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Ford Authority

NASCAR Ford Teams Lead And Lose At Martinsville April 2023: Video

The NASCAR Ford teams showed muscle in the early stages of the Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway on April 17th, 2023, but a series of cautions, both for stage breaks and on-track incidents, cut The Blue Oval’s efforts short of a win.

Ryan Preece and the No. 41 NASCAR Ford Mustang started on the pole position, showing the way for every lap on his way to his first career stage win. He went on to lead 135 of 400 laps before being nabbed for speeding on Pit Road, forcing Preece and the No. 41 Mustang to the tail end of the field. Ultimately, he recovered enough to finish 15th, but once the No. 41 Mustang became mired deep in traffic, Preece found himself unable to pass and make it back to the front.

Meanwhile, Chase Briscoe led 109 laps in the No. 14 NASCAR Mustang, but fell to fifth place once the checkered flag flew. Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Mustang, captured his first stage win since 2020 and led for 20 laps, but a mechanical issue relegated him to a 20th-place finish at the line.

Joey Logano’s No. 22 Mustang had better luck than his fellow NASCAR Ford compatriots. He started at the rear due to a water tank leak that his team had to address ahead of the race, and fought his way through traffic, salvaging a second-place finish. Martin Truex Jr.’s No. 19 Toyota TRD Camry finished third, followed by the No. 11 Camry of Denny Hamlin in fourth. After Briscoe’s No. 14 Mustang in fifth, the No. 10 Mustang of Aric Almirola finished sixth.

Kyle Larson’s No. 5 Camaro crossed the finish line first, over four seconds ahead of Logano’s No. 22 Mustang.

It’s worth noting that the Mustang race cars were not the only pony cars out at Martinsville Speedway. The official pace car for the Cup Series race was the 2024 Ford Mustang, making its debut on the racetrack.

NASCAR Cup Series Race Results, Martinsville Speedway, April 16, 2023
Finish Start Car Number Driver Team Laps Run Laps Led Car
1 19 5 Kyle Larson HendrickCars.com Chevrolet 400 30 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
2 15 22 Joey Logano Verizon 5G Ford 400 25 Ford Mustang
3 5 19 Martin Truex Jr. Bass Pro Shops Toyota 400 0 Toyota TRD Camry
4 11 11 Denny Hamlin Sport Clips Haircuts Toyota 400 36 Toyota TRD Camry
5 4 14 Chase Briscoe HighPoint.com Ford 400 109 Ford Mustang
6 3 10 Aric Almirola Smithfield Ford 400 0 Ford Mustang
7 31 12 Ryan Blaney Advance Auto Parts Ford 400 0 Ford Mustang
8 16 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Kroger/Tree Top Chevrolet 400 0 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
9 9 23 Bubba Wallace McDonald's Toyota 400 0 Toyota TRD Camry
10 24 9 Chase Elliott NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet 400 0 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
11 23 48 Alex Bowman Ally Chevrolet 400 0 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
12 18 3 Austin Dillon Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet 400 0 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
13 34 1 Ross Chastain Unishippers Chevrolet 400 31 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
14 10 17 Chris Buescher Nexletol Ford 400 0 Ford Mustang
15 1 41 Ryan Preece HaasTooling.com Ford 400 135 Ford Mustang
16 22 20 Christopher Bell Shingrix Toyota 400 0 Toyota TRD Camry
17 2 99 Daniel Suarez Worldwide Express Chevrolet 400 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
18 12 54 Ty Gibbs # Monster Energy Toyota 400 0 Toyota TRD Camry
19 20 34 Michael McDowell Long John Silver's Ford 400 0 Ford Mustang
20 7 4 Kevin Harvick Realtree/Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford 400 20 Ford Mustang
21 17 8 Kyle Busch Mark III Employee Benefits Chevrolet 400 0 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
22 6 45 Tyler Reddick The Beast Unleashed Toyota 400 0 Toyota TRD Camry
23 8 24 William Byron Liberty University Chevrolet 400 0 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
24 21 6 Brad Keselowski Fastenal Ford 400 7 Ford Mustang
25 13 38 Todd Gilliland Frontline Enterprises Inc. Ford 399 0 Ford Mustang
26 27 7 Corey LaJoie NEGU Chevrolet 399 0 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
27 14 16 AJ Allmendinger Action Industries Chevrolet 399 0 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
28 26 31 Justin Haley LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet 398 0 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
29 32 21 Harrison Burton Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford 398 0 Ford Mustang
30 29 42 Noah Gragson # Sunseeker Resort Chevrolet 398 0 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
31 28 43 Erik Jones Allegiant Chevrolet 398 0 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
32 35 77 Ty Dillon NationsGuard Chevrolet 397 0 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
33 25 2 Austin Cindric Menards/Libman Ford 397 0 Ford Mustang
34 33 51 Zane Smith(i) Biohaven/Jacob Co. Ford 395 0 Ford Mustang
35 30 78 Anthony Alfredo(i) Andy's Frozen Custard Chevrolet 390 0 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
36 36 15 JJ Yeley(i) Isaacson Concrete & Excavating Ford 337 0 Ford Mustang

# – Rookie
i – Points ineligible
* – Part-time driver

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Alexandra is a Colorado-based journalist with a passion for all things involving horsepower, be it automotive or equestrian.

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Comments

  1. Why is the 21, Harrison Burton so slow every week?

    Reply
  2. He’s not the slow one here, you are. You forget he’s the new guy at the Wood Brothers team. He’s had some good runs but still needs more wheel.time under his belt to be a serous contender. He’ll come around in due time. Don’t count him.out to soon as he may just surprise in the long run. Go Harrison…

    Reply
  3. Another humiliating defeat for Ford administered by Chevrolet!

    Reply
  4. To whom it may concern my name is clarencewalker I look for work I work on race car

    Reply

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