A barrage of late cautions couldn’t derail one of the most dominant performances in Martinsville history, as Martin Truex Jr. led 464 laps and became the first driver to secure a spot in the Championship race in Miami.
It was smooth sailing just about all day for Truex, but there was plenty of drama behind him, including a crash that spilled over into a post-race altercation between Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin.
Hamlin had bumped Logano into the wall late in the race, and Logano approached him for an explanation. He didn’t get the answer he wanted, and it got the slightest bit physical.
MORE: Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano scuffle
The wreck caused by Logano hitting the wall was just one of a series of late yellows that extended the race and helped keep William Byron in striking distance of Truex. Byron could never close the gap, though, and the pursuit of his first Cup Series win will last at least another week.
Hamlin had the pole and was running strong early but faded midway through the first stage. Truex took advantage, grabbing hold of his third win on a short track this season. The second of three Round of 8 races is next week at Texas.
Sporting News was tracking live race updates, results and highlights from the First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Relive the action as it unfolded in real time below.
First Data 500: 2019 winner, top-20 order of finish
| Finish | Driver | Team (Car No.) | Laps Led |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing (19) | 464 |
| 2 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports (24) | 0 |
| 3 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing (2) | 0 |
| 4 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing (11) | 30 |
| 5 | Ryan Blaney | Penske Racing (12) | 0 |
| 6 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing (1) | 0 |
| 7 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing (4) | 0 |
| 8 | Joey Logano | Penske Racing (22) | 0 |
| 9 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Raching (42) | 6 |
| 10 | Ryan Newman | Hendrick Motorsports (48) | 0 |
| 11 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports (38) | 0 |
| 12 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daughtery Racing (37) | 0 |
| 13 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports (43) | 0 |
| 14 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing (18) | 0 |
| 15 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Mustang Racing (17) | 0 |
| 16 | Matt DiBenedetto | Leavine Family Racing (95) | 0 |
| 17 | Daniel Hemric | Richard Childress Racing (8) | 0 |
| 18 | Corey LaJoie | Wood Brothers Racing (21) | 0 |
| 19 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daughtery Racing (47) | 0 |
| 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing (20) | 0 |
NASCAR at Martinsville live updates, highlights from First Data 500
Caution flags: 11
Lead changes: 3
Lap leaders: Martin Truex Jr. (464), Denny Hamlin (30), Kyle Larson (6)
6:53 p.m.: Logano and Hamlin exchange some words and a light shove after the race.
6:45 p.m.: CHECKERED. Truex was the best car by far for the past three hours. He led more than 450 laps and comfortably beats Byron down the stretch. Brad Keselowski finishes third, followed by Hamlin and Blaney in the top five. Kurt Busch, Harvick, Logano, Larson and Ryan Newman round out the top 10.
6:41 p.m.: Truex is holding off Byron by a car length or three as we tick to a dozen laps left.
6:34 p.m.: CAUTION. That’s 11. Daniel Hemric and Michael McDowell have some contact. About 30 laps to go.
6:33 p.m.: Byron seems to be the most worthy challenger to Truex, sticking with him on some of these restarts.
6:26 p.m.: CAUTION. Off the restart, Hamlin bumps Logano into the wall. He tries to save it for a few turns but eventually he ends up spinning out. Car took quite a bit of damage and looked like it may have had a flat tire.
6:21 p.m.: Not a ton of love lost between Kyle Busch and Almirola.
6:19 p.m.: CAUTION. Bowyer has another flat.
5:52 p.m.: CAUTION. This restart is even shorter. Bubba Wallace, Daniel Suarez and Alex Bowman bump each other and the wall.
5:41 p.m.: CAUTION. Not long after the restart, Busch and Almirola have some contact, and several other cars get tangled up. Biggest wreck of the race thus far.
5:33 p.m.: CAUTION. Austin Dillon gets into Ricky Stenhouse Jr. a bit.
5:30 p.m.: Truex has about four seconds on anybody else in the field.
5:19 p.m.: Bit of drama between Blaney and Logano.
5:07 p.m.: Truex again holds his lead on the restart to the final stage.
5:06 p.m.: CAUTION. Blaney made the decision to remain on the track during the yellow before the end of the second stage, and he’s rewarded with a second-place finish in the stage. Truex edges him out for first.
5:02 p.m.: The Bowyer saga was a true disaster: He pitted for a flat, but his team changed the wrong tires.
4:54 p.m.: CAUTION. Bowyer’s right rear tire gets shredded. A caution with 8 laps left in the second stage sets the stage for a strong finish.
4:42 p.m.: And Elliott heads in.
4:37 p.m.: Elliott believes he has a broken axle.
4:30 p.m.: Truex keeps his lead off the restart. Bowyer, Blaney and then Byron behind him.
4:26 p.m.: CAUTION. Ty Dillon gets spun around. Byron is running second behind Truex.
4:14 p.m.: Hamlin looks to allow Truex to get to the inside on the restart but it’s not well-executed. Bowyer and Byron pass Hamlin.
4:06 p.m.: CAUTION. Not a ton of movement in the race off pit road.
4:05 p.m.: Truex wins stage 1, ahead of Hamlin, Blaney, Bowyer and Logano in the top five. William Byron, Aric Almirola, Elliott, Kyle Busch and Daniel Suarez round out the top 10.
4:01 p.m.: Truex is putting some distance between himself and the field. He just lapped Larson.
3:41 p.m.: Hamlin has moved up to second but is still a second behind Truex.
3:26 p.m.: CAUTION. Ross Chastain tears off the nose of Corey LaJoie, and there’s enough debris to bring out the yellow. Most of the top drivers pit, and Hamlin loses four spots in the race off pit road.
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3:20 p.m.: Harvick and Kyle Larson bump into each other a couple of times, with Harvick getting the best of him. At the front of the field, Hamlin leads by more than a second over Truex in second.
3:16 p.m.: Green flag.