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NASCAR at Martinsville results: Christopher Bell, Ross Chastain seal spots in Championship 4 with dramatic late rallies

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David Suggs
• 13 min read

The move was swift, the sound piercing. Ross Chastain had looked dead and buried moments before, five spots behind Denny Hamlin, who was hoping to nab his fourth straight appearance in the Championship 4.

Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell had already taken the checkered flag, sealing his spot in Phoenix. Hamlin looked certain to join him. At least until Chastain made a dart to the outside, scraping his car along the wall. With sparks emanating from his tattered right side, it wasn't yet clear what he had done.

Until he zoomed past Hamlin. Chastain took fifth in the race at the last moment, keeping his championship dreams alive in the most dramatic of fashions.

It was an all-time move by the Trackhouse Racing driver, who capped off a wild Xfinity 500 in style. Bell and Chastain join Joey Logano and Chase Elliott in the final playoff race field, two championship newbies against a pair of past winners.

Sunday's race was fairly calm for the first two stages. Hamlin won both of them with relative ease.

But as the caution flags flew, things began to change. Chase Briscoe made a play for first and appeared on the cusp of getting himself to Phoenix, until until Bell made his late charge. It was the second time in the postseason that Bell had grabbed a walk-off win to move on.

Chastain's last-ditch effort was simply the cherry on top, a moment that will live in the annals of the storied paperclip-shaped track.

What a race. What a moment.

MORE: Watch NASCAR Cup Series races live with fuboTV (free trial)

The Sporting News tracked live updates from the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville. Below are updates, highlights and results from all the action as it happened.

NASCAR at Martinsville live updates, results, highlights

(All times Eastern)

5:37 p.m.: Bell does it! He wins at Martinsville and claims his spot in the championship Round of 4!

And Chastain makes one of the most remarkable moves you'll ever see to get past Hamlin and etch his spot in the final round as well! What a race!

5:34 p.m.: Bell takes the lead! He gets inside Briscoe to take first. Two laps to go!

5:32 p.m.: Hamlin on the ascendancy, as is Keselowski. Keselowski is just behind Briscoe for first, while Hamlin has a five-spot edge over Chastain. Just seven laps remaining!

5:27 p.m.: The race restarts and its playoff driver Chase Briscoe out in front! Chastain is within four spots of Hamlin, so he's in the Round of 4 at the moment. 12 laps to go!

5:19 p.m.: CAUTION! Huge, huge moment in today's race. Landon Cassill veers into the wall for the fifth flag of the day.

Playoff drivers, including Bell and Blaney, have some serious choices to make. Do they head for pit road or stay on the track and built an edge.

5:18 p.m.: Chastain going to have to make some magic happen to give himself a shot at the championship. He's seven spots behind Hamlin and four points below him in the playoff standings. Not much time left, either.

5:16 p.m.: Gotta love math:

5:14 p.m.: Blaney is inching ever so closely to Bell on the turns, but Bell is doing a good job building up speed on the straightaway, keeping Blaney in check. 49 laps remaining and both drivers are in prime position to notch their first appearance in the championship Round of 4.

5:11 p.m.: Lap traffic starting to cause some issues for Bell. This could put Blaney in a position to make a move for the first.

Down the track, Hamlin is in fifth, seven spots ahead of Chastain. Hamlin currently holds a four-point lead over Chastain for the fourth and final playoff spot.

50 laps to go.

5:05 p.m.: Briscoe has cracked into the top ten. Interesting to see what his strategy is in the last 69 laps.

4:59 p.m.: 89 laps to go and Bell and Blaney are beginning to separate themselves from the pack ever so slightly. Blaney is about a second in front of third place Chase Elliott. He's about half a second behind Bell for first.

4:55 p.m.: Bell and Blaney restart from the front row. Crucial for both drivers, as each need wins to advance to Phoenix.

4:50 p.m.: Bell the first out of pit road! Big moment for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. Looks like Hamlin may have lost some ground. Not ideal.

4:46 p.m.: CAUTION! JJ Yeley spins toward the wall after contact with Corey LaJoie. That’s the fifth caution of the day.

106 laps to go. Bell still leads.

4:41 p.m.: Bell currently sits at the top of the pack. A win — and only a win — gets him to Phoenix. 

As it stands, Elliott and Hamlin would make it on points. Chastain would miss out by six.

125 laps to go. The drama at Martinsville is palpable.

4:35 p.m.: Hamlin currently in fifth place. Not where he wants to be by any stretch, especially after his strong showings in the first two stages.

4:23 p.m.: Close call for Hamlin, who appeared headed to pit road while it was closed. Bell’s team tried to call attention to it, but all four wheels weren’t over the commitment line, meaning Hamlin is all good.

170 laps remaining.

4:20 p.m.: And it’s Bell who takes advantage! He’s the first out of pit road, a massive move for a driver whose playoff chances seemed dead and buried not too long ago.

4:15 p.m.: CAUTION! Austin Dillon collides with the wall, drawing the third caution flag of the day.

4:02 p.m.: Chastain headed to pit road. Only 14 drivers in the lead lap, so the decision makes sense. Looks like Byron is getting a free pass, as well. This could be really beneficial for him, as he is currently outside the playoff places.

4:00 p.m.: CAUTION! Chastain and Brad Keselowski collide, prompting the caution flag. A bit of aggressive driving by the Trackhouse driver, who is in 12th today.

3:55 p.m.: We’re green for the final stage! Hamlin looks to seal his spot in the championship Round of 4 here!

3:48 p.m.: Hamlin takes Stage 2! Wonderful showing so far by the No. 11 driver, he’s doing everything in his power to get to Phoenix.

3:46 p.m.: It’s been an orderly race so far at Martinsville. Just one caution flag waved, and it was for the stage break.

