Rankings below are based on a mixture of expected output and DraftKings’ NASCAR salaries for that day. The ordering is not based on the highest projected fantasy totals, but rather by value of each driver. Note: fppk = average fantasy points per $1,000 of salary.
The DraftKings Xfinity 500 at Martinsville slate locks at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday. Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $150K Front Row [$50K TO 1ST] (CUP)
1. Joey Logano ($9,900) - Here’s a stat: Logano was inside the top five for 495 of 500 laps at Martinsville. Actually, it should be 500 of 500, but there are scoring errors due to the loop timing system during cautions. If he is not looking ahead to the championship race, then he should have an amazing car again. (3.7 fppk)
2. Martin Truex, Jr. ($11,800) - The reigning king of Martinsville is Truex. He’s won the last two at Martinsville, and he should have won three of the last four, but Joey Logano did him dirty in the fall 2018 race. (4.5 fppk)
3. Brad Keselowski ($11,400) - A lucky dog wave around at end of stage 1 saved Keselowski’s race, but he wasn’t alone in his early race struggles. Martinsville was a major obstacle for most teams. The green track caused excessive tire wear and guessing the setup was a nightmare for the crew chiefs. (4.6 fppk)
4. Ryan Blaney ($10,700) - The first Martinsville race was eventful. Blaney went from the pole to a lap down to finishing second. Once his team got the setup squared away, Blaney took over. He nearly won at Martinsville in the spring 2018 race. (4.2 fppk)
5. Jimmie Johnson ($9,300) - All of the Hendrick cars earned a top-10 finish in the first Martinsville race. A lot has changed since May, but the Hendrick crew chiefs still have an advantage this weekend. When it comes to the proper setup, Hendrick is starting ahead of the other teams in terms of notes. (3.4 fppk)
6. Chase Elliott ($10,400) - The statistical lens through which DFS players view Elliott’s Martinsville race will offer differing perspectives of reality. Elliott earned 15 fast lap points and finished fifth. Those stats make him look like a top-five driver, but not the best or a top-three driver. Elliott recorded 71% of his laps inside the top five — that was second most. From that lens, he was the second-best driver. (4.3 fppk)
7. Kevin Harvick ($11,000) - Martinsville has never been a great track for Harvick, and it’s never been a great track for his crew chief, Rodney Childers. The only notable Martinsville performance for Harvick was the spring 2015 race. He led 154 laps, but he finished eighth. (5.6 fppk)
8. Denny Hamlin ($10,200) - NASCAR decided a race at Martinsville on a green race track at night without any practice during the middle of the week was a good idea. It worked out fine for NASCAR, but not so much for the teams that had to guess what setup would work. Hamlin’s team chose poorly. (4.9 fppk)
9. Aric Almirola ($8,100) - After leading 19 laps to start the race, his car dropped like a rock. Unlike other top-tier drivers, Almirola was not able to bounce back because his alternator was broken. He finished 24 laps off of the lead lap. (4.1 fppk)
10. William Byron ($7,700) - It was not a good day on pit road for Byron, but he had no problem working his way through traffic. He almost won this race in the fall of 2019. His crew chief, Chad Knaus, has won at this track nine times. (3.8 fppk)
11. Kyle Busch ($9,600) - Historically, Kyle Busch has been great at Martinsville, and this low downforce setup works just fine for him. History seems to matter less these days, in every aspect of life. For Kyle Busch, practice mattered; he’s the antithesis of Allen Iverson. Without practice laps, DFS players cannot trust Kyle Busch. (3.4 fppk)
12. Alex Bowman ($8,700) - Like many drivers, Bowman struggled early in the first Martisnville race. Once the track rubbered up, Bowman was fine. He rejoined the top 10 on lap 137 and remained in the top 10 for the final 363 laps of the race. (3.8 fppk)
13. Kurt Busch ($8,500) - In the last five Martinsville races, Kurt Busch’s worst finish is 12th. His average finish over that span is ninth. Those are decent stats in real life, but it’s not quite enough in fantasy. Kurt Busch has not led one single lap over that span. (3.6 fppk)
14. Clint Bowyer ($8,300) - The track changed a lot in the May race and Bowyer’s team was unable to keep up with it. There should be some rubber on the track this weekend with the Xfinity and Truck Series racing on Friday and Saturday. Also, this race will take place during its normal afternoon time slot, so there should be fewer curveballs for the teams this weekend. (3.8 fppk)
15. Matt DiBenedetto ($7,000) - In the first Martinsville race, DiBenedetto logged 321 laps inside the top 10. That was the eighth most laps inside the top 10. He started 19th and cracked the top 10 on lap 35. He later fell to 16th on lap 261, but battled back into the top 10 on lap 341. (3.9 fppk)
16. Ryan Newman ($6,500) - The absence of practice hurts all drivers, but some more than others. With over 18,000 laps at Martinsville, Newman should have a good idea of what he’s doing on Sunday. (3.5 fppk)
17. Chris Buescher ($6,700) - The Ford alliance between Roush and Front Row Motorsports guessed the right setup in the first Martinsville race. Buescher has finished 13th or better in three of the last four Martinsville races. (4.2 fppk)
18. Austin Dillon ($7,300) - A busted tire ruined his race before it even began in the first Martinsville race. After the team fixed the tire, Dillon swears the car was fast. His average lap time during the race was 21.3 seconds. That was good enough for 16th fastest. (4.4 fppk)
19. Ty Dillon ($5,900) - In his last five Martinsville races, his worst finish is 24th. That won’t kill your lineups. Dillon has two top-15 finishes in those five races. His average finish over that span is 19th. (4.2 fppk)
20. Erik Jones ($9,000) - Martinsville has been a terrible track for Jones. It’s worth considering not ranking him at all this week, but he’s too talented and his JGR equipment is top notch. In seven Martinsville races, he has one top-15 finish, but this might be the weekend when it clicks. (4.0 fppk)
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $150K Front Row [$50K TO 1ST] (CUP)
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is greenflagradio2) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above.