STP 500 Betting News and Notes

Martinsville Driver Tale of the Tape

Clint Bowyer (No. 15 HScott Motorsports Chevrolet)

· Four top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 13.650, fourth-best
· Average Running Position of 13.101, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 92.5, sixth-best
· 302 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 91.259, fifth-fastest
· 7112 Laps in the Top 15 (70.9), fifth-most
· 697 Quality Passes, fifth-most

Kyle Busch (No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)

· Nine top fives, ten top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 15.143, ninth-best
· Average Running Position of 12.893, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 96.5, fourth-best
· 421 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 91.321, fourth-fastest
· 7533 Laps in the Top 15 (71.5), fourth-most
· 719 Quality Passes, fourth-most

Kurt Busch (No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet)

· Two wins, three top fives, five top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 21.227, 13th-best
· Average Running Position of 17.277, 13th-best
· Driver Rating of 80.2, 13th-best
· 170 Fastest Laps Run, series-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 90.964, 11th-fastest
· 5540 Laps in the Top 15 (50.2), 13th-most
· 533 Quality Passes, 11th-most

Dale Earnhardt Jr (No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)

· One win, 13 top fives, 18 top 10s
· Average finish of 11.864, third-best
· Average Running Position of 11.520, third-best
· Driver Rating of 99.4, third-best
· 563 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 91.373, third-fastest
· 8325 Laps in the Top 15 (75.4), third-most
· 800 Quality Passes, series-most

Carl Edwards (No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)

· One top five, five top 10s
· Average finish of 15.500, 10th-best
· Average Running Position of 15.745, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 81.5, 12th-best
· 165 Fastest Laps Run, third-best
Average Green Flag Speed of 90.942, 13th-fastest
· 5927 Laps in the Top 15 (53.7), 12th-most
· 648 Quality Passes, seventh-most

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)

· Five wins, 11 top fives, 16 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 8.050, second-best
· Average Running Position of 8.907, second-best
· Driver Rating of 110.6, second-best
· 701 Fastest Laps Run, 12th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 91.485, second-fastest
· 8293 Laps in the Top 15 (82.6), second-most
· 768 Quality Passes, second-most

Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet)

· One win, three top fives, 14 top 10s
· Average finish of 14.682, seventh-best
· Average Running Position of 13.472, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 94.6, fifth-best
· 375 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 91.186, seventh-fastest
· 7469 Laps in the Top 15 (67.7), sixth-most
· 691 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)

· Eight wins, 18 top fives, 22 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 6.909, series-best
· Average Running Position of 8.025, series-best
· Driver Rating of 118.4, series-best
· 1056 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 91.629, series-fastest
· 9425 Laps in the Top 15 (85.4), series-most
· 750 Quality Passes, third-most

Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)

· Five top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 13.909, fifth-best
· Average Running Position of 15.191, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 85.9, 11th-best
· 230 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 91.081, 10th-fastest
· 6090 Laps in the Top 15 (55.2), 11th-most
· 557 Quality Passes, 10th-most

Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Team Penske Ford)

· Two top fives, six top 10s
· Average finish of 15.500, 11th-best
· Average Running Position of 14.753, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 87.8, eighth-best
· 146 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 91.187, sixth-fastest
· 3592 Laps in the Top 15 (59.6), seventh-most
· 419 Quality Passes, 13th-most

Joey Logano (No. 22 Team Penske Ford)

· Four top fives, five top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 14.857, eighth-best
· Average Running Position of 13.812, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 89.7, seventh-best
· 181 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 91.143, eighth-fastest
· 4166 Laps in the Top 15 (59.3), eighth-most
· 479 Quality Passes, 12th-most

Jamie McMurray (No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet)

· Two top fives, 14 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 16.818, 12th-best
· Average Running Position of 15.331, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 86.9, ninth-best
· 216 Fastest Laps Run, second-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 91.091, ninth-fastest
· 6452 Laps in the Top 15 (58.5), ninth-most
· 563 Quality Passes, ninth-most

Ryan Newman (No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet)

· One win, eight top fives, 13 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 14.455, sixth-best
· Average Running Position of 15.266, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 86.5, 10th-best
· 157 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 90.959, 12th-fastest
· 6259 Laps in the Top 15 (56.7), 10th-most
· 612 Quality Passes, eighth-most

STP 500 Preview
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

If you've been betting NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Martinsville Speedway over the past 13 years, you've seen a pattern developing where only a few drivers have won, which is in stark contrast to what was witnessed just a few years earlier when a couple of high priced bombs cashed in.

