Goody's Fast Relief 500
Location: Martinsville, Va.
Course: Martinsville Speedway
Format: 0.5-mile oval
Laps: 500
Race Preview
The final eight drivers in the 2016 Chase for the Sprint Cup were decided last week in Talladega. Joey Logano got through in the safest way possible by winning, but teammate Brad Keselowski was doomed by a blown engine. Another heartbreaking engine failure knocked Martin Truex Jr. out of the race and championship hunt in what is rapidly becoming a concerning trend for Toyota-powered teams. Austin Dillon and Chase Elliott were the other two drivers to miss advancing in the Chase and will now focus on claiming fifth in the points at the end of the season. The final three-race elimination round of the championship hunt begins this week in Martinsville. The track couldn't be any more different than Talladega, but the stakes only continue to rise as the championship battle rages on.
Key Stats at Martinsville Speedway
• Number of previous races: 135
• Winners from pole: 21
• Winners from top-5 starters: 70
• Winners from top-10 starters: 97
• Winners from 21st or lower starters: 7
• Fastest race: 82.223 mph
Last 10 Martinsville Winners
2016 spring - Kyle Busch
2015 fall - Jeff Gordon
2015 spring - Denny Hamlin
2014 fall - Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2014 spring - Kurt Busch
2013 fall - Jeff Gordon
2013 spring - Jimmie Johnson
2012 fall - Jimmie Johnson
2012 spring - Ryan Newman
2011 fall - Tony Stewart
The short and flat Martinsville Speedway awaits drivers this week. The track is characterized by tight turns and heavy braking. Durability will be extremely important at the rough and tumble track. The straights offer plenty of full-throttle action, but require heavy braking to work the car down to the inside curb. Mechanical grip and balancing the brake and throttle through the turns are the keys to fast lap times. The short lap will also produce significant amounts of traffic. Drivers getting caught in the outside lane in traffic will find it difficult to get back to the bottom and likely will shuffle backward as grip tends to lessen the farther away from the apex the cars run. Kyle Busch won at the track earlier this season, and a sweep of the track would see him through to Homestead with a chance to defend his Sprint Cup championship.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Kyle Busch - $10,700
Jimmie Johnson - $10,500
Denny Hamlin - $10,000
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Joey Logano - $9,800
Brad Keselowski - $9,600
Martin Truex Jr. - $9,400
Matt Kenseth - $9,200
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Jeff Gordon - $8,800
Chase Elliott - $8,600
Kyle Larson - $8,400
Ryan Newman - $7,800
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Trevor Bayne - $6,900
Danica Patrick - $6,600
Casey Mears - $6,200
Chris Buescher - $6,000
Cole Whitt - $5,200
MY PICKS THIS WEEK
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Kyle Busch - $10,700
Kevin Harvick - $10,300
Joey Logano - $9,800
Matt Kenseth - $9,200
Cole Whitt - $5,200
Michael Annett - $4,700
The lower-risk lineup this week is led by Busch, who is arguably the hottest driver on the circuit at the moment. Throwing away his Talladega finish (where he chose to race at the back of the field) he hasn't finished worse than 11th since Darlington. A win this week would see him through to defend his title in Homestead. Harvick is no stranger to clutch performances in the Chase, and his skill at delivering victories has kept him alive to the current round. He won at Martinsville in 2011 and has three top-10 finishes in the last five races at the track. Last year's visit to Martinsville was what derailed Logano's championship bid. He won last week in Talladega to get a second shot at it in 2016. He has started from pole the last three visits to the track and would love to convert that pace into a win this week. Kenseth was the second half of the equation with Logano last year in this race, but with both still alive in the Chase, we shouldn't expect fireworks. Like Logano, Kenseth has never won at the track. Whitt and Annett round out the roster. Whitt brings two top-20s from six Martinsville starts to the table, while Annett has finished better than his starting spot four out of five times.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Jimmie Johnson - $10,500
Denny Hamlin - $10,000
Jeff Gordon - $8,800
Clint Bowyer - $7,700
Tony Stewart - $7,600
Brian Scott - $5,100
This week's higher-risk lineup has more inconsistency embedded in it. There is no doubt that Johnson and Gordon have been fantastic at this track throughout their careers, but neither is currently reaching that form so far this season. Both carry significant upside potential with 17 Martinsville wins between them, however. Hamlin raced his way into this round of the Chase after a tie-breaker with Dillon. Hamlin is a five-time Martinsville winner, and squeaking through the last round may light a fire for him to turn up the wick just a bit this week. Bowyer must be anxious for 2016 to end by now. It has been a horrible year for him, but Martinsville has been a good venue for him in the past. This week's race may be one final opportunity for him to get a respectable result before moving over to the No. 14 team. The man he's replacing, Stewart, has three Martinsville wins and finished 10th there earlier this season. That is great value for his current price tag. Finally, Scott has just one Martinsville start in his Sprint Cup career, but he finished 26th in the spring race and that's a solid finish for his price.
