This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Call 811 Before You Dig 250
Location: Martinsville, Va.
Course: Martinsville Speedway
Format: 0.53-mile oval
Laps: 250
Race Preview
The NASCAR Xfinity Series will go short-track racing for the second race in a row this week at Martinsville Speedway. Ty Gibbs leaned on part-time teammate John Hunter Nemechek in the final turns of last week's Richmond race to win his third race of the season, no doubt causing some friction within the team that fans will be eager to watch develop as Nemechek returns to the series again at Dover at the end of the month. In the meantime, Noah Gragson is the most recent winner at this week's track. He has one win so far this season. This track has produced 23 different winners from 37 races but only returned to the series schedule in 2020 when Harrison Burton took the checkered flag.
Key Stats at Martinsville Speedway
- Number of races: 37
- Winners from pole: 6
- Winners from top-5 starters: 17
- Winners from top-10 starters: 28
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 2
- Fastest race: 79.607 mph
Previous 10 Martinsville Winners
2021 fall - Noah Gragson
2021 spring - Josh Berry
2020 - Harrison Burton
2006 - Kevin Harvick
1994 fall - Kenny Wallace
1994 spring - Terry Labonte
1993 fall - Chuck Bown
1993 spring - Ward Burton
1992 fall - Bobby Labonte
1992 spring - Kenny Wallace
While both Richmond and Martinsville are short tracks, the two circuits are quite different. Martinsville's flat turns make the inside line the place to be, and the track is notoriously tough on brakes, as drivers slow the cars down at the end of its long straights. Drivers make passes by out-braking one another into the turns, and try to launch out of the turn as early as possible to maximize their speed down the circuits long straightaways. The track puts an emphasis on grip, and fresh tires can be a difference maker. Traffic is also a concern. Drivers unable to move through traffic will look for opportunities to pit off sequence or gamble on tires in favor of a spot at the front for any restarts, but Martinsville's short lap distance means going down laps to the leaders when pitting under green. Caution periods will be the preferred time to stop, and untimely or late yellow flags could quickly upset the race's status quo.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Ty Gibbs - $11,300
Noah Gragson - $11,000
Josh Berry - $10,800
Justin Allgaier - $10,200
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Dale Earnhardt Jr. - $9,800
Daniel Hemric - $9,500
Brandon Jones - $9,200
Sam Mayer - $8,900
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Landon Cassill - $8,700
Sheldon Creed - $8,500
Austin Hill - $8,200
Riley Herbst - $8,000
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Jeb Burton - $7,800
Anthony Alfredo - $7,500
Parker Retzlaff - $7,000
Alex Labbe - $6,700
MY PICKS THIS WEEK
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Ty Gibbs - $11,300
Daniel Hemric - $9,500
Landon Cassill - $8,700
Jeb Burton - $7,800
Parker Retzlaff - $7,000
Josh Williams - $5,700
Gibbs will be going for his eighth Xfinity Series victory and second in as many weeks this Friday. He has been nothing short of sensational in his very short Xfinity career. He raced both stops at Martinsville last season, led laps both times, and earned a best finish of fourth. Daniel Hemric, on the other hand, is still looking for his first victory of 2022. He also led laps both times at Martinsville last year and finished third in both of those races. The season has gotten off to a great start for Landon Cassill. He slipped out of the playoff standings with back-to-back finishes 30th or worse but could be poised to bounce back this week. He finished 12th at Martinsville last fall despite starting 23rd. Short tracks are a place fantasy players can reasonably consider Jeb Burton, too. He scored his best finish of the season last week at Richmond and has a best finish of fourth from three Martinsville starts. Impressing many with a 10th-place finish last week was Parker Retzlaff. He is running a part-time Xfinity schedule in 2022 and turned heads with a top-tier effort at Richmond. Finishing the lower-risk lineup this week is Josh Williams, who has an average finish of 15.3 from from his three prior visits to this track.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Noah Gragson - $11,000
Dale Earnhardt Jr. - $9,800
Sam Mayer - $8,900
Sheldon Creed - $8,500
Kyle Weatherman - $6,000
Joe Graf Jr. - $5,800
The higher-risk lineup option goes heavy on the JR Motorsports drivers. First, Gragson is a great alternative for fantasy players looking for alternatives to Gibbs. Gragson is a previous Martinsville winner, already has a victory this season, and has only missed finishing in the top five twice from seven races so far this season. His team owner, Dale Earnhardt Jr., is making his annual Xfinity appearance this week, too. This will be his only start of the season, and he won at the track in the Cup Series in 2014. He has been making one series appearance each season since 2018, and last year at Richmond he finished 14th. Sam Mayer is another JR Motorsports driver who found success with just one Martinsville start, a fourth-place finish last fall. Sheldon Creed breaks the JRM trend. This will be his first series visit to this track, but he is rapidly becoming a dependable top-10 finisher. He has two top-10 finishes at the track in the Trucks Series, though. Kyle Weatherman has shown the potential for top-20s and even the odd top-10 this season. His best Martinsville finish was 25th in this race last season. Finally, Joe Graf Jr. will aim for his second consecutive top-15 at this track this Friday.