In 25 of the past 26 races on the flat half-mile layout, one of the short favorites has won. The only payout higher than 12/1 odds was Ryan Newman at 30/1 in 2012. Chevrolet has won nine of the past 10 races there and 20 of the past 26, with Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon grabbing the bulk of the wins. The non-Chevy to do well over that span is Denny Hamlin who has won five times in his Joe Gibbs Toyota, including last spring.

Who wants to bet the favorites? That's no fun, but at the same time with so many of them cashing, you'd be kind of stupid to not structuring your wagers accordingly for what is almost a certainty to happen again.

It used to be that racing at Martinsville was an equalizer for drivers where the best equipment didn't always win like happens at most other tracks. It was all about the driver and who could stick the car around the 1,000 turns the best while keeping their brakes fresh.

From a betting standpoint, it opened up all kinds of awesome possibilities. For a brief stretch, we witnessed winning payouts with Bobby Hamilton at 25/1, Ricky Rudd at 30/1, John Andretti at 45/1 and Ricky Craven and 40/1.

But since then, it's been basically three drivers dominating, one of which is eight-time winner Johnson who comes in as the 9/2 favorite to win Sunday's STP 500.

The other dominator is Hamlin, who loves flat tracks, and the other one over the past two decades is nine-time winner Gordon who is retired. With Gordon now out of the mix -- he won the last race there in November, who is going to be the next driver to step up and take control? Will it be Johnson grabbing his ninth Grandfather clock (the Martinsville trophy) and first since 2013, Hamlin winning in his home state again, or someone else?

Hamlin has led 1,315 laps over his 20 career starts. His eighth-place average finish is second-best to Johnson's 7.4 average. Johnson's 2,747 laps led are the most among active drivers. The dude also has 18 top-five finishes in 28 starts. Say what? That is crazy consistent.

Between Johnson and Hamlin, they are head and shoulders above the rest of the field, but last fall we saw a new driver step up and show he has what it takes to get up front and lead some laps. He also learned a hard lesson.

Joey Logano was on his way to his first career Martinsville win in what was the first race of the eliminator round of the Chase. A win would have secured Logano a spot in the Sprint Cup title round at Homestead. He had already won three races in the Chase and looked to be unstoppable up to that point. After 459 of 500 laps, Logano was leading -- he led a race-high nine times for 207 laps on the day, but he had a big target on his back from an incident a few weeks prior at Kansas where Matt Kenseth was still irritated about a punt from Logano that essentially ruined his championship hopes. When Kenseth, down several laps, saw the opportunity to derail Logano, he kamikazied his car right into the leader. It was sensational, controversial and jaw-dropping all at the same time -- straight out of the movie "Days of Thunder."

Logano would finish 37th and he wouldn't be one of the final four at Homestead. Kenseth was suspended for the next two races.

But there was enough evidence from that race that Logano had what it takes to get up there in the upper-echelon of drivers at Martinsville with Gordon, Johnson and Hamlin. This week he's the 6/1 co-second choice with Hamlin.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. went 29 races without winning at Martinsville until winning in the fall of 2014. He's finished fourth or better in three of his past four starts.

Kenseth has never won at Martinsville in 32 career starts, but has finished sixth or better in four of his past five starts.

With Gordon, Johnson and Hamlin hogging all the Martinsville wins, there's only a couple of other current drivers that have actually won there. Kurt Busch has won twice in 31 starts and then Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman each have one. And that's it. No other active driver has claimed a win, which is the most lopsided type of dominating trend we have in the series today.

I'm expecting Logano to be strong once again this week, but I'm going to side with Hamlin again. I'd love to pick a long shot like Ricky Rudd back in 1998, but that era appears to be over.

Look for much of the same to occur again, which leads right back to Hamlin.

Top-5 Finish Prediction:

1) #11 Denny Hamlin (6/1)
2) #22 Joey Logano (6/1)
3) #48 Jimmie Johnson (9/2)
4) #4 Kevin Harvick (7/1)
5) #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (10/1)

NASCAR at Martinsville Betting Odds, Driver Breakdowns
By Micah Roberts
Sportingnews.com

We get our first 2016 taste of short track racing at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday where Jimmie Johnson is the 9-to-2 favorite by the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook to win his ninth race on the flat, half-mile layout.

