For the first race in the penultimate round of the NASCAR Cup series playoffs, the field makes a trip back to the only track to be on the NASCAR schedule every year since the first year of NASCAR in 1948. That's right it’s short track racing at Martinsville Speedway this week as the remaining eight drivers try to punch their ticket into the championship race at Homestead-Miami in three week’s time.
Known as “The Paperclip,” and one look at the track from an aerial view will show you how it got that nickname, it is the short track on the schedule at just .526 miles in length for one lap and it’s one of the flattest too. The straightaways have no banking to speak of and the turns are banked at a 12 degree pitch all the way from the curb to the outer runoff area. As a whole though the narrowness of the track and the shortness of it make it a track that can be tough to navigate on without issues occurring. Eight drivers in the field this week have a +6.0 PD mark in the last five races but most of those advancements are from the fact that there are a ton of cautions at the track. In fact over the last 10 races here there have been an average of 12.2 cautions per race at the aptly nicknamed the “Half-mile of Mayhem.”
This week the 500 in the race name signifies the number of laps run in the race, or at least the scheduled distance for the race. With that many laps being run and a short track on tap, it will lead to a lot of laps led from a couple of drivers. There are also a ton of bonus points available for laps led and fastest laps and laps completed so scoring will be high this week. That being said the last time the pole sitter led more than a handful of laps was this race two years ago when Martin Truex Jr. led 147 of the 500 laps after starting P1 on the grid.
Track Data
Last Five Races at Martinsville Speedway
| Avg. | Avg. | Avg. | Top | Top | Top | Top | Laps | |||
| Driver | Races | Start | Run Pos. | Finish | Wins | 5s | 10s | 15s | 20s | Led |
| Kyle Busch | 5 | 8.4 | 3 | 2.2 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 837 |
| Brad Keselowski | 5 | 9 | 5.6 | 4.4 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 225 |
| Clint Bowyer | 5 | 16 | 16.6 | 12.8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 215 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 5 | 17.2 | 10 | 10.4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 116 |
| Martin Truex Jr | 5 | 4.6 | 7.4 | 9.4 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 193 |
| Austin Dillon | 5 | 23.6 | 17.4 | 13.8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Kevin Harvick | 5 | 13.8 | 11.2 | 13.4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 72 |
| AJ Allmendinger | 5 | 18.4 | 15 | 13.2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Matt Kenseth | 4 | 17 | 7 | 9.3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 221 |
| Joey Logano | 5 | 2.4 | 9 | 10.8 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 102 |
| Chase Elliott | 5 | 8.2 | 11.4 | 14.2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 143 |
| Denny Hamlin | 5 | 8 | 13 | 18.2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 190 |
| Ryan Blaney | 5 | 8.6 | 11.6 | 14.8 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 145 |
| Kyle Larson | 5 | 9 | 13.4 | 17.4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 29 |
