NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: A Martinsville master for the win?

 

 

While Kyle Larson didn't get the anticipated three-peat, as the legendary rock singer Meat Loaf would say, "two out of three ain't bad!" And it sure was fun to watch. It was not so fun for Alex Bowman, though, who had the win in the bag with six laps to go. He scraped the wall just a little too hard, giving Larson the opportunity to pass for the win.

Kyle's 30th career Cup win was just his second win at Homestead and his 14th win in the Gen 7 car, the most among active Cup drivers. But that's not all. In his five years as a Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) driver, this is Kyle's 24th win. He now is the third-winningest HMS driver behind Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson.

As we turn to this week, it's time for short-track masters, maybe a few newbie highlights, and those unusually pink hot dogs. Yes, anything can and does happen at Martinsville Speedway.

 

This Week's Pick Strategy: Although short tracks are part of NASCAR's rick history, there were some drivers who just performed better than others. Over the years, though, the gap between short-track masters and the field has narrowed. It should come as no surprise that teams like Hendrick Motorsports really have a knack for Martinsville, a track that holds a special place in the hearts of the Hendrick family and HMS fans.

It has been nearly 21 years since the plane crash that took the lives of all 10 passengers and crew—an event that forever changed the lives of their families, friends, and the course of Hendrick Motorsports. But true Hendrick fans will never forget. If a Hendrick driver wins, you may see some backwards caps in Victory Lane—a tribute to Ricky Hendrick, who was among those lost in the crash.

 

HMS drivers have won five of the last nine Martinsville races with all four active drivers winning at least once. Last spring, all four HMS cars finished in the Top 10, with William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott finishing 1-2-3, the first 1-2-3 finish by an organization ever at the track. Alex Bowman earned an eighth place finish. I will be going heavy on HMS this week, sprinkling in Martinsville elites like Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano. I'll also keep youth on my radar as the last seven races at Martinsville were won by drivers 30 years old or younger, the longest streak ever at the track.

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

Both with 5 - Joey Logano and Chase Elliott

Both with 4 - William Byron and Ryan Blaney

Both with 3-  Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe

By Track 

Joey Logano - 10
Ryan Blaney - 8

Both with 7 - Chase Elliott and William Byron

Kyle Larson - 6 

All with 5 - Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, and Brad Keselowski

Last Year's Pole Winner: Kyle Larson

 

Last Year's Race Winner: William Byron

 

The Likely Suspects: My Martinsville go-tos are: Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, William Byron, Chase Briscoe, Kyle Busch, and Brad Keselowski.

My 2 Cents: My no-brainer pick this week is a tie between Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin. My next picks are Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Chase Briscoe, and Brad Keselowski. I will complete my roster with William Byron and Kyle Busch.

My Fabulous 5 (Drivers most likely to finish in the Top 5): Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Ryan Blaney.

NASCAR Fantasy Live Line Up: Chase Elliott, Chase Briscoe, Ryan Preece, Ryan Blaney, and Denny Hamlin. And in the garage: William Byron.

        Featured Match Ups: Byron over Larson; Elliott over Blaney; Wallace over Bowman; and Briscoe over Chastain.

 
Second-Look Driver: This week's sleeper pick is Chase Briscoe. Martinsville is one of Chase's best tracks. In the last six races here, he has earned two Top 5s and five Top 10s. Chase has the 7th best driver rating among active Cup Series drivers at Martinsville with an average finish of 12.750. He currently sits 13th in the drivers standings and comes into this weekend with lots of momentum from his impressive fourth place finish at Homestead-Miami.

 

Points to Ponder:

• Six of the 63 NASCAR Cup Series Martinsville Speedway pole winners are active this weekend, led by Joey Logano with five, followed by Denny Hamlin with four, Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson tied with with two each, and Ryan Preece and Chase Elliott with one each.
•  36 of the 148 (24.3%) NASCAR Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway have been won from the front row: 21 from the first starting position and 15 from the second starting position. However, the last five Martinsville races were won from starting positions outside the Top 10, tied for the longest streak ever at Martinsville.
•  Hendrick Motorsports drivers won five of the last nine Martinsville races with all four active drivers winning at least once (William Byron is the repeat winner with two).
• Ten of the 59 total NASCAR Cup Series Martinsville Speedway winners are active this weekend, led by Denny Hamlin with five, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch all with two wins, and Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, and Joey Logano with one win each. 
• Kyle Busch leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville with four runner-up finishes (2012, 2017, 2018, 2021). 
• Denny Hamlin leads all active Cup drivers in Top 5 finishes with 20 at Martinsville Speedway as well as in Top 10s at Martinsville with 26; followed Kyle Busch with 21. Hamlin also leads active Cup Series drivers in laps led at the Paper Clip with 2,448 (13%) in 38 starts.
•  Ryan Blaney leads the series among active drivers in average finishing position at Martinsville Speedway with an 8.3 in 18 races.

If you are playing NASCAR Fantasy Live, remember to make your picks by 2:55 p.m. EST on race day Sunday, March 30th. Don't forget to select your bonus matchups.

 

Enjoy the race!

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Carol D'Agostino has been playing Fantasy NASCAR for 18 years. She launched  NASCAR Fantasy Fusion for Skirts & Scuffs in October 2011. Each week, Carol pores through statistics and combs through her personal notebooks to arm fans with analysis and picking strategies that will leave their friends wondering how they got so smart. Carol also does race coverage for Skirts & Scuffs at Richmond Raceway and occasionally at her home track, Dover International Speedway. She is also part of the distinguished NASCAR Expert Picks panel at frcs.pro. formerly called Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. When she isn’t wielding her fantasy-racing superpowers, you’ll find Carol hammering out a news release or creating a marketing strategy at a small niche public relations firm she founded called Purple Cat or executing downtown revitalization projects for a small town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.