PREVIEW: Even newcomers at Martinsville have a lot of experience
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
Garrett Smithley’s “Clippy” paint scheme for Saturday’s race. [IMAGE: Jordan Tiegs Designs (@JTDesigns57)]
Saturday, March 28, 2026 (Green Flag 3:35 P.M. ET, CW)
O’REILLY Race 7 of 33
NFPA 250 at Martinsville
2025 Last-Place Finisher: Anthony Alfredo
ENTRY LIST
There are 40 drivers entered for 38 spots in Saturday’s race, meaning two teams will fail to qualify.
DRIVER CHANGE: #5-Hettinger Racing
The Hettinger team’s fourth different driver in just the first seven races of the season is Luke Baldwin, who made his Truck Series debut in this race last year, finishing 22nd for ThorSport in their part-time #66 entry. He now makes his O’Reilly debut on the same track, this time in place of 25th-place Darlington finisher J.J. Yeley. Baldwin is not eligible to receive O’Reilly points.
DRIVER CHANGE: #9-JR Motorsports
DRIVER SWAP: #91-DGM Racing x JIM
Twice a winner of Martinsville’s ValleyStar Credit Union 300, late model star and hometown hero Lee Pulliam makes his hotly anticipated NASCAR national series debut, driving the high-powered #9 entry at JRM with sponsorship from Folsom Fence Supply. Pulliam takes the place of Cup Series regular Ross Chastain, who rejoins Mario Gosselin’s DGM effort in place of Alex Labbe, who finished last at Darlington following a chain-reaction pileup on the backstretch.
DRIVER CHANGE: #19-Joe Gibbs Racing
Brent Crews makes his first O’Reilly Auto Parts Series start of the season, his first since his second and most recent series start since Phoenix in the spring of last year, when he finished 18th following a 6th-place debut at COTA. Crews takes the place of Cup Series regular Christopher Bell, who piloted this JGR #19 to a 3rd-place finish last Saturday.
DRIVER CHANGE: #32-Jordan Anderson Racing
DRIVER SWAP: #88-JR Motorsports
Andrew Patterson, an employee of Jordan Anderson’s team, makes his second attempt at an O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut following a DNQ last fall on the Charlotte “Roval.” This time, he kicks off an eight-race deal this season with the team. He takes the place of last Saturday’s 23rd-place finisher Rajah Caruth in the #32 as Caruth returns to JRM’s #88 in place of Darlington 4th-place finisher Kyle Larson.
DRIVER CHANGE: #35-Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen
Looking to avoid a fourth consecutive DNQ, the Joey Gase effort has brought on Justin S. Carroll, who while driving for his family’s #90 team has likewise struggled through a series of missed races before his first few starts in the Truck Series. Carroll takes the place of Matt DiBenedetto, who was sent home last week in Darlington. The entry list showed “TBA” in the driver’s column at first publication.
DRIVER CHANGE: #42-Young’s Motorsports
Brad Perez seeks his 20th series start and first of the season, returning to the site of his most recent O’Reilly start here last fall, when he finished 31st for team owner Bobby Dotter. This marks Perez’ first drive for team owner Randy Young, and boasts sponsorship from Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace through the Live To Be Different Foundation plus the Boys & Girls Club of St. Lucie County. Perez takes the place of Nathan Byrd, who finished 34th last time out in Darlington.
RETURNING: #74-Mike Harmon Racing
After the Harmon team withdrew before practice at Darlington, both team and driver Dawson Cram are back to attempt their second start of the season, their fist since a 36th-place showing in Phoenix.
CUP INVADERS: #91-Ross Chastain
Sunday, March 29, 2026 (Green Flag 3:41 P.M. ET, FS1)
CUP Race 7 of 36
Cook Out 400 at Martinsville
2025 Last-Place Finisher: Erik Jones
ENTRY LIST
There are 37 drivers entered for 40 spots in Sunday’s race, marking the sixth consecutive short field and fourth with only one “open” entry in 2026.
RETURNING: #33-Richard Childress Racing
This week, Austin Hill is the lone “open” entry at the track as he runs double-duty with his full-time O’Reilly effort for the same RCR team. He will make his 17th series start, his first since his lone effort this year at Phoenix, where he came home 21st. This will mark Hill’s first Cup start at Martinsville.
MISSING: #66-Garage 66
Last Sunday at Darlington was a frustrating one for both Timmy Hill and team owner Carl Long, who missed the setup on a particularly challenging afternoon, forcing their exit in the first 100 laps. Both team and driver are not entered this week, but the Garage 66 / Motorsports Business Management effort will return next week in the Truck Series race at Rockingham with Jonathan Shafer driving the #69. More on that in next week’s article.
Friday, April 3, 2026
TRUCKS Race 5 of 25
Black’s Tire 200 at Rockingham
2025 Last-Place Finisher: Norm Benning
The Truck Series returns next Friday in Rockingham.
TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (March 27, 1994): Wally Dallenbach, Jr. picked up the 3rd last-place finish of his NASCAR Winston Cup Series career in the TranSouth Financial 400 at Darlington after his #43 STP Pontiac (the basis of Erik Jones’ 10th-place finishing car at Darlington last Sunday) lost the engine after 131 laps. This was the third different team with which Dallenbach had finished last in a Cup race. Each of his six last-place runs also came with different teams.
