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Ryan Blaney
Martinsville Fantasy Outlook – Ryan Blaney, the defending fall Martinsville winner is a super-elite performer at “The Paper Clip” who’ll be tough to beat as he vies for his third straight fall win. In the Next Gen over the combined Martinsville races, Blaney has the best average finish (4.6), the 3rd best Next Gen Speed Ranking and he’s had a result in the top 11 every race. This is a “Do or die” race for Blaney with a Phoenix finale ticket on the line and he’ll be operating in “Hail Mary” mode.
Martinsville History – Ryan Blaney has been a standout performer at Martinsville. His career average finish is 8.5 and he’s finished in the top five 52.6% of the time. In the Next Gen, Blaney has 2-wins and a 4.6 average finish. This spring, Blaney started 32nd, finished about 18th in Stage #1, finished 6th in Stage #2 but then finished 11th when the checkered flag waved. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Blaney ranked 11th. Last fall, Blaney came up clutch and raced his way to victory lane. In the race, Blaney started 14th, finished 5th in Stage #1, finished 2nd in Stage #2, earned the best Driver Rating, had a 4.7 average running position and led 32 laps. I’ll note that win didn’t come easy and via mixed pit strategy which dropped him back, he drove from 10th to 1st over the course of 76 laps (lap 411 to 487). Last spring, Blaney was stout and finished 5th. That result is especially impressive when you take into account after just finishing 12th in Stage #1, Blaney pitted twice because of a loose lugnut. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Blaney ranked 9th but take note over the final quarter of the race, the #12 was the fastest car on the track. In fall 2023, Blaney was the class of the field. In the race, Blaney finished 2nd in Stage #1, won Stage #2, had a 4.4 average running position, earned the best Driver Rating, led 145 laps and of course raced his way to victory lane. Over the three races prior to that, Blaney had results of 7th, 3rd and 4th.

Denny Hamlin
Martinsville Fantasy Outlook – Spring winner, Denny Hamlin is one of the premiere performers at Martinsville and on Sunday, Hamlin’s primed to be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win. The #11 team is certainly focused ahead but they had a dominant setup this spring, and they still have those notes. At “The Paper Clip”, Hamlin’s a 6-time winner who’s finished in the top five, 54% of the time and in the top ten 69% of the time. Over the last six Martinsville races, Hamlin has a 5.0 average finish (3rd best), the best Driver Rating, the best average running position (5.0) and he’s averaged leading the most laps per race (122.5). In terms of Next Gen Speed Rankings, Hamlin ranks 2nd.
Martinsville History – Denny Hamlin’s a super-elite performer at Martinsville who’s always a factor. Over the last six races, Hamlin’s 5 for 6 at finishing in the top 6, has a 4.8 average finish and his Average Speed Ranking is 2.6, with him ranking #1 in 3 of the last 6 races. This spring, the #11 team brought a new setup and Hamlin took the competition to the woodshed. In the race, Hamlin finished 1st, had a 2.4 average running position, earned a near perfect Driver Rating and led 274 laps. In terms of speed analytics, Hamlin had the best Total Speed Ranking and ranked as the Fastest Driver Late In A Run. Last fall, Hamlin started the race in the rear of the field after a practice crash but sliced and diced his way up to a 5th place finish. Additionally, Hamlin had the 5th best Total Speed Ranking and ranked 5th for Speed Late In A Run. Last spring, Hamlin had a hot rod but finished an asterisk mark 11th. In the race, Hamlin finished 7th in Stage #1, won Stage #2, led 66 laps, had a 4.4 average running position and was running in 4th when the late caution came out, but then they pitted which was very dumb, leading to his asterisk mark 11th. In terms of speed stats, Hamlin had the 4th best Total Speed Ranking and ranked 5th for Speed Late In A Run. In fall 2023 with his then undisclosed shoulder injury, Hamlin won Stage #1, finished 2nd in Stage #2, had a 3.3 average running position, led a race high 156 laps, earned the 2nd best Driver Rating and then finished 3rd overall. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Hamlin ranked 2nd. Over the two races prior to that, Hamlin had results of 4th and 5th.

Joey Logano
Martinsville Fantasy Outlook – Joey Logano is always a force to be reckoned with at Martinsville and on Sunday, look for Logano to be a top five contender who might just be a factor to win. In the Next Gen at Martinsville over the combined races, Logano has the 3rd best average finish (5.6), the 6th best Total Speed Ranking, the 6th best Driver Rating and he’s the only driver who’s a perfect 7 for 7 at finishing in the top ten.
Martinsville History – Joey Logano has been a fantasy ace at Martinsville. Logano’s a former winner (2018) and he currently has 12 straight top tens. This spring, Logano’s top ten streak looked to be in real jeopardy, but he wouldn’t be denied. In the race, Logano started 7th, won Stage #1, finished just outside the top ten in Stage #2, was in 6th on lap 316 but then the following lap he was spun out which dropped him back to the mid 20’s with only about 75 laps remaining. When the checkered flag waved, Logano finished 8th. In terms of speed stats, Logano ranked 5th for Speed Late In A Run and had the 7th best Total Speed Ranking. Last fall, the #22 team was looking forward to the championship finale, but Logano still finished 10th. Additionally, Logano had a 12.0 average running position and ranked 11th in terms of Total Speed Rankings. Last spring, Logano started 6th, finished 6th in Stage #1, finished 5th in Stage #2, had a 6.0 average running position and then finished 6th. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Logano ranked 7th. In fall 2023, Logano started 15th, finished 9th in Stage #1, finished 4th in Stage #2 and then finished 5th when the checkered flag waved. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Logano ranked 3rd. Over the three Next Gen races prior to that, Logano had results of 2nd, 6th and 2nd.

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