Martinsville Groovy Gauge Presented by Lectric eBikes

Chevrolet is finally on the board in 2026, but it took a little luck and a bold call to get there. Chase Elliott capitalized on perfectly timed cautions and late-race execution to steal a Martinsville win away from a dominant Denny Hamlin, flipping the script in a race that didn’t really come alive until the closing laps. Here’s how it scored on the Groovy Gauge, powered by Lectric eBikes.

Groovy Gauge Score: 45%

• Eric believes the race was a snoozer for much of the day, with long green flag runs and minimal passing, in a hard race for drivers to move through the field.
• Eric thinks the expected tire falloff and long-run comers and goers never materialized, especially compared to previous Martinsville races with the same package.
• Eric believes the Next Gen car and the concrete surface continue to produce inconsistent and often underwhelming short-track racing.
• Eric thinks the final 80 to 100 laps added some intrigue with cautions and incidents, but that late chaos only slightly salvaged an otherwise dull event.
• Eric lands at 45% on the Groovy Gauge, calling it a below-average race that relied on late drama to avoid being one of the weaker Martinsville showings in recent memory.

2026 Groovy Gauge Score Tracker