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When the NASCAR Cup Series rolls into Martinsville Speedway in Virginia this Saturday for the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400, it will mark the third night race to be held on the .526-mile oval in Cup Series history.
The Paperclip Under the Lights event promises plenty of thrashing and beating as riders attempt to corner the short, tighter track.
Martin Truex Jr., who is yet to record a win this season, has been picked as the favorite for first place, while last week’s winner Denny Hamlin is just a few spots behind in fourth place.
Drivers will have the unique challenge of driving on tarmac on the straights with zero degrees of bank and on the corners on concrete with only 12 degrees of bank.
This is also early practice for drivers preparing for the postseason, as Martinsville is a playoff track that will punch tickets for Phoenix later in the season.
Here’s a quick rundown of everything race fans need to know about Saturday night in Martinsville.
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Date: Saturday, April 9th
Start time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: Fox sport 1
Live broadcast: Fox Sports app
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Martin Truex Jr.: +550 (bet $100 to win $550)
Chase Eliot: +700
Ryan Blaney: +900
Denny Hamlin: +900
Kyle Busch: +1000
Kyle Larson: +1000
Joey Logano: +1000
William Byron: +1100
Christopher Bell: +1400
Alex Bowman: +1400
Full odds list at DraftKings Sportsbook.
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With this still being a short track season, it makes sense that Martin Truex Jr. is this week’s betting favorite.
The Joe Gibbs Racing star showed the kind of speed he’ll need at Richmond last week, where he could have won had it not been for the poor choice of one-stop strategy late.
Truex has won three of the last five races at Martinsville and he’s number 1 in the drivers’ standings on the tarmac track, so he’s a no-brainer for first.
One of the most important matchups to keep an eye on is that between Truex and William Byron.
The two drivers put on an exciting show at Richmond Raceway as Byron did his best to hold off Truex on the final 20 laps.
Things will be heavily in Truex’s favor as he finishes first in all short distances while Bryon is eighth.
Another matchup to watch is Chase Elliott vs. Denny Hamlin.
Hamlin clinched a win last week while bettors believe Elliott will be second on Saturday.
“You gotta figure out how to lead that last lap, that’s pretty much all that matters,” Hamlin told Yahoo Sports’ Zach Albert last year after finishing fifth at his hometown track, according to NASCAR.com
If Hamlin can overcome his not-so-lucky luck at Richmond, he will win consecutive races for the first time since June 2010.
Still, this race could be winnable with the NextGen cars if it weren’t for the fact that the same drivers always lead the field over these short distances.
Ryan Blaney, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano and Kyle Busch are all doing well in the short track season.
However, look for Truex to grab his first win of the season in Martinsville.