The Cup Series will travel back to Martinsville Raceway for what should be another exciting race to set the Championship Four at Phoenix. The fall race at Martinsville has a history of having a lot of drama and fist thrown at the end of the race. I expect the same Sunday. Joey Logano punched his ticket to Phoenix with his win at Las Vegas. There are three more spots up for grabs. It will be fun to see which drivers will join Logano at Phoenix in the “no holds barred” race. The Xfinity 500 can be seen Sunday at 2 p.m. on NBC.
I wrote in my article last week that the sweet spot for winners in the Cup Series have come from the 12-1 to 15-1 odds range. I thought it was going to happen again last week. Martin Truex Jr. (12-1) was leading the race with under 50 laps to go. Kyle Larson slammed into the back of Truex car on pit road and ended any chance the No. 19 car had to get to Victory Lane. I had a $10 ticket on Truex at 12-1 odds. To say I was not happy with Larson is an understatement. But then again, I felt bad for Larson two weeks ago because of what happened to him with Bubba Wallace. That is just how this season has been. I will continue to bet some of the drivers in the 12-1 to 15-1 odds ranges this week.
DRAFTKINGS ODDS FOR MARTINSVILLE
* The odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook. The odds could change between the time I wrote this article and the time you place your bet.
** The first number is the amount of money based on the second number (the amount of the wager). So if you bet $1 on CHASE ELLIOTT, you will win $6.
Here are my best bets for the race at Martinsville…
CHASE ELLIOTT (6-1): I usually do not like to bet the favorites but Elliott has had the most dominant car in the last five races at Martinsville. He has only won one of those races but it is hard to ignore how fast the No. 9 car has been at Martinsville. Most of Elliott’s speed has to do with his crew chief (Alan Gustafson). Gustafanson always sets up the best cars at Martinsville and matter who the driver is. I will bet Elliott at 6-1 odds.
RYAN BLANEY (10-1): Blaney has been almost as good at Martinsville as Elliott. He finished second in both races at Martinsville in 2020 and he finished fourth in the April race. Team Penske should put a little extra effort into the No. 12 car since Joey Logano is already locked into the Championship Four. If Team Penske has a car they really like this week; Blaney will be driving it. I will take a chance with Blaney Sunday.
CHRISTOPHER BELL (12-1): Bell is not the first driver that comes to mind when you think of racing at Martinsville. This pick is a lot like the Chase Elliott pick. The key to winning at Martinsville is having a car that will rotate in the corners. Crew Chief Adam Stevens knows how to set up a car to win at Martinsville. He had a lot of success with Kyle Busch and he is helping Bell get closer to Victory Lane too. Bell has a lot to race for Sunday so I will bet the No. 20 car to win at Martinsville.
ROSS CHASTAIN (12-1): Chastain falls right in the sweet spot of winners this year at 12-1 odds. While it is important to have a car that can turn in the corners, it is also important to have a driver who is aggressive enough to move cars out of the way. You will have a hard time finding a more aggressive driver in the Cup Series than Chastain. I feel sorry for the leader of the race if Chastain is in second place in the final laps. He will have no problem dumping a driver to reach the Championship Four.
LONG SHOT SPECIAL CHASE BRISCOE (30-1): The trend in the playoffs is to have a lot of drivers who are no longer competing for the championship in Victory Lane. I am going against the trend this week and betting the drivers who still has a lot to race for. Stewart-Haas Racing showed up at Martinsville with a lot of speed in April. Briscoe will have the best car from their fleet and he will have Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola helping him with his setup. Briscoe won on the flat track at Phoenix and he finished ninth at Martinsville in April. His odds are too good to pass up Sunday.
Good luck this week!
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