DFS NASCAR DraftKings Lineup Advice: Martinsville Picks 10/29/17

The Monster Energy Cup Series starts the third round of the playoffs at one of NASCAR’s favorite tracks, Martinsville Speedway. Martinsville is a .526 mile, short track oval with really tight racing which usually leads to drivers losing their tempers with each other.  Eight drivers will compete in the next three races to try to earn a spot in the final race in Miami, FL. Only four of them will qualify. This list inclues the veterans of Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Kevin Harvick. Two of NASCARs youngest stars, Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott are also competing in this playoff round.

My Top 5 Drivers for the First Data 500

Jimmie Johnson($9,800): Johnson is the king of Martinsville among all active drivers with his impressive nine wins at this track. His last victory was earned in last year’s playoff race in October 2016 which qualified him for the Homestead Final(which he won by the way). Look for Johnson to try to lock up a chance here to make it to the finals, where he will try to be the greatest NASCAR driver of all time(to get his 8th championship, tops in all of NASCAR).

Brad Keselowski($9,600): Keselowski is a top performer at Martinsville as proven by his big win in the April 2017 race which qualified him for the playoffs. Keselowski and his team have momentum going into this race, and could easily find victory lane. He is a lock for cash games. Keselowski has four Top 5’s in his last five starts at Martinsville.

Kyle Busch($11,000): In the last four races at Martinvsille, Kyle Busch has been the most dominant driver. He finished 2nd in the April race by leading a dominating 274 out of the 500 laps but fell short to take 2nd place to Brad Keselowski.   He is expensive, but is my top pick for this race.

Denny Hamlin($9,200): Hamlin is the 2nd best driver at Martinsville among active drivers with five trips to victory lane at this track in his native Virginia. In last year’s fall race, Hamlin finished 3rd but wrecked in the April 2017 race to finish 30th.

Joey Logano($9,000):  Even though Logano has never won at Martinsville, he still performs well at this track with five Top 5’s and seven Top 10’s.   He has won the pole position three times at this track.  His last two finishes at this track are 4th and 9th place respectively.   In the November 2015 race, Logano was well on his way to finish in 1st, but a bitter and vengeful Matt Kenseth intentionally wrecked Logano for payback for a previous race incident.

Value Picks

Austin Dillon($7,500):  Dillon has figured out this track as he has two Top 5 finishes in his last three starts at Martinsville.  He finished 5th in the April of 2017.  He is a great value at this price of $7,500.

A.J. Allmendinger($6,000):  Allmendinger’s road racing background translates well to this short track of Martinsville as it requires tight racing, quick maneuvering and brake management(heavy braking in this race leads to overheated and worn out brakes).   In the April race, Allmendinger scored an impressive sixth place, coming from the 30th starting position.  His best finish came in April of 2016 where he finished 2nd in that race.

Sleeper Pick

Matt Kenseth($9,300):  Kenseth was eliminated from the playoffs last week.  He does not have a contract for next year, so look for him to be at the top of his game auditioning for a spot for next year.   He does well at Martinsville, finishing in the Top 10 in six out of the last eight starts.

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