Martinsville Cook Out 400 Fantasy NASCAR Confidence Rankings / Post Practice Predictions
On Sunday, NASCAR will be racing at Martinsville for the Cook Out 400! Martinsville is the oldest, shortest and slowest track, 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 had 25 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, Martinsville 10,15,20,25 and 30 Lap Average Speed Cheat Sheet and Martinsville Practice Group Speed Rankings.
Here’s Martinsville NASCAR Qualifying Results.
Martinsville Full Field Fantasy Rankings
1) Chase Elliott
Start 2nd / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – High
Martinsville Outlook – Look for Chase Elliott to be a contender at Martinsville in a fast #9. Elliott’s been elite at “The Paper Clip” and in 2024, Elliott had the best Total Speed Ranking in both races and had a pair of top 3 finishes. Overall in the Next Gen, Elliott has the 3rd best Driver Rating, the 4th best Next Gen Speed Ranking and the 5th best average finish (8.8). Over the last 10 races minus misleading results in fall 2023 and fall 2021, Elliott has a 5.5 average finish, and he’s averaged leading 83.6 laps per race. Last year over the combined races, Elliott was tied for the best average finish (2.5), had the best Driver Rating and averaged leading the most laps per race (96.5). Last fall, the #9 was a rocket. In the race, Elliott finished 2nd, earned the 2nd best Driver Rating and led the 2nd most laps (129). In terms of Speed stats, Elliott had the best Total Speed Ranking and ranked 4th for Speed Late In A Run. Last 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.
DraftKings $9,900/ FanDuel $12,000
2) Denny Hamlin
Start 5th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – High
Martinsville Outlook – Denny Hamlin is a super-elite short track driver who’ll be tough to beat. At Martinsville, Hamlin’s a 5-time winner and over the last five 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. “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 drove up to a 5th place finish. Additionally, Hamlin had the 5th best Total Speed Ranking and ranked 5th for Speed Late In A Run. Last spring, Hamlin was top five good 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, leading to his asterisk mark 11th. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Hamlin ranked 4th. 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. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Hamlin ranked 2nd. Over the two races prior to that, Hamlin had results of 4th and 5th. In practice, Hamlin was fast and in Group B, Hamlin had the best 30-lap average.
DraftKings $10,700/ FanDuel $12,500
Further Recommended Reading = Martinsville Projected Finish Ranges, DraftKings Martinsville Scoring Projections, FanDuel Martinsville Scoring Projections, Martinsville Quick Rankings
3) Ryan Blaney
Start 32nd / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium
Martinsville Outlook – Ryan Blaney has been the dominant performer at Martinsville in the Next Gen and on Sunday, he’ll be a driver to beat despite starting 32nd. The #12 was fast in practice, having the best 30-lap average so there’s no question he’ll be moving up thru the field. In the Next Gen at Martinsville over the combined races, Blaney has 2-wins, the best Average Finish (3.5), the best Total Speed Ranking, the best Driver Rating and he’s a perfect 6 for 6 at finishing in the top ten. 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. Last spring, Blaney was impressive and finished 5th, despite pitting twice during the Stage #2 caution which dropped him all the way to the back. Passing was nearly impossible, but Blaney raced his way back to the front. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Blaney ranked 9th but take note over the final 25% 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.
