Live updates from NASCAR race at Martinsville: Kyle Larson wins

Charlotte Observer NASCAR reporter Alex Zietlow is at Martinsville Speedway, breathing in the chaos that will surely define the ninth points race of the 2023 Cup Series season. See the section below for the latest news. Results and analysis will be posted after the race.

Live updates from Martinsville Speedway

Stage 3

Lap 400: Larson wins! More to come. Check here for full results and instant analysis.

Lap 350: With 10 to go, Kyle Larson — seemingly out of nowhere — has decided this is his race to dominate. Go figure. He’s about 3.5 seconds ahead of the second-placed car, Joey Logano. The 5 car took two tires on the caution with about 50 to go, thrusting him into winning contention, and then he just zoomed free. Wow.

Lap 347: We got some drama on pit road! Kevin Harvick’s pit stop sees disaster after the right-front tire goes flat. He had to file down pit road once more, and that essentially ended his chances for a win. Some more things to watch: Joey Logano and Aric Almirola and Denny Hamlin elect to stay out and will start P1-3 on this crucial restart.

A look at Harvick’s flat tire:

Lap 343: The fifth caution flag of the day comes out when JJ Yeley mashes into the fence, brakes locking up. That’ll end the day for Yeley. Kyle Busch is back on the lead lap after getting the caution flag.

Lap 303: Anthony Alfredo of the 78 car hit the fence, and the right-rear tire exited the car. Caution out. Suspension incoming for 78 team’s crew members. What a huge break for Daniel Suarez, Bubba Wallace, Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano with just over 95 laps to go as they were down a lap but decided to stay out and thus are now near the front of the pack. The Top 5: Chase Briscoe, Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson, Daniel Suarez, Kevin Harvick.

Relive the loose tire situation here:

Lap 269: Checking in. Good racing at the front of the field. Long runs are defining this one. Top 10 at the moment: Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Aric Almirola, Chase Briscoe, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick, Todd Gilliland, Daniel Suarez and Christopher Bell.

Lap 184: Chase Briscoe’s pit crew pumped their fists in celebration after a fantastic pit stop. And who could blame them? The 14 car will start Stage 3 in P1, right in front of SHR teammate Kevin Harvick in P2. Behind them: Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Aric Almirola and Kyle Larson. Stage 3 coming soon!

Stage 2

Lap 180: And Kevin Harvick has won Stage 2! The 4 car patiently waited while Ross Chastain led a long time on scuffed tires and Todd Gilliland on two tires. Brilliance. He ended Stage 2 weaving through lapped cars with aplomb. Those getting points for Stage 2, in order: Harvick, Chase Briscoe (Harvick’s Stewart-Haas Racing teammate), Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, Brad Keselowski, Ross Chastain, Todd Gilliland, Daniel Suarez, Aric Almirola, Kyle Larson.

Lap 140: Ah. Tough. Ryan Preece’s flawless day ends, and I know it’s early, but it’s likely that his chance at his first Cup wins is foiled, too. Speeding on pit road penalty. Also suffering speeding penalties on pit road: Martin Truex Jr. and Bubba Wallace. Ross Chastain, Daniel Suarez and Aric Almirola are now the Top 3. (Chastain stayed out and didn’t get new tires during the caution — a bold move that will almost certainly pay off.)

Lap 132: Harrison Burton goes around on Turn 2, and we have our first caution-for-cause of the day. A restart incoming. The sun has finally peaked out, which might make the racetrack a bit more warmer and a bit more slick. Could passing be a bit more widespread across the field? (To be clear, many drivers have proven they can pass with good cars: Alex Bowman is running in the Top 10 after starting in the mid-20s. Same with Kyle Larson. Ryan Blaney started in the 30s and at one point was in P13.

Lap 92: We are back green! A Chase Elliott update: He’s running 29th after starting P24.

Lap 89: Ryan Preece first off pit road, so he’ll continue holding his own. Daniel Suarez will start in P2, Aric Almirola in P3 and Tyler Reddick in P4. The driver to keep an eye on thus far: Kyle Larson propelled from 19th to ninth in Stage 1. He’s one of the few who has proven he can pass with this car on this track. Could he notch another short-track win (after doing so a few weeks ago at Richmond)? Kyle Busch and Chris Buescher both sustained equipment interference penalties during the stage break and had to start at the rear.

Stage 1

Lap 80: Looks like Ryan Preece is going to notch a bunch of “firsts” today. He won his first pole in qualifying yesterday. He’s already set a career high in laps led in a single race — he’s led 80 thus far. And now he’s notched his first stage win. Others earning stage points after Stage 1: Preece, Aric Almirola, Tyler Reddick, Daniel Suarez, Chase Briscoe, Kevin Harvick, Bubba Wallace, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, William Byron.

Lap 59: Ryan Preece has officially put Joey Logano a lap down. Logano has notched Top 10s in the last seven races at Martinsville, but an unapproved adjustments penalty sent him to the rear before the race and it’s only been a downward spiral since. With the Next Gen car, track positioning is so crucial here, for better or for worse. Top 5: Preece, Daniel Suarez, Aric Almirola, Tyler Reddick, Chase Briscoe.

Lap 10: As we expected, the Top 5 from qualifying remains largely intact through 10 laps here. Ryan Preece, a first-time pole winner, remains out front. Daniel Suarez, Aric Almirola, Martin Truex Jr. and Tyler Reddick are now 1-5. Chase Briscoe is running sixth. Of note, per Jayski reporter Dustin Albino: By leading the opening 10 laps, Preece has already set his new career high for laps led in a single race.

3:02 p.m.: Green flag! Let’s do this!

2:53 p.m.: Just as the command is given, light rain begins to fall at Martinsville. Brutal. Well, this is what the wet-weather tires are for, if necessary. Before the season, NASCAR announced that race teams in the three national series will bring along wet-weather (grippier) tires to road courses as well as to select short tracks — Martinsville being one of those racetracks. The wet-weather tires were useful on Friday to get in the Truck race (with varying reviews from Truck drivers).

2:22 p.m.: The 22 car will be sent to the rear of the field for unapproved adjustments. He was originally starting P15. The bottom of the field, as it turns out, will be quite stacked: Ross Chastain is in P34, and Ryan Blaney is in P31.

2:16 p.m.: Some prerace timing details: Invocation: 2:44 p.m.; National Anthem: 2:45 p.m.; Command: 2:52 p.m.; Green Flag: 3:01 p.m.

2:04p.m.: What exactly does Chase Elliott’s return to Martinsville mean to NASCAR? Drivers weighed in on that question on Saturday and now hope to have more eyes on this race with their most popular driver back. Said Kevin Harvick yesterday after Cup qualifying: “Chase, for us, he’s our biggest star. And he’s the guy who needs to be here every week for it all to make sense currently.”

How to watch Cup race at Martinsville

• Race: NOCO 400

• Place: Martinsville Speedway

• Date: Sunday, April 16

• Time: 3 p.m. ET

• Purse: $7,324,203

• TV: FS1, 2 p.m. ET

• Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

• Distance: 210.4 miles (400 Laps around 0.526-mile track)

• Stages: Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 80), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 180), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 400)

Starting lineup for NOCO 400: Ryan Preece wins pole

Ryan Preece earned his first career pole on Saturday. JJ Yeley’s No. 15 car will start in the back after failing pre-race inspection twice, per NASCAR. That also means a crew member’s ejection and a loss of pit selection.