Due to Kyle Busch winning at Texas, it still leaves three slots open for next weekend’s finale at Phoenix. Now, it is onto Martinsville, VA, to wrap up the round of eight. Known for being the shortest track in the Cup Series, Martinsville Speedway is bound to offer plenty of suspense as those final seven drivers scratch and claw for those three remaining spots.
Brad Keselowski won the pole for Sunday and (will be placed opposite Martin Truex Jr.). Both drivers still have plenty on the line coming into Sunday. So without further ado, let’s delve into the driver options for this upcoming cup series event. I’ve broken down the selections between high salary, mid-range and value play. Best of luck to everyone with their lineups this weekend.
High Salary
Brad Keselowski (13,000 FD 11,400 DK)
Keselowski came into Texas looking to greatly increase his points lead on the bottom four drivers, and he would not disappoint. After carving out a sixth-place run on Sunday, his points lead over Chase Elliott ballooned from eight points to 25 points in total. Keselowski now gets Martinsville a track in which he’s had a pretty remarkable career so far. Not only has he finished top three or better his previous three attempts here, but has led close to 900 laps at the short track.
Also, keep in mind that he has not a single DNF over his 24 Martinsville visits. So when you’re looking for a potential dominator that can keep himself out of trouble, you strongly need to consider the No. 2 driver.
Mid-Range
Clint Bowyer (10,000 FD 8,300 DK)
Although, it was a shame to see Bowyer losing out on what looked like a potential victory at Texas. It was certainly an impressive performance nonetheless, and something to build upon as he looks to finish out his final two races. While he’s had a pair of ho-hum results recently at Martinsville. It was only two seasons ago that Bowyer came to the paper clip and led 215 of the 500 laps on top of picking up the victory. He’ll come off the line 17th in the running order this weekend, offering some decent potential for bonus points through place differential and fastest lap.
Value Play
Ryan Newman (7,600 FD 6,500 DK)
Martinsville has always proven to be one of Newman’s best tracks. With this being the tiniest course on the Cup circuit, it suits Newman’s stingy racing style down to a tee. It was here back in June that Newman battled hard for a 12th place finish after starting out the race in 16th position. Slated to start 21st off the line this weekend, Newman should be able to work himself into a competitive top 15 role. Keep in mind that Newman has finished outside the top 12 once in his past four Martinsville visits.
Bubba Wallace (7,000 FD 7,200 DK)
Wallace is going to be looking for a nice rebound performance following his unfortunate collision with Matt Kenseth. He’ll get an opportunity to build upon his string of solid runs at the paper clip. It was here back in June that Wallace cracked the top 11 after beginning the race from a 23rd place starting position. Also, keep in mind his driver rating has continued to increase in each of his five attempts at the track. Selected to come off the line in 32nd position, a top 20 run is not out of the question.
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