Nemechek Heads Martinsville Qualifying Order as NASCAR Sets Championship Weekend Grid

NASCAR has set the qualifying orders for its championship-deciding weekend at Martinsville Speedway, with John Hunter Nemechek heading the Cup Series order on a metric score of 36.300. Connor Zilisch and AJ Allmendinger follow in the 37-driver Cup field, while the championship contenders are grouped behind the other entrants, with Chase Elliott first among them in 22nd and points leader Kyle Larson last of all in 37th. In the O'Reilly Series, Justin Carroll leads a 38-driver order, and in the Truck Series Tyler Tomassi heads a 36-driver field, with Martinsville's 0.526-mile short track set to host all three series as the season reaches its final two races. Practice and qualifying will sort the actual starting grids, but the metric-based orders already underline how tight the run-in has become: with two races left in the Chase, every position on track at Martinsville — one of the tightest, most patience-testing circuits on the calendar — could shape who is still standing when the championship reaches its finale.