The 2023 NASCAR Cup NOCO 400 race at the Martinsville Speedway Race in Ridgeway, Virginia certainly lived up to the hype, with Kyle Larson emerging victorious.
Larson, who started the race at the No. 19 position, completed all 400 laps — leading for 30 of them — to pick up the victory. Right behind Larson was New England’s own Joey Logano of Middleton, Connecticut, who picked up 35 points with the second-place finish.
Logano gained some much needed traction in the race for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series as he aims to win his second straight title. Martin Truex Jr., the third-place finisher, gained a much-needed 34 points as he continues to stick around in the race for the title.
With the 2023 NASCAR, 2023 MLB regular season and 2023 NBA and NHL playoffs in full swing, now is an opportune time for sports fans in Massachusetts to explore the many betting options available.
Interested customers can take note that Massachusetts Sports Betting Promo codes will have the best bonuses to take advantage of all season long. New England fans can get in on the action as Joey Logano chases the championship this year.
Logano’s Push For Another NASCAR Cup Series Championship
Following the Martinsville Speedway event, it’s still a very tight race in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Christopher Bell sits fits with 302 points, with Ross Chastain right behind with 297 points. Kevin Harvick, the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion, is a close third with 287 points.
2021 winner, the aforementioned Kyle Larson, holds down the fourth spot with 285 points, and then there’s a considerable amount of separation from there. Truex Jr. sits fifth with 266 points, and Tyler Reddick is a close sixth at 265.
The reigning champion, Logano, is seventh with 250 points, followed by 2015 and 2019 champion Kyle Busch with 250. Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney round out the top 10 with 247 points and 241 points, respectively.
Logan is pushing to become the first back-to-back NASCAR Cup Series champion since the legendary Jimmie Johnson, who racked up five in a row from 2006 to 2010. Johnson, of course, won two more championships with victories in 2013 and 2016.
But of course, things can change quickly as far as the standings go. The winner of a race gets 40 points, followed by 35 points for 2nd, 34 for 3rd, 33 for 4th, 32 for 5th, 31 for 6th and 30 for 7th.
Logano may be 44 points down to Bell at this time, but it takes just one top-10 finish and a porous outing by Bell for Logano to gain significant ground.
Key Dates To Know For 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Schedule
The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series schedule consists of 36 different races. It opened with the Clash at The Coliseum at the legendary Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Feb. 5. The next one on the schedule is the 2023 Geico 500 at the Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama.
The last race before the playoffs is the Coke Zero Sugar 400, which will run at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
After that, the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs begin. The first race, the Southern 500, will be held at the Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. This same venue will host the Goodyear 400 on May 14.
The Southern 500 will be the first of 10 NASCAR Cup Series playoff races. It will be followed by the Hollywood Casino 400 at the Kansas Speedway which is located in Kansas City, Kansas.
Following the Oct. 29 NASCAR Cup Series race at the Martinsville Speedway, drivers will then conclude the 2023 season on Nov. 5 at the Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. And if the current standings are an indicator of anything, it will all come down to the final race in The Copper State.