There was an 11-race stretch from 1997 to 2002 with 11 different winners, but since then the races have been won a by a select few. Johnson has his eight wins and Denny Hamlin has five wins. Jeff Gordon is now retired, but he won nine times at Martinsville during his career.

With Gordon no longer driving, who will become that third driver to join Johnson and Hamlin as drivers to beat? The odds show Joey Logano (6/1) in his Penske Ford is ready to become that driver, even though a Chevrolet has won nine of the past 10 Martinsville races and 20 of the past 26.

Let's take a look at each of the driver's history at Martinsville:

JIMMIE JOHNSON 9/2 - It's been six races since he won the last of his eight Grandfather clock trophies at Martinsville, but when looking at his overall record, you can't helped but be impressed from a historical perspective on a track that's been running two races a year since 1950. In 28 career starts, he's had 18 top-five finishes with a 7.46 average. He's also led 2,747 laps, which is most among all active drivers. He's got a ways to go to catch Richard Petty's track record 15 wins, but his accomplishments in such a short span in a more competitive era is a testament to just how great Johnson really is.

DENNY HAMLIN 6/1 - A Chevrolet has won 20 of the past 26 Martinsville races and it's been Hamlin's Toyota that is responsible for five of wins that Chevy didn't take. The native Virginian has been racing at Martinsville his entire career, and it's proven to be his best type. He loves the short tracks and seems to have a bit of an edge entering and exiting turns at maximum speed without killing the brakes. His eighth-place average finish is second only to Johnson — the two are the only drivers with an average better than 10th-place. He won this race last season and finished it off with one of the most classic drifting burnouts ever seen in the sport.

JOEY LOGANO 6/1 - He's been trending upward at Martinsville over the past two seasons and had a career-best second-place in 2010. He had three straight top-five finishes there until last fall where he led a race-high nine times for 207 laps, but finished 37th after Matt Kenseth exacted revenge from a previous score to settle. Logano was leading at the time Kenseth launched his car into Logano's. It was a tough lesson to learn and cost Logano a shot at making the final four at Homestead, but you can expect him to be very strong and determined this week. The last Ford to win at Martinsville was Kurt Busch in 2002.

KYLE BUSCH 7/1 - He's got 157 wins in NASCAR's three major series, but none of them came at Martinsville. Between the three series, he's won at 22 of the 23 Sprint Cup tracks. He finished fifth last fall and had a career-best runner-up in 2012. Overall, he's had nine top-fives in 21 starts while leading 487 laps.

KEVIN HARVICK 7/1 - He contributed to the Chevy Martinsville domination in 2011 with his only win there in 29 starts. He's averaged a 15.6 finish and has led 556 laps. Last season, he was eighth in both races and led 38 laps in the fall.

MATT KENSETH 7/1 - No wins in 32 career starts, but he's had the best run of his career on the track over the past three seasons. His 38th-place finish last fall ended a run of four straight races finishing sixth or better.

BRAD KESELOWSKI 8/1 - He was runner-up to Hamlin in this race last season and actually led four times for 143 laps in the fall before getting involved in a accident with 57 laps to go. He's proved himself on the flat tracks around the Cup circuit and he's also fared well at Bristol, the other half-mile track, with a couple of wins.

DALE EARNHARDT JR. 10/1 - After 29 career starts without a Martinsville win, Junior finally got his Grandfather clock in the fall of 2014. He's been very strong of late there with finishes of eighth or better in eight of his last 11 starts.

KURT BUSCH 15/1 - It's been all or nothing for him. He's the only active driver besides Johnson and Hamlin with multiple wins, but those two wins account for two of his three top-five finishes in 31 starts. His 21.5 average finish is his worst among all Cup tracks. Last fall he led 22 laps and was competing for the win, but got involved in the same wreck that cost Keselowski. He's using that same chassis this week.

CARL EDWARDS 18/1 - His only top-five in 23 starts happened in the fall of 2008, but overall, he's been steady with not many bad finishes, which helped him to a respectable 15.8 average.

JAMIE McMURRAY 20/1 - Normally in the 60-to-1 range weekly, his career-best runner-up finish last fall was enough to get the attention of the sports books and upgrade his rating immensely for this one. In 26 starts, he has two top-five finishes and a 16.3 average.

