DFS NASCAR: Goody's Fast Relief 500 Track Breakdown

From the longest track on the NASCAR schedule one weekend to the shortest the next, that’s what Sunday brings. Martinsville, “The Paperclip,” is a .526-mile loop with just 12 degrees of banking in the turns. Short track racing offers the chance to get laps led dominators on the roster but does have the con of costing quite a bit of places and laps if anything should happen to the car.  Take for example the April race in which none of the drivers that started in the top-five finished better than seventh and the pole sitter ended 11^th. Typically however, 87% of the eventual winners come from the top-five starting places. Dating back to 2010, every race save for two at Martinsville, has had one or two drivers dominate in laps led with 125+ led in each race.

Martinsville Speedway Track Breakdown

Key Drivers on Short Tracks

Drivers to watch this week:

Kyle Busch: Kyle was in complete command of the race in April, leading 352 of the 500 laps and charging to the front after starting seventh. However, aside from that race, he hasn’t done much at the track in the last three years. Busch has two top-fives and 374 laps led meaning he has just one other top-five and 22 laps led in the four other races combined.  He had been a on a roll prior to last week’s race at Talladega when engine issues and minor crashes played a role. At $10,700 this week, he could be worth it if he has the same car as April but it may be a risk.

Joey Logano: Logano has the best average starting position in the field at 1.6 over the last five races here but finishes an average of 12^th, though that’s not uncommon on short tracks. He does however lead the field in laps led with 435 over the last three years and does have three top-five finishes, meaning the 37^th place finish is weighing down his average finish place. At $9,800 this week, he provides an elite level driver for slightly less than elite pricing.

Jimmie Johnson: J.J. has been better at Martinsville than any other short track on the NASCAR schedule with a bulk of his laps led coming at The Paperclip. In his history here, he has two races since 2010 where he has led better than 300 laps. Johnson is in the Round of 8 for the first time since this iteration of the Chase was formed and is now looking to capitalize for his seventh Sprint Cup Championship. This week could very well jump start his trip to Miami-Homestead and at $10.500, he offers a slightly cheaper option than the aforementioned Kyle Busch.

Jeff Gordon: Gordon is back in the 88-car this Sunday as he and Alex Bowman continue to switch off for the remainder of the season. Gordon has a win and three top-10 finishes in the last four races here (he didn’t race in the spring races this season) as well as the best average finish at sixth in that span. He has shown that the rust hasn’t really been there when he has been on the track this season with 33.25 FPPR on average. At $8,800 for Martinsville, his consistency makes him worth the mid-tier price he is tagged with.

Cole Whitt: Whitt is one of the drivers that has to qualify into the race, since he doesn’t have a charter that automatically gets him in, however if he makes it, a budget option he could be. Whitt owns the only double-digit positive positional differential in the field over the last five races with a mark of +10.2. He also has two top-20 finishes to his credit after starting in the mid-30s in the grid. There is a chance that he doesn’t make the 40-car field, but if he does the $5,200 price fits easily into any format.