Big contrast from last year’s races at Martinsville (which featured 15 caution flags each).

3:44 p.m.: Here’s a little more context on Reddick’s injury. Looks like he already had a preexisting issue and began to suffer after effects after rear ending someone this week. Next Gen Cars come into spotlight again, as does the pursuit of driver safety.

 

3:38 p.m.: BJ McLeod’s car burst into flames for a moment on pit road. Seems the issue has been resolved, although still lingering traces of smoke on the track.

 

3:36 p.m: Kyle Busch was having trouble with his right rear wheel earlier.  Looked like it had little to no traction. 

Got his tired fixed and he’s now back to posting lead-lap times.

3:30 p.m.: Hamlin putting on a dominant display so far. Though 200 laps, the No. 11 driver has the lead. Playoff drivers Bell, Blaney and Chastain all sit in the top ten, while Byron and Briscoe sit in 17th and 18th place, respectively.

3:23 p.m.: Tyler Reddick appears to be dealing with some sort of ailment. Looks like he’s headed to the garage.

3:06 p.m.: Bell putting himself in solid position to nab a Round of 4-clinching win. He's in fifth at the moment, two seconds behind Hamlin.

3:03 p.m.: We are back under green! Hamlin and Elliott leading the pack!

2:56 p.m.: And Hamlin takes the green flag! Bell finishes second!

2:55 p.m.: Hamlin has the lead! Just two laps to go in Stage 1!

2:52 p.m.: Hamlin pushing tight with Elliott with just 11 laps left in Stage 1. Elliott doing everything in his power to manage the lead but it looks like Hamlin might take it!

2:48 p.m.: William Byron not having a great day so far. He currently sits in 20th-place, which drops him to sixth place in the playoff standings.

2:41 p.m.: Hamlin currently sitting in fourth place, well over fellow playoff drivers Briscoe, Ross Chastain and Christopher Bell, among others. He's fourth in playoff points, 28 points above Blaney (who sits in seventh).

2:38 p.m.: Blaney falls behind Hamlin! At the moment, Hamlin is in a playoff place, while Blaney is on the outside looking in.

2:36 p.m.: Ryan Blaney absorbed of contact from Briscoe. Seems he was able to recover fairly quickly, though.

2:31 p.m.: Elliott nabs the lead from Larson on Lap 71! Impressive display from the No. 9 driver so far.

2:23 p.m.: Hamlin having a few issues with his driving at the moment. Seems it could be a turning issue.

2:21 p.m.: Larson and Elliott in a real battle for first place. Larson currently holds a slight edge on Lap 34.

2:16 p.m.: Larson still leading the way through 21 laps. Not too much to write about so far, although Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin will need better showings to seal a spot in the championship.

2:12 p.m.: Three playoff drivers in the top four through nine laps. Certainly should be an action-packed race.

2:10 p.m.: And we're off! Kyle Larson leading the pack!

1:40 p.m.: Here are the playoff stakes heading into the Xfinity 500.

What channel is NASCAR on today?

  • TV channel: NBC (U.S.) | TSN3 (Canada)
  • Live stream: Peacock, fuboTV
  • Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Sunday's race will be broadcast on NBC. Canadian viewers can find the race on TSN3.

Rick Allen will lead NBC's coverage from Martinsville, serving as the race's lap-by-lap announcer. He'll be joined by Cup Series veteran Jeff Burton, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte.

Those without cable can find the Xfinity 500 on Peacock or fuboTV, which offers a free trial.

What time does the NASCAR race start today?

  • Race: Xfinity 500
  • Date: Sunday, Oct. 30
  • Start time: 2 p.m. ET

The Xfinity 500 is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 30, although the green flag is expected to be waved at 2:08 p.m. ET.

Starting lineup for Martinsville playoff race

Pos. Driver Car No. Team
1 Kyle Larson 5 Hendrick Motorsports
2 Chase Elliott (P) 9 Hendrick Motorsports
3 Chase Briscoe (P) 14 Stewart-Haas Racing
4 Ryan Blaney (P) 12 Team Penske
5 Cole Custer 41 Stewart-Haas Racing
6 Brad Keselowski 6 RFK Racing
7 Daniel Suarez 99 Trackhouse Racing
8 Kevin Harvick 4 Stewart-Haas Racing
9 Ross Chastain (P) 1 Trackhouse Racing
10 Harrison Burton 21 Wood Brothers Racing
11 Denny Hamlin (P) 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
12 Joey Logano (P) 22 Team Penske
13 Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports
14 Corey LaJoie 7 Spire Motorsports
15 Aric Almirola 10 Stewart-Haas Racing
16 Austin Dillon 3 Richard Childress Racing
17 Noah Gragson 48 Hendrick Motorsports
18 Kyle Busch 18 Joe Gibbs Racing
19 Todd Gilliland 38 Front Row Motorsports
20 Christopher Bell (P) 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
21 AJ Allmendinger 16 Kaulig Racing
22 Chris Buescher 17 RFK Racing
23 Erik Jones 43 Petty GMS Motorsports
24 Bubba Wallace 45 23XI Racing
25 William Byron (P) 24 Hendrick Motorsports
26 Ty Gibbs 23 23XI Racing
27 Martin Truex Jr. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
28 Tyler Reddick 8 Richard Childress Racing
29 Justin Haley 31 Kaulig Racing
30 Austin Cindric 2 Team Penske
31 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing
32 Ty Dillon 42 Petty GMS Motorsports
33 Landon Cassill 77 Spire Motorsports
34 BJ McLeod 78 Live Fast Motorsports
35 JJ Yeley 15 Rick Ware Racing
36 Cody Ware 51 Rick Ware Racing

 (P) Playoff driver 

Author(s)
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David Suggs
David Suggs is a content producer at The Sporting News.
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