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Buckle up for the Cup Series race at Martinsville! This is the last race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs before the final Championship race next week at Phoenix. There are eight drivers still eligible for the Championship crown but four will be trimmed when the checkered flag flies at the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia. That leaves four drivers in a season-ending battle in two weeks.
But first – before the speed-fest at Phoenix – the track known as the “Paper Clip” will host some classic short-track racing with plenty of dented cars and probably some hurt egos! That’s perfect as that’s what would be expected in a race that will determine which four drivers have a chance to become the next Cup Series champ.
That brings up what drivers are favored to win at Martinsville this weekend. Guess what? Two of the five favorites to win the Xfinity 500 on Sunday are former Cup Series Champions. And a third has been on the cusp of winning the Championship for several seasons. Chase Elliott and Joey Logano have both won the Champ Title. Elliott comes in at +625 this week while Logano is at +850.
As for that other driver that has been so close – that’s Denny Hamlin who enters at +700 right next to Elliott.
Here are the favorites to win the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville outright:
Chase Elliott +625
Denny Hamlin +700
William Byron +750
Ryan Blaney +800
Joey Logano +850
It is interesting to note that Kyle Larson is not one of the drivers listed above. Larson dominated last week’s race at Homestead-Miami and grabbed the Checkered flag. However, Larson has never won at Martinsville.
2022 Xfinity 500 Preview
Track: Martinsville Speedway / Ridgeway, VA
Type: .526-mile asphalt/concrete oval speedway
Race Distance: 500 laps / 263 miles
Defending Track Winner: William Byron
TV/Radio: NBC/Peacock/SiriusXM/MRN & Local affiliates
This is the last race in The Round of 8 – of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. The season ends one week from Sunday with the running of the Championship race at Phoenix.
2022 Xfinity 500 Predictions
William Byron +750
William Byron topped all other Cup drivers during the 2022 April race at Martinsville. He won by leading 212 laps en route to the checkered flag. He also banked a bunch of points which helped him during the playoffs. Byron has raced in the Cup Series 9 times at Martinsville with two DNFs due to being taken out by wrecks. In his other seven Martinsville races, he’s finished 8th or better five times with 4th, 5th, and the win in his last three races at the track respectively.
Joey Logano +850
Joey Logano runs well at Martinsville! For some reason, he still seems to be flying under the radar despite being at the top of the points and locked into the Championship race at Phonix. Logano has eight top-ten runs in his last ten races at Martinsville including a win. He’s also finished 10th or better in 3 of the last 4 playoff races. That stat also includes a win.
Kyle Larson +1000
Kyle Larson was on a roll last week at Homestead – Miami. He dominated the field with a fast car and mistake-free pit stops. Not making unforced errors in the pits at Martinsville is critical as it’s hard to make up lost spots on this track. Larson seems to have gotten past the point in the season where he and his team were blowing engines or messing things up with a weird stop. He’s also won twice at Martinsville in a Cup car.
Others: Denny Hamlin (+700) has been strong at Martinsville in the past and has been running well as of late with seven top-ten runs in his last ten races. However, he’s not won at Martinsville since 2015 and finished 28th here in April. Martin Truex Jr (+1000) has great stats at Martinsville including three Cup Series wins. The fade is that both he, and Hamlin, seem to have hit a wall at this point in the Playoffs.
Cup Series Playoff Standings
No. 1 Joey Logano
No. 2 Ross Chastain
No. 3 Chase Elliott
No. 4 William Byron
Below Cutline
No. 5 Denny Hamlin
No. 6 Chase Briscoe Ryan Blaney
No. 7 Christopher Bell
No. 8 Chase Briscoe
2022 Xfinity 500 Betting Lines
Chase Elliott +625
Denny Hamlin +700
William Byron +750
Ryan Blaney +800
Joey Logano +850
Martin Truex Jr +1000
Kyle Larson +1000
Christopher Bell +1200
Ross Chastain +1200
Kyle Busch +1400
Kevin Harvick +1400
Tyler Reddick +2500
Brad Keselowski +2800
Chase Briscoe +3300
Aric Almirola +3500
Darrell Wallace Jr. +3500
AJ Allmendinger +4000
Chris Buescher +4500
Austin Dillon +4500
Daniel Suarez +4500
Noah Gragson +5000
Austin Cindric +5000
Erik Jones +9000
Ty Gibbs +9000
Cole Custer +10000
Ricky Stenhouse Jr +25000
Michael McDowell +30000
Justin Haley +30000
Harrison Burton +50000
Landon Cassill +100000
J.J. Yeley +100000
Corey Lajoie +100000
BJ McLeod +100000
Ty Dillon +100000
Todd Gilliland +100000
Cody Ware +150000
