Martinsville Xfinity 500 Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Ryan Blaney
Martinsville Fantasy Outlook – Ryan Blaney, the defending fall Martinsville winner will be tough to beat and the road to victory lane might very well go thru him. Blaney was one of the best this spring, he smoked the field last fall and over the last eleven 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. Over his 17 starts, Blaney’s average finish is a stellar 8.8. In this must-win situation, look for Blaney to pull out all the stops and dial up the intensity.
Martinsville Track History – Ryan Blaney is one of the premiere Martinsville performers. Blaney’s been great over an extended period of time and in the Next Gen, he’s been a standout, having the best average finish (4.0), the 2nd best Speed Ranking and the 2nd best Driver Rating. This spring, Blaney was stout and finished 5th. That result is especially impressive when you take into account after just finishing 12th in Stage #1, Blaney pitted twice because of a loose lugnut. Passing was near impossible, but Blaney legitimately raced his way back to the front. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Blaney ranked 9th but take note over the final quarter of the race, the #12 was the fastest car on the track. Last fall, 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. In 2022, Blaney had strong showings and had results of 3rd (fall) and 4th (spring).

Denny Hamlin
Martinsville Fantasy Outlook – Denny Hamlin is one of the premiere performers at Martinsville and on Sunday, Hamlin’s primed to be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win. At “The Paper Clip”, Hamlin’s a 5-time winner and in 51.3% of his starts he’s finished in the top 5. Over the last four Martinsville races, Hamlin has the best Speed Ranking, the best Driver Rating, the best average running position (4.3) and a 5.75 average finish which underrates him (4th best). Coming up big in this race is a must for Hamlin and take note over the last three fall races he’s averaged leading 154 laps per race, has the best Driver Rating, the 2nd best average running position but an 11.0 average finish.
Martinsville Track History – Denny Hamlin’s a super-elite performer at Martinsville. Hamlin’s had quite a few recent misleading results but those were typically in night races. Since fall 2018 minus the two-night races and fall 2021 where he was spun late while leading, Hamlin has a 5.3 average finish. “Performance Wise”, Hamlin’s been a top five contender over the last four Martinsville races. This spring, Hamlin had a hot rod but finished an asterisk mark 11th. In the race, Hamlin finished 7th in Stage #1, won Stage #2, led 66 laps, had a 4.4 average running position and was running in 4th when the late caution came out, but then they pitted which was very dumb, leading to his asterisk mark 11th. In terms of speed stats, Hamlin had the 4th best Total Speed Ranking and ranked 5th for Speed Late In A Run. 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 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, 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.

Chase Elliott
Martinsville Fantasy Outlook – Chase Elliott is a former Martinsville winner who’ll need to come up clutch and race his way to victory lane if he’s going to vie for another title in Phoenix. The good news is that Elliott was one of the best this spring, he’s been one of the premiere performers and over the last nine races minus misleading results in fall 2023 and fall 2021, Elliott has a 5.8 finish, and he’s averaged leading 77.1 laps per race. On Sunday, I would view Elliott as a top five contender who might be a factor to win.
Martinsville Track History – At Martinsville, Chase Elliott is one of the best, he just hasn’t been at his best in recent races and in 3 of the last 5, he’s finished in exactly 10th. At the “The Paper Clip”, Elliott’s a former winner (2020 #2) and in 10 of the last 13 races he’s finished in the top ten. In the Next Gen, Elliott is tied for 4th in terms of Total Speed Rankings and his average finish minus last fall where he had a misleading result is 8.25. This spring, Elliott was a standout performer. In the race, Elliott finished 3rd in Stage #1, finished 4th in Stage #2, led 64 laps, had a race best 3.2 average running position, earned the 2nd best Driver Rating and then finished 3rd overall. In terms of speed stats, Elliott had the best Total Speed Ranking and ranked # 1 for Speed Late In A Run. I’ll also note, before the late caution came out Elliott was running in 2nd. Last fall, Elliott finished an asterisk mark 17th. In the race, Elliott used pit strategy and got the lead in the final Stage that allowed him to pace the field for 83 laps, but then with 10 to go he ducked down pit road for fuel. I’ll note, prior to his pit strategy play, Elliott looked like a teen’s performer. In the race, Elliott had a 9.3 average running position (pit strategy gamble helped him), had the 8th best Total Speed Ranking and ranked 10th for Speed Late In A Run. In spring 2022 in his “injury return race”, Elliott snuck in a 10th. Elliott didn’t look good having a 22.0 average running position and the 24th best Total Speed Ranking, but the #9 team played the game right at the end and snuck in a solid finish with pit strategy. On lap 282 before things started to get wild over the last 100 laps, Elliott was back in 20th. In fall 2022, Elliott was fast but finished an asterisk mark 10th. In the race, Elliott finished 2nd in Stage #1, 2nd in Stage #2, led 54 laps and was running in 3rd before the late caution came out which shuffled him back and led to his 10th. Additionally, Elliott had a race best 2.6 average running position and had the 3rd best Total Speed Ranking. In spring 2022, Elliott won the pole, won Stage #1, won Stage #2, led 185 laps but finished an asterisk mark 10th. During the Stage #2 caution he was beat off pit road, and then the #9 just wasn’t as strong in traffic. Additionally, Elliott had a 3.9 average running position and the 3rd best Total Speed Ranking.

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