Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500
Martinsville Speedway — April 10, 2021
Martin Truex, Jr.
Winner
500
Laps
40
Entries
7
Leaders
Martin Truex, Jr. won the 2021 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on April 10, 2021, leading 20 of 500 laps. Chase Elliott finished second; Denny Hamlin rounded out the podium. The race featured 7 different leaders.
Race Details
Date
Saturday, April 10, 2021
Track
Season
2021
Winner
Leaders
7 drivers
| Pos | Start | +/- | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | +18 | Martin Truex, Jr. |
| 2 | 2 | — | Chase Elliott |
| 3 | 4 | +1 | Denny Hamlin |
| 4 | 3 | -1 | William Byron |
| 5 | 1 | -4 | Kyle Larson |
| 6 | 13 | +7 | Joey Logano |
| 7 | 20 | +13 | Christopher Bell |
| 8 | 10 | +2 | Tyler Reddick |
| 9 | 8 | -1 | Kevin Harvick |
| 10 | 5 | -5 | Kyle Busch |
| 11 | 11 | — | Ryan Blaney |
| 12 | 17 | +5 | Matt DiBenedetto |
| 13 | 12 | -1 | Chris Buescher |
| 14 | 6 | -8 | Austin Dillon |
| 15 | 14 | -1 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 16 | 15 | -1 | Bubba Wallace |
| 17 | 29 | +12 | Ross Chastain |
| 18 | 23 | +5 | Cole Custer |
| 19 | 24 | +5 | Ryan Newman |
| 20 | 26 | +6 | Aric Almirola |
| 21 | — | — | Ty Dillon |
| 22 | — | — | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 23 | — | — | Matt DiBenedetto |
| 24 | — | — | Ryan Newman |
| 25 | — | — | Austin Cindric |
| 26 | — | — | Aric Almirola |
| 27 | — | — | Kurt Busch |
| 28 | — | — | Garrett Smithley |
| 29 | — | — | James Davison |
| 30 | — | — | Josh Bilicki |
| 31 | — | — | Kyle Tilley |
| 32 | — | — | Cody Ware |
| 33 | — | — | Daniel Suarez |
| 34 | — | — | Quin Houff |
| 35 | — | — | Martin Truex, Jr. |
| 36 | — | — | Cole Custer |
| 37 | — | — | Kevin Harvick |
| 38 | — | — | Christopher Bell |
| 39 | — | — | Bubba Wallace |
| 40 | — | — | Justin Haley |
Stage Results
| Driver | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Larson | 1 | 1 | — | 20 |
| Chase Elliott | 2 | 5 | — | 15 |
| Kyle Busch | 3 | 7 | — | 12 |
| Joey Logano | 15 | 2 | — | 9 |
| Martin Truex, Jr. | 4 | 28 | — | 7 |
| William Byron | 32 | 6 | — | 5 |
| Austin Dillon | 6 | 21 | — | 5 |
| Tyler Reddick | 7 | 35 | — | 4 |
| Denny Hamlin | 16 | 9 | — | 2 |
| Matt DiBenedetto | 9 | 17 | — | 2 |
| Christopher Bell | 21 | 10 | — | 1 |
| Ty Dillon | — | — | — | — |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | — | — | — | — |
| Matt DiBenedetto | — | — | — | — |
| Ryan Newman | — | — | — | — |
| Austin Cindric | — | — | — | — |
| Aric Almirola | — | — | — | — |
| Kurt Busch | — | — | — | — |
| Garrett Smithley | — | — | — | — |
| James Davison | — | — | — | — |
| Josh Bilicki | — | — | — | — |
| Kyle Tilley | — | — | — | — |
| Cody Ware | — | — | — | — |
| Daniel Suarez | — | — | — | — |
| Quin Houff | — | — | — | — |
| Martin Truex, Jr. | — | — | — | — |
| Cole Custer | — | — | — | — |
| Kevin Harvick | — | — | — | — |
| Christopher Bell | — | — | — | — |
| Bubba Wallace | — | — | — | — |
| Justin Haley | — | — | — | — |
Model Performance
How well did the NR-Rating model predict this race? Across 22 matched drivers, the model averaged 5.6 positions off — better than the season average of 8.5. Good
| Pos | Driver | Predicted | Actual | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martin Truex, Jr. | 13.8 | 1 | +12.8 |
| 2 | Chase Elliott | 8.3 | 2 | +6.3 |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | 6.8 | 3 | +3.8 |
| 4 | William Byron | 10.3 | 4 | +6.3 |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | 8.6 | 5 | +3.6 |
| 6 | Joey Logano | 12.1 | 6 | +6.1 |
| 7 | Christopher Bell | 8.6 | 7 | +1.6 |
| 8 | Tyler Reddick | 9.9 | 8 | +1.9 |
| 10 | Kyle Busch | 15.6 | 10 | +5.6 |
| 11 | Ryan Blaney | 6.8 | 11 | -4.2 |
| 13 | Chris Buescher | 10.3 | 13 | -2.7 |
| 14 | Austin Dillon | 17.0 | 14 | +3.0 |
| 15 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 20.1 | 15 | +5.1 |
| 16 | Bubba Wallace | 14.0 | 16 | -2.0 |
| 17 | Ross Chastain | 13.8 | 17 | -3.2 |
| 18 | Cole Custer | 23.0 | 18 | +5.0 |
| 21 | Ty Dillon | 24.3 | 21 | +3.3 |
| 25 | Austin Cindric | 17.0 | 25 | -8.0 |
| 30 | Josh Bilicki | 29.4 | 30 | -0.6 |
| 32 | Cody Ware | 29.8 | 32 | -2.2 |
(showing top 20 finishers)
Predicted finish from NR-Rating model. Delta = predicted − actual (positive = driver beat prediction). Confidence: High Confidence = low variance (stdDev ≤ 9), Moderate = medium variance, Coinflip = high variance.
Historical Context
- Martin Truex, Jr.: has 38 career starts at Martinsville Speedway with a 16.5 avg finish (3 wins) — the model may have underweighted this track history.
- Denny Hamlin: was the model’s top pick based on 47 career starts at Martinsville Speedway with a 9.2 avg finish (8 wins), finishing P3 on the day.
Explore More
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 2021 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500?
Martin Truex, Jr. won the 2021 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway driving for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Where was the 2021 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 held?
The 2021 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 was held at Martinsville Speedway on April 10, 2021.