Editor’s Note: Keep tabs on this page for lineup advice following qualifying, including changes you should consider.
After a 71-point haul at Talladega Superspeedway, Kyle Larson has taken another step toward becoming the first driver since Jimmie Johnson to win consecutive Cup Series championships, a feat the seven-time champion accomplished with five straight titles from 2006-2010. However, despite the No. 5 team’s strength at Martinsville Speedway, several of Larson’s closest challengers have been more consistent, leaving the door open to extend the title fight another week.
Returning to Fastlane this year is my weekly NASCAR 36 for 36 pick, where you can come play along. It’s a season-long points battle introduced in 2024 where strategy is the primary emphasis. With 36 chartered cars and 36 races on the 2026 schedule, players can choose each car once for the duration of the season.
MUST START
Driver: Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, No. 12 Ford
Selections remaining: 2
Comment: Nobody has been better at Martinsville in recent years than Blaney. He won the fall event at the 0.526-mile paperclip in two of the last three seasons, placing seventh or better in eight of the last nine attempts. His 8.0 average finish here is the best among tracks with at least four starts.
Driver: Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 11 Toyota
Selections remaining: 1
Comment: A distant 73 points behind Larson sits Hamlin in second place. Martinsville is among his best circuits on the schedule, leading active drivers in wins (six), top fives (22), top 10s (28) and laps led (3,014). This is nearly a must-win weekend for the No. 11 bunch.
Driver: Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, No. 9 Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 5
Comment: It was Elliott who dethroned Hamlin late in the spring race at Martinsville, leading the final 69 laps en route to victory. Elliott has been a Martinsville menace with 10 top-five and 15 top-10 finishes in 22 starts, finishing fourth or better in five straight races in the Commonwealth. Since that March victory, the No. 9 team has just four top-five efforts in the last 27 races.
DRIVERS TO AVOID
Driver: Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing, No. 45 Toyota
Selections remaining: 1
Comment: As Reddick nears the end of his seventh full-time season, he is still searching for answers on short tracks, particularly at Martinsville. He has a best finish of seventh in 13 starts at the historic venue, making it the only track where he has made at least 10 starts without recording a top-five finish.
Driver: Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports, No. 77 Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 4
Comment: Hocevar completed an unwanted trifecta in last year’s postseason race at Martinsville, getting spun three times. He hasn’t exactly made many new friends in the last calendar year, making the tight confines of the Virginia bullring an opportunity for a rival to make his life difficult. Through six starts at Martinsville, Hocevar’s best finish is 17th.
SLEEPERS OF THE WEEK
Driver: Josh Berry, Wood Brothers Racing, No. 21 Ford
Selections remaining: 3
Comment: Don’t be surprised if Berry factors into the fight for the win at Martinsville. He finished 10th in each of his last two trips here and recorded top-10 finishes in three consecutive short-track races, becoming the first Wood Brothers Racing driver to accomplish the feat since Neil Bonnett in 1989.
Driver: Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing, No. 97 Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 5
Comment: Martinsville has historically been a strong venue for road-course standouts, with AJ Allmendinger, Juan Pablo Montoya and Marcos Ambrose all delivering solid performances at the Virginia oval. SVG is following suit, recording three top-15 finishes in his first four starts.
FEATURED MATCHUPS
Kyle Larson vs. Denny Hamlin
Pick: Hamlin
Comment: If Hamlin wants any chance at Homestead for the 2026 title, the No. 11 team needs to take care of business at Martinsville and run ahead of Larson. The numbers, historically, favor Hamlin, though Larson has been steady at the venue since joining Hendrick Motorsports, finishing ninth or better in the last eight visits.
Chase Elliott vs. William Byron
Pick: Elliott
Comment: Neither driver has enjoyed a season to remember. While Byron led 304 of 500 laps in this race last year, he’s still searching for a way back to the Winner’s Circle. Elliott gets the nod, though neither team has been particularly consistent in 2026. Byron has recorded seven top-five finishes and led 670 laps at this track, both career highs at any venue.
Ryan Blaney vs. Joey Logano
Pick: Blaney
Comment: On long runs, Blaney excels here, as he can wrap the curb like no other in the series. However, Logano is on a streak of 14 straight top 10s at Martinsville, tied with Lee Petty for the third longest streak in track history. He’s also the first driver to win at least three short-track races in the same season since Martin Truex Jr. in 2019.
Chase Briscoe vs. Ryan Preece
Pick: Briscoe
Comment: Preece should be considered for lineups this weekend, as he has finished 14th or better in his last five trips to Martinsville. But like Hamlin, Briscoe needs a huge day at Martinsville, sitting 79 points behind Larson. He has six top-10 efforts at Martinsville, his most at any track.
MY LINEUP
Starting five: Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, William Byron.
Garage: Josh Berry.
36 FOR 36
Pick: Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, No. 9 Chevrolet
Comment: For all the reasons outlined above, Elliott is a strong pick this weekend. The 2020 Cup Series champion has amassed 10 top-five and 15 top-10 finishes in 22 Martinsville starts, along with 1,359 laps led, his most at any track. The No. 9 team has also tallied three top-five finishes in the last seven short-track races, including a victory in March.