2019 STP 500

Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]
Race 6 of 36 in the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Martinsville Speedway
Date	March 24, 2019 (2019-03-24)
Location	Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia
Course	Permanent racing facility 0.526 mi (0.847 km)
Distance	500 laps, 263 mi (423.5 km)
Average speed	78.158 miles per hour (125.783 km/h)
Pole position
Driver	Joey Logano	Team Penske
Time	19.356
Most laps led
Driver	Brad Keselowski	Team Penske
Laps	446
Winner
No. 2	Brad Keselowski	Team Penske
Television in the United States
Network	FS1
Announcers	Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Darrell Waltrip
Nielsen Ratings	2.455 million[9]
Radio in the United States
Radio	MRN
Booth Announcers	Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle, and Rusty Wallace
Turn Announcers	Dave Moody (Backstretch)

The 2019 STP 500 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on March 24, 2019, at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia. Contested over 500 laps on the .526 mile (.847 km) paperclip-shaped short track, it was the sixth race of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948.

Clint Bowyer was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 19.387 seconds and a speed of 97.674 mph (157.191 km/h).^[10]

Chase Elliott was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 19.413 seconds and a speed of 97.543 mph (156.980 km/h).^[11]

Joey Logano scored the pole for the race with a time of 19.356 and a speed of 97.830 mph (157.442 km/h).^[12]

• William Byron, D. J. Kennington, and Jeb Burton all starting at the back due to failing inspection.

Stage One Laps: 130

Stage Two Laps: 130

Stage Three Laps: 240

• Lead changes: 4 among 3 different drivers (Laps Led: Keselowski (446), Elliott (49), Logano (5))
• Cautions/Laps: 7 for 56
• Red flags: 0
• Time of race: 3 hours, 21 minutes and 54 seconds
• Average speed: 78.158 miles per hour (125.783 km/h)

Fox Sports covered their 19th race at the Martinsville Speedway. Mike Joy, nine-time Martinsville winner Jeff Gordon and 11-time Martinsville winner Darrell Waltrip called the race from the booth. Jamie Little, Vince Welch and Matt Yocum handled pit road duties for the entire race.

MRN had the radio call for the race which was also simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle and seven-time Martinsville winner Rusty Wallace called the race in the booth as the cars raced down the frontstretch. Dave Moody called the race from atop the turn 3 stands as the field raced down the backstretch. Winston Kelley, Steve Post and Dillon Welch worked pit road for the radio side.

Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Kyle Busch 273 2 2 Denny Hamlin 252 (–21) 3 Kevin Harvick 248 (–25) 2 4 Joey Logano 245 (–28) 5 Brad Keselowski 236 (–37) 6 Aric Almirola 215 (–58) 7 Martin Truex Jr. 207 (–66) 2 8 Ryan Blaney 203 (–70) 3 9 Chase Elliott 186 (–87) 1 10 Kurt Busch 185 (–88) 3 11 Kyle Larson 182 (–91) 1 12 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 158 (–115) 2 13 Clint Bowyer 157 (–116) 1 14 Erik Jones 140 (–133) 1 15 Jimmie Johnson 134 (–139) 2 16 Daniel Suárez 134 (–139) Official driver's standings

Manufacturers' Championship standings Pos Manufacturer Points 1 Toyota 223 2 Ford 222 (–1) 3 Chevrolet 194 (–29) Note: Only the first 16 positions are included for the driver standings.