Oct 26, 2025; Martinsville, Virginia, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney (12) leads during stage three of the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Greg Atkins-Imagn Images

Preview: NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Martinsville

Originally posted on Racing America on SI
By Toby Christie | Last updated Mar 27, 2026 4:14 PM ET

The NASCAR Cup Series returns for the series' seventh race of the 2026 season Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, marking the first short track points-paying event of the year. NASCAR's premier series will be joined by the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series this weekend at the 0.526-mile track, which is known as "the paperclip".

Tyler Reddick kept up his torrid pace to begin the 2026 season by winning last weekend's event at Darlington Raceway. Reddick is now up to four wins through the opening six races of the season. Denny Hamlin, who won two weeks ago at Las Vegas, is the defending winner of the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville.

Watching the Cook Out 400

The NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 takes place on Sunday, March 29. The seventh race of the 26-race NASCAR Cup Series regular season begins at 3:30 PM ET.

Coverage of Sunday's event will be on FS1, and NASCAR Driver Cam (in-car cameras for each car in the field) can be streamed on HBO Max with a valid monthly subscription package. The race can also be listened to on the radio via the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Practice and qualifying for the Cook Out 400 will take place on Saturday, March 28, with coverage available on Prime Video beginning at 12:30 PM ET.

Remainder of the Broadcast Schedule from Darlington Raceway

The NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series NFPA 250 at Martinsville is scheduled for Saturday, March 28, and will be televised on The CW with coverage set to kick off at 3:30 PM ET.

Justin Allgaier, who won last weekend's O'Reilly Series race at Darlington Raceway, will look to go back-to-back this weekend behind the wheel of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Allgaier will also compete in Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series event, as he'll drive the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in place of Alex Bowman, who is out due to a vertigo diagnosis after the event at Circuit of the Americas.

If you are having difficulty finding The CW Network, click here for a station guide from The CW, which will show you the tune-in info for The CW in your region. All you have to do is enter your zip code into the station guide.