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Nascar Cup Series general view of Martinsville Speedway, NKP
(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

NASCAR Martinsville Results: Cook Out 400

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The ending of the Xfinity Series race on Saturday (March 29) still had people talking as the Cup Series race began. Would Sunday bring another dose of chaos or something more civilized?

As it turned out, it was the latter. Scroll through all the action in reverse chronological order in the Cook Out 400 from Martinsville Speedway , with insights from our team at the track and watching at home. And be sure to visit Frontstretch Sunday night and Monday for all the post-race coverage.

NASCAR Cup Series 2025 Cook Out 400 from Martinsville – Unofficial Results

  1. Denny Hamlin
  2. Christopher Bell
  3. Bubba Wallace
  4. Chase Elliott
  5. Kyle Larson
  6. Ross Chastain
  7. Ryan Preece
  8. Joey Logano
  9. Chase Briscoe
  10. Todd Gilliland
  11. Ryan Blaney
  12. Michael McDowell
  13. Ty Gibbs
  14. Tyler Reddick
  15. Ty Dillon
  16. Zane Smith
  17. Kyle Busch
  18. Austin Dillon
  19. Carson Hocevar
  20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
  21. Daniel Suarez
  22. William Byron
  23. AJ Allmendinger
  24. Erik Jones
  25. Chris Buescher
  26. John Hunter Nemechek
  27. Brad Keselowski
  28. Alex Bowman
  29. Justin Haley
  30. Noah Gragson
  31. Cody Ware
  32. Riley Herbst
  33. Josh Berry
  34. Cole Custer
  35. Shane van Gisbergen
  36. Casey Mears
  37. Burt Myers
  38. Austin Cindric

6:20 p.m. – It’s been a decade since Denny Hamlin has dominated at Martinsville, but he did it today, taking care of his equipment and flying around the second half of the race almost unchallenged.

It’s his 15th short track win, which ranks second among active drivers. It’s also the 15th Martinsville victory at the top level for Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin puts on an incredible, nearly full-lap burnout to celebrate.

Bell, Wallace, Elliott and Larson make up the rest of the top five.

Ryan Preece is the best finishing Ford in seventh, while Logano ends up eighth to finally get a top 10.

6:14 p.m. – If this race stays green to the end, the battle might not be for first but for second, as Wallace has closed to just a few tenths behind Bell. And there are lapped cars for both drivers to deal with before the checkered flag flies.

Elliott is also closing in behind Wallace, so stay tuned.

6:11 p.m. – Mike Joy jinxed it: Right after saying this might be the first Martinsville Cup Series race ever with every car running at the end, Cindric was seen being pushed to the garage.

Why? The Team Penske crews are out of batteries.

6:04 p.m. – With less than 45 laps to go, Bell is about a half-second back of Hamlin, with Wallace another half-second back in third. Clint Bowyer thinks Hamlin is pacing himself and in no real danger of being caught at the moment.

5:53 p.m. – Bell is able to get a much better run on the outside for this restart and is battling hard for the lead with Hamlin. Wallace follows right in their tracks until the top six cars finally sort themselves out single-file with 72 laps left.

5:46 p.m. – This restart comes with 85 to go, and Hamlin takes slightly longer to get clear but does eventually do so. Wallace hangs tough on the outside with Bell, but behind them, Briscoe slides up into Logano and the defending Cup Series champ is around.

Caution is back out.

Replay shows that Briscoe hit the curb, causing his left-front to hop completely off the ground and sending him up the track. Logano can’t buy any luck right now.

5:39 p.m. – There are 24 cars on the lead lap for this restart with less than 100 laps remaining. Bell goes inside with Hamlin at the choose cone, leaving Wallace to start on the outside, where he hasn’t had much luck restarting all afternoon.

Bubba does a lot better this time though, claiming second on this restart while Chastain tries to work the outside to stay ahead of Elliott and battle Bell. Chastain comes down in front of Logano and Noah Gragson goes around so we are right back under caution for the ninth time on lap 310.

Gragson did not go around on his own, however, and he and Chris Buescher exchange some pleasantries under the yellow.

