Martinsville Cook Out 400 Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Ryan Blaney
Martinsville Fantasy Outlook – Ryan Blaney’s a super-elite performer at Martinsville, and the road to victory lane likely goes through the #12. Blaney’s a 2-time Martinsville winner, and in the Next Gen, he ranks #1 for average finish (4.3), #1 for Driver Rating, and has the 2nd best Next Gen Speed Ranking. When it comes to “Performance”, Blaney never lacks and always ranks among the best. 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. His career average finish is 8.2, and he’s finished in the top five 55% of the time. In the Next Gen, Blaney has 2 wins, the best average finish (4.3), he’s 7 for 8 at finishing in the top 7, and he’s had a result in the top 11 every race. Last fall, Blaney was strong but came up just short of victory lane. In the race, Blaney started 31st, finished 7th in Stage #1, would’ve finished 2nd in Stage #2 if there hadn’t been a late caution, led 177 laps, earned the 2nd best Driver Rating, and then finished 2nd overall, after getting outdueled by William Byron late. In terms of speed stats, Blaney ranked 2nd for both Total Speed Rankings and Speed Late In A Run. Last spring, Blaney started 32nd, finished about 18th in Stage #1, finished 6th in Stage #2, but then finished 11th when the checkered flag waved. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Blaney ranked 11th. In fall 2024, 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). Over the five races prior to that, Blaney had results of 5th, 1st, 7th, 3rd, and 4th.

Denny Hamlin
Martinsville Fantasy Outlook – Defending Spring winner, 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. Hamlin smoked the field last spring and looked great in the fall until his engine’s demise while running in 2nd, so I don’t think he’ll disappoint. At “The Paper Clip”, Hamlin’s a 6-time winner who’s finished in the top five, 52.5% of the time and in the top ten 67.5% of the time. Over the last seven races minus last fall, Hamlin has a 4.8 average finish, a 5.0 average running position and he’s averaged leading 122.5 laps per race. In the Next Gen era, Hamlin ranks 3rd in terms of Next Gen Speed Rankings and 4th for Driver Rating.
Martinsville Track History – Denny Hamlin’s a super-elite performer at Martinsville who’s always a factor. Since fall 2022 minus last fall, Hamlin’s 5 for 6 at finishing in the top 6, has a 4.8 average finish, and his Average Speed Ranking is 2.6, with him ranking #1 in 3 of the last 6 races. Last fall, the #11 was one of the best, and you can completely disregard his 35th. In the race, Hamlin started 5th, finished 6th in Stage #1, would’ve finished 8th in Stage #2 if there wasn’t a late caution, but then in the last Stage, the #11 came to life, but then on lap 335 while running in 2nd, his engine blew up, which led to his 35th. His car was just coming to him at that point. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Hamlin ranked 5th with his speed over the segments being 6th, 8th, and then 3rd. Last spring, the #11 team brought a new setup, and Hamlin took the competition to the woodshed. In the race, Hamlin finished 1st, had a 2.4 average running position, earned a near-perfect Driver Rating, and led 274 laps. In terms of speed analytics, Hamlin had the best Total Speed Ranking and ranked as the Fastest Driver Late In A Run. In fall 2024, 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. In spring 2024, 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. Over the three races prior to that, Hamlin had results of 3rd, 4th, and 5th.

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