Where to Watch NASCAR's Xfinity 500 at Martinsville, the Penultimate Race in 2025 Cup Series Playoffs
The Paperclip’s signature hairpin turns await the contenders in the penultimate race of the 2025 Cup Series Playoffs.
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Following Chase Briscoe’s daring final-lap victory at Talladega over the weekend, only one race remains in the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8, and that’s none other than the Xfinity 500 this Sunday on NBC and Peacock. Held on the hallowed grounds of Virginia’s Martinsville Speedway, the penultimate race of the 2025 Cup Series Playoffs promises an electric, bumper-to-bumper blitz at a historic staple of the NASCAR circuit.
In the big picture, Briscoe’s win catapults him into the Championship 4 showdown in Phoenix, where he’ll join his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin, who previously earned his spot via his Las Vegas victory. That means when the postseason field revs up for the Xfinity 500 this weekend, two tickets to the desert finale -- the Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway on November 2 (live on NBC and Peacock) -- are officially up for grabs. The already close-quarters contest on the compact track will be amped up to a thrilling intensity, where crashes are more likely than not. It’s full-throttle, all-or-nothing for most, as they enter the event shouldering a must-win mentality.
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But before the high-octane battle in Martinsville this Sunday, here’s a look at what you need to know about the second to last remaining race in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
How can you watch the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville?
On Sunday, October 26 at 2 p.m. ET, the Xfinity 500, the final race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8, will be broadcast on NBC and simulcast on Peacock. Ahead of the Xfinity 500, racing fans should tune into Countdown to Green on NBC at 1:30 p.m. ET for the best pre-race analysis around.
Which driver are competing in the Martinsville NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race?
1. Denny Hamlin, Championship 4
No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
2. Chase Briscoe, Championship 4
No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
3. Christopher Bell, +37
No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
4. Kyle Larson, +36
No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
---- CUTOFF LINE - FOUR DRIVERS TO BE ELIMINATED AFTER MARTINSVILLE (October 26) ----
5. William Byron, -36
No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
6. Joey Logano, -38
No. 22 Team Penske Ford
7. Ryan Blaney, -47
No. 12 Team Penske Ford
8. Chase Elliott, -62
No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Storylines for the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville
Here are a few storylines to be aware of when the Cup Series contenders slingshot around Martinsville’s historic track during the Xfinity 500 on Sunday, October 26.
Lucky Larson: You don’t need a crystal ball to see that Kyle Larson’s capable of a major rebound at Martinsville this Sunday. Including a win there in 2023, Yung Money’s earned an average finish of 3.00 in his last three races on the Paperclip. Just don’t expect the former champ to run out of fuel this time like he did on the final lap at Talladega!
Short and Scary: The 0.526-mile track might be the shortest in NASCAR’s top flight, but don’t equate that with simplicity. Martinsville's unique shape and contour can fool lead-footed drivers as they transition from the straightaways around the track’s signature sharp curves.
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Hendrick Motorsports vs. Team Penske: In an unexpected scenario that perhaps noone could’ve anticipated, while Joe Gibbs Racing has asserted its dominance this postseason, drivers from team titans Hendrick Motorsports and Team Penske currently sit below the cutoff line. It’s unfamiliar and frustrating territory for their collective talent to reside, considering out of William Byron, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott, only Byron’s yet to be crowned king. Still, it’s Elliott whose only chance of going to Phoenix lies in him taking home the checkered flag in Martinsville.
Christopher Bell: After his chaotic, three-wide, Top 10 finish at Talladega, Christopher Bell now holds the highest remaining points position, sitting 37 points above the cutoff line. If he were to punch his ticket to Phoenix, he would complete the trifecta of Joe Gibbs Racing drivers competing this year for the Bill France Cup.
Catch the final two races of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs – the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 26, and the Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway on November 2 – exclusively on NBC and Peacock!
