Cook Out 400
Martinsville Speedway — March 29, 2026
Chase Elliott
Winner
400
Laps
8
Lead Changes
6
Leaders
Chase Elliott won the 2026 Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway on March 29, 2026, leading 84 of 400 laps. Denny Hamlin finished second; Joey Logano rounded out the podium. The race had 8 lead changes among 6 different leaders.
Race Details
Date
Sunday, March 29, 2026
Track
Season
2026
Winner
Lead Changes
8
Leaders
6 drivers
| Pos | Start | +/- | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | +9 | Chase Elliott |
| 2 | 1 | -1 | Denny Hamlin |
| 3 | 9 | +6 | Joey Logano |
| 4 | 4 | — | Ty Gibbs |
| 5 | 2 | -3 | William Byron |
| 6 | 12 | +6 | Ryan Blaney |
| 7 | 11 | +4 | Christopher Bell |
| 8 | 6 | -2 | Austin Cindric |
| 9 | 13 | +4 | Kyle Larson |
| 10 | 3 | -7 | Josh Berry |
| 11 | 5 | -6 | Shane van Gisbergen |
| 12 | 17 | +5 | Ryan Preece |
| 13 | 23 | +10 | Brad Keselowski |
| 14 | 27 | +13 | Chase Briscoe |
| 15 | 8 | -7 | Tyler Reddick |
| 16 | 18 | +2 | Ross Chastain |
| 17 | 7 | -10 | Carson Hocevar |
| 18 | 20 | +2 | Michael McDowell |
| 19 | 16 | -3 | Chris Buescher |
| 20 | 22 | +2 | Daniel Suarez |
| 21 | 19 | -2 | Erik Jones |
| 22 | 21 | -1 | Justin Allgaier |
| 23 | 29 | +6 | Todd Gilliland |
| 24 | 34 | +10 | Kyle Busch |
| 25 | 30 | +5 | Austin Dillon |
| 26 | 25 | -1 | Connor Zilisch |
| 27 | 28 | +1 | A.J. Allmendinger |
| 28 | 31 | +3 | Noah Gragson |
| 29 | 32 | +3 | John Hunter Nemechek |
| 30 | 33 | +3 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 31 | 24 | -7 | Cole Custer |
| 32 | 35 | +3 | Cody Ware |
| 33 | 37 | +4 | Austin Hill |
| 34 | 14 | -20 | Zane Smith |
| 35 | 26 | -9 | Riley Herbst |
| 36 | 15 | -21 | Bubba Wallace |
| 37 | 36 | -1 | Ty Dillon |
Stage Results
| Driver | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denny Hamlin | 1 | 1 | — | 20 |
| Ty Gibbs | 4 | 2 | — | 16 |
| William Byron | 2 | 5 | — | 15 |
| Joey Logano | 7 | 3 | — | 12 |
| Austin Cindric | 5 | 6 | — | 11 |
| Ryan Blaney | 8 | 4 | — | 10 |
| Josh Berry | 3 | 10 | — | 9 |
| Shane van Gisbergen | 6 | 8 | — | 8 |
| Tyler Reddick | 9 | 7 | — | 6 |
| Kyle Larson | — | 9 | — | 2 |
| Ryan Preece | 10 | — | — | 1 |
| Chase Elliott | — | — | — | — |
| Christopher Bell | — | — | — | — |
| Brad Keselowski | — | — | — | — |
| Chase Briscoe | — | — | — | — |
| Ross Chastain | — | — | — | — |
| Carson Hocevar | — | — | — | — |
| Michael McDowell | — | — | — | — |
| Chris Buescher | — | — | — | — |
| Daniel Suarez | — | — | — | — |
| Erik Jones | — | — | — | — |
| Justin Allgaier | — | — | — | — |
| Todd Gilliland | — | — | — | — |
| Kyle Busch | — | — | — | — |
| Austin Dillon | — | — | — | — |
| Connor Zilisch | — | — | — | — |
| A.J. Allmendinger | — | — | — | — |
| Noah Gragson | — | — | — | — |
| John Hunter Nemechek | — | — | — | — |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | — | — | — | — |
| Cole Custer | — | — | — | — |
| Cody Ware | — | — | — | — |
| Austin Hill | — | — | — | — |
| Zane Smith | — | — | — | — |
| Riley Herbst | — | — | — | — |
| Bubba Wallace | — | — | — | — |
| Ty Dillon | — | — | — | — |
Model Performance
How well did the NR-Rating model predict this race? Across 36 matched drivers, the model averaged 6.5 positions off — better than the season average of 8.5. Good
| Pos | Driver | Predicted | Actual | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chase Elliott | 8.3 | 1 | +7.3 |
| 2 | Denny Hamlin | 6.8 | 2 | +4.8 |
| 3 | Joey Logano | 12.1 | 3 | +9.1 |
| 4 | Ty Gibbs | 12.6 | 4 | +8.6 |
| 5 | William Byron | 10.3 | 5 | +5.3 |
| 6 | Ryan Blaney | 6.8 | 6 | +0.8 |
| 7 | Christopher Bell | 8.6 | 7 | +1.6 |
| 8 | Austin Cindric | 17.0 | 8 | +9.0 |
| 9 | Kyle Larson | 8.6 | 9 | -0.4 |
| 10 | Josh Berry | 19.0 | 10 | +9.0 |
| 11 | Shane van Gisbergen | 18.3 | 11 | +7.3 |
| 12 | Ryan Preece | 10.8 | 12 | -1.2 |
| 13 | Brad Keselowski | 12.0 | 13 | -1.0 |
| 14 | Chase Briscoe | 12.6 | 14 | -1.4 |
| 15 | Tyler Reddick | 9.9 | 15 | -5.1 |
| 16 | Ross Chastain | 13.8 | 16 | -2.2 |
| 17 | Carson Hocevar | 14.7 | 17 | -2.3 |
| 18 | Michael McDowell | 15.0 | 18 | -3.0 |
| 19 | Chris Buescher | 10.3 | 19 | -8.7 |
| 20 | Daniel Suarez | 15.6 | 20 | -4.4 |
(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
- Chase Elliott: has 26 career starts at Martinsville Speedway with a 10.2 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 P2 on the day.
Explore More
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 2026 Cook Out 400?
Chase Elliott won the 2026 Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway driving for Hendrick Motorsports.
Where was the 2026 Cook Out 400 held?
The 2026 Cook Out 400 was held at Martinsville Speedway on March 29, 2026.