Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 Preview and Pick
NASCAR Cup Series: Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400
Saturday, April 9, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. ET (FS1) at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia
New Weirdness
The NASCAR season found a new way of being weird.
Previously, it was weird because all of these lesser-known drivers who hadn't won before were winning races.
Now it is weird because Denny Hamlin won after failing to finish top 10 a single time all season.
However, one weird thing that hasn't happened yet is back-to-back victories. In fact, we haven't even had any repeat winners this season.
Because it is very hard and rare for a driver to win consecutive races, we can exclude Hamlin reasonably from our list of candidates to win in Martinsville this week.
Race Info
For this Saturday's race, drivers must complete a total of 400 laps.
As has always been the case this season, there are three stages for this race.
Stage 1 terminates upon completion of the 100th lap.
Stage 2 consists in the next 100 laps.
Stage 3 requires drivers to complete 200 more laps.
By now, an entry list has been published for this race.
36 drivers/teams are listed for 40 spots.
We therefore already know, barring any unforeseen circumstances, which drivers will participate in this race.
All of the usual suspects will be there.
As for the order in which they will start the race, the starting lineup will get posted after qualifying.
On Friday, which is the day before this week's race, at 4:30 p.m. ET, a practice session will take place and it is scheduled to last 35 minutes.
At 5:05 p.m. on the same day, single vehicle, two-lap, two-round qualifying is scheduled to begin.
Track Info
You know that this race will be exciting to follow simply because of the nicknames that the track has merited over the years.
These nicknames include: "Half Mile of Mayhem," "The Paperclip," and "The Augusta National of Race Tracks."
As the first nickname suggests, this track is short. Each lap is just over a half-mile long.
So, in completing 400 laps, drivers will have accumulated 210.4 miles.
The shortness of the track contributes to the extensive amount of traffic that drivers will deal with.
Contact between cars is rather inevitable here as it requires more effort to pass other competitors.
The shape of this track helps explain the second nickname as people say that Martinsville Speedway looks like a paperclip.
It has minimal banking: the turns are banked at 12 degrees and the straightaways aren't banked at all.
Drivers I Dislike
They say it can take time for a driver to figure out how to succeed in Martinsville.
One driver still figuring things out is Kyle Larson who, in his most recent attempt at this track, finished 14th after starting in pole position.
His average finishing position here is an ugly 20.57, which is just over eight spots behind his average starting position.
He is thus repeatedly dropping back relative to the place in which he started.
My Favorite Guys
Based on his recent performances at this track, one guy who has figured out how to succeed here is Martin Truex Jr.
However, Bovada lists him at -170 in his matchup with William Byron, which is just too expensive. So, I like Truex Jr., but I don't know how I can recommend investing in him.
I do like Kyle Busch at this track and very much so since he tends to perform much better when he is able to practice.
Based on average finishing position, Martinsville is one of Kyle Busch's better tracks despite some abysmal efforts earlier in his career.
He is coming off a second-place finish in Martinsville in a year where drivers typically weren't practicing due to COVID restrictions.
The conditions now are just right for Kyle Busch to win.
But thankfully Bovada is letting us simply invest in Kyle Busch finishing ahead of Larson at a reasonable price.
Best Bet: Kyle Busch to Finish Ahead of Larson at -125 with Bovada
NASCAR Cup Series: Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400
Saturday, April 9, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. ET (FS1) at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia
New Weirdness
The NASCAR season found a new way of being weird.
Previously, it was weird because all of these lesser-known drivers who hadn't won before were winning races.
Now it is weird because Denny Hamlin won after failing to finish top 10 a single time all season.
However, one weird thing that hasn't happened yet is back-to-back victories. In fact, we haven't even had any repeat winners this season.
Because it is very hard and rare for a driver to win consecutive races, we can exclude Hamlin reasonably from our list of candidates to win in Martinsville this week.
Race Info
For this Saturday's race, drivers must complete a total of 400 laps.
As has always been the case this season, there are three stages for this race.
Stage 1 terminates upon completion of the 100th lap.
Stage 2 consists in the next 100 laps.
Stage 3 requires drivers to complete 200 more laps.
By now, an entry list has been published for this race.
36 drivers/teams are listed for 40 spots.
We therefore already know, barring any unforeseen circumstances, which drivers will participate in this race.
All of the usual suspects will be there.
As for the order in which they will start the race, the starting lineup will get posted after qualifying.
On Friday, which is the day before this week's race, at 4:30 p.m. ET, a practice session will take place and it is scheduled to last 35 minutes.
At 5:05 p.m. on the same day, single vehicle, two-lap, two-round qualifying is scheduled to begin.
Track Info
You know that this race will be exciting to follow simply because of the nicknames that the track has merited over the years.
These nicknames include: "Half Mile of Mayhem," "The Paperclip," and "The Augusta National of Race Tracks."
As the first nickname suggests, this track is short. Each lap is just over a half-mile long.
So, in completing 400 laps, drivers will have accumulated 210.4 miles.
The shortness of the track contributes to the extensive amount of traffic that drivers will deal with.
Contact between cars is rather inevitable here as it requires more effort to pass other competitors.
The shape of this track helps explain the second nickname as people say that Martinsville Speedway looks like a paperclip.
It has minimal banking: the turns are banked at 12 degrees and the straightaways aren't banked at all.
Drivers I Dislike
They say it can take time for a driver to figure out how to succeed in Martinsville.
One driver still figuring things out is Kyle Larson who, in his most recent attempt at this track, finished 14th after starting in pole position.
His average finishing position here is an ugly 20.57, which is just over eight spots behind his average starting position.
He is thus repeatedly dropping back relative to the place in which he started.
My Favorite Guys
Based on his recent performances at this track, one guy who has figured out how to succeed here is Martin Truex Jr.
However, Bovada lists him at -170 in his matchup with William Byron, which is just too expensive. So, I like Truex Jr., but I don't know how I can recommend investing in him.
I do like Kyle Busch at this track and very much so since he tends to perform much better when he is able to practice.
Based on average finishing position, Martinsville is one of Kyle Busch's better tracks despite some abysmal efforts earlier in his career.
He is coming off a second-place finish in Martinsville in a year where drivers typically weren't practicing due to COVID restrictions.
The conditions now are just right for Kyle Busch to win.
But thankfully Bovada is letting us simply invest in Kyle Busch finishing ahead of Larson at a reasonable price.
Best Bet: Kyle Busch to Finish Ahead of Larson at -125 with Bovada
