# 2019 First Data 500

The 2019 First Data 500 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on October 27, 2019, at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia. Contested over 500 laps on the .526 mile (.847 km) short track, it was the 33rd race of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, seventh race of the Playoffs, and first race of the Round of 8.

## Report
### Background

Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series. The track is also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948. Along with this, Martinsville is the only NASCAR oval track on the entire NASCAR track circuit to have asphalt surfaces on the straightaways, then concrete to cover the turns.

#### Entry list

* (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 00 | Landon Cassill (i) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet |
| 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 8 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet |
| 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 27 | Reed Sorenson | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford |
| 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 36 | Matt Crafton (i) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 41 | Daniel Suárez | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 47 | Ryan Preece (R) | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 51 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 52 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 53 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 77 | Timmy Hill (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 95 | Matt DiBenedetto | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota |
| Official entry list ||||
* Matt Tifft was supposed to drive No. 36 car but he was hospitalized after suffering “a medical condition”. Matt Crafton was called to replace Tifft in the No. 36 car. Tifft has not raced in NASCAR since the hospitalization.

## Practice
### First practice

Joey Logano was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 19.591 seconds and a speed of 96.657 mph (155.554 km/h).
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 19.591 | 96.657 |
| 2 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 19.689 | 96.176 |
| 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 19.732 | 95.966 |
| Official first practice results |||||||

### Final practice

Brad Keselowski was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 19.667 seconds and a speed of 96.283 mph (154.952 km/h).
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 19.667 | 96.283 |
| 2 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 19.774 | 95.762 |
| 3 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 19.786 | 95.704 |
| Official final practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Denny Hamlin scored the pole for the race with a time of 19.354 and a speed of 97.840 mph (157.458 km/h).

### Qualifying results

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time |
| 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 19.354 |
| 2 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19.383 |
| 3 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 19.429 |
| 4 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 19.453 |
| 5 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 19.471 |
| 6 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 19.487 |
| 7 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 19.488 |
| 8 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 19.492 |
| 9 | 41 | Daniel Suárez | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 19.506 |
| 10 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 19.509 |
| 11 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19.525 |
| 12 | 95 | Matt DiBenedetto | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota | 19.545 |
| 13 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 19.547 |
| 14 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 19.547 |
| 15 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 19.579 |
| 16 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 19.593 |
| 17 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 19.619 |
| 18 | 8 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 19.641 |
| 19 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19.650 |
| 20 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 19.669 |
| 21 | 47 | Ryan Preece (R) | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 19.686 |
| 22 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 19.688 |
| 23 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 19.732 |
| 24 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19.742 |
| 25 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 19.745 |
| 26 | 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 19.756 |
| 27 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 19.762 |
| 28 | 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 19.796 |
| 29 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 19.821 |
| 30 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 19.900 |
| 31 | 36 | Matt Crafton (i) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 20.031 |
| 32 | 00 | Landon Cassill | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 20.070 |
| 33 | 51 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 20.141 |
| 34 | 27 | Reed Sorenson | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.150 |
| 35 | 53 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 20.292 |
| 36 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.401 |
| 37 | 77 | Timmy Hill (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.449 |
| 38 | 52 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 20.477 |
| Official qualifying results ||||||

## Race
### Stage results

Stage One Laps: 130
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 41 | Daniel Suárez | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage one results ||||||
Stage Two Laps: 130
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage two results ||||||

### Final stage results

Stage Three Laps: 240
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| 1 | 3 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 500 | 60 |
| 2 | 11 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 45 |
| 3 | 15 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 500 | 35 |
| 4 | 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 500 | 45 |
| 5 | 6 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 500 | 48 |
| 6 | 25 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 31 |
| 7 | 22 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 500 | 30 |
| 8 | 10 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 500 | 42 |
| 9 | 14 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 37 |
| 10 | 35 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 500 | 27 |
| 11 | 17 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 500 | 26 |
| 12 | 20 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 25 |
| 13 | 26 | 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 24 |
| 14 | 13 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 500 | 29 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 500 | 22 |
| 16 | 12 | 95 | Matt DiBenedetto | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota | 500 | 21 |
| 17 | 18 | 8 | Daniel Hemric (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 20 |
| 18 | 36 | 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 500 | 19 |
| 19 | 21 | 47 | Ryan Preece (R) | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 18 |
| 20 | 8 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 499 | 19 |
| 21 | 28 | 21 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 499 | 16 |
| 22 | 23 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 499 | 15 |
| 23 | 5 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 499 | 14 |
| 24 | 27 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 498 | 13 |
| 25 | 29 | 36 | Matt Crafton (i) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 495 | 0 |
| 26 | 30 | 00 | Landon Cassill (i) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 495 | 0 |
| 27 | 38 | 51 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 494 | 0 |
| 28 | 32 | 53 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 494 | 0 |
| 29 | 33 | 15 | Ross Chastain (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 494 | 0 |
| 30 | 19 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 494 | 7 |
| 31 | 9 | 41 | Daniel Suárez | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 488 | 7 |
| 32 | 34 | 52 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 487 | 0 |
| 33 | 31 | 27 | Reed Sorenson | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 452 | 4 |
| 34 | 37 | 77 | Timmy Hill (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 450 | 0 |
| 35 | 7 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 449 | 9 |
| 36 | 2 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 445 | 4 |
| 37 | 4 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 363 | 11 |
| 38 | 24 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 361 | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||

### Race statistics

* Lead changes: 3 among 3 different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 11 for 69
* Red flags: 0
* Time of race: 3 hours, 29 minutes and 9 seconds
* Average speed: 75.448 miles per hour (121.422 km/h)

## Media
### Television

NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, 1997 race winner Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and 2014 race winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. had the call in the booth for the race. Parker Kligerman, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast reported from pit lane during the race.
NBCSN :
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen Color-commentator: Jeff Burton Color-commentator: Steve Letarte Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Parker Kligerman Marty Snider Kelli Stavast |

### Radio

MRN covered the radio call for the race, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle, and 7 time Martinsville winner Rusty Wallace had the call for MRN when the field raced down the front straightaway. Dave Moody covered the action for MRN when the field raced down the backstraightway into turn 3. Winston Kelley, Steve Post, Kim Coon, and Dillon Welch had the call for MRN from pit lane.
MRN :
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Rusty Wallace | Backstretch: Dave Moody | Winston Kelley Steve Post Kim Coon Dillon Welch |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| 1 | 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | 4,102 |
| 1 | 2 | Denny Hamlin | 4,082 (–20) |
| 2 | 3 | Kyle Busch | 4,075 (–27) |
| | 4 | Joey Logano | 4,072 (–30) |
| | 5 | Kevin Harvick | 4,058 (–44) |
| 2 | 6 | Ryan Blaney | 4,057 (–45) |
| | 7 | Kyle Larson | 4,048 (–54) |
| 2 | 8 | Chase Elliott | 4,028 (–74) |
| | 9 | Brad Keselowski | 2,264 (–1,838) |
| | 10 | William Byron | 2,226 (–1,876) |
| 1 | 11 | Clint Bowyer | 2,190 (–1,912) |
| 1 | 12 | Alex Bowman | 2,172 (–1,930) |
| 1 | 13 | Kurt Busch | 2,161 (–1,941) |
| 1 | 14 | Aric Almirola | 2,159 (–1,943) |
| | 15 | Ryan Newman | 2,148 (–1,954) |
| | 16 | Erik Jones | 2,091 (–2,011) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Toyota | 1,207 |
| 2 | Ford | 1,161 (–46) |
| 3 | Chevrolet | 1,128 (–79) |