What happened
At the end of the 130-lap opening stage at Martinsville, Kyle Larson was 23rd and a lap down after staying out on worn tires. Cars that had stopped for fresh rubber drove past him as the stage ran to its scheduled conclusion without a caution. William Byron lapped his Hendrick Motorsports teammate after passing Ryan Preece for the lead in the closing part of the stage.
Crew chief Cliff Daniels said the plan was to match Denny Hamlin’s pace throughout the opening stage. His expectation of a caution rested on previous races at the track, where an opening-stage yellow had repeatedly interrupted the run. Daniels said matching Hamlin still looked reasonable until about 30 laps remained in the opening stage.
What it cost
Daniel Suarez finished ahead of Larson for the free pass at the stage break, leaving Larson trapped a lap behind. Larson missed another chance when Carson Hocevar spun during the next stage, prolonging the recovery from the decision to stay out.
Larson regained the lead lap after the caution for contact involving Joey Logano, Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin. He recovered to finish 9th.
What could have been done differently
Daniels should have split the opening stage with a tire stop, as most of the field did. The cars that stopped regained their laps, showing that the grip available after a tire change justified surrendering track position for service.