5:32 p.m. – Ty Gibbs was having a good day … but that isn’t the case as he goes around after missing a corner and floating up, then getting run into by Reddick to cause a bit of an accordion effect.

Gibbs is unhappy with Reddick on the radio afterward, telling his team to keep him away from Reddick after the race.

5:28 p.m. – Green, green, green with 114 laps to go. Stop us if you’ve heard this before but Hamlin gets clear, and this time Wallace has to deal with Bell, who takes second place. Larson and Elliott battle for position behind them, followed by Chastain and Blaney.

5:21 p.m. – Plenty of takers on pit stops as everyone should be able to make it to the finish from here if necessary. Hamlin gets a small air pressure adjustment as does Wallace, and Denny is out first among the teams who stopped while Elliott has a slower stop.

Nemechek is penalized for speeding, while Hocevar is nailed for pitting outside his box.

5:18 p.m. – Another caution is out, the seventh of the day, as Shane van Gisbergen is sans right-rear tire. He just made a pit stop and his team obviously did not get the wheel tight.

5:15 p.m. – Byron hasn’t been much of a factor today, and he and Bowman are some of the earliest cars to make pit stops under green. The idea is to split the stage into thirds instead of halves, according to Larry McReynolds. Anything to change things up seems to be warranted for the Hendrick duo.

Up front, Hamlin has opened up his lead on Elliott to about two seconds.

5:12 p.m. – This race has stayed green for an extended period of time now, and though Elliott has moved around looking for possible ways to catch and pass Hamlin for the lead, he has yet to get close enough to pull it off, even as they navigate lapped traffic.

Of course, this isn’t the first time Hamlin has flexed his muscle at Martinsville.

4:53 p.m. – We are green again just past halfway, with 194 laps to go. Hamlin gets a great jump on the restart as Elliott and Wallace are once again forced to battle each other behind him.

4:49 p.m. – The yellow flag flies for the sixth time today on lap 202 as Riley Herbst is on the outside of a three-wide situation and contact from Cindric to his left-rear sends him around.

Also some potential bad blood brewing between the No. 22 and the No. 54.

4:46 p.m. – Final stage is underway with Hamlin once again out in front. Elliott and Wallace battle behind him while Ryan Blaney is sixth after starting his day 32nd.

4:40 p.m. – Nearly everyone into the pits during the stage break though differing tire strategies could still be at play. Hamlin wins the race off pit road, followed by Elliott and Wallace.

4:37 p.m. – Hamlin has to navigate some lapped traffic at the end of the stage, but it’s no problem and he sees the green and white checkers for the eighth time at Martinsville, most of any driver.

2025 Cook Out 400 at Martinsville – Stage Two Results

  1. Denny Hamlin
  2. Chase Elliott
  3. Bubba Wallace
  4. Ty Gibbs
  5. Chase Briscoe
  6. Ryan Blaney
  7. Ross Chastain
  8. Christopher Bell
  9. Kyle Larson
  10. Tyler Reddick

4:31 p.m. – Things could get hot for a couple of drivers later in this race — literally.

Failing cool suits are an issue, which means it will get unpleasant even on an overcast day in Martinsville.

4:18 p.m. – Hamlin gets clear of Wallace on the restart, showing the way with 49 to go in stage two. Ty Gibbs is having a fine day so far, possibly the best he’s looked in 2025 to date, and is running third.

It’s a little more hectic further back in the top 10 as both Elliott and Logano find themselves in the middle of three-wide situations.

4:15 p.m. – Most but not all lead lap cars come in under the yellow. Larson wins the race off pit road, followed by Chase Briscoe, Elliott, Ross Chastain and Logano.

Among the drivers who did not pit was Hamlin, who will be the race leader when it goes green again.

4:11 p.m. – The TV broadcast was in a commercial break when it happened, but the caution is back out with 58 laps left in stage two. Myers was the cause for this one, and a power issue was apparently the culprit.

Fourth caution of the race so far.

