STRONG DAY IN MARTINSVILLE FOR BLANEY FINISHING IN TOP-10

Despite starting deep in the field for Sunday's NOCO 400 at Martinsville Speedway, Ryan Blaney worked his way into the top-20 just 28 laps in as he picked his way through traffic on the bottom lane to secure a 13th-place finish in Stage 1. Following a four-tire stop at the stage break, Blaney began to fight a loose-handling condition during Stage Two but kept his Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang securely in the top-15 as the long, green-flag run wore on. The No. 12 team opted to split the final stage in half with its pit strategy and brought Blaney to pit road on lap 287 for a scheduled stop for four tires, fuel, and a round of adjustments while running 11th, but an untimely caution during the pit cycle trapped him a lap down. After receiving the free pass under caution to rejoin the lead lap, Blaney continued to run just outside the top-10 before the final caution of the afternoon led to two-tire call atop of the pit box from crew chief Jonathan Hassler, allowing Blaney to restart eighth. Blaney made the most of the track position, coming away with a seventh-place finish.