MARTIN TRUEX JR. 25/1 - His rating has been downgraded from his usual odds just because the track hasn't suited him well over his career with a 21.4 average finish in 20 starts. However, he finished sixth in both races last season and this year he comes in with Joe Gibbs Racing equipment and could have himself a set-up close to Hamlin's.

CHASE ELLIOTT 40/1 - He made his Cup debut in this race last season and finished 38th. The best angle to suggest Elliott might fare well this week is simply racing for Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 24 that won nine times with Gordon. HMS has won a track record 23 times.

KASEY KAHNE 40/1 - This definitely isn't one of his better tracks over the years with three top-fives in 24 career starts for a 20.4 average. His finished ninth last fall.

AUSTIN DILLON 60/1 - All the great things he's done on the fast tracks this season kind of go out the window this week on the short flat track. He's got a 21.5 average finish in four Cup starts with a best of 12th-place in 2014.

KYLE LARSON 80/1 - In four career Cup starts, he's had a rough time on the short track with a 29.5 average finish.

RYAN NEWMAN 80/1 - There aren't many active drivers who can say they've won at Martinsville with Johnson, Gordon and Hamlin hogging them all up in this era, but Newman is one of them with his 2012 win, which was aided by Clint Bowyer spinning out Johnson and Gordon late. Those two had led most of the first 497 laps.

CLINT BOWYER 80/1 - Flat tracks have always been suited for his skill set, but his awful equipment this year won't allow him to show those skills.

RYAN BLANEY 100/1 - We haven't seen the famed Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford race on their home track since 2011. This will be Blaney's first Cup start at Martinsville.

BRIAN VICKERS 100/1 - A 19.2 average finish in 18 career starts with a best of sixth coming in 2010.

PAUL MENARD 100/1 - His 10th-place finish in the spring of 2014 was his only top-10 in 17 starts.

A.J. ALLMENDINGER 100/1 - His road course skills help him entering and exiting turns better than most. He was runner-up in 2012 and has been 11th or better in three of his past four starts.

ARIC ALMIROLA 200/1 - Richard Petty won a track record 15 times in the No. 43. Almirola has held his own in the past four years after a rocky introduction to the track. He hasn't finished worse than 21st in his past eight starts and has career-best fourth-place in 2012.

GREG BIFFLE 300/1 - No top-fives in 26 career starts, but despite a 20th-place average over that span, he's yet to have a DNF — not even Johnson or Johnson can say that.

RICKY STENHOUSE JR. 300/1 - This place has been rough on him with a 31.6 average in six starts.

DANICA PATRICK 500/1 - Her seventh-place in this race last year was her best finish of 2015. She's only had six top-10 finishes in her career.

TREVOR BAYNE 500/1 - A career-best 18th last spring and a 28th-place average over three career starts.

CASEY MEARS 500/1 - His last top-10 was sixth-place in 2008, which tied a career-best finish. He was 15th and 17th in the two races last season.

CHRIS BUESCHER 1,000/1 - He made his only career start last spring starting 35th and finishing 24th.

FIELD - ALL OTHERS 500/1 - This bet has absolutely no shot of cashing. It's best to stick with the trend of favorites doing well and side with Hamlin, Logano or Johnson. The top long shots would be Earnhardt Jr. at 10-to-1 or Kurt Busch at 15-to-1.

Martinsville Fantasy Racing Preview
By: Jeff Wackerlin
Racingone.com

To assist in making your fantasy racing picks, MRN.com's Jeff Wackerlin takes a look at some notes and statistics for Sunday's STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

Who's HOT at Martinsville

• Denny Hamlin scored his fifth win in this event last year and has posted an average finish of 3.0 in the last three races.
• Jimmie Johnson leads all drivers with eight wins and 2,746 laps led.
• Joey Logano leads all drivers with 414 laps led in the last four races and has finished in the top five in three races in that span.
• Matt Kenseth has finished sixth or better in four of his last five starts.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. has recorded 11 top 10s in 16 track starts with Hendrick Motorsports, including a win in the 2014 fall race.
• Kevin Harvick finished eighth in both races last season and combined to lead 192 laps.

