STP 500

Martinsville Speedway

NASCAR heads back east this week with them completing the “NASCAR goes west” part of the schedule. Kyle Larson finally got a win under his belt, just the second of his career, after finishing second at each of Atlanta, Las Vegas, and Phoenix the past three weeks. Several late restarts tested the 42-car just about as much as he could be but he was able to power past the field toward the checkered flag.

From one of the longer tracks on the circuit, we now come to the shortest oval on the premier cups schedule in Martinsville. The Paperclip as it’s known, due to it’s slight shape, is just 0.526 miles around per lap and has turns banked at just 12 degrees. Speeds will be slow here and brakes will be ridden. The 500 in the race title does in fact mean 500 laps around for a total distance of 263 miles on the afternoon. With there being so many laps, expect laps led numbers to be much higher than usual because passing for the lead is very tough to do at the ‘Clip. Jimmy Johnson has led nearly over 2,800 laps in his 30 races here, averaging out to just less than 100 a race, or a fifth of each trip made to the southern Virginia track. Passing in general is hard here. Just 13% of eventual winners have come from outside the top five starting spots in the grid, that’s one of the lowest percentages that we see on the schedule.

This will be the first of a few upcoming races at short tracks as the schedule brings us to Texas Motor Speedway next week but then it’s back to Bristol and Richmond, after a week off. Now each track is obviously different, however the style of racing tends to be the same, which benefits some drivers compared to others. Those with dirt track backgrounds tend to be better on the short tracks just like those with open wheel experience are typically better on road courses.

DFS Playbook

DriverDraft KingsNASCAR LiveDescription
Jimmie Johnson$10,600$26.25The man who has nine grandfather clocks in his career will be starting mid-pack Sunday. He is a risk at this price but one that could really pay dividends if he finds his groove
Kyle Busch$10,300$26.25Busch is arguably the best driver in recent history at Martinsville with a win and three top-fives in the three races he's run. He is second in laps led with 355 as well. Either works
Joey Logano$10,100$28.00Logano leads the pack in laps led with 357 and has a top-five and two top-10s. He does however tend to go backwards during the race though which limits his value. GPP is better
Kyle Larson$10,000$27.75Larson is the pole sitter after a cancelled qualifying session and is the hottest driver on the track. Pole sitters fare well here and it makes sense to play him in either format
Kevin Harvick$9,800$27.25Harvick isn't the strongest play here but he is third in laps led in the last two years and has two top-10 finishes. His starting spot near the front of the pack gives him good upside
Brad Keselowski$9,500$27.00Brad has three top-five finishes in the last four races at Martinsville and has had a very fast car at each of the practices this week. At less than elite pricing, he is well worth it
Martin Truex Jr.$9,400$27.00Truex has three top-10s and is fifth in laps led here and has six top-10s in the last 12 short track races. He has shown top-five speed at practice as well making his value very good
Chase Elliott$9,100$27.50Elliott is coming off the a win in the Truck race and starts second in the Cup race Sunday. He has a short history at the track but is showing his talent again this week. Either works
Jamie McMurray$8,100$21.50Jamie Mac has shown high end speed all season long and now he's at a track with good history. Three top-10s in four races and has two top-fives in practice this week. GPP works
Clint Bowyer$8,000$17.00Bowyer was the fastest car at the final practice on Saturday but he has a checkered history at Martinsville. A few recent good showings have him in line for a GPP play
Kasey Kahne$7,300$23.00Kahne is just outside of an average top-20 finish but has the speed this week to do just that. At mid-tier pricing he is certainly worth the chance in either lineup this week
Trevor Bayne$7,200$17.50Bayne has one of the best positional differentials in the field this week which will come in very handy. The upside here is his P16 starting spot that could put him in the top-10
Austin Dillon$7,000$20.50Dillon owns one of the best postional differentials in the field here and has a top-five finish. His starting spot on Sunday makes him a good play in either GPP or cash lineup
Michael McDowell$5,600$10.50McDowell is another driver with a top positional differential in the field this week. He also has a top-20 finish to his credit here and at the cheap price can help with roster building
Cole Whitt$5,100$5.25

Whitt, like McDowell, is a budget play to help get more expensive guys on the roster but carries value in his positional differential at Martinsville over the last four races

Optimal Lineups

Draft Kings Cash 
Jimmy Johnson$10,600
Kyle Larson$10,000
Brad Keselowski$9,500
Trevor Bayne$7,200
Austin Dillon$7,000
Cole Whitt$5,100
  
Total$49,400

*You can pivot from Brad Keselowski to Denny Hamlin with this lineup

Draft Kings GPP 
Kyle Busch$10,300
Kyle Larson$10,000
Martin Truex Jr.$9,400
Jamie McMurray$8,100
Austin Dillon$7,000
Cole Whitt$5,100
  
Total$49,900

 

NASCAR Live

 
Kyle Larson$27.75
Jimmie Johnson$26.25
Brad Keselowski$27.00
Michael McDowell$10.50
Cole Whitt$5.25
Bonus WinnerKyle Larson
Bonus ManufacturerChevy
  
Total

$96.75

 

Streak To The FinishChase Elliott