TC Daily Pit Stop: Larson on Cup Pole; Almirola Nudges Past Chandler Smith, Defeats Mayer for Xfinity Win; Deegan Finishes 18th With Obliterated Car; Sunday's TV Schedule
TC Daily Pit Stop: Sunday, April 7, 2024
Aric Almirola Recovers Martinsville Victory from Sam Mayer in Overtime
This is exactly what Aric Almirola set out to do when he signed a part-time driving contract with Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The driver dominated and scored his fifth-career NASCAR Xfinity Series win in a wild DUDE Wipes 250 at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday night.
For Almirola, the win finished some unfinished business as his lone win with Joe Gibbs Racing came in 2007, but he wasn’t the driver behind the wheel at the checkered flag as he was relieved mid-race by Denny Hamlin.
“Man, this is so awesome to win for Joe Gibbs Racing,” said Almirola on the frontstretch post-race. “I’ve had an asterisk next to a win for Coach for 17 years and this is so awesome to finally put a real win banner up inside the shop at Joe Gibbs Racing.”
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RACE RESULTS
DRIVER POINTS
OWNER POINTS
ROOKIE POINTS
MANUFACTURER POINTS
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
Video: Hailie Deegan Crashes After Contact From Poole, Weatherman
WATCH VIDEO
Video: Brandon Jones Misses Shift; Triggers 17-Car Pileup on Martinsville Restart
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Hailie Deegan Salvages 18th-Place Finish Despite Destroyed Race Car
No front-end, no problem for Hailie Deegan. After being swept up in a crash, which ripped the front end off of her No. 15 AM Racing Ford Mustang, the rookie of the year contender ran a smart race, and rallied to finish 18th at Martinsville.
Despite the damage, it was Deegan’s second top-20 finish of the year.
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Anthony Alfredo, Our Motorsports Impress with Top-10 Pace at Martinsville
The end result was a 15th-place finish, thanks to a last-lap melee, but Anthony Alfredo and the No. 5 Our Motorsports team continued to flash incredible speed throughout the DUDE Wipes 250.
After another decent finish, Alfredo was able to maintain the 12th-place spot in the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship standings.
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Hendrick Motorsports Starts Storybook Weekend on the Right Foot With Kyle Larson Winning Pole
It only feels fitting that a Hendrick Motorsports car is on the pole for Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway. The team is celebrating its 40th Anniversary this weekend with four special Ruby Red cars. The fastest of the four on Saturday was Kyle Larson, who secured the pole for Sunday’s race by 0.001 sec. over 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace.
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STARTING LINEUP
NASCAR TV Schedule Sunday, April 7, 2024 at Martinsville Speedway
2:00 PM ET NASCAR Cup Series RaceDay (FS1 / FOX Sports App)
3:00 PM ET NASCAR Cup Series Race (FS1 / FOX Sports App)
9:30 PM ET NASCAR Cup Series Race (Re-Air) (FS1 / FOX Sports App)