Martinsville Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Denny Hamlin
Martinsville Fantasy Spin – Denny Hamlin is one of the premiere performers at Martinsville and on Sunday, there’s no question Hamlin’s primed to be a top contender. At “The Paper Clip”, Hamlin’s a 5-time winner and in 52.7% of his starts he’s finished in the top 5. At Martinsville over the last three races, Hamlin has the best Speed Ranking (1.3), the best Driver Rating, a 4.3 average finish, and he’s averaged leading 131.7 laps per race. On Sunday, look for Hamlin to be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win.
Martinsville Track History – Denny Hamlin’s a super-elite performer at Martinsville. Hamlin’s had quite a few recent misleading results, but outside of “Night Races”, you could argue he’s been the best “Performance Wise.” Since fall 2018 minus the two-night races and fall 2021 where he was spun late while leading, Hamlin has a 4.8 average finish. Last fall, Hamlin ranked among the best despite his undisclosed shoulder injury. In the race, Hamlin won Stage #1, finished 2nd in Stage #2, had a 3.3 average running position, led a race high 156 laps, earned the 2nd best Driver Rating and then finished 3rd overall. In terms of speed stats, Hamlin had the 2nd best Total Speed Ranking and the 2nd best Green Flag Speed. Last spring, Hamlin had a hot rod and finished 4th, which isn’t “Fools Gold” like some of the other top finishers. In the race, Hamlin finished 8th in Stage #1, finished 3rd in Stage #2, had a 5.6 average running position, led 36 laps and was the race leader on lap 282, which is a great reference point before “Wildness” started to ensue over the last 100 laps. Additionally in the race, Hamlin had the best Total Speed Ranking, was the Fastest Driver Late In A Run and ranked 2nd for Green Flag Speed. In fall 2022, Hamlin had a stellar showing, but pit stops took him out of contention in the final Stage. In the race, Hamlin won Stage #1, won Stage #2, led 203 laps, had a 3.9 average running position and then finished 5th. In terms of speed analytics, Hamlin had the best Total Speed Ranking and ranked as the Fastest Driver Late In A Run.

Ryan Blaney
Martinsville Fantasy Spin – At Martinsville, the road to victory lane might very well go thru Ryan Blaney. Blaney smoked the field last fall en route to victory lane and over the last ten Martinsville races, Blaney has the best average finish (5.0), the best average running position, the best Driver Rating and he’s finished in the top 11 every race. In Next Gen races specifically, Blaney also ranks #1 for average finish (3.8) and his Next Gen Speed Ranking ranks #1. On Sunday, look for Blaney to be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win.
Martinsville Track History – Ryan Blaney ranks as one of the premiere performers at “The Paper Clip.” Blaney’s been great over an extended period of time and in the Next Gen specifically, he’s been a standout, having the best average finish (3.8), the best average running position (7.5.), the best Driver Rating and being one of just 3 drivers who are 4 for 4 at finishing in the top ten. Last fall, Ryan Blaney was the class of the field. In the race, Blaney finished 2nd in Stage #1, won Stage #2, had a 4.4 average running position, earned the best Driver Rating, led 145 laps and of course raced his way to victory lane. To earn his win, Blaney had to race hard, driving up from 13th back to the lead under green with about 170 laps to go. In terms of speed analytics, Blaney had the best Total Speed Ranking, ranking #1 in segments 2, 3 and 4. Last spring, Blaney started 31st but finished 7th. The #12 was solid and Blaney was legitimately able to make passes unlike most. On lap 282 before late funny business started to happen over the last 100 laps, Blaney had driven up to 11th. In addition to finishing 7th, Blaney ranked 2nd for Speed Late In A Run, 9th for Green Flag Speed & Total Speed Rankings and had a 14.2 average running position. In 2022, Blaney had strong showings and had results of 3rd (fall) and 4th (spring) for the season.

Joey Logano
Martinsville Fantasy Spin – Joey Logano is always a force to be reckoned with at Martinsville and on Sunday, look for him to be a top five contender who’ll compete for the win. Logano’s a former winner (2018), he’s finished runner-up in 2 of the last 4 races and currently he has a series best 9 straight Martinsville top tens. One attribute I like about Logano at short tracks is that he isn’t afraid to get aggressive and dial up the intensity.
Martinsville Track History – Joey Logano has been a fantasy ace at Martinsville, and in recent races, he ranks among the best. In Next Gen races at “The Paper Clip”, Logano has a 4.0 average finish, the 6th best Next Gen Speed Ranking, 3 top fives and he’s one of just 3 drivers who are 4 for 4 at finishing in the top ten. Last fall, the #22 was tuned up and Logano had a great performance. In the race, Logano started 15th, finished 9th in Stage #1, finished 4th in Stage #2 and then finished 5th when the checkered flag waved. In terms of speed stats, Logano had the 3rd best Total Speed Ranking and ranked 5th for Speed Late In A Run. Last spring, Logano finished runner-up, but he looked really bad for most of the race until he got track position at the end. In the race, Logano started in the rear of the field (water leak), had a 21st place average running position and had the 23rd best Total Speed Ranking. In fall 2022, the #22 team was looking ahead to the Phoenix finale and Logano still finished 6th. Additionally, Logano had a 9.8 average running position and the 9th best Total Speed Ranking. In spring 2022, Logano had a great race, and got better as the race progressed. In the event he started 14th, finished 8th in Stage #1, 3rd in Stage #2 and then finished 2nd when the checkered flag waved. Additionally, Logano had a 4.8 average running position, the 2nd best Total Speed Ranking and ranked 2nd for speed late in a run.

Make sure you read the full spectrum of our Martinsville Fantasy NASCAR Rankings

Top Tier Elite Picks > Front Runners Rankings > Mid Pack Predictions & The Low Tier