Pearce Dietrich shares his top bets and predictions for the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Martinsville on DraftKings Sportsbook.<\/p>\n
Martinsville has never needed much explanation \u2014 four hundred laps, a half-mile paperclip, and tires that start dying before the first stage ends. The 750-horsepower package running here this week is the same one that turned Darlington into a tire management race last Sunday. The driver who manages the rubber the longest wins, and that has always been true at this track.<\/p>\n
For DraftKings Sportsbook NASCAR Picks from the lower series, follow @Race4thePrize<\/a> on X.<\/p>\n Race Winner \u2014 Cook Out 400 at Martinsville<\/p>\n Ryan Blaney (+500)<\/a><\/p>\n Martinsville has been his track. He has won here twice in the Gen 7 era and posted the best average finishing position of any active driver at this track over that eight-race stretch. At Darlington last week, the No. 12 Penske Ford was legitimately fast \u2014 fast enough to drive from outside the top 20 back into contention twice. Darlington has always been one of Blaney\u2019s worst tracks. If he\u2019s fast at the \u201cTrack Too Tough to Tame,\u201d then Martinsville could get ugly for the competition.<\/p>\n The concern going into this week is the pit crew, which has been a problem all season and has cost him dearly at Darlington. At Martinsville, that concern shrinks. The green flag pit cycles are shorter, there are typically more cautions, and track position resets more often. Blaney\u2019s track history is the strongest argument in the field. At a number that reflects the pit crew\u2019s skepticism, that history is the play.<\/p>\n