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 17^th, 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 15^th, 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 20^th-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.

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

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