Fantasy Update: Martin Truex Jr. a must-start at Martinsville

Straight up, Martinsville is going to be among the hardest lineups to gauge this season. It was a clear advantage for drivers to put down a better lap in Group A of practice as opposed to Group B due to the track being cooler. That also isn't a true indicator of which cars look to be the best and which cars will struggle. So, we're going to go by the eye test this weekend. If you notice, there are no changes in my lineup from earlier this week. Dustin Albino's race-day lineup: Starter 1: Martin Truex Jr. Starter 2: Denny Hamlin Starter 3: Ryan Blaney Starter 4: Joey Logano Starter 5: Brad Keselowski Garage pick: Kevin Harvick RELATED: Sunday' starting grid | Set your Martinsville lineup NEXT IN LINE: Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs, Kyle Larson, Chase Briscoe RISING: Gibbs is one week away from having completed his rookie season. He's continued to improve throughout the year and will start from the front row for the first time on Sunday at Martinsville. The last time the Cup Series visited a short track (Bristol Motor Speedway), the No. 54 car led more than 100 laps and took home a top-five finish. Stewart-Haas Racing dominated the first half of the spring Martinsville race, with Ryan Preece leading the opening 135 laps from the pole. Briscoe added 109 laps out front later in the race, and Harvick paced the field for 20 circuits. It's evident that SHR brought back similar speed in the fall, with all four of its cars cracking the top 10. Three of them made the final qualifying round, led by Briscoe's third-place effort. Track position will be pivotal on Sunday, and SHR has a bunch of it early. FALLING: Tyler Reddick ranked eighth in single-lap speed and sixth on 10-lap averages but then spun during the second lap of his qualifying attempt and will start 19th. It's a setback for the No. 45 team, which needs to maximize earning points, entering Martinsville 10 points below the elimination line. Since joining 23XI Racing, Reddick's tendency has been to qualify well on short tracks and drop off throughout the race. Sunday will have to be the opposite. Another driver that was all over the leaderboard was Kyle Busch. His 31st-place qualifying position is his worst of the season in which he turned a lap. If you look at the 20-lap averages, however, it's the No. 8 Chevrolet that ranks the best. Richard Childress Racing has tussled with its short-track program all season, and Saturday at Martinsville sums that up perfectly. FEATURED MATCHUPS: Tyler Reddick vs. Chris Buescher Whereas Reddick showed glimpses of speed on Saturday, it was an overall struggle for Buescher compared to the remaining playoff drivers. It's been a tough round for the No. 17 team, and Buescher has only one top-10 finish in 16 Martinsville starts. Reddick's car looked to have more potential on long runs (ranked second on 20-lap average), so I'm going to remain leaning in his direction. It would be hard to consider either for your lineup with mediocre starting positions. Ryan Blaney vs. Denny Hamlin Both cars were competitive in practice, and Team Penske looked particularly good early on. Hamlin never made a run of more than 10 laps, which could mean he's not showing his hand on the long run, especially after dominating the last two fall races. I'm sticking with Hamlin this weekend because he's among the few masters of the track. Come the checkered flag, it still might not be enough to gain 17 points on Blaney. Martin Truex Jr. vs. William Byron This is starting to feel like Truex could come up clutch when the pressure is on the most. The 2017 Cup champion has been a part of five Championship 4 battles and needs to gain a plethora of stage points or win on Sunday to advance again this year. The playoffs have been atrocious for the No. 19 team, having just about everything go wrong. But there is still hope until the last lap on Sunday, and he's going to be among the pre-race favorites to win. Meanwhile, Hendrick Motorsports lacked speed, with just one of its drivers making the final round of qualifying. Christopher Bell vs. Kyle Larson Neither driver is historically spectacular at Martinsville despite combining to win the last two Martinsville races. Larson got the leg up on Saturday, out-qualifying Bell by two positions. With both drivers having already clinched a spot into the Championship 4, it will be a stress-free day on Sunday. This is tougher than anticipated, but let's take Larson, who has top-five finishes – and dominated the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro – in three of the four short-track races in 2023.