| Ryan Newman | 5 | 12.2 | 14.8 | 13.4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr | 5 | 23 | 29 | 25.8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Paul Menard | 5 | 15.6 | 17.6 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 10 |
| Alex Bowman | 1 | 16 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Jamie McMurray | 5 | 15.4 | 21.6 | 24.8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Aric Almirola | 5 | 14.8 | 21.2 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Kurt Busch | 5 | 16.4 | 14.8 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Erik Jones | 3 | 12 | 17 | 18.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Daniel Suarez | 3 | 19 | 22.7 | 21.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Chris Buescher | 5 | 29.8 | 26.6 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Michael McDowell | 5 | 25.4 | 24.2 | 21.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| William Byron | 1 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Regan Smith | 2 | 27.5 | 30 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| BJ McLoud | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hermie Sadler | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ty Dillon | 3 | 27 | 26.7 | 24.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cole Whitt | 4 | 31.8 | 27 | 25.8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| David Ragan | 5 | 25.4 | 28.6 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Landon Cassill | 5 | 32.4 | 29.6 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ross Chastain | 1 | 33 | 31 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| JJ Yeley | 1 | 38 | 30 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Timmy Hill | 1 | 38 | 36 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Matt DiBenedetto | 5 | 29.8 | 30.6 | 33.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bubba Wallace | 1 | 19 | 34 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeffrey Earnhardt | 3 | 37 | 35.3 | 35.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joey Gase | 1 | 37 | 36 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fast | Top 15 | Laps | Avg. | High | Low | Pos | Laps Led | High to | Low to | |
| Driver | Laps | Rate | Comp. | Rating | Rating | Rating | Diff | Pts./Race | Avg Rating | Avg Rating |
| Kyle Busch | 344 | 100% | 2505 | 133 | 148.2 | 122.1 | 6.20 | 41.85 | 15.2 | 10.9 |
| Brad Keselowski | 334 | 95% | 2505 | 117.7 | 133 | 105.3 | 4.60 | 11.25 | 15.3 | 12.4 |
| Clint Bowyer | 147 | 52% | 2497 | 86.5 | 137.9 | 44.2 | 3.20 | 10.75 | 51.4 | 42.3 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 72 | 83% | 2504 | 97.6 | 115.7 | 81.6 | 6.80 | 5.80 | 18.1 | 16 |
| Martin Truex Jr | 108 | 98% | 2505 | 101.1 | 119.1 | 78.5 | -4.80 | 9.65 | 18 | 22.6 |
| Austin Dillon | 20 | 53% | 2497 | 78.2 | 90.3 | 57.9 | 9.80 | 0.00 | 12.1 | 20.3 |
| Kevin Harvick | 126 | 69% | 2503 | 92.2 | 111.9 | 65.9 | 0.40 | 3.60 | 19.7 | 26.3 |
| AJ Allmendinger | 56 | 68% | 2094 | 84.2 | 106.8 | 33.8 | 5.20 | 0.25 | 22.6 | 50.4 |
| Matt Kenseth | 97 | 92% | 2005 | 107 | 129.7 | 92.1 | 7.70 | 13.81 | 22.7 | 14.9 |
| Joey Logano | 139 | 84% | 2504 | 100 | 111.7 | 80.7 | -8.40 | 5.10 | 11.7 | 19.3 |
| Chase Elliott | 125 | 65% | 2502 | 91.4 | 122.1 | 69 | -6.00 | 7.15 | 30.7 | 22.4 |
| Denny Hamlin | 113 | 74% | 2219 | 89.2 | 111.6 | 58.2 | -10.20 | 9.50 | 22.4 | 31 |
| Ryan Blaney | 48 | 63% | 2501 | 89.2 | 121 | 64.8 | -6.20 | 7.25 | 31.8 | 24.4 |
| Kyle Larson | 37 | 75% | 2298 | 85.1 | 109 | 64.6 | -8.40 | 1.45 | 23.9 | 20.5 |
