Martinsville Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Joey Logano – Joey Logano has become a force to be reckoned with at Martinsville. In the last three races at the “Paper Clip” he has the best average finish (4.0), best average running position (5.7), best driver rating, best average starting position (2.0) and has led the 2nd most laps (207). This spring at Martinsville Logano had a great car and was a serious threat to win. He started on the pole, finished 3rd and led 108 laps. Also it should be noted his race wasn’t incident free and at one point he was spun. Last fall he was very impressive. He qualified 2nd and was perhaps the most consistent front runner of the afternoon. In the event he earned the 4th best driver rating, had a 5th place average running position, finished 5th and led 60 laps. Through the first 300 laps of the race he looked like a serious contender to win. In the final 200 laps he ran well but looked like a 5th place driver at best which is where he finished. In spring 2014 he was very competitive. He started 3rd, finished 4th, had a 5th place average running position, led 39 laps and earned the 2nd best driver rating. In the race his car was strong and he didn’t appear to have any glaring weakness like many drivers displayed. It was a race of “comers and goers” but his car appeared strong over both long runs and short runs. (Yahoo A Driver)

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Jeff Gordon – Martinsville is a special track for Jeff Gordon and it’s arguably his best. In 45 races he has 9 poles, 8 wins, 28 top fives, 36 top tens and 41 top fifteens! Also at Martinsville his average finish is 6.9 and he’s led 3,744 laps. This spring Jeff Gordon looked a little off early but once his car got tuned to his liking he had the best car on the track. When the checkered flag waved he finished an asterisk mark 9th. The reason for his misleading result is because during a caution with 39 laps to go while he was leading he was caught speeding on pit road. That dropped him back to about 20th with not very many laps remaining. If he didn’t speed I think he could’ve won. Last fall Jeff Gordon had the best car in my opinion but he failed to reach victory lane. He had the best driver rating, finished 2nd, had a 5th place average running position and led 130 laps. When the green flag waved he started in 12th but he didn’t stay back for long. On lap 85 he passed Jamie McMurray for the lead and then proceeded to lead the next 83 laps. Unfortunately his race wasn’t incident free. Just before lap 200 under caution while he was leading he got busted speeding on pit road and that dropped him down to 30th. He was able to drive up through the field without much difficulty but that penalty was huge because it put him behind the other elite cars. If he wouldn’t have got that penalty I think he would’ve won. In spring 2014 he had a competitive car early but pitted out of sequence while he was running near the front. That put him back in traffic and shortly afterwards he damaged the nose of the #24. Immediately following the contact he radioed his team and told them he “killed the car.” When the checkered flag waved he finished 12th. In fall 2014 he won his 8th race at Martinsville and tied Jimmie Johnson for the most wins by an active driver. It also marked the first time he’s been to victory lane here since 2005. In that event Gordon started 9th, had a 5th place average running position, led 78 laps and earned the 2nd best driver rating. At the end it came down to him versus Matt Kenseth but he had the edge because of his experience working with lapped traffic. In the last five Martinsville races Gordon has the best driver rating and the best average finish (5.4). (Yahoo A Driver)

Further Recommended Reading – Martinsville Front Runner Rankings, Martinsville Mid Pack Predictions, Who will win at Martinsville, Martinsville Scouting Report, Loop Data Box Score From The Last Race At Martinsville

Denny Hamlin – Martinsville has been a great track for Denny Hamlin and he’ll be a threat to win on Sunday. In 19 Martinsville races he has 5 wins, 10 top fives, 15 top tens, 17 top twenties and has led 1,311 laps. Typically as long as he avoids trouble he’s proven to be a lock for a good finish. This spring he had a great car and many of the garage insiders considered him the favorite to win. In the race he proved them right and went to victory lane. Also in the race Hamlin earned the best driver rating, had a 6th place average running position and led 91 laps. Last fall he had a strong showing. He started 5th, had a 5th place average running position, earned the 3rd best driver rating, finished 8th and led 68 laps. It’s important to note he ran better than he finished. Before the final caution came out he was running in 6th but he lost a few positions in the closing laps. I would presume that’s likely traced to him restarting in the outside lane which is a liability here. In spring 2014 he was a huge disappointment and was never competitive. In the race he started 2nd, had a 12th place average running position, earned the 16th best driver rating and finished 19th. Performance wise it was probably his worst race here. In fall 2013 Hamlin had a solid race. He started on the pole, finished 7th and had a 7th place average running position. Also in the race he led 14 laps and earned the 5th best driver rating. In spring 2013 Hamlin missed the race due to injury. In October 2012 he probably had the best car in the field. He bounced back from two speeding penalties but a master switch problem did him in. (Yahoo A Driver)

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