Fantasy Fastlane: Will Joe Gibbs Racing keep momentum going at Martinsville?

Fantasy Fastlane presented by Jackpot Races will look at each race from a fantasy perspective, examining the top plays and sleepers as well as plays to avoid for NASCAR Fantasy Live. Garage driver will lock at end of Stage 2. Odds come from BetMGM (as of Thursday).




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MUST START: Denny Hamlin | View stats
Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 11 Toyota
Odds: 8-1
Over the last handful of seasons, Joe Gibbs Racing has dominated short-track races. That continued last weekend at Richmond, where Hamlin picked up his first win, top-five and top-10 finish of the season. The problem for the competition is Hamlin's stats are even better at Martinsville. The Virginia native has five wins at Martinsville, though the last came in 2015, and he has led nearly 2,000 laps at the track. Expect the No. 11 car to be up front Saturday night.

MUST START: Martin Truex Jr. | View stats
Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 19 Toyota
Odds: 5-1
When it comes to Martinsville and Richmond, Truex should be a lock for your team. Like Richmond, since first winning at Martinsville in 2019 when he led 464 laps, the No. 19 car has been difficult to stop, winning three of the last five races. There's a good chance JGR gets at least two more drivers inside of the top five this weekend.

MUST START: Ryan Blaney | View stats
Team Penske, No. 12 Ford
Odds: 8-1
Blaney has done just about everything there is to do at Martinsville besides win. Twice, he has come home a bridesmaid, with a grand total of five top fives in 12 starts. He has also led more than 145 laps on two occasions, including this race last season. Entering the eighth race of the year, the No. 12 team is tied for the regular-season lead and has shown a bunch of speed with the Next Gen car. More than likely, Blaney will be in the mix come the checkered flag.

MUST START: William Byron | View stats
Hendrick Motorsports, No. 24 Chevrolet
Odds: 10-1
Since finishing runner-up to Truex in the fall 2019 race at Martinsville, Byron has proved he can hang at the front on short tracks. Entering this weekend, he has earned four top-10 finishes in the last five races at "The Paperclip," including top fives in both races last year. The No. 24 team is also on a hot streak, leading 100-plus laps in two of the last three races this year, pacing the field for a career-high 122 last week at Richmond.

SLEEPER PICK: Brad Keselowski | View stats
RFK Racing, No. 6 Ford
Odds: 33-1
When thinking of Martinsville, Keselowski's name is one of the first that comes to mind with recent success. While he has a change of scenery for this Martinsville race, the 2012 champion hasn't forgotten how to get around the track. Get this: In the last 14 races at Martinsville, he has 11 top-five finishes. That might be a high bar for Saturday, but he did have a promising 13th-place run last weekend at Richmond.

SLEEPER PICK: Aric Almirola | View stats
Stewart-Haas Racing, No. 10 Ford
Odds: 40-1
Almirola has a knack for getting around shorter, flat tracks, and Martinsville certainly fits into that category. While his statistics aren't all too impressive for this weekend, the No. 10 team does have three top 10s in the last six starts at Martinsville. This could be a good weekend to have Almirola available.

SLEEPER PICK: Bubba Wallace | View stats
23XI Racing, No. 23 Toyota
Odds: 150-1
Outside of battling for the win and falling to finish 13th at Atlanta, Wallace has had a tough go the last five weeks. The good thing is Martinsville is his favorite track on the schedule, winning two Truck Series races there. At the Cup level, he hasn't been too shabby either, with four top-20 runs. The 23XI team needs something to go right.

STAY AWAY FROM: Kevin Harvick
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View stats
Stewart-Haas Racing, No. 4 Ford
Odds: 22-1
Not picking Harvick could certainly come back to bite you, as he does have six top 10s in the last nine Martinsville races. But there have been multiple times in the last handful of races at the track where the No. 4 team has been out to lunch. Who can forget the collapse in the penultimate race of the 2020 season, when he salvaged a decent finish? Save Harvick for later.

STAY AWAY FROM: Chase Briscoe | View stats
Stewart-Haas Racing, No. 14 Ford
Odds: 28-1
Let's stay on the Stewart-Haas train and avoid Briscoe this weekend. In just two Cup starts at Martinsville, the second-year driver has an average finish of 24.5. When thinking of maximizing a driver's usage, this track doesn't come to mind.

STAY AWAY FROM: Kyle Larson | View stats
Hendrick Motorsports, No. 5 Chevrolet
Odds: 10-1
As we saw last year, Larson can win anywhere on the current Cup schedule. However, he has admitted Martinsville isn't his favorite place to go on the circuit, and the stats back that up. In 14 starts, the California native has just three top-10 finishes, with two of those coming in his last three tries.

MY LINEUP: Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Brad Keselowski; Garage: Bubba Wallace.
For all the "Where is Joe Gibbs Racing? What's wrong with Toyota?" talk, that was answered last weekend at Richmond. The JGR quartet can still get it done on short tracks, leading 149 of 400 laps. There's a better chance than not the team backs up the strong run this weekend, with three of its drivers having multiple wins at the southern Virginia track.