NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Martinsville Round of 8 Closer

 

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

By Race 

Both with 5 - Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr.

All with 4 - Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch

Both with 3 - Joey Logano and Ryan Newman

By Track

Brad Keselowski -9

Both with 8 - Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr.

Both with 7 - Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick

Joey Logano -6 

Ryan Newman - 5

Last Year's Race Winner: Martin Truex Jr. 

The Likely Suspects: I'm not sure whether these drivers are fans of Martinsville's very pink hot dogs, but they sure do know how to get around this track: Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano and Ryan Newman. 

My Two Cents: I absolutely love short track racing. Make it a race that will determine who will be vying for the championship and the sheer excitement goes up a notch. My no-brainer pick this week is Martin Truex Jr. My next picks are Brad Keselowski, Ryan Newman, William Byron, Alex Bowman and Chris Buescher. I will complete my team with Bubba Wallace, Jr. and Ty Dillon. 

My Final Four: Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Newman, William Byron, and Bubba Wallace Jr.

Second-Look Driver: This week's second-look driver is Chris Buescher. Chris will start 28th on the grid, and makes his 11th Cup start at Martinsville, where he has an average finish of 19.8. He is coming off a 13th place finish at the summer race, which marked his second-straight Top 15 at the track, and third in the last four events. It doesn’t hurt that he is a fan of short track racing.. “As someone who loves short-track racing, I’m ready to get back to Martinsville,” Chris says.  “We put together a solid day there this summer, and it’s a place where I’ve had some success at as of late.”

Last week's second-look driver Erik Jones started the Texas race 17th on the grid. Although the No. 20 car had good speed and was able to race in the Top 5 periodically throughout Stages 1 and 2, and even led two laps, at the race’s end, Erik finished in 21st place. In what turned out to be a fuel strategy race, Erik needed to pit for fuel before the end of Stage 2 and got caught one lap down. He came back in during the Stage 2 caution for four tires, fuel and adjustments and was never able to get his lap back.

Remember, if you're playing Driver Group Game, make your final picks by 2 p.m. ET on race day, Sunday, November 1st. 

Enjoy the race!

---------------------------------------------------------------

Carol D’Agostino wields fantasy-racing superpowers. Each week, Carol researches statistics and combs through her personal racing notes to provide fans with fantasy racing advice in NASCAR Fantasy Fusion, a column she has written for Skirts & Scuffs since October 2011. Carol also does race coverage for Skirts & Scuffs at Richmond Raceway and occasionally at her home track, Dover International Speedway. This year she joins the NASCAR Expert Picks panel at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet (FRCS). When she isn’t crunching numbers, you’ll find Carol in business meetings or hammering out a news release or creating a marketing strategy at a small niche public relations firm she founded called Purple Cat.