| Ryan Newman | 17 | 49% | 2501 | 79.7 | 87.5 | 70.3 | -1.20 | 0.00 | 7.8 | 9.4 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr | 17 | 13% | 2001 | 48.5 | 71.7 | 24 | -2.80 | 0.00 | 23.2 | 24.5 |
| Paul Menard | 23 | 42% | 2501 | 70.7 | 96.6 | 55.5 | -1.40 | 0.50 | 25.9 | 15.2 |
| Alex Bowman | 13 | 63% | 500 | 85.5 | 85.5 | 85.5 | 9.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamie McMurray | 36 | 29% | 2102 | 69.3 | 92.9 | 58.1 | -9.40 | 0.00 | 23.6 | 11.2 |
| Aric Almirola | 27 | 18% | 2210 | 63.9 | 79.9 | 39.5 | -6.20 | 0.00 | 16 | 24.4 |
| Kurt Busch | 26 | 66% | 2297 | 76.3 | 93.3 | 50.4 | -4.60 | 0.00 | 17 | 25.9 |
| Erik Jones | 9 | 36% | 1501 | 72.4 | 75.6 | 68.3 | -6.30 | 0.00 | 3.2 | 4.1 |
| Daniel Suarez | 16 | 19% | 1491 | 61.3 | 79.5 | 36.4 | -2.70 | 0.00 | 18.2 | 24.9 |
| Chris Buescher | 0 | 7% | 2487 | 50.9 | 67.2 | 33.3 | 6.80 | 0.00 | 16.3 | 17.6 |
| Michael McDowell | 0 | 0% | 2495 | 54.5 | 58 | 45.8 | 3.80 | 0.00 | 3.5 | 8.7 |
| William Byron | 0 | 0% | 497 | 62.7 | 62.7 | 62.7 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 |
| Regan Smith | 6 | 0% | 985 | 44.3 | 45.4 | 43.2 | -4.50 | 0.25 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| BJ McLoud | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | |
| Hermie Sadler | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | |
| Ty Dillon | 2 | 2% | 1496 | 47.9 | 54.4 | 36.8 | 2.30 | 0.00 | 6.5 | 11.1 |
| Cole Whitt | 31 | 1% | 1991 | 46.2 | 50.9 | 39 | 6.00 | 0.00 | 4.7 | 7.2 |
| David Ragan | 17 | 0% | 2419 | 46.7 | 58.1 | 39.7 | -1.60 | 0.00 | 11.4 | 7 |
| Landon Cassill | 35 | 1% | 2202 | 41.8 | 52 | 26.7 | 3.40 | 0.00 | 10.2 | 15.1 |
| Ross Chastain | 0 | 0% | 493 | 35.5 | 35.5 | 35.5 | 4.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 |
| JJ Yeley | 0 | 0% | 493 | 36.3 | 36.3 | 36.3 | 7.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 |
| Timmy Hill | 0 | 0% | 486 | 26.5 | 26.5 | 26.5 | 5.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 |
| Matt DiBenedetto | 14 | 0% | 2060 | 39.6 | 43.1 | 34.5 | -3.60 | 0.00 | ||
| Bubba Wallace | 0 | 0% | 486 | 38.5 | 38.5 | 38.5 | -15.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeffrey Earnhardt | 2 | 1% | 1145 | 28.9 | 32 | 26.2 | 1.30 | 0.00 | 3.1 | 2.7 |
| Joey Gase | 0 | 0% | 490 | 28.9 | 28.9 | 28.9 | 1.00 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 |
Top-15 Drivers Over the Last 10 Races at Martinsville
| Avg. | Avg. | Avg. | Top | Top | Top | Top | Laps | |||
| Driver | Races | Start | Run Pos. | Finish | Wins | 5s | 10s | 15s | 20s | Led |
| Kyle Busch | 9 | 6.7 | 6.1 | 6.2 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 871 |
| Brad Keselowski | 10 | 9.9 | 10.7 | 12.9 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 386 |
| Denny Hamlin | 10 | 7.3 | 11 | 12.9 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 366 |
| Clint Bowyer | 10 | 15.6 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 324 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 10 | 12.5 | 12.6 | 13.8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 535 |
| Kurt Busch | 10 | 17.4 | 13.4 | 20.8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 87 |
| Joey Logano | 10 | 2.5 | 7.8 | 11.7 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 516 |
| Matt Kenseth | 9 | 11.9 | 8.2 | 10.3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 472 |
