Three big questions ahead of the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville

With some short tracks at Martinsville (Sunday) and Bristol (April 12) — two places Reddick has not excelled at — up next on the schedule, there is a good chance his historic start takes a brief hit. However, nothing has slowed him down yet, so it would not be a surprise at all if the momentum continues.

What is going on with Joey Logano?

Even though Logano won the 2024 championship, the last two seasons have statistically been the worst of his Team Penske tenure. That performance seems to have translated over to this season through the first six races.

Aside from a third-place finish in the Daytona 500, Logano has finished 15th or worse in the other five races. His 33rd-place showing at Darlington, though, was the lowest point after losing a lap just 34 laps into the race and never finding the balance in his No. 22 Mustang.

With 13 straight top-10 finishes at Martinsville, this Sunday's trip to the half-mile paperclip will provide a good indicator of where this team is at. All signs point to Logano running toward the front based on his track record there, but if he struggles at one of his most consistent tracks, there could be cause for concern.

How will new rules package perform in short track debut?

The new, increased horsepower package was in play at Bowman Gray Stadium earlier this season, but Sunday will be its points-paying debut on a short track this season, following prior stops at one-mile Phoenix Raceway and 1.33-mile Darlington Raceway. 

The racing product was noticeably better at Phoenix, and it gave drivers a handful at Darlington, even if the excess tire wear and attrition were not as evident as initially expected.

Since the Next Gen Car's inception in 2022, short tracks have failed to live up to expectations as drivers have been unable to make moves on the track due to low tire wear. Sunday will be the first true test to see if any improvements have been made with the new package.