Preece punished; Harvick wins Stage 2

Charlotte Observer NASCAR reporter Alex Zietlow is at Martinsville Speedway breathing in the chaos that is sure to define the ninth points race of the 2023 Cup Series season. See the section below for the latest news. Results and analysis will be published after the race.

Live updates from Martinsville Speedway

level 3

Round 303: Anthony Alfredo from the ’78 car hit the fence and the rear right tire went off the car. Attention out. Suspension for the crew members of the 78 team. What a big break for Daniel Suarez, Bubba Wallace, Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano with just over 95 laps to go as they were a lap down but decided to stay outside and are now close to the front of the field . The Top 5: Chase Briscoe, Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson, Daniel Suarez, Kevin Harvick.

Round 269: Check in. Good races at the front of the field. Long runs define this. Top 10 right now: Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Aric Almirola, Chase Briscoe, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick, Todd Gilliland, Daniel Suarez and Christopher Bell.

Round 184: Chase Briscoe’s pit crew raised their fists after a fantastic pit stop. And who could blame them? The 14 car will start Stage 3 in P1, just ahead of SHR teammate Kevin Harvick in P2. Behind: Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Aric Almirola and Kyle Larson. Stage 3 is coming soon!

Level 2

Round 180: And Kevin Harvick won Stage 2! The 4 car waited patiently while Ross Chastain led for a long time with worn tires and Todd Gilliland with two tires. Brilliance. He finished the second stage by weaving through lapped cars with aplomb. Those who get points for Stage 2, in order: Harvick, Chase Briscoe (Harvick’s Stewart-Haas Racing teammate), Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, Brad Keselowski, Ross Chastain, Todd Gilliland, Daniel Suarez, Aric Almirola, Kyle larson

Round 140: Ah. Hard. Ryan Preece’s impeccable day is ending and I know it’s early but it’s likely his chance to win his first cup will also be thwarted. Penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Martin Truex Jr. and Bubba Wallace also suffered pit lane speed penalties. Ross Chastain, Daniel Suarez and Aric Almirola are now in the top 3. (Chastain stayed out and didn’t get new tires during the caution – a bold move that will almost certainly pay off.)

The story goes on

Round 132: Harrison Burton spins at Turn 2 and we have our first booking of the day. A restart is coming. The sun has finally peaked which could make the circuit a little warmer and a little smoother. Could passing be a little more common on the field? (To be clear, many drivers have proven they can overtake with good cars: Alex Bowman runs in the top 10 after starting in his mid-20s. The same goes for Kyle Larson. Ryan Blaney started in his 30s and was once on P13 .

Round 92: We’re green again! A Chase Elliott update: He’s running in P29 after starting from P24.

Round 89: Ryan Preece exits the pit lane first, so he’ll continue to hold his own. Daniel Suarez starts P2, Aric Almirola P3 and Tyler Reddick P4. The rider to watch so far: Kyle Larson went from 19th to ninth in Stage 1. He’s one of the few who has proven that he can overtake with this car at this track. Could he get another short track win (having done so in Richmond a few weeks ago)? Kyle Busch and Chris Buescher both suffered equipment interference penalties during the stage break and were forced to start from the back.

stage 1

Round 80: It looks like Ryan Preece is set to score a string of “firsts” today. He clinched his first pole in yesterday’s qualifying. He’s already achieved a career high in a single race in guided laps – he’s led 80 so far. And now he has clinched his first stage win. Others earning stage points after Stage 1: Preece, Aric Almirola, Tyler Reddick, Daniel Suarez, Chase Briscoe, Kevin Harvick, Bubba Wallace, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, William Byron.

Round 59: Ryan Preece has officially taken a round from Joey Logano. Logano has finished top 10 in the last seven races at Martinsville but an unsanctioned adjustment penalty sent him down before the race and it’s only been a downward spiral ever since. With the next generation car, track positioning is so crucial here, for better or for worse. Top 5: Preece, Daniel Suarez, Aric Almirola, Tyler Reddick, Chase Briscoe.

Round 10: As we expected, the top five from qualifying remain largely intact over 10 laps here. Ryan Preece, a first-time pole winner, stays ahead. Daniel Suarez, Aric Almirola, Martin Truex Jr. and Tyler Reddick are now 1-5. Chase Briscoe is sixth. Remarkable, per Jayski reporter Dustin Albino: By leading the first 10 laps, Preece has already peaked his new career for laps led in a single race.

3:02 p.m.: Green flag! Let us do this!

2:53 p.m.: Just as the order is given, light rain begins to fall in Martinsville. Brutally. Well, that’s what the rain tires are for, if you have to. Ahead of the season, NASCAR announced that race teams in the three national series will bring wet (grippy) tires to street circuits as well as select short circuits – Martinsville being one of those circuits. The wet tires came in handy on Friday to get into the truck race (with mixed reviews from truck drivers).

2:22 p.m.: The 22 car is sent to the back of the field for unauthorized adjustments. He originally started from P15. It turns out the bottom pack is going to be pretty solid, with Ross Chastain in P34 and Ryan Blaney in P31.

2:16 p.m.: Some timing details before the race: Call: 2:44:20 p.m.; national anthem: 14:45:00; Command: 14:52:00; Green flag: 15:01:00

2:04 p.m.: What exactly does Chase Elliott’s return to Martinsville mean for NASCAR? The drivers commented on the question on Saturday and are now hoping to draw more eyes to this race with their most popular driver. Kevin Harvick said yesterday after the cup qualifier: “Chase, for us he is our biggest star. And he’s the guy who has to be here every week so everything makes sense in the moment.”

How to watch the cup race in Martinsville

• race: NOCO 400

• Location: Martinsville Speedway

• Date: Sunday, April 16

• Time: 3 p.m. ET

• Wallet: $7,324,203

• TV: FS1, 2 p.m. ET

• Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

• Distance: 210.4 miles (400 laps over a distance of 0.526 miles)

• Stages: Stage 1 (ends in lap 80), Stage 2 (ends in lap 180), Final stage (ends in lap 400)

Starting grid for NOCO 400: Ryan Preece wins pole

Ryan Preece clinched his first career pole on Saturday. JJ Yeley’s No. 15 car will start in the rear, according to NASCAR after failing pre-race inspection twice. This also means the sacking of a crew member and the loss of pit selection.