| Kevin Harvick | 10 | 15.9 | 11.5 | 12.9 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 265 |
| Martin Truex Jr | 10 | 10 | 11.9 | 13.4 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 243 |
| Austin Dillon | 9 | 24.8 | 19.9 | 17.2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 6 |
| AJ Allmendinger | 9 | 15 | 16 | 15.6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 25 |
| Ryan Newman | 10 | 11.2 | 15.9 | 16.2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 2 |
| Jamie McMurray | 10 | 11.7 | 17.3 | 20.4 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 84 |
| Chase Elliott | 6 | 11.3 | 16 | 18.2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 143 |
| Fast | Top 15 | Laps | Avg. | High | Low | Pos. | Laps Led | Rating | |
| Driver | Laps | Rate | Comp. | Rating | Rating | Rating | Diff. | Pts/Race | Range |
| Kyle Busch | 387 | 93% | 4505 | 116.6 | 148.2 | 79.2 | 0.50 | 24.19 | 69 |
| Brad Keselowski | 437 | 78% | 4936 | 103.1 | 133 | 46.6 | -3.00 | 9.65 | 86.4 |
| Denny Hamlin | 257 | 80% | 4719 | 98.3 | 134.9 | 58.2 | -5.60 | 9.15 | 76.7 |
| Clint Bowyer | 252 | 62% | 4682 | 90.5 | 137.9 | 44.2 | 1.70 | 8.10 | 93.7 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 239 | 73% | 4931 | 98.8 | 140.9 | 57.1 | -1.30 | 13.38 | 83.8 |
| Kurt Busch | 61 | 66% | 4720 | 83.4 | 115.8 | 50.4 | -3.40 | 2.18 | 65.4 |
| Joey Logano | 284 | 87% | 4962 | 106.1 | 121.9 | 80.7 | -9.20 | 12.90 | 41.2 |
| Matt Kenseth | 245 | 86% | 4448 | 105.5 | 134.6 | 80.2 | 1.60 | 13.11 | 54.4 |
| Kevin Harvick | 292 | 74% | 4960 | 96.9 | 129 | 65.2 | 3.00 | 6.63 | 63.8 |
| Martin Truex Jr | 126 | 74% | 4941 | 89.5 | 119.1 | 48.6 | -3.40 | 6.08 | 70.5 |
| Austin Dillon | 23 | 35% | 4327 | 71.6 | 90.3 | 49.5 | 7.60 | 0.17 | 40.8 |
| AJ Allmendinger | 90 | 64% | 3771 | 84.2 | 106.8 | 33.8 | -0.60 | 0.69 | 73 |
| Ryan Newman | 34 | 51% | 4929 | 79.7 | 96.1 | 62.9 | -5.00 | 0.05 | 33.2 |
| Jamie McMurray | 112 | 52% | 4498 | 82.9 | 112.6 | 58.1 | -8.70 | 2.10 | 54.5 |
| Chase Elliott | 131 | 54% | 2929 | 82.7 | 122.1 | 39 | -6.90 | 5.96 | 83.1 |
Top-15 Drivers at Similar Tracks (Martinsville, Richmond, and New Hampshire)
| Avg. | Avg. | Avg. | Top | Top | Top | Top | Laps | |||
| Driver | Races | Start | Run Pos. | Finish | Wins | 5s | 10s | 15s | 20s | Led |
| Kyle Busch | 20 | 8.7 | 5.6 | 6 | 6 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 1637 |
| Denny Hamlin | 21 | 7.5 | 10 | 9.6 | 3 | 9 | 13 | 18 | 19 | 633 |
| Matt Kenseth | 19 | 11.7 | 8.6 | 12.8 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 1016 |
| Kevin Harvick | 21 | 10.5 | 8.1 | 9.8 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 19 | 681 |
| Brad Keselowski | 21 | 10.6 | 7.4 | 8.9 | 1 | 10 | 15 | 19 | 19 | 685 |
| Joey Logano | 21 | 7.8 | 10.3 | 10.1 | 1 | 9 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 571 |
| Kyle Larson | 20 | 11.3 | 12.4 | 12.8 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 18 | 104 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 21 | 12.4 | 12 | 11.3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 19 | 19 | 161 |
| Clint Bowyer | 21 | 21.4 | 18.5 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 260 |
| Martin Truex Jr | 21 | 6.3 | 8.1 | 9.8 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 16 | 20 | 1514 |
| Chase Elliott | 17 | 12.9 | 12.9 | 14.9 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 13 | 201 |
