The remaining half of the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 field is set to be determined this Sunday afternoon at Martinsville Speedway, with six drivers battling for the remaining two spots alongside Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe in the championship decider at Phoenix Raceway next weekend.
After 40 drivers competed in this past Sunday’s race at Talladega Superspeedway, the entry list has been reduced to 37 for this coming Sunday’s 500-lap Xfinity 500 around the four-turn, 0.526-mile (0.847-kilometer) Ridgeway, Virginia oval, meaning just one part-time car is set to run.
That one part-time car is the No. 66 Garage 66 Ford, which was driven by Casey Mears at Talladega. Mears, who recorded the team’s best finish (18th) since 2020, is set to return this weekend at Martinsville, where he made his first Cup Series start since 2019 back in March.
3 driver lineup changes at Martinsville
The other three part-time cars that ran at Talladega are simply not set to run at Martinsville. Those cars include the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, the No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet, and the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet.
Austin Hill drove the No. 33 Chevrolet to a 22nd place finish while Anthony Alfredo drove the No. 62 Chevrolet to a 21st place finish and B.J. McLeod drove the No. 78 Chevrolet to a 28th place finish.
None of these three cars are expected to run in next weekend’s season finale either, though Mears is expected to again drive the No. 66 Ford. Additionally, NY Racing Team are expected to field the No. 44 Chevrolet for J.J. Yeley, meaning there are set to be at least two part-time cars competing in the championship decider.
NBC’s live coverage of the Xfinity 500 is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, October 26. Start a free trial of FuboTV now and don’t miss any of the action from Martinsville Speedway!