Who to Keep an Eye On at Martinsville

• Brad Keselowski finished second in this event last season and has combined to lead 161 laps in his last two Martinsville starts.
• Jamie McMurray has posted a 6.0 average finish in his last two Martinsville starts, including a runner-up finish last fall.
• Kyle Busch is coming off his third top five in his last six Martinsville starts.
• Martin Truex Jr. finished sixth in both races last season.
• Kurt Busch won in his first Martinsville start with Stewart-Haas Racing in the 2014 spring race. He will be back in the same car that he was running in the top five with in the closing stages of last year's fall race before getting caught up in an incident not of his own making with 66 laps to go.
• Carl Edwards was running towards the top five in his first Martinsville start with Joe Gibbs Racing in this event last year until he had a tire go down late in the race. His crew chief Dave Rodgers called the shots for Denny Hamlin's win last season in this event.
• Danica Patrick finished seventh in this event last year for one of her six career Sprint Cup top 10s.
• Chase Elliott, who has finished in the top 10 in three of the last four races in 2016, has the same crew chief, Alan Gustafson, that led Jeff Gordon to the win at Martinsville last fall.

MRN.com Staff Picks

Jeff Wackerlin: Joey Logano
Pete Pistone: Jimmie Johnson
Robbie Mays: Denny Hamlin
John Singler: Brad Keselowski

Driver Notes - Ordered by Top 20 in Average Finish in the Last Five Races at Martinsville

Denny Hamlin won this event last year for his fifth Martinsville win. He leads all drivers in average finish (4.0) that have competed in all of the last three races at the track with the current left- and right-side tires. He also ranks third in laps led (162) in that span.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s 36th-place finish in this event last year is his only outside the top eight in the last five races at Martinsville. Earnhardt, who won the 2014 fall race is fifth among all drivers in average finish (13.7) that have competed in all three races at the track with the current left- and right-side tires.

Matt Kenseth snapped his streak of consecutive top-six finishes at Martinsville last fall when he was parked after the contact on track with Joey Logano. He ranks seventh among all drivers in average finish (16.0) that have competed in all three races at the track with the current left- and right-side tires.

Kyle Busch has finished in the top five in three of his last six starts at Martinsville. Busch, who missed this event last year due to injury, finished fifth last fall for his ninth top five in 21 overall track starts.

Kevin Harvick combined to lead 192 laps en route to a pair of eighth-place finishes at Martinsville last fall. He's made four track starts with Stewart-Haas Racing and has finished in the top 10 in three of them. This weekend, Harvick will return in the same car (chassis No. 864) that he's raced in the last four races at Martinsville

Joey Logano run of consecutive top-five finishes at Martinsville was snapped last fall after on-track contact from Matt Kenseth. He finished 37th in that race and it raised his average finish to 15.0 in the three races at the track with the current left- and right-side tires. He does lead all drivers with 375 laps led in that span.

Clint Bowyer is still seeking his first top 10 of the season with HScott Motorsports. He finished in the top 10 in six of his last eight Martinsville starts with Michael Waltrip Racing.

Carl Edwards posted a 15.5 average finish in his first two Martinsville starts with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2015. He was running towards the top five in his first track start with JGR in this event last year until he had a tire go down late in the race. Prior to that season. Edwards recorded five top 10s in 21 starts with Roush Fenway Racing. Edwards' crew chief Dave Rodgers called the shots for Denny Hamlin's win last season in this event.

Aric Almirola's last of three top 10s at Martinsville came in this event in 2014. This weekend he will carry the race sponsor's colors, STP, on his car. Last year, Almirola finished 12th in this event.

Jamie McMurray has finished in the top 10 in his last two Martinsville starts, including a second-place finish last fall. He ranks second among all drivers in average finish (9.3) that have competed in all three races at the track with the current left- and right-side tires. He also ranks fifth in laps led (84) in that span.

Paul Menard scored his only top 10 at Martinsville in this event in 2014. In the last three races, with the current left- and right-side tires, Menard has recorded a 17.3 average finish. This weekend, Menard will be back in the same car (chassis No. 488) that he finished 15th with at Martinsville last fall.

Greg Biffle has yet to finish in the top 10 since recording a pair of ninth-place finishes in 2013. Biffle finished 26th last fall after the front end of his Ford was damaged when the field bunched up on an early restart.

Jimmie Johnson leads all drivers with eight wins and 2,746 laps led at Martinsville. Johnson has yet to record a top 10 or lead a lap in the last three races, which was run with the current left- and right-side tires. This year, Johnson is the only multiple winner with the lower-downforce package and is tied for the best average finish (4.0) in the four races.

Martin Truex Jr. combined to lead 50 laps and finished sixth in both Martinsville races last season. The finish in this event last year marked Truex's first top 10 at the track since 2012.

