Introduction: Martinsville Speedway embodies so many of the best things about Nascar, and it makes all of those great things more accessible than almost any other track on the circuit. I've written about Martinsville quite recently, in the last Race Report as a matter of fact. There's a lot of good information about the facility in that post that's worth reading, and I hope you check that out as well.  Above: Starting lineup published by Nascar. The Cook Out 400 was the 7th race of the 2026 Nascar season. Heading into the weekend, the Nascar field of 36 regular full time drivers were all situated behind points leader Tyler Reddick. The cars would be racing using the new short track package for the Next Gen stock cars utilizing most notably, more horsepower. After a qualifying session on Saturday, Denny Hamlin captured the pole position and led the field to the green flag. Other notable details about the race, this would be Brad Keselowski's 600th start, the rookie debut of Connor Zilch at the track in the Cup series, and the race also featured the arrival of primary sponsor Hardee's in partnership with 23XL Racing. Fan Zone: As usual, the fan zone was full of displays and merchandise haulers. Because of a very abbreviated trip, I only had time to stop at few locations. There were several drivers who were making appearances that we were trying to meet, so this is by no means a full description of everything that was at the track to entertain fans.  Above: The Ford Performance hauler was loaded up with gear from Front Row Motorsports and RFK Racing. This was also the location of several driver appearances that morning.  Above: Just like in 2025, both Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XL share a merch hauler. They seem to typically be lacking in quantity and quality compared to other trailers.  Above: Fans line up at various haulers anticipating a picture or autograph with their favorite driver. Carson Hocevar sneaks through the crowds on the way to his appliance.  Above: Trackhouse Racing works with Crusin Sports, (separate from E2 Apparel, the company most teams us) to support merch sales and driver appearances. Driver Appearances: There were tons of driver appearances at various displays and merch haulers spread all throughout the Fan Zone. I've been wanting to hunt down Joey Logano for some time as I've got a 1/24 scale copy of the car he raced at Darlington during the Goodyear 400 in 2022. Logano isn't typically at the Fan Zone, so after seeing he was scheduled to appear at the Ford display, we made being there a priority. The results are pictured at the bottom of this post.  Above: Joey Logano answers questions in front of fan at the Ford Display at Martinsville on 3/29/2026.  Above: Chase Elliott signs autographs for fans at the Napa merch hauler.  Above: Front Row Motorsports drivers Noah Gragson and Zane Smith spend time with fans (and sign foreheads) at the Ford Performance hauler at Martinsville.  Above: Connor Zilisch stands alone in the Trackhouse Racing merch hauler.  Above: Josh Berry and Austin Cindric take time with the fans on a chilly March morning at the Team Penske merchandise hauler at the Martinsville Fan Zone. Diecast Selection: One of the detractors of attending a race in the early spring has two do with a lack of updated diecast. As most collectors will tell you, it takes several months for a diecast car to go from concept to reality. So on one hand, many late season paint schemes were in stock around the paddock, but there were scant selections of newer diecast.  Above: The 1/24 scale selection available to fans at the Ford Performance hauler. Note, the Ryan Preece Little Bites/CapriSun car was very popular.  Above & Below: The Toyota Racing merch hauler have a nice selection of 2025 1/64 and 1/24 scale diecast.  On the day, I only picked up a couple of race cars. The 1/24 scale RFK Ford in the funfetti scheme and I also found a 1/64 copy of Josh Berry's 2025 PPG Paints Mustang that I'm quite fond of. Racing Views and Action: After a great time in the Fan Zone, we found our way to some nice seats in turn four situated right in the middle of the Bill France tower. This was my second time attending a race here and watching from 3 and 4. While there's no such thing as a bad seat at Martinsville, these seats aren't the greatest. We were decently close to the cars, but the catch fence interfered with what I was hoping would be some really great action shots. Each picture below tells a story, enjoy.            The racing all day long was enjoyable, but Denny Hamlin easily had the best car. As I mentioned earlier, It was thanks to a late race pit strategy call made by Alan Gustafson that put Chase Elliott in the No. 9 in the best position possible to gain and keep the lead. The only major detractor from the race was how long Nascar allowed for the caution periods to last. Several cautions lasted ten laps or more. Even at Martinsville, that's far too many.  Above: Race results published by Nascar. Conclusion: A day at the races is always a good day, but a day at Martinsville is one of the best experiences in Nascar. There are so many opportunities due to the track's small footprint, and the closeness the teams and drivers feel with the grass roots fans that continuously make the journey the 'The Paperclip' best known for fender to bumper and door to door racing.  Sources:
-Martinsvillespeedway.com -Nascar.com -Nascarhall.com -racing-reference.info
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