The rankings below are based on a mixture of expected output and DraftKings’ NASCAR salaries for Sunday. The order is not based on the highest projected fantasy totals, but rather by the value of each driver.
The DraftKings NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 at Martinsville slate locks at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $125K Engineer [$25K to 1st] (Cup)
1. Chase Elliott ($11,200) — Hendrick Motorsports is very good at Martinsville. Chase Elliott has been very good at Martinsville. He has delivered in high-pressure situations at this short track in the past.
2. William Byron ($10,800) — The Maestro of Martinsville is William Byron. It’s a little early to start handing out nicknames but his stats are pointing in the right direction — a win in the spring, two top 5s last season and two top 10s in 2020.
3. Martin Truex Jr ($9,500) — This is the first time in a longtime that the Martinsville playoff race means nothing to Truex. In the last 10 races at The Paperclip, Truex has nine top 10s, seven top 5s and three wins.
4. Joey Logano ($10,000) — NASCAR has implemented three different racing packages across the last six races at Martinsville. Logano has a top-10 finish in each race with a top-5 finish in half of those races.
5. Denny Hamlin ($11,400) — It’s been a while since Hamlin has won at Martinsville (2015) but he still knows what he is doing. He has five wins and 16 top-5 finishes at The Paperclip.
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6. Christopher Bell ($9,300) — Green-flag pit stops at Martinsville are rare but they happen. And in the spring, Bell got nailed with a penalty during a stop. That ended his chances and he had a chance because no one has been better at the short, flat tracks this season.
7. Kevin Harvick ($8,700) — His talent has depreciated but Harvick is still running well at the short, flat tracks this season. He has a win and a runner-up finish at Richmond, and he finished fifth at New Hampshire.
8. Kyle Larson ($11,700) — This has always been Larson’s worst track. It started to click a little when he joined Hendrick Motorsports but there is still a ways to go.
9. Ross Chastain ($9,700) — In the spring race, Chastain had one of the few cars that could make passes. In the spring, Trackhouse Racing was a much stronger team. In the spring, the track temps were frigid and it will again be cool this weekend.
10. Kyle Busch ($8,900) — Is his heart in it? Does Busch care about getting a final win with JGR or is he ready to get out the door? Historically, Martinsville has been one of his best tracks.
11. Ryan Blaney ($10,400) — It’s not clear that Blaney can win at Martinsville. It is clear that he can score fantasy points. Blaney has led over 140 laps at Martinsville twice.
12. Chris Buescher ($6,900) — It’s been a great season for Roush’s longest tenured driver. His 0.66 Dietrich Data Score in the four most recent short, flat track races ranks 12th (Martinsville, Richmond and New Hampshire).
13. Ty Gibbs ($6,100) — This price is too cheap for a Toyota. This price is too cheap for a driver that led 197 laps in the Xfinity Series race at Martinsville back in the spring.
14. Erik Jones ($6,700) — His price dropped $1,200 this week. It might make sense based on career numbers but not based on his recent form at Martinsville. He has two top-15 finishes in the last two races and both were with RPM.
15. Tyler Reddick ($8,400) — RCR Crew Chief Randall Burnett likes Martinsville. Tyler Reddick does not. So far, Reddick is winning the argument with four finishes of 16th or worse in his five races.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $125K Engineer [$25K to 1st] (Cup)
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is greenflagradio2) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.