Short and sweet.
Stretching a little over a half-mile long, the paperclip-shaped oval at Martinsville Speedway is the smallest track in the NASCAR Cup Series.
But don't let that fool you. There's plenty more than meets the eye when NASCAR's premier competition rolls into town.
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The track's unique dimensions — with two 800-foot-long straightaways and tight 12-degree turns — force drivers to be precise. Average speeds stay well below triple digits; there's just not enough room to go faster.
As such, racers have to be on their P's and Q's, constantly adjusting as they roll from turn to straightaway and back to turn.
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With that, here's what you need to know about how they drove in Saturday's qualifying for Sunday's race, the NOCO 400. Full results are below.
Who won the pole for the NOCO 400 in 2023?
Ryan Preece captured the pole for Sunday's race with a 94.78 mph lap on Saturday. It's his first career pole.
Pedal down!@RyanPreece_ wins the #BuschLightPole for tomorrow's race at @MartinsvilleSwy! pic.twitter.com/UYtAXgQg1g
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) April 15, 2023
NOCO 400 starting lineup 2023
Joining Preece in the front row on Sunday afternoon is Daniel Suarez. Sunday's race also marks the return of Hendrick Motorsports star Chase Elliott. The 2020 Cup Series winner take back his place in the No. 9 car after missing six races with a leg fracture. Elliott will start 24th.
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| Starting pos. | Driver | Car No. | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Preece | 41 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 2 | Daniel Suarez | 99 | Trackhouse Racing |
| 3 | Aric Almirola | 10 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 4 | Chase Briscoe | 14 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 5 | Martin Truex Jr. | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 6 | Tyler Reddick | 45 | 23XI Racing |
| 7 | Kevin Harvick | 4 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
| 8 | William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 9 | Bubba Wallace | 23 | 23XI Racing |
| 10 | Chris Buescher | 17 | RFK Racing |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 12 | Ty Gibbs | 54 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 13 | Todd Gilliland | 38 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 14 | AJ Allmendinger | 16 | Kaulig Racing |
| 15 | Joey Logano | 22 | Team Penske |
| 16 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
| 17 | Kyle Busch | 8 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 18 | Austin Dillon | 3 | Richard Childress Racing |
| 19 | Kyle Larson | 5 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 20 | Michael McDowell | 34 | Front Row Motorsports |
| 21 | Brad Keselowski | 6 | RFK Racing |
| 22 | Christopher Bell | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
| 23 | Alex Bowman | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 24 | Chase Elliott | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports |
| 25 | Austin Cindric | 2 | Team Penske |
| 26 | Justin Haley | 31 | Kaulig Racing |
| 27 | Corey LaJoie | 7 | Spire Motorsports |
| 28 | Erik Jones | 43 | Legacy Motor Club |
| 29 | Noah Gragson | 42 | Legacy Motor Club |
| 30 | Anthony Alfredo | 78 | Live Fast Motorsports |
| 31 | Ryan Blaney | 12 | Team Penske |
| 32 | Harrison Burton | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing |
| 33 | Zane Smith | 51 | Rick Ware Racing |
| 34 | Ross Chastain | 1 | Trackhouse Racing |
| 35 | Ty Dillon | 77 | Spire Motorsports |
| 36 | JJ Yeley | 15 | Rick Ware Racing |
