When it comes to building the best DraftKings lineup, it’s all a balancing act: you have to determine whether to look more at potential dominator points (laps led and fastest lap FPTS) or place differential points. At Martinsville, it’s best to lean more toward the dominator points, but with qualifying getting rained out on Friday, that kind of throws a wrench into that equation simply because the best cars aren’t necessarily starting up front on Sunday. For what it’s worth, I don’t think we’ll see just two or three dominators this weekend, so don’t be afraid to target some of those drivers starting outside of the top 10.
Also check out: DraftKings Drivers to Avoid at Martinsville
High-Dollar DraftKings Drivers to Target at Martinsville (over $9,500)
Kyle Busch ($10,300) – Kyle Busch started 7th in this race last year and went on to lead over 350 of the 500 laps en route to his first grandfather clock at Martinsville Speedway. Could we see a repeat performance this weekend? Absolutely. The #18 Toyota was the best car during the Happy Hour practice session on Saturday, and it really wasn’t even close. Rowdy was faster than everyone (by a pretty decent margin, too) in all speed categories except for 30-lap average–and the reason for that is because Kyle didn’t make a run of 30+ laps. Busch is currently on a three-race streak of top 5 finishes here at Martinsville Speedway and should easily make it four in a row here on Sunday. He’s most likely to dominate the STP 500, too, so whenever he gets in the lead, don’t be surprised if and when the #18 Toyota checks out from the field.
Joey Logano ($10,100) – To start the race, Kyle Larson ($10,000) is in the best position to rack up a whole bunch of dominator FPTS. The #42 Chevrolet is starting on the pole and had a whole bunch of speed in Practice #2 on Saturday morning. Therefore, it won’t be surprising if Larson goes out and leads for most of the first stage. However, Joey Logano is starting up there in 5th and he could very easily make his way to the front. Even though he has never won a Cup race here at “The Paperclip,” Logano has been one of the strongest performers here over the last few years, and with the way this #22 team is running this weekend, it won’t be surprising at all to see him in contention for the STP 500 win here on Sunday. The #22 Ford was right up there with Kyle Busch and the #18 Toyota in terms of long run speed during Happy Hour, too. All three of these high-priced drivers are excellent choices in DraftKings this weekend.
Mid-Range DraftKings Drivers to Target at Martinsville (between $7,500 and $9,500)
Brad Keselowski ($9,500) – Brad Keselowski’s salary is far too low this weekend, so it’s kind of a good thing that he’s starting up in 4th because that should weed out some of the players from automatically putting him into their lineups. With that being said, it’s not going to be a bad idea to have quite a bit of BK exposure this weekend. Brad has never won here at Martinsville Speedway but he has three top 5 finishes in the last four races here, including two runner-up results. He has also had a triple-digit driver rating in each of those four races. The key to Keselowski being a great pick in DraftKings on Sunday is whether or not he’s going to be able to go out and get some laps led/fastest lap FPTS. The Blue Deuce didn’t show the type of speed the #22 Ford showed in Happy Hour on Saturday, but typically when one of the Penske cars are fast, they both are.
Jamie McMurray ($8,100) – There’s going to be a whole lot of people targeting A.J. Allmendinger ($8,300) in this price range, and don’t get me wrong, The Dinger is an excellent choice in DraftKings on Sunday considering he starts way back in 30th and this is one of his best tracks. With that being said, a lot of things can happen back in traffic at these short tracks, and if Allmendinger would happen to wreck out early on Sunday, that’s going to affect a lot of lineups. So why not look for an alternative? Jamie McMurray will start from 6th when the STP 500 goes green on Sunday, but he actually has a good enough race car that could go up there and lead some laps. Jamie was 2nd in 30-lap average behind Joey Logano during Happy Hour on Saturday and that kind of long run speed will pay dividends here at Martinsville. The only way a gamble on McMurray will work out this weekend is if he is able to get to the lead, and while it’s nowhere near a guarantee, it’s still a possibility. He’s worth some exposure this weekend, just don’t go all-in on him.
Low-Dollar DraftKings Drivers to Target at Martinsville (under $7,500)
Austin Dillon ($7,000) – After having a respectable salary for most of the 2017 season, Austin Dillon is now in the ‘lower tier’ of drivers in DraftKings. Personally, I think that this drop was far too harsh, but that doesn’t mean I’m complaining about it. Austin pointed out on Saturday that he notorious for qualifying poorly here at “The Monster Mile” and then rallying for a respectable finish, so it might be a good thing (for him) that qualifying got rained out on Friday. The #3 Chevrolet will start from 20th in Sunday’s STP 500 but should be better than that during the actual race; in Happy Hour, Austin was 9th-fastest on the overall speed chart and showed top 15 speed on the long run as well. This #3 team is coming off of their best finish of the season so far (11th at Fontana) and Dillon has ended up inside the top 20 in five of his six career starts here at Martinsville, including a 4th-place finish in this race one year ago.
Chris Buescher ($5,200) – Here’s another driver whose salary went down significantly this week. I know Chris Buescher hasn’t been performing well at all this year, but to put him in the price range that is typically reserved for guys like Cole Whitt and Jeffrey Earnhardt is almost a slap in the face. Anyway, Buescher is capable of a mid-20s finish here on Sunday, and because he starts back in 33rd, that makes him a pretty good option here in DraftKings. Also, Buescher is a must more reliable Fantasy NASCAR pick than someone like Cole Whitt. Chris has ran three Cup races here at Martinsville Speedway and has came home with finishes of 27th, 33rd, and 24th. And who knows, maybe being teammates with A.J. Allmendinger will give Buescher a little boost this weekend.
