Chase Elliott Wins Martinsville After Crew Chief's Gutsy Call

Elliott's crew chief Alan Gustafson made a bold two-stop strategy that paid off with a victory.

Mar. 31, 2026 at 5:53pm

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting the final laps of a NASCAR race, with overlapping planes of color representing the cars and track in an abstract, deconstructed style.Elliott's late-race charge to the front at Martinsville was the result of a bold pit strategy call from his crew chief.Martinsville Today

Chase Elliott and the No. 9 team could have settled for a likely top-10 finish at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday. But crew chief Alan Gustafson had other plans. Gustafson made the call to short pit Elliott and employ a two-stop strategy, which allowed Elliott to gain track position and ultimately race Denny Hamlin straight up for the win.

Why it matters

Gustafson's gutsy pit call was a risk, but it paid off with Elliott's first victory of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. The win moves Elliott up to fourth in the points standings and validates Gustafson's strategy, which has faced criticism in the past.

The details

Running ninth on Lap 261 in Stage 3, Gustafson made the call to send Elliott down pit road. The idea was to short pit and use a two-stop strategy to gain track position. It worked, as the No. 9 team got the caution they were looking for on Lap 311. A subsequent caution on Lap 324 forced one final restart with 68 laps to go. Elliott was then able to get in front of Hamlin for the lead and hold him off to secure the victory, despite Hamlin leading 292-of-400 laps.

  • On Lap 261 in Stage 3, Gustafson called Elliott to pit road to short pit and employ a two-stop strategy.
  • The caution Elliott's team was hoping for came on Lap 311.
  • Another caution on Lap 324 set up a final restart with 68 laps remaining.

The players

Chase Elliott

The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion, currently sitting fourth in the 2026 points standings with four top-10 finishes in seven races.

Alan Gustafson

The crew chief for Chase Elliott's No. 9 team, who made the bold call to short pit and use a two-stop strategy that ultimately led to the victory.

Denny Hamlin

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver who led 292-of-400 laps at Martinsville but was unable to hold off Elliott in the closing laps.

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What they’re saying

“From my perspective, that wasn't the first time we've been in a situation like that where we got the lead or had a good pit stop or whatever it was for the last stage or the start of the last stage. When all that first started back, I'm just kind of thinking, 'Hey, if this thing goes green to the end, how can I leave myself in an offensive position?'”

— Chase Elliott, NASCAR Driver

“Super happy that it paid off. We were just kind of trapped in like 10th spot. It's really hard to pass, and we just needed to do something different. Mathematically, it was close for us to either split that run or two-stop it. I just felt like it was worth a shot. Obviously, the caution's great. Gave us track position and the rest is history.”

— Alan Gustafson, Crew Chief

What’s next

Elliott will look to build on his Martinsville victory as the NASCAR Cup Series season continues. The next race is scheduled for April 13th at Richmond Raceway.

The takeaway

Gustafson's bold pit call at Martinsville paid dividends, allowing Elliott to race Hamlin straight up for the win and move up in the points standings. The victory validates Gustafson's strategy and shows the importance of crew chiefs making gutsy decisions to give their drivers the best chance to win.