As the Martinsville Cup race approaches on Sunday, Kyle Larson lies on the edge of the cutline, after his last-lap upset at Talladega last week when he ran out of fuel. Similarly, while not in playoff contention, Larson’s Xfinity protégé drove in the Martinsville race under high stress, an event that was filled with long runs, tight handling, and a late-race incident that tried his patience and expertise.

Entering the Paperclip, his second outing at the fabled venue, it was a chance for him to build on the learnings of the spring race. And Day proved that in the practice, as he posted the third-quickest lap. But the actual race reminded the No. 17 how the two things are very different from each other.

Corey Day’s tough Martinsville night

As the race started, Day looked determined to turn things around. And he showed it right away! Day finished Stage 1 in 10th position, with aggressive yet calculated driving. “We fired off like stage one really, really good. Drove by a bunch of people. Thought had a really good car and then that long run there and the run before that we just fired off pretty tight,” he summarized his early race experience.

However, just as things started to look bright for the Kyle Larson prodigy, they took an unwanted turn. By Stage 2, Day fell back to 13th place. Then, on Lap 112, he was involved in an on-track incident, which pushed him further down. Luckily, Day pitted for four new tires under caution, which helped him move up again to 13th position by the end of the night. However, he was ultimately disappointed and believed he could’ve done much better.

“I think you know that last stage we got a pretty close there, but you know it always is an equalizer on pace when you have a yellow, everyone’s super slow for five laps or so so you can’t, it’s hard to really make a lot of passes back up,” he explained.

Though Day made his comeback post the incident, the cautions at the end always neutralize the speed, erasing any gaps he had built and making it extremely tough to move back up through the pack.

Lastly, he concluded, saying, “Good day overall to qualify where we did and end up way better than that. Good laps for me.” While the Martinsville result wasn’t ideal for him, the experience underscored both growth and potential for future Xfinity (now O’Reilly) Series runs.

And while Day’s race is over, his mentor Larson’s got some positive news entering Martinsville.

Kyle Larson grabs key starting spot at Martinsville

Kyle Larson couldn’t have picked a better time to deliver one of his best qualifying efforts of the season. Sitting fourth in the playoff standings and just 36 points above the cutline, the pressure heading into Martinsville is sky-high. And Larson answered with a clutch third-place qualifying run.

Only William Byron and Ty Gibbs managed to go quicker, with Larson’s 19.315-second lap putting him in a prime inside-lane spot near the restart zone.

Starting up front at the Paperclip gives him a golden opportunity to grab stage points early, stay clear of the bumper-banging chaos in traffic, and control his own race pace. At a short track where every inch matters, clean air and pit road access can be the difference between advancing and elimination.

Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports team knows the assignment. Avoid mistakes, nail every pit stop, and keep the car balanced on long runs. Qualifying ahead of key playoff rivals like Joey Logano (4th), Christopher Bell (12th), and Ryan Blaney (31st) gives Larson the edge right from the green flag. If he can maintain that track position, he can force the rest of the field to play catch-up.

The plan now is simple: run up front, bag stage points, and stay out of trouble. Martinsville may be small, but it’s unforgiving. One mistimed bump or slow pit stop can turn a solid day into heartbreak. But with this starting spot, Larson’s got the leverage he needs. If he turns it into a clean, consistent race, that Championship 4 ticket could very well be his.

Third on the grid doesn’t sound flashy. But in a playoff race like this, it might just be the lifeline Kyle Larson needs.