NASCAR: Fantasy Racing Picks for STP 500 at Martinsville
By Matt Lovisa
NASCAR is back on the east coast and visiting the first short track of the season at Martinsville Speedway for the STP 500.
The first short track race of the season will have plenty of action on and off the track. Will Kyle Larson continue his dominance? Will Kyle Busch retaliate against Joey Logano? Will Clint Bowyer continue his impressive start with Stewart-Haas Racing?
In the fantasy racing world after five races, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano are the only drivers who are averaging more than 40 fantasy racing points this season. The drivers on the outside looking in are Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer, all three of which could play a factor in your fantasy racing lineup for Martinsville Speedway.
As NASCAR heads to Martinsville Speedway, here is a sampling of drivers to consider for your fantasy racing lineup.
Start your team with Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr.
Kyle Busch has finished inside the top five in all three of his previous races at Martinsville Speedway and that includes one victory, a race where he led 352 of the 500 laps. Busch has yet to win this season but is still the second highest priced driver heading into Martinsville at $10,300. With limited practice and qualifying postponed, Busch will be a good selection to pick up where he last left off at Martinsville.
Martin Truex Jr. might not be the driver associated the running well at Martinsville, but the stats over his last four races don’t lie. Truex has three top tens and 197 laps led in his last four races at Martinsville. He sits third in the point standings which means he will start up front this weekend. Plus, he his reasonably priced $9,400.
Jamie McMurray and Kasey Kahne are under the radar
Jamie McMurray has averaged a subpar 23.1 fantasy racing points this season but he has three top tens in his last four races at Martinsville Speedway and an average finish of 10.8, that’s fourth best among active drivers. McMurray will roll off the starting grid from the sixth position and at just $8,100, he could provide a spark to your team.
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Kasey Kahne is is priced even lower than McMurray at $7,300, despite scoring an average of 32.6 fantasy racing points this season. Kahne has only one top ten in his last four races, but has an average finish of 13.2, which is seventh best among active drivers.
Choose two drivers from Stewart-Haas Racing
No one would fault you for choosing Kevin Harvick or Kurt Busch for this weekend’s race at Martinsville Speedway. But what about the other two drivers?
Right now Clint Bowyer is in the middle of a turnaround and is headed to a track where he has had success earlier in his career. Bowyer has averaged the sixth best fantasy racing points this season and Bowyer had a strong final practice headed into Sunday’s race, keeping his momentum of the 2017 season going.
Danica Patrick is priced at only $6,100 and has averaged a respectful 25.9 fantasy racing points this season. Patrick has one top ten, three finishes inside the top 25 and an average finish of 21.8 in her last four races at Martinsville Speedway. On paper the statistics aren’t anything spectacular, but surviving and finishing inside the top 20 at Martinsville can have a large payoff.