Fantasy Update: Last-minute Martinsville lineup advice
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Kyle Busch will lead the field to green for Sunday's First Data 500 (2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and the two-time Martinsville winner is absolutely a part of my lineup. After two practice sessions and qualifying determining the starting order, we've dissected the numbers to offer a suggested lineup worthy of your Fantasy Live consideration as you make roster decisions.
PLAY NOW: Set your lineup | How the playoff game works
Remember that the garage locks at the end of Stage 2. Also, your garage play can only be swapped for a driver of similar classification. (A playoff garage driver can only be swapped for a playoff driver in your lineup; a non-playoff garage driver can only be swapped for a non-playoff driver in your lineup.)
Cars to the rear: Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, David Ragan, Jimmie Johnson, Bubba Wallace, JJ Yeley, Jeb Burton, Timmy Hill and Paul Menard. More info on those here.
RJ Kraft's Fantasy Live lineup for race-day at Martinsville:
Playoff driver 1: Kyle Busch
Playoff driver 2: Clint Bowyer
Non-playoff driver 1: Ryan Blaney
Non-playoff driver 2: Denny Hamlin
Garage: AJ Allmendinger
MORE: Fantasy analysis for Martinsville | Driver stats | 10-lap averages | Lineup
Analysis: The Fantasy Live Playoff Game is in Week 7! My two playoff starters are the same I planned on heading into the weekend -- Kyle Busch and Clint Bowyer. They both have looked strong, finished 1-2 (Bowyer than Busch) in the spring and will start 1-2 on Sunday (Busch then Bowyer).
My main two non-playoff plays are Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney. Hamlin is a five-time winner at Martinsville and had the fourth-best 10-lap average in final practice. He knows how to get around this track. My one concern is his penchant for speeding penalties on pit road which will influence my garage pick (see further below). Blaney gets the nod due to his solid speed this weekend -- he'll start fourth -- and his back-to-back top 10s at Martinsville. He was particularly impressive this spring leading 145 laps and scoring 52 points.
I was all set to put Brad Keselowski in my lineup but with the No. 2 car going to the rear for unapproved adjustments, that has scared me off and I will be slotting in AJ Allmendinger as my garage play. He is only owned by 1 percent of players so I am taking a risk based on his Martinsville history and a lack of ownership elsewhere. This move is also motivated by some trouble I've had of late with one of my non-playoff driver spots so I am giving myself an added option in that regard. It is also a sign of the confidence I have in Busch and Bowyer as my playoff drivers.
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For the stages and the race win, I'm going with Kyle Busch across the board. He has been a machine of late at Martinsville -- four top-two finishes in his last five starts there -- and he seems to be just a hair faster than Bowyer.