Martinsville Speedway is the site of this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race, and with this half-mile track, it’s pretty easy to know what to expect on race day. We often see the same 7 or 8 drivers finishing up front each race, with a surprise coming here and there, but not too often. We last raced here in March, and starting position was everything, with 8 of the top 10 finishers starting 10th or higher. The top lineup in the Slingshot Fantasy Auto Contest that week was Kyle Busch (started 13th, finished 3rd), Chase Elliott (started 7th, finished 2nd), Ryan Blaney (started 17th, finished 4th), Austin Dillon (started 29th, finished 11th), and Bubba Wallace (started 26th, finished 17th).
Denny Hamlin is on the pole for Sunday’s First Data 500 at Martinsville, but please note that NASCAR is doing race day inspection this week, and the initial starting positions are subject to change. Click here for the starting lineup (it will update after inspection).
You can find the speeds from Practice #1 on Saturday by clicking here. For speeds from the second practice (Happy Hour), click here.
*Please note: the picks and suggestions below are my opinions and strategy for the Slingshot Fantasy Auto Contest. These are not meant to sway your thinking in any way, but rather give you insight into the drivers I am most likely to pick on Sunday.*
First Data 500 Slingshot Picks
Kyle Busch ($13,100) – It’ll be interesting to see what the percentage ownership of Kyle Busch is compared to Kevin Harvick ($12,900) on Sunday. Harvick starts further back than Busch (22nd compared to 13th), but my strategy here is to go with the guy that is more likely to get Stage points (Busch) and who also has a slightly better track record (also Busch). Speed-wise, I think these two cars are comparable. Going back to track record, though, Rowdy hasn’t finished worse than 5th at Martinsville since the 2014 season, and that shouldn’t change this weekend. Harvick, meanwhile, has just two top 5s in his last 15 starts at this track. Mind you, Harvick is on a four-race streak of top 10s here, and has ended up 6th or better in three of those four. Still, I’m rolling with Kyle Busch this weekend, who I think is a little safer NASCAR Fantasy option on Sunday, and who has higher finish upside as well.
Denny Hamlin ($11,700) – Taking the pole sitter in the Slingshot Fantasy Auto Contest… what the hell am I doing!? Remember: it’s Martinsville. Hamlin has mastered “The Paperclip” five times in his career while also posting six 2nd- or 3rd-place finishes, giving him 11 podium results in 27 career starts at this track. Not too shabby. Recently, Hamlin has finished 5th and 2nd here at Martinsville, and over the last three races here, he’s finished inside the top 5 in all six Stages. That’s what I’m going for with this pick: Stage points. Also, I think Hamlin has a legitimate shot at dominating this race. Not only did his overall practice speed look the best on Saturday, but don’t forget that this #11 pit crew is one of the fastest on pit road. I just hope Denny doesn’t speed…
Joey Logano ($11,500) – Full disclosure: I don’t love this pick, and it might change. But here’s the thing: Joey Logano is the defending winner of this race, and he’s finished 9th or better in four of the last six Martinsville races. He starts 10th for this weekend’s First Data 500, which gives him some place differential upside, and the #22 Ford had a ton of speed during the practice sessions on Saturday–definitely more than we’ve seen out of Joey lately. The reason I don’t like this pick is because of how Logano has been running for the last four months. I point it out almost every week somewhere: this #22 team has ONE top 5 finish since the start of July. One. Uno. Not to mention he has just two single-digit finishes in the last 12 races overall. He has one last chance…maybe…before I completely write him off.
Ty Dillon ($7,000) – Honestly I view this pick as a relatively safe option. Ty Dillon qualified back in 29th for Sunday’s race at Martinsville, but he has an average finish of 20.4 at this track and just one result worse than 22nd. That’s pretty consistent. Additionally, when you look at the short tracks this season, Ty Dillon is averaging a finish of right around 20th, and if he can pull something like that off this weekend, we’re looking at a pretty good points day for a $7,000 in the Slingshot Fantasy Auto Contest.
Ryan Preece ($6,700) – There’s just something about this #47 Chevrolet at Martinsville Speedway. A.J. Allmendinger always ran well here in this car, and Ryan Preece jumped in and drove it to a 16th-place finish here back in March of this season. Preece qualified up in 21st for this weekend’s race, which I’ll admit is a little higher than I’d like, but that should help him from going down multiple laps early, so I’m willing to take that risk. What I like the most about Preece right now, though, is his momentum: over the last four races, he’s finished 21st or better in all of them, including a 12th-place finish at Kansas last weekend (his 4th-best result this year).
