Xfinity 500 Preview: Prelude to the Championship

Ryan Blaney has won this race the last two years and needs another win to advance to the Championship 4. Safe to say Mark Taylor has the No. 12 driver amongst his top NASCAR Fantasy plays for the Xfinity 500.
Xfinity 500 Preview: Prelude to the Championship
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This week we visit the circuit's shortest track to bring to an end the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. NASCAR's top division visits Martinsville Speedway, which is the circuit's shortest track, nestled in the foothills of Southern Virginia. After visiting superspeedways and intermediate ovals for most of the Chase, we swing to the other extreme for this week's Xfinity 500. With the big shift in racing style, the drivers had better be prepared for the surprises that the bullring at Martinsville will provide. 

Martinsville Speedway is best described as a "paperclip" shaped track for its twin 800 foot straight-aways capped with hair-pin corners banked at a modest 12 degrees. Racing at Martinsville requires mental toughness, physical stamina, and razor-sharp concentration, and that doesn't even include the durability of your equipment which takes a brutal pounding on this abusive small oval. So, survival will be the name of the game this weekend as the playoff drivers take to the short track in Southern Virginia. Martinsville Speedway demands the ultimate performance from both the driver