| Aric Almirola | 21 | 19.5 | 19.3 | 17.6 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 16 | 43 |
| Kurt Busch | 21 | 10 | 11.1 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 13 | 15 | 293 |
| Austin Dillon | 21 | 22 | 18.2 | 17.3 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 15 | 6 |
| Ryan Newman | 21 | 14.5 | 15.6 | 15.4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 12 | 17 | 31 |
| Fast | Top 15 | Laps | Avg. | High | Low | Pos | Laps Led | Rating | |
| Driver | Laps | Rate | Comp. | Rating | Rating | Rating | Diff. | Pts./Race | Range |
| Kyle Busch | 829 | 95% | 7884 | 119.7 | 149.2 | 73.7 | 2.70 | 20.46 | 75.5 |
| Denny Hamlin | 506 | 82% | 8135 | 101.4 | 137.8 | 58.2 | -2.10 | 7.54 | 79.6 |
| Matt Kenseth | 597 | 82% | 7240 | 107 | 149.7 | 62.9 | -1.10 | 13.37 | 86.8 |
| Kevin Harvick | 682 | 87% | 8266 | 106 | 130.8 | 58.9 | 0.70 | 8.11 | 71.9 |
| Brad Keselowski | 752 | 92% | 8404 | 107.3 | 133.1 | 67.2 | 1.70 | 8.15 | 65.9 |
| Joey Logano | 330 | 79% | 8346 | 99.3 | 124 | 61.3 | -2.30 | 6.80 | 62.7 |
| Kyle Larson | 179 | 72% | 7713 | 90.2 | 125.8 | 63.7 | -1.50 | 1.30 | 62.1 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 164 | 74% | 6061 | 92.2 | 116.5 | 57.1 | 1.10 | 1.92 | 59.4 |
| Clint Bowyer | 218 | 45% | 6880 | 75.3 | 137.9 | 39.3 | 2.40 | 3.10 | 98.6 |
| Martin Truex Jr | 622 | 89% | 8415 | 107.9 | 134.9 | 54.6 | -3.50 | 18.02 | 80.3 |
| Chase Elliott | 206 | 69% | 1581 | 88 | 122.1 | 39 | -2.00 | 2.96 | 83.1 |
| Aric Almirola | 146 | 33% | 7859 | 72.8 | 111.2 | 36.7 | 1.90 | 0.51 | 74.5 |
| Kurt Busch | 191 | 78% | 8044 | 90.8 | 124.6 | 50.4 | -6.00 | 3.49 | 74.2 |
| Austin Dillon | 45 | 39% | 8238 | 71.9 | 91.2 | 49.5 | 4.70 | 0.07 | 41.7 |
| Ryan Newman | 47 | 53% | 8370 | 78.4 | 94.7 | 62.9 | -0.90 | 0.37 | 31.8 |
Momentum
| Avg. | Avg. | Avg. | Top | Top | Top | Top | Pos | Avg. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | Races | Start | Run Pos. | Finish | Wins | 5s | 10s | 15s | 20s | Diff. | Rating |
| Chase Elliott | 5 | 9.8 | 8.4 | 8.6 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1.2 | 105.2 |
| Aric Almirola | 5 | 8.8 | 9.4 | 9.6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | -0.8 | 99.7 |
| Kyle Busch | 5 | 8.4 | 9.4 | 13.8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | -5.4 | 99 |
| Ryan Blaney | 5 | 8.8 | 10.2 | 13.4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -4.6 | 94.1 |
| Joey Logano | 5 | 10.8 | 8.6 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 2.8 | 103.5 |
| Clint Bowyer | 5 | 10.4 | 10.2 | 12.6 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | -2.2 | 95.8 |
| Erik Jones | 5 | 11.4 | 15 | 11.4 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 82.1 |
| Kurt Busch | 5 | 5 | 9.2 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | -7 | 100.1 |
| Denny Hamlin | 5 | 12.6 | 13.6 | 9.6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 84.9 |
| Martin Truex Jr | 5 | 8.4 | 11.2 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | -3.6 | 95.5 |
| Kevin Harvick | 5 | 5.4 | 4.8 | 11.4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | -6 | 116.8 |
| Kyle Larson | 5 | 17 | 11 | 11.6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5.4 | 98.5 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr | 5 | 17.2 | 19.2 | 16.4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0.8 | 76.9 |
| Alex Bowman | 5 | 9 | 12.4 | 17.2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | -8.2 | 85 |