AJ Allmendinger has posted finishes of 11th or better in three of his last four starts with JTG Daugherty Race at Martinsville. He started third and led 19 laps last fall en route to an 11th-place finish. Allmendinger started 10th in this event last year, but a mechanical issue relegated him to a 43rd-place finish.

Ryan Newman is third among all drivers in average finish (12.3) that have competed in all three races at the track with the current left- and right-side tires. Newman won the 2012 spring race and has posted an average finish of 14.3 in four track starts with Richard Childress Racing. He's started seventh or better in his last three starts, including second in this event last year.

Kurt Busch won this event in 2014 in his first track start with Stewart-Haas Racing. In his four Martinsville starts with SHR, Busch has combined to lead 87 laps and post an average finish of 21.3. This weekend, Busch will be back in the same car (chassis No. 865) that he finished 14th with in this event last year. He was running in the top five with this car in the 2015 fall race, but was caught up in an incident not of his own making with 66 laps to go and finished 34th.

Brad Keselowski recorded his best Martinsville finish in this event last year after coming home second to race winner Denny Hamlin. He went on to lead 143 laps in the fall race but was involved in a multi-car accident with 66 laps to go and finished 32nd. Keselowski ranks fourth in laps led (161) among all drivers that have competed in all three races at the track with the current left- and right-side tires.

Austin Dillon has posted a 21.5 average finish in four Martinsville starts. This season in the four races with the lower downforce rules package, Dillon has scored one pole and an average finish of 12.2.

Brian Vickers will make his first Martinsville starts since 2014 subbing for the injured Tony Stewart. Vickers's best finish in 18 starts came in this event in 2010 with Team Red Bull, sixth. This weekend, Vickers will pilot the same chassis (No. 742) that Stewart posted a 10.3 in three Martinsville starts with the car in 2014-2015.

Drivers to Watch - Martinsville
By Sportsbook.ag

After a week off, the Sprint Cup drivers will head to Martinsville Speedway for the STP 500 on Sunday. This track runs 0.526 miles long and features an asphalt surface. Two guys that will really be looking forward to racing on Sunday are Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin. Both Johnson and Hamlin have won this race three times in their careers. Johnson also happens to be coming off of a big victory at the Auto Club 400 on Mar. 20. Hamlin, however, was the winner of the STP 500 just a year ago. He’ll be seriously amped up because only a few other racers have ever won this race in back-to-back years. With that being said, let’s now take a look at some of the best value plays for Sunday’s race:

Drivers to Watch

Jimmie Johnson (+600) - As previously mentioned, Jimmie Johnson has already won the STP 500 three times in his career. He also happens to be coming into this race in ridiculous form. Johnson won last week’s Auto Club 400 and has already emerged victorious in two races this season. He also has a third place finish to his name as well. At 6-to-1, it’s really hard to not take Johnson at this track. He has finished in the top-five at five of his past 10 races in Ridgeway and passing up on a guy that is a near-lock to be at the front of the pack is very tough to do.

Denny Hamlin (+1200) - Like Johnson, Hamlin has also won three times at this race in his career and he is also having a very good season early on. Hamlin won the Daytona 500 and has finished in third place at each of the past two races. This is a track that he has really raced well at in his career, coming in the top-10 at six of his nine appearances. The only active driver who has been better than Hamlin at this track is Johnson, but Hamlin can emerge as the better of the two here with a win on Sunday. He’ll be eager to do that and is a great pick at 12-to-1.

Ryan Newman (+4500) - Newman is off to a poor start this season, failing to crack the top-10 in all five races. He has, however, performed at a high level in Martinsville in his career. Newman won this race back in 2012 and he has also recorded a total of four top-10 finishes in this race. He’s a guy that is more than capable of winning a race or two in any given season and this is a good track to take a chance on him. He’s getting some favorable 45-to-1 odds and is the right type of high upside pick to pair with Johnson and Hamlin on Sunday.

Austin Dillon (+10000) - Dillon is coming off of a lousy 24th-place finish at the Auto Parts 400, but he has been enjoying a breakout season this year. Dillon already has three top-10 finishes and he also finished in 11th at Atlanta in the second race of the year. Although he has never won a race, Dillon is a very talented young driver and he is going to break through for a victory soon. This is a very good place to bank on that victory, as he is getting absurd 100-to-1 odds. It would pay off huge if he was to win and it’s really not that much of a long shot.