As predicted, qualifying was rained out on Friday so the starting lineup for the STP 500 is going to be set by owner points. Of course, this means that there will be no qualifying bonus points awarded in Yahoo! Fantasy Auto Racing. Still, starting up front is a huge advantage at this half-mile race track. The leader starts lapping cars incredibly fast here at Martinsville, and with the way traffic is at this race track, it’s very easy to go a lap down if you start mid-pack or worse. From a fantasy perspective, the races at this track are pretty cut and dry, and we typically see the same names finish up front each time we stop here.
My team points last week (Fontana): 332
Overall team percentile: 84th
Total team points for the season: 1,434
Yahoo! A Group Pick and Final Rankings for Martinsville
The #18 Toyota has been one of the fastest cars on the track this entire weekend, and even though Kyle Busch is going to have some cars to pass on Sunday (he starts 10th) don’t be surprised if he leads the most laps this weekend. Don’t forget that Rowdy dominated this race last season and led over 350 of the 500 laps en route to his first win at Martinsville. If anyone is going to challenge the #18 Toyota, though, it’s going to be the Penske Fords of Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano. Between those two it looks like the #2 is better than the #22, but you never know how this race is going to play out. Both Keselowski and Logano are solid top 5 threats and they start 4th and 5th, respectively.
Two drivers that you can never count out here at Martinsville are Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson. Neither the #11 Toyota nor the #48 Chevrolet looked to have top 5 speed during the practice sessions on Saturday, but these two are Martinsville masters and will be at least in the top 10 before it’s all said and done. Between the two, I’d have to give the nod to Hamlin this weekend. One ‘outside of the box’ pick to keep your eye on on Sunday is Martin Truex, Jr. He seemed to really like his car on Sunday and comfort is going to go a long way on Sunday. He hasn’t had a top 5 finish here at Martinsville since 2012 but that could change this weekend. The #78 Toyota will roll off the grid from 3rd when this thing goes green.
My Starter: Kyle Busch
Final A Group Rankings: (1) Kyle Busch, (2) Brad Keselowski, (3) Joey Logano, (4) Denny Hamlin, (5) Martin Truex, Jr., (6) Kevin Harvick, (7) Jimmie Johnson, (8) Dale Earnhardt, Jr., (9) Matt Kenseth
Yahoo! B Group Picks and Final Rankings for Martinsville
Jamie McMurray was ranked as a solid top 10 pick heading into this weekend and he has done nothing to show that he won’t be exactly that on Sunday. He has three top 10s in the last four Martinsville races, has been a top 10 threat in every race this season, and posted the 3rd-fastest lap in Happy Hour on Saturday. This #1 team is in prime position for another good run here, especially with that 6th-place starting spot. Clint Bowyer is another driver primed for a good run on Sunday. He laid down the fastest lap in Happy Hour on Saturday and is coming off of that great top 5 run at Fontana, too. Bowyer can run well here at Martinsville when he has good equipment, as evidenced by his five-race streak of finishes between 2nd and 7th from 2012 to 2014. It’s not crazy to expect a top 10 finish out of this #14 Ford on Sunday.
The biggest dilemma that the majority of Yahoo! Fantasy Auto Racing players are facing this weekend is whether or not to start Kyle Larson. He’s starting on the pole–a big advantage here–because of qualifying being rained out on Friday, and has a pretty fast #42 Chevrolet. And while Larson doesn’t really like this race track but he did finish 3rd in this race one year ago. Therefore, if he’s on your roster this weekend, here’s my advice: if you have 8+ starts left, start him. If you have 6 or less starts left, bench him. And if you have 7 starts remaining, flip a coin. Just kidding. It’s hard to pass up those 10 bonus points for leading a lap this weekend, but Larson isn’t a guaranteed top 5 finisher at Martinsville either.
As far as the other B Group ‘stud’ goes, you can give Chase Elliott a break this weekend–as I recommended earlier this week. Yes, he’s going to start on the outside pole for Sunday’s STP 500, but it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see Chase end up in the lower end of the top 10 without a single lap led. Ryan Blaney showed a bunch of speed in both practice sessions on Saturday and will start from 7th when we go green on Sunday. There’s obviously some potential there but try not to get too excited out of that speed on Saturday. A top 10 out of the #21 team would be a great run for them. If you are looking for an ‘alternate’ starter, why not try Austin Dillon? Honestly, that #3 Chevrolet didn’t look too terrible on Saturday, and when Austin was interviewed by FS1, he sounded really happy with the car. He has finished 17th, 4th, and 18th in the last three Martinsville races.
My Starters: Jamie McMurray and Clint Bowyer
Final B Group Rankings: (1) Kyle Larson, (2) Jamie McMurray, (3) Clint Bowyer, (4) Chase Elliott, (5) Ryan Newman, (6) Ryan Blaney, (7) A.J. Allmendinger, (8) Austin Dillon, (9) Kurt Busch, (10) Kasey Kahne, (11) Aric Almirola, (12) Trevor Bayne, (13) Paul Menard, (14) Danica Patrick, (15) Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., (16) Chris Buescher
Yahoo! C Group Pick and Final Rankings for Martinsville
This week is a pretty easy decision for me personally, as my two C Group drivers are Daniel Suarez and Michael McDowell. With qualifying most likely being cancelled, I figured Suarez could be a sleeper this weekend since he would start 19th and he’s put together back-to-back top 10 finishes. However, what I didn’t count on was him destroying his primary car in Practice #1 and looking absolutely terrible all weekend long. Honestly, it’d be a surprise if Suarez finished this race on Sunday, and the chances of him ending up on the lead lap are slim to none. If you’re deciding whether or not to start Erik Jones this weekend, the #77 Toyota looks fast once again, but he’s far too valuable on the intermediate race tracks. Ty Dillon is a possible start this weekend–and he should get another mid-teens finish–but at the same time, usually the best strategy on the short tracks is to go with the start saving option. If you have Michael McDowell or Landon Cassill on your roster this weekend, bite the bullet and start them.
My Starter: Michael McDowell
Final C Group Rankings: (1) Erik Jones, (2) Ty Dillon, (3) Michael McDowell, (4) Landon Cassill, (5) Daniel Suarez, (6) Cole Whitt, (7) Matt DiBenedetto, the rest
