Martinsville Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 Fantasy NASCAR Mid Pack Predictions

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – How can you not like Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s momentum? Currently he has five straight top 13 results. Over this five race stretch his average finish is 11.2. This spring at Martinsville Ricky Stenhouse Jr. didn’t have an incident free race and was responsible for bringing out three cautions. His third caution was on lap 206 and at that time he got into the wall hard and got heavy damage which hobbled his car for the remainder of the event. When the checkered flag waved he finished 40th. Performance wise his car was not fast and was mid-twenties good at best. Last fall he didn’t have a great performance but when the checkered flag waved he finished 15th. It’s important to note from that event he had a 24th place average running position, earned the 24th best driver rating and only ran in the top fifteen in 4.6% percent of the completed. The key moment for him in the race was the final caution when he stayed out and choose not to pit which got him up to 2nd with about 12 laps remaining. In spring 2014 around lap 350 while he was racing around 20th he had mechanical issues that sent him to the garage. In 2013 at Martinsville he started in 20th both races and had results of 25th and 31st. (Yahoo B Driver)

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Paul Menard – Paul Menard has been a decent performer at Martinsville. Over the last six races his 16.7 average finish ranks as the 15th best in the series. In three of the races over this stretch he’s finished between 10th and 14th and in the other three he’s finished between 19th and 23rd. This spring he finished 23rd but I thought he was better than his result. On lap 366 while he was running around 11th he got into the wall and got some minor damage. After that he essentially ran between 23rd and 25th for the remainder of the event. Last season Paul Menard had his best year ever at Martinsville. In fall 2014 he was a solid mid-teens driver. In the event he started 14th, finished 14th and earned the 14th best driver rating. His average running position for the afternoon was 17th. In spring 2014 he had his best race ever and finished 10th. In that race he started in 21st, had a 15th place average running position, and earned the 13th best driver rating. The race last spring was one of “comers and goers” and that phrase could be used to describe his afternoon. From about lap 200 to the conclusion of the race he went through a vicious cycle of dropping back to around 20th and then driving up towards 10th. Fortunately for him the race ended at a favorable time of his performance cycle. In four of the five Martinsville races prior to 2014 he came home with a result between 19th and 26th. In 2013 he had results of 19th and 22nd. Also in the combined races that season he had a 19.5 average running position, 19.5 average starting position and the 26th best driver rating. (Yahoo B Driver)

Further Recommended Reading – Martinsville Top Tier Elite Picks, Martinsville Front Runner Rankings, Who will win at Martinsville, Martinsville Scouting Report, Loop Data Box Score From The Last Race At Martinsville

Greg Biffle – Martinsville is a skill track where the driver is the difference maker. That plays to Biffle’s strength and I think he’ll be able to perform better than he does most weekends where it’s apparent Roush Fenway Racing is behind on speed. Since 2012 at Martinsville his 13.0 average finish ranks as the 7th best in the series. This spring Biffle didn’t have a great car. He finished 19th, earned the 19th best driver rating and had a 20th place average running position. His 19th place finish marked his 8th straight result in the top twenty. Last fall at Martinsville Biffle likely had a mid-teens to high-teens car but when the checkered flag waved he finished 13th. In spring 2014 he looked very competitive at times. Shortly after lap 150 he even drove to the lead and led 18 laps. Unfortunately that was short lived and for whatever reason his car appeared to drop off competitively. In the race Biffle started in 11th, had a 13th place average running position, earned the 14th best driver rating and finished 18th. In 2013 he had his best year at Martinsville hands down. In fall 2013 he rallied to a 9th place finish despite some adversity. With 125 laps to go his rear bumper was flapping in the wind. He blamed Johnson for that and made contact with the 48. NASCAR forced him to fix it during his next pit stop and he went from 7th to 27th. In spring 2013 he also had a 9th place result. In that race though I wouldn’t say he was as good as his finish. He started in 22nd, had a 16th place average running position and only ran in the top fifteen in 38.4% percent of the laps completed. It’s also important to note that in one point during a long green flag run he went down a lap. There’s only two tracks on the schedule where Biffle has never finished in the top five and Martinsville is one of them. (Yahoo B Driver)

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