Martinsville Cook Out 400 Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Ryan Blaney
Martinsville Fantasy Outlook – Ryan Blaney, last fall’s winner at Martinsville is a super-elite performer at “The Paper Clip” who’ll be tough to beat. In the Next Gen, nobody has been better and over the six combined races, Blaney has 2-wins, the best Average Finish (3.5), the best Total Speed Ranking, the best Driver Rating and he’s 6 for 6 at finishing in the top ten. On Sunday, look for Blaney to be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win.
Martinsville Track History – Ryan Blaney has been a standout performer at Martinsville and statistically, it ranks as his best overall track via his 8.3 average finish over his 18 starts. In the Next Gen era, Blaney has been a standout performer, with 2-wins, a 3.5 average finish and the best Total Speed Ranking. Last fall, Blaney came up clutch and raced his way to victory lane. In the race, Blaney started 14th, finished 5th in Stage #1, finished 2nd in Stage #2, earned the best Driver Rating, had a 4.7 average running position and led 32 laps. I’ll note that win didn’t come easy and via mixed pit strategy which dropped him back, he drove from 10th to 1st over the course of 76 laps (lap 411 to 487). Last 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. In fall 2023, 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. Over the three races prior to that, Blaney had finishes of 7th, 3rd and 4th.

William Byron
Martinsville Fantasy Outlook – William Byron is the defending spring Martinsville winner and on Sunday, look for this 2-time Next Gen “Paper Clip” winner to be a contender. Byron’s been great here and in the Next Gen, Byron ranks 4th for average finish (8.7) and 7th for Next Gen Speed Rankings. On Sunday, look for Byron to be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win.
Martinsville Track History – William Byron has been strong at Martinsville and take note; he’s won 2 of the 3 spring Martinsville Next Gen races. Also in the Next Gen era, Byron has the 4th best average finish (8.7) and the 6th best Driver Rating. Last fall, Byron had a strong showing. In the race, Byron finished 6th, had a race best 3.4 average running position, earned the 6th best Driver Rating, led 51 laps and then finished 6th. I’ll note, Byron wasn’t at his best to close out, but that’s playoff drama for you. Last spring, the #24 was fast en route to victory lane. In the race, Byron started 18th, finished 8th in Stage #1, finished 8th in Stage #2, had a 6.4 average running position, led 88 laps and of course finished first. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Byron ranked 3rd. In fall 2023, Byron didn’t look great for much of the race, but he did get better late and managed to finish a respectable 13th. That said, Byron had a 17.4 average running position, and his Speed Ranking was 21st. In spring 2023, Byron was a standout in practice which had him positioned to be the favorite on race day, but he finished a clunker 23rd. In the race, Byron finished 10th in Stage #1, had a 15.6 average running position and had the 14th best Total Speed Ranking. Over the four Martinsville races prior to that, Byron had results of 7th, 1st, 5th and 4th.

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 who’s finished in the top five, 52.6% of the time and in the top ten 68.4% of the time. Over the last five Martinsville races, Hamlin has a 5.6 average finish (3rd best), the best Driver Rating, the best average running position (5.6) and he’s averaged leading the most laps per race (92.2). In the Next Gen, Hamlin ranks 3rd in terms of Total Speed Rankings.
Martinsville Track History – Denny Hamlin’s a super-elite performer at Martinsville. Hamlin’s had quite a few recent misleading results but since fall 2018 minus the two-night races and fall 2021 where he was spun late while leading, Hamlin has a 5.4 average finish. I’ll note, this race shockingly marks a decade since this 5-time winner last took home the clock. “Performance Wise”, Hamlin’s been a top five contender over the last 5 Martinsville races. Last fall, Hamlin started the race in the rear of the field after a practice crash but sliced and diced his way up to a 5th place finish. Additionally, Hamlin had the 5th best Total Speed Ranking and ranked 5th for Speed Late In A Run. If he would’ve raced what he initially brought to the track, he likely would’ve been a serious contender. Last 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. In fall 2023 with his then undisclosed shoulder injury, 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 Total Speed Rankings, Hamlin ranked 2nd. Over the two races prior to that, Hamlin had results of 4th and 5th.

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