NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: STP 500 at Martinsville

By Carol D'Agostino

Drivers with Most Top 10s (Last 5 Years):

By Race

Brad Keselowski- 4
All with 3 - Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer  

By Track
All with 5 - Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Jamie McMurray and Brad Keselowski
All with 4 - Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer 

All with 3 - A.J. Allmendinger, Ryan Newman and Martin Truex Jr.

Recent Pole Winners: 

2016 & 2015 Joey Logano

Last Year's Race Winner: Kyle Busch

The Likely Suspects: Living on the edge is the name of the game at Martinsville, and we're not talking about eating those pink hot dogs! Short track racing brings out the beast in even the most even-keeled drivers. Favorites at the "Paper Clip" include Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenneth, Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Ryan Newman.

      

My Two Cents: When teasing through your picks this week, think open wheel road racers. A skilled road racer tends to run well at short tracks. My no-brainer pick this week is a tie between Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch. My next picks are Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer, A.J. Allmendinger and Jamie McMurray. I will complete my team with Michael McDowell and Landon Cassill. 

My Final Four: Jimmie Johnson, Jamie McMurray, Clint Bowyer and Michael McDowell

Points to Ponder:

• Hendrick Motorsports leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Martinsville Speedway with 24.  
• 24 drivers have multiple wins at Martinsville Speedway. Nine drivers have won five or more times each, two of which are active: Jimmie Johnson (nine) and Denny Hamlin (five). 
• 98 of the 136 (72.1%) Monster Energy NASCAR Cup races at Martinsville Speedway have been won from a top-10 starting position. 
• The Coors Light pole (first starting position) is the most proficient starting spot in the field at Martinsville producing more wins (21) than any other starting position.
• A total of 11 manufacturers have won in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville. Chevrolet leads the series in wins at Martinsville Speedway with 56 victories, followed by Ford with 26 wins and Toyota with six.
• Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in runner-up finishes with four, followed by A.J. Allmendinger, Brad Keselowski, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin, Jamie McMurray and Matt Kenseth with two each. 
• Jimmie Johnson also leads in the top-five finishes with 19 and in top-10 finishes with 24.
• Two active drivers have a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series average finish inside the top 10 at Martinsville: Jimmie Johnson (7.300) and Denny Hamlin (9.227).
• Joey Logano, Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson are tied among active drivers for the most Martinsville Coors Light poles with three each.

Remember if you're playing Yahoo! Fantasy Auto Racing, your pick deadline is Friday, March 31 at 5 a.m. EDT.

Enjoy the race! Post your comments here or follow me on Twitter at @purplecatpr.