4:08 p.m. – The closest thing we’ve had to contact like we saw in the Xfinity Series race has been between Erik Jones and AJ Allmendinger, and they were battling for 27th place at the time. No harm, no foul though for the time being, no wrecks and both drivers continue on.

On a related note, Fox Sports’ Mike Joy left no doubt what he thought about the Saturday race:

4:03 p.m. – Some good battles in the top five and top 10 as we move past 100 laps in. Wallace is up to fourth while John Hunter Nemechek is going the wrong direction, sliding outside the top 10.

4:00 p.m. – The race is green again, with Elliott back out front and Alex Bowman battling with Hamlin for second. Hamlin claims second place on lap 96.

3:54 p.m. – With almost everyone in the pits recently, only a few cars making a stop during the stage break, including Berry, Logano and (finally) Keselowski.

Austin Cindric came in as well, reporting power issues like Berry did.

3:52 p.m. – Here’s who grabbed points in stage one:

2025 Cook Out 400 at Martinsville – Stage One Results

  1. Joey Logano
  2. Alex Bowman
  3. AJ Allmendinger
  4. Brad Keselowski
  5. Erik Jones
  6. John Hunter Nemechek
  7. Ryan Preece
  8. Chase Elliott
  9. Denny Hamlin
  10. Cole Custer

3:49 p.m. – Disaster for Berry after running up front as Bubba Wallace slammed into his side coming out of the pits, with his car then coming to a stop out on the track.

Meanwhile we are green again with Logano leading and plenty of jockeying for the stage points behind him. Logano grabs his second stage win of 2025, and his first since Daytona.

3:44 p.m. – Most cars are in the pits under yellow with eight to go in the stage. Notable exceptions are Logano and Keselowski, who has yet to pit today.

Among cars who pitted, Elliott is the first back out.

3:43 p.m. – With nine laps to go in stage one, Chris Buescher is turned around and the caution is back out. Looks like contact with Carson Hocevar was the cause.

Casey Mears, the only car one lap down, gets the free pass.

3:40 p.m. – Staying out has worked well for Berry, who holds a lead of more than two seconds over Logano as the laps tick down in stage one. Now 15 to go.

As for someone who didn’t fare as well by not pitting …

3:36 p.m. – Keselowski and Bell get into it a little in the corner on lap 47, neither much the worse for wear after the contact, at least not right away.

William Byron on his radio a bit unhappy after a slow stop that included trouble on his right-front tire.

On the track, Hamlin loses a few spots to 10th after sliding way up out of the groove.

3:32 p.m. – Green flag back out with 41 to go in stage one. Berry leading the first laps for the Wood Brothers at Martinsville since Ricky Rudd 20 years ago.

3:27 p.m. – Bell wins the race off pit road, followed by Joey Logano who gained five spots on pit road. Elliott down two spots, comes off pit road third among the drivers who stopped.

Bell and Logano both took only two tires on that stop.

Other drivers who stayed out included Austin Cindric, Cole Custer, Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney and Riley Herbst.

Bummer for 49-year-old Burt Myers, making his first ever Cup Series start.

3:24 p.m. – First caution flag of the day comes on lap 32 for debris in turn 4. Almost everyone except Josh Berry headed to the pits.

3:22 p.m. – First lead change as Elliott gets by Bell, sliding inside to get to the point and immediately putting a bit of a gap on the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. The sun might be peeking out for the first time today as well.

3:20 p.m. – With 20 green flag laps down, Bell has led them all so far. SiriusXM’s Davey Segal reports that some cars are sliding their right-front tires as the cars have mostly been running single-file to start.

3:14 p.m. – Green flag is in the air and Bell is off to a quick jump, leading the first lap with Elliott behind him.

3:09 p.m. – Christopher Bell, winner of three races already this season, will start on the pole for the first time in 2025 Chase Elliott is on the outside of the front row, with teammates Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman behind him.

3:02 p.m. – Engines are fired for 400 laps at Martinsville. Stage lengths are 80-100-220 laps.

Reminder that the race TV broadcast is on FS1, with live Driver Cam feeds on Max and the radio broadcast on MRN.

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Frontstretch Managing Editor