Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway delivered exactly what you’d expect from the iconic short track in Virginia. While the focus is rightfully always on the winner of the NASCAR race today, we also like to provide some analysis on how other drivers and teams performed this afternoon at Martinsville.
Let’s dive into our winners and losers from the Cook Out 400.
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Winner: Denny Hamlin
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Utter domination. Denny Hamlin nearly went pole-to-pole in the Cook Out 400 and might’ve maxed out on points with 76—20 points for stage wins, 55 for the race win, and 1 point for the fastest lap—if not for a late caution due to debris from Ty Dillon’s car. That allowed Chase Elliott’s pit strategy to pay off perfectly; otherwise, this would’ve been a race that Hamlin won in historic fashion. Hamlin didn’t get the Cook Out 400 win, but he does leave Martinsville with the most points on the day (56) and he led 292 laps. Granted, he’ll be bitter about not getting the victory.
Related: NASCAR Cup Series All-Time Wins List
Loser: Kyle Busch
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Kyle Busch is fed up with his time with Richard Childress Racing and his time in the No. 8 car. That was made pretty clear after qualifying on Saturday, when his tone reflected a driver who knew the No. 8 car had no shot of being competitive after placing 34th. He fell a lap down late in Stage 1 and then on his first pit stop, Busch opted to just drive through a wheel that got loose and bounced in front of his car. Busch has now gone 100 consecutive races without a Cup Series win and it’s clear that he’s counting down the days until he can join a new team.
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Related: Kyle Busch Winless Streak, What’s Happened In 100-Race Drought
Winner: Ty Gibbs
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Make that five consecutive top-10 finishes for Ty Gibbs. Truthfully, it’s even better than that, since his worst finishing position was sixth place last Sunday at Darlington. The No. 54 car qualified in the top four for the second time in the last three races and Gibbs demonstrated the ability to maximize it, while picking up the second-most stage points (16) in the Cook Out 400. Quite frankly, Gibbs is performing a lot like Chase Briscoe did last season in the No. 19. More on him later.
Related: NASCAR Standings Today, Cup Series Points Leaders after Martinsville
Loser: Richard Childress Racing
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Why does Richard Childress Racing even run a third car at this point? It’s evident they don’t have what it takes to put Kyle Busch in any position to be competitive and with the win-and-in playoff system gone, Austin Dillon and the No. 3 team are irrelevant to the season. In Sunday’s Cook Out 400, RCR had Austin Hill out there in the No. 33 car (part-time) and he spent a majority of the race multiple laps down. Truly, we have to wonder if top NASCAR prospect Jesse Love might be better off taking a full-time Cup ride with another team because RCR has nothing to offer.
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Related: Best NASCAR Races 2026, Ranking Every Cup Series Race This Season
Winner: Shane van Gisbergen
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Performing so well in the Cook Out 400 had a lot to do with qualifying, given how little passing there was on Sunday. That’s still something Shane van Gisbergen deserves credit for, as he posted a season-best of fifth place in qualifying. That’s even better than his starting spot at COTA (13th) a few weeks ago. SVG needed a solid points day after recording just 24 points total in his last two races and he accomplished just that at Martinsville, all while continuing to show he is getting better on ovals.
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Related: Official 2026 Cook Out 400 Results at Martinsville Speedway
Loser: Bubba Wallace
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Dumbfounding. Bubba Wallace wasn’t having a good race at Martinsville, but he at least was in a position to come away with a top-20 finish for a decent points day. Given the points the No. 23 team has accrued this season, that would’ve been fine to keep them inside the top seven. Instead, inexplicably, Wallace decided to hit the throttle and drive right into Carson Hocevar not once but twice. Karma took care of the No. 23 car with race-ending damage, but that action by Wallace is inexcusable and the immaturity damaged a lot of other cars because he couldn’t control his emotions. This felt like the old version of Wallace, and if that’s back after just two bad races, 23XI Racing has a problem beyond just dropping eight spots in points.
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Winner: Chase Elliott
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Did some good fortune help allow for crew chief Alan Gustafson’s pit strategy to pay off? Certainly. However, that’s also the gamble you get to take when you have a driver of Chase Elliott’s caliber behind the wheel of the No. 9 car. The team didn’t get any stage points on Sunday at Martinsville, but pitting early and getting new tires helped give Elliott a car that he could drive up to the front. The caution timed out nicely for them, but you also have to give Elliott credit for how he navigated traffic on the final laps to never give Hamlin a real shot to reclaim the lead. Elliott delivers Hendrick Motorsports its first win of the season and that also has to feel great for the team.
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