14 laps; William Byron 1 time for 6 laps; Ryan Blaney 1 time for 2 laps; Josh Berry 1 time for 2 laps.<\/p>\n

Stage #1 Top Ten: 11,24,21,54,2,97,22,12,45,60<\/p>\n

Stage #2 Top Ten: 11,54,22,12,24,2,45,97,5,21<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service MARTINSVILLE, Va. \u2013 Good pit strategy and a highly-motivated team rallied Hendrick Motorsports\u2019 Chase Elliott to the NASCAR Cup Series victory Sunday in the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville (Va) Speedway; the sport\u2019s reigning Most Popular Driver delivering Chevrolet its first win of the season all to the delight […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":57099,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[500,407,16],"class_list":["post-57091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-chase-elliott","tag-martinsville-speedway","tag-nascar"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-2268980384-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-eQP","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57091","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57091"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57091\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57111,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57091\/revisions\/57111"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}