Despite leading over 200 laps on Sunday, Denny Hamlin was left staring at Chase Elliott’s black and teal bumper as the #9 car took the checkered flag.

Elliott clawed his way to the top thanks to some masterful strategy from his Crew Chief, Alan Gustafsson, in stage two, which proved monumental late in the race. It’s Elliott’s first since the fall Kansas race last season, and marks the first for Chevrolet with the new body at the track Hendrick Motorsports has all but owned over the last decade.

While Dawsonville, Georgia, celebrates, it was a more mixed result for the rest of the country, which at times enjoyed the best Next Gen race at Martinsville and at others was subjected to an onslaught of commercials for shop chairs. Here are three takeaways from NASCAR’s first trip to the paperclip.

We’ll be riiiight back 

I was not confident in the Next Gen car to put on as good a show as it did, even going so far as to text my co-creator of this blog, Cam Hanson, that I was prepared for a stage two nap. While the text was a half-joke, the NASCAR officials did their best to give me time to squeeze one in at the end of stage one.

That is because when the field went green again for stage two, we were actually 17 laps into the second stage, a mind-boggling amount of wasted laps even at a small track like Martinsville. While that was inexcusable, it speaks to an ongoing issue with NASCAR’s stage racing; it kills flow.

While I unfortunately am forced to tip my hat to the #9 team, their unique call and Ross Chastain’s Hail Mary were the only bits of interesting strategy found in this race. A lot of the blame for that falls on stage cautions, which guarantees the field a chance to come down pit road at no cost to themselves (unless you’re Blaney).

These stage break cautions are beginning to hold the races back from proving interesting because of these assigned breaks which bring an end to much of the drama and today’s race was another victim. 

Short track merchants

A week ago, Joey Logano rode around with the likes of Kyle Busch and John Hunter Nemechek. This week, he finished third.

It’s a confusing split, but one that emphasizes the issues that the Ford camp has been having for the last year or two. Outside of Blaney, the blue ovals have been relatively non-competitive this year on anything over a mile, and while that may have worked in the old playoff system, it’s proving detrimental for the manufacturer as a whole.

While RFK has had its glimpses at glory, they’ve continued to underwhelm late in races. While Blaney will keep the look to the competition up, there’s trouble brewing.

The ol’ chrome horn 

On the brief shots that showed the left side of cars, there was a beautiful sight to behold: damage. No car left this track without a view scratches, which is exactly the way they should look at the paperclip.

I love seeing guys use the bumper and move each other out of the way, and even get testy on the back stretch late in runs. However, that’s where my praise for the bumping ends because there was little that came of it.

Outside of Bubba Wallace seeing red and sending himself and Carson Hocevar to the shadow realm, this race featured few natural cautions. That hurts, not only the viewers, but the drivers in the cars who seem to think they are still far too stiff. Now I’m not asking for this to become a NASCAR 25 online lobby, but it couldn’t hurt to see a few more guys go around to create some more natural chaos and storylines.  

Gibb Me More 

Did somebody at JGR take the #19 team’s strategy and speed and just apply it to the #54? Jokes aside, Ty Gibbs has clocked in his fifth Top 6 run of the season, and it’s not even April. It’s the driver’s first top 10 at Martinsville and a sign of good tidings for Gibbs and company. 

Gibbs is still looking for a win in the Cup Series, but he’s been second fiddle to Denny Hamlin so far in 2026, which is a major step forward for the 23-year-old. Consistent speed and finishes like this, and it’s only a matter of time until the 54 pulls into victory lane. 

Next up for Gibbs and company is Bristol, where the driver has led over 400 laps across six races in his Cup Series career. If there ever was a time to finally take the checkered flag, The Last Great Colosseum would be fitting. 

The Cup Series field is off next week and thankfully, we are as well. Enjoy the Easter break and enjoy a Dr. Pepper Peep on my behalf.