In the week following his victory at Texas, Kyle Larson maintained his dominance at Kansas, so far winning the first two of the three rounds of eight races. None of the remaining seven playoff drivers have yet clinched a berth to the finals. However, some of those drivers are in much worse shape than others, and they will need to qualify by winning most likely. In completing the round of eight, NASCAR will now visit Martinsville Speedway. Both Martin Truex Jr. and Joey Logano have excelled here over their veteran careers, and each needs a victory due to the points deficits they are facing.
While Talladega has the reputation of being the most treacherous race track on the Cup schedule, Martinsville may just have it beat. Over the past two visits to the paper clip, there have been 27 cautions, which is a staggering number. Drivers will continue to get under each other’s feet because of the track’s compacted nature at just over a half-mile. In addition, you’re going to want to secure at least two potential dominators in this track. As this is a 500-lap event, it would equate to 350 dominator points on DraftKings. Ideally, you’ll want to secure two potential dominators on this track. My recommendation would be to grab three dominators. Even though it will be costly, you have to make sure you give yourself the best chance possible.
This week, the Money Train delves into the DFS options for Sunday’s Cup Series event in Martinsville, VA. The selections are broken down between high salary, mid-range, and value play. Included are player salaries from both FanDuel (FD) and DraftKings (DK). Best of luck to everyone with lineups this weekend.
High Salary
Joey Logano (11,500 FD | 9,500 DK)
As a result of the blown motor at Texas, Logano now finds himself in a win-or-you-go home scenario at Martinsville. In Kansas last week, he led 22 laps at one point but failed to finish the race strong. As previously stated, Logano has shown excellent performance at Martinsville over the last number of years. Six times in the past seven trips to the paper clip, he has finished no worse than eighth. Besides being an excellent finisher, Logano can dominate the tiny short track with the best of them. Consider that in three of his attempts, he led 200 or more laps. Among current drivers, he ranks second behind only Truex Jr in terms of laps led. Larson is the hot ticket at the moment, but Martinsville offers the possibility for some surprises.
Martin Truex Jr. (14,500 FD | 11,400 DK)
A cut tire cost him many positions after hovering around the top five last weekend. Due to the fact it was early in the event, he eventually circled back to place a respectable seventh. The collision with Daniel Suarez two weeks ago in Texas, however, looms large. As the lone Gibbs driver on the wrong side of the cutoff line, he now finds himself in desperation mode. Truex Jr. must feel like he landed right on his feet in a hail mary situation, with Martinsville on tap. With three wins in the last four races and nearly 750 laps led, he has been nothing short of sublime. Despite not winning that lone race, Truex still led an impressive 129 laps on the day. Whether or not he wins out, Truex will be a threat to pocket a boatload of dominator points.
Mid-Range
Ryan Newman (4,500 FD | 7,100 DK)
Owners may have a lukewarm attitude toward Newman since he doesn’t seem very dialed in lately. Although, this is one week when I recommend purchasing some shares. At a track as volatile as Martinsville, you need a driver like Newman who can work around the drivers without costing himself dearly. Surprisingly, Newman hasn’t been a great finisher here, but he has been a solid grinder. With four straight top 20 finishes, including two top-12 finishes, he has proven serviceable as a mid-range option. In case of a mishap, he would start 27th, giving himself some breathing room. The chances that he finishes in the top-16 are good, however.
Value Play
Justin Haley (4,000 FD | 5,500 DK)
If you want to secure multiple dominator options, you need to make other sacrifices. Haley could be one of the better alternatives this weekend. In addition to his 35th place starting position, he’s also one of the cheapest options on the slate. If he can quietly go about his business, Haley should be able to bypass a fair amount of drivers before all is said and done. Notably, it will be Haley’s final Cup race before he joins the series full-time next season. A solid top 20 finish would be an excellent closeout to the year.
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