Elliott Clocks Hamlin

Chase Elliott celebrates his win in the 2026 Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway! (Photo: Chuck Burton/AP)

Cook Out 400: Chase Elliott took the checkered flag on Sunday afternoon at Martinsville Speedway, earning his first win of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Campaign. Elliott was able to take the lead from Hamlin after an A+ pit call from Alan Gustafson, two great restarts by the 9 car, and two less-than-ideal restarts from Denny Hamlin, the dominant car of the day. Elliott was able to drive a perfect final run to the finish, hold off a hard-charging Hamlin, and win his first race of the season and his second Cup win at "The Paper Clip."

The race was, overall, a snoozefest. Hamlin absolutely dominated most of the race, leading 292 of 400 laps. It was truly an elite performance by Hamlin and the 11 team. They were, no doubt, the best car all weekend. They just got snookered on pit strategy and an untimely caution for debris from Ty Dillon's busted brake rotor. That and some unfortunate restarts for the 11 car allowed Elliott, whose team nailed the pit strategy with a solid car, to scoot away. Aside from TDillon caution and Bubba Wallace junking half the field in a moment of rage against Carson Hocevar, the race was mundane. Not a ton of action, decent tire wear, a few battles throughout the field, but nothing stellar, and a dominant Denny Hamlin. Jordan Bianchi on "The Teardown" made a good point that Martinsville does deliver races like this frequently, and he's not entirely wrong, but something about it has been way off for about a decade now, and exacerbated by the Gen7 car. It's not what I recall from my childhood, and that may be nostalgia or a childhood ignorance of what was happening, but I miss the feeling Martinsville gave me as a kid. Still, it remains a great track, a great vibe, a great hot dog, a great time, and a great chance to deliver iconic races. I hope this snoozefest does not jeopardize future dates because without the TDillon caution and Bubba dumping Hocevar and collecting a third of the field, Hamlin no doubt scoots to victory. And of course, the race undoubtedly gets a small boost on Jeff Gluck's "Good Race Poll" because Chase Elliott, the most popular driver, was able to earn the win. Any way you skin it, it was not an overall great race. Did I walk away happy because one of my favorite drivers won? Yes. Am I still able to take off the 9 cap long enough to realize it wasn't perfect? Absolutely. Hopefully, one day soon, we can have a glorious, all-out brawl short track win. (And yes, hopefully, Chase Elliott wins that one, too).

Next up, the NASCAR Cup Series has the weekend off, leaving the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series and the Craftsman Truck Series the stars of Easter weekend. Both series head to Rockingham, North Carolina's iconic Rockingham Speedway. The Craftsman Truck Series takes center stage on Friday at 4:30 p.m. EST on FS1 with the Black's Tire 200. The O'Reilly Auto Parts Series caps off the weekend Saturday afternoon on The CW at 2:30 p.m. EST.

With no Cup action on track this weekend, I'll be taking next week off from writing. So, the following weekend, all three national touring series are in action at Bristol Motor Speedway. The Craftsman Truck Series kicks off the Thunder Valley weekend on Friday, April 10, with the Tennessee Army National Guard 250 at 7:30 p.m. EST on FS1. The O'Reilly Auto Parts Series hits the track Saturday, April 11, with the Suburban Propane 300 at 7:30 p.m. EST on The CW. The Cup Series conquers the concrete on Sunday, April 12, with the Food City 500 at 3 p.m. EST on FS1.

Rockingham Picks: Trucks = Carson Hocevar

NOAPS = Jesse Love

Cup = OFF

Bristol Picks:

Trucks = Layne Riggs

NOAPS = Kyle Larson

Cup = Kyle Larson