The Martinsville Speedway will host the NASCAR Cup Series on March 30th. Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney has declared the short track as one of his favorite venues on the schedule and invited fans to watch him in action there. The track’s social media handle shared a video of him doing so to promote the tickets it still has available for the event.
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He’d previously won at Martinsville in the 2024 Round of 8 to qualify for the Championship 4. With 18 appearances throughout his career, he has two wins and ten top-5 results at the track. This does make it not only his favorite venue but also his best.
Meanwhile, his lowest finish in the Next Gen era is seventh place. Across six races in the Next Gen car, he holds an average of 3.5.
The 2023 champion says, “I am really excited to get there. It’s been one of my favorite tracks for a long time. I grew up around there and am just sort of looking forward to getting back and hopefully defending our win from just a handful of months ago.” Blaney also won at the venue in 2023 to qualify for the finale.
Last year, Blaney was in a must-win position at Martinsville to secure a spot for the finale in Phoenix. He took the lead from Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott on Lap 486 of 500 and won by 2.593 seconds over him. The win was his third of the season and the 13th of his career. He will seek his third win at the track later this month.
Y’all heard it here first… we are @Blaney‘s favorite track! Get your #CookOut400 tickets to see him in a few weeks. pic.twitter.com/LZ8yGv3T8I
— Martinsville Speedway (@MartinsvilleSwy) March 13, 2025
What happened to Blaney at Phoenix last Sunday?
Blaney was racing in ninth place during the Cup Series race at Phoenix last Sunday when his engine failed on Lap 290. He’d earlier reported an issue with his car but hadn’t gotten it rectified.
At the end of the race, he was awarded 26th place for his efforts, and his streak of seven consecutive top-5 finishes at Phoenix came to an end. It was also the first DNF of the season for him. He finished seventh in the Daytona 500 and fourth in Atlanta before submitting to 19th place in COTA.
Before traveling to Martinsville this season, he will have to race in Las Vegas and Homestead-Miami. He’d be on the lookout to reach victory lane in one of these venues and secure a seat for the playoffs later this year.
