Martinsville Fantasy NASCAR Confidence Rankings / Post Practice Predictions
On Sunday, NASCAR will be racing at Martinsville! Martinsville is the oldest, shortest and slowest track on the circuit, but the action can be second to none. NASCAR is a contact sport, and I think there will be a ton of action over all four hundred miles. Martinsville is a .5-mile oval which I consider to be a unique track.
On Saturday, practice was held for Martinsville. Teams only had 20 minutes, and keep in mind teams have different agenda’s (some want to focus on long runs, some just want to feel out their car, some might focus on qualifying). Make sure you check out our Martinsville Practice Notes, Martinsville Practice Speeds and Martinsville 10,15,20,25 and 30 Lap Average Speed Cheat Sheet.
Here’s Martinsville NASCAR Qualifying Results.
If you’re in a rush, here’s our Martinsville Quick Rankings!
Martinsville Full Field Fantasy Rankings
1) Denny Hamlin
Start 8th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium-High
Martinsville Outlook – Denny Hamlin’s a super-elite performer at Martinsville and on Sunday, he’ll be going for a first half of the season short track sweep (Clash, Richmond and Bristol), and I think he has a great chance to pull out the broom. Hamlin’s a master at Martinsville, being a 5-time winner and in 53% of his starts he’s finished in the top 5. At Martinsville over the last three races, Hamlin has the best Total Speed Ranking, the best Driver Rating, a 4.3 average finish and he’s averaged leading 131.7 laps per race. In practice, Hamlin has the 2nd best 30-lap average.
Martinsville Track Record Breakdown – Martinsville is one of Denny Hamlin’s home tracks and he’s arguably the premiere performer. 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 having an undisclosed shoulder injury at the time. 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 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, 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, Hamlin had the best Total Speed Ranking and ranked as the Fastest Driver Late In A Run. 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
DraftKings $11,500 / FanDuel $14,000
Further Recommended Reading = Martinsville Projected Finish Ranges, DraftKings Martinsville Scoring Projections, FanDuel Martinsville Scoring Projections, DFS Top Five Dominators/ Movers
2) Kyle Larson
Start 1st/ Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – High
Martinsville Outlook – Kyle Larson is the defending spring winner at Martinsville and on Sunday, look for him to be a factor. Larson’s emerging into one of the premiere performers at “The Paper Clip” and over the last three races, Larson has a series best 3.0 average finish, the 2nd best average running position (4.3) and the 3rd best Driver Rating. In terms of Next Gen Speed Rankings, Larson ranks as the 2nd best. In practice, Larson had the best 30-lap average. Larson is also quite confident and in practice he said, “I feel like I’m good at Martinsville, which is weird.”
Martinsville Track Record Breakdown – At Martinsville in the #5, Kyle Larson has been stout and over his incident free races, Larson’s finished in the top 6 every race and has a 3.5 average finish. Over the last three races, Larson has a 3.0 average finish and he’s 3 for 3 at finishing in the top 6. Last fall, Larson finished 6th, earned the 7th best Driver Rating, had a 10th place average running position and had the 9th best Speed Ranking. In spring 2023 en route to taking home the trophy, Larson finished 9th in Stage #1, 10th in Stage #2, had a 7.0 average running position and led 30 laps. In terms of speed stats, Larson ranked 5th for Green Flag Speed and Total Speed Rankings. In fall 2022, Larson finished 4th in Stage #1, 3rd in Stage #2, had a 3.5 average running position, had the 4th best Total Speed Ranking, led 68 laps and then finished 2nd.
DraftKings $11,200 / FanDuel $13,000
3) Ryan Blaney
Start 9th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium-High
Martinsville Outlook – Ryan Blaney, last fall’s Martinsville winner will be tough to beat and on Sunday, look for him to be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win. 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 Martinsville Next Gen races, Blaney ranks #1 for having the best average finish (3.8) and the best Nex Gen Speed Ranking. On Sunday, look for Blaney to be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win.
Martinsville Track Record Breakdown – Ryan Blaney will be tough competition at “The Paper Clip” and in the Next Gen, he’s been a standout, having won last fall and over the combined races having the best average finish (3.8), the best average running position, the best Driver Rating and the best Next Gen Speed Ranking. Last fall, Blaney had a game 7-moment and came up clutch, racing his way to victory lane. In the race, Blaney finished 2nd in Stage #1, won Stage #2, had a 4.4 average running position, earned the best Driver Rating and led 145 laps. To close out the race, Blaney had to drive up from 13th to first over the final Stage, so he definitely earned the “W.” 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. Passing was difficult, but Blaney was one of a few drivers who were able to legitimately make passes. In 2022, Blaney swept the top five and had results of 3rd (fall) and 4th (spring).
DraftKings $10,500 / FanDuel $12,000