| Jamie McMurray | 5 | 18.6 | 18.6 | 18.6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 69.3 |
Points Changes at Martinsville Speedway
DraftKings
| 17 Race | Season | DK Pts +/- | |
| Driver | Total | Avg DK Pts. | Season AVG |
| Brad Keselowski | 124.5 | 36.69 | 87.8 |
| Kyle Busch | 137 | 59.92 | 77.1 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 53 | 30.62 | 22.4 |
| Matt Kenseth | 45.5 | 24.31 | 21.2 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr | 46 | 25.35 | 20.7 |
| Chase Elliott | 57.25 | 38.02 | 19.2 |
| Austin Dillon | 46.5 | 29.25 | 17.3 |
| Landon Cassill | 31 | 20.1 | 10.9 |
| Ryan Newman | 35.5 | 26.48 | 9.0 |
| Clint Bowyer | 51.5 | 42.87 | 8.6 |
| Martin Truex Jr | 56 | 47.39 | 8.6 |
| Denny Hamlin | 43.75 | 37.36 | 6.4 |
| Chris Buescher | 31 | 25.67 | 5.3 |
| Michael McDowell | 26 | 21.01 | 5.0 |
| Ryan Blaney | 38.5 | 35.29 | 3.2 |
| Joey Logano | 41.75 | 39.92 | 1.8 |
| Cole Whitt | 24 | 23.9 | 0.1 |
| Daniel Suarez | 29.5 | 30.46 | -1.0 |
| David Ragan | 19 | 22.17 | -3.2 |
| Paul Menard | 23 | 26.36 | -3.4 |
| Jamie McMurray | 13 | 22.85 | -9.9 |
| Jeffrey Earnhardt | 6 | 16.44 | -10.4 |
| Ty Dillon | 10 | 23.04 | -13.0 |
| Kevin Harvick | 50 | 65.05 | -15.1 |
| Aric Almirola | 18 | 39.08 | -21.1 |
| Matt DiBenedetto | -6 | 20.97 | -27.0 |
| Kurt Busch | 11.5 | 39.07 | -27.6 |
| Erik Jones | 0 | 31.69 | -31.7 |
| AJ Allmendinger | -9 | 25.43 | -34.4 |
| Kyle Larson | -20.5 | 42.48 | -63.0 |
| AVG. +/- | 19.5 |
FanDuel
| 17 Race | 18 Season | FD Pts +/- | |
| Driver | Total | Avg FD Pts. | Season AVG |
| Kyle Busch | 118.4 | 61.99 | 56.41 |
| Brad Keselowski | 99.8 | 51.57 | 48.23 |
| Matt Kenseth | 86.5 | 43.08 | 43.42 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr | 87.5 | 45.87 | 41.63 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 87.9 | 48.81 | 39.09 |
| Austin Dillon | 84.5 | 49.51 | 34.99 |
| Landon Cassill | 73.5 | 39.00 | 34.50 |
| Martin Truex Jr | 90.5 | 56.32 | 34.18 |
| Michael McDowell | 73 | 38.91 | 34.09 |
| Clint Bowyer | 89.5 | 56.38 | 33.12 |
| Ryan Newman | 79.5 | 47.94 | 31.56 |
| Ryan Blaney | 81.5 | 50.87 | 30.63 |
| Denny Hamlin | 84.7 | 54.64 | 30.06 |
| Chris Buescher | 74.5 | 45.44 | 29.06 |
| Kevin Harvick | 90.5 | 61.96 | 28.54 |
| Cole Whitt | 68.9 | 40.56 | 28.34 |
| Daniel Suarez | 76.5 | 48.60 | 27.90 |
| Paul Menard | 71 | 45.36 | 25.64 |
| David Ragan | 64.8 | 44.19 | 20.61 |
| Ty Dillon | 59.1 | 43.36 | 15.74 |
| Aric Almirola | 69.5 | 54.51 | 14.99 |
| Chase Elliott | 64.7 | 54.10 | 10.60 |
| Jamie McMurray | 55.8 | 45.63 | 10.17 |
| Kurt Busch | 64 | 54.66 | 9.34 |
| Erik Jones | 56.4 | 51.79 | 4.61 |
| Joey Logano | 61.8 | 57.57 | 4.23 |
| Jeffrey Earnhardt | 29.9 | 35.38 | -5.48 |
| Matt DiBenedetto | 15.2 | 41.07 | -25.87 |
| Kyle Larson | 20 | 56.62 | -36.62 |
| AJ Allmendinger | 3.9 | 43.74 | -39.84 |
| AVG. +/- | 27.65 |
Top-10 and Bottom-10 Value Drivers
DraftKings
| Top 10 Value | Bottom 10 Value | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joey Gase | 5.35 | 39 | Timmy Hill | 2.49 |
| 2 | Kevin Harvick | 5.20 | 38 | BJ McLeod | 2.85 |
| 3 | Kyle Busch | 5.04 | 37 | Jamie McMurray | 3.13 |
| 4 | Regan Smith | 4.94 | 36 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | 3.22 |
| 5 | Cole Whitt | 4.78 | 35 | William Byron | 3.32 |
| 6 | Aric Almirola | 4.71 | 34 | Paul Menard | 3.42 |
| 7 | Martin Truex Jr | 4.43 | 33 | Alex Bowman | 3.45 |
| 8 | Denny Hamlin | 4.40 | 32 | Matt Kenseth | 3.52 |
| 9 | Clint Bowyer | 4.37 | 31 | Brad Keselowski | 3.60 |
| 10 | Chris Buescher | 4.35 | 30 | Ross Chastain | 3.63 |
FanDuel
| Top 10 Value | Bottom 10 Value | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cole Whitt | 10.14 | 38 | Brad Keselowski | 3.82 |
| 2 | Landon Cassill | 9.75 | 37 | Kyle Busch | 4.43 |
| 3 | J.J. Yeley | 9.56 | 36 | Denny Hamlin | 4.48 |
| 4 | Joey Gase | 9.12 | 35 | Joey Logano | 4.61 |
| 5 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | 8.85 | 34 | Chase Elliott | 4.62 |
| 6 | Ross Chastain | 8.63 | 33 | Kevin Harvick | 4.77 |
| 7 | Matt DiBenedetto | 8.21 | 32 | Martin Truex Jr. | 4.94 |
| 8 | Regan Smith | 7.69 | 31 | Ryan Blaney | 4.99 |
| 9 | Bubba Wallace | 7.39 | 30 | Clint Bowyer | 5.03 |
| 10 | David Ragan | 7.36 | 29 | Kyle Larson | 5.19 |
Drivers To Watch This Week
Kyle Busch - Busch is hands down the best driver in the field this week. It’s not even close. The driver of the 18-car has won twice in the last five and has five top-fives in that span too. His 837 and 344 fastest laps lead the field and in fact the fastest laps tally is 1.5x more than the next closest driver is in laps led to Busch. He’s clearly a lock to play this week and could even lock his way into the championship if he pulls off the third win in the last six races.
Martin Truex Jr. - Truex has never won on a short track in his career, not once. He has have looked good at short tracks recently including at Martinsville. Truex has two top-fives, and three top-10s with 193 laps led, with 147 led in this race two years ago. His 9.4 average finish is fourth-best in the field in the last five races and bodes well for another strong finish this weekend as he is still in the hunt to defend his title from a year ago.
Clint Bowyer - Bowyer won this race in March after it was delayed a day by weather. He led the most laps in that race as well with 215 up front. He does have two top-fives, and three top-10s in the last five races as well. Bowyer has been a factor in races most of the second of the season and has looked good at all of the short tracks this year, and has finished top-10 eight times in the last 21 races on similar tracks. Eager to punch his ticket to the championship as the first SHR car would also cap a season-sweep at the Paperclip.
Chase Elliott - Chase was in position to win this race a year ago until Denny Hamlin drove him off the track with only a handful of laps left. He does have two top-10s in his last five races here with 143 laps led and 125 fastest laps. Elliott has three top-12 finishes in the last four races with the only exception the P27 finish last year. The 9-car has been one of the hottest on the track in the playoffs and has two wins since the Chase started including last week and I think that hot streak continues as he has another top-five finish.
Matt Kenseth - Kenseth is back in the 6-car this week after a few weeks off and it’s a good thing he is as this is one of his best tracks in the last few years. Kenseth has the third-best average finish in the field with a 9.3 mark after starting P17 in the last four races. He has three top-10s and 221 laps led in that span as well. His average driver rating of 107 is third in the field behind only Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch. Clearly the 6-team hasn’t been great this year but his skill should still be on display and offer a nice value at his salary on both sites.