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
Driver | Draft Kings | NASCAR Live | Description |
Jimmie Johnson | $10,600 | $26.25 | The 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 | $26.25 | Busch 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 | $28.00 | Logano 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 | $27.75 | Larson 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 | $27.25 | Harvick 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 | $27.00 | Brad 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 | $27.00 | Truex 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 | $27.50 | Elliott 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 | $21.50 | Jamie 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 | $17.00 | Bowyer 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 | $23.00 | Kahne 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 | $17.50 | Bayne 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 | $20.50 | Dillon 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 | $10.50 | McDowell 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 Winner | Kyle Larson |
Bonus Manufacturer | Chevy |
Total | $96.75 |
Streak To The Finish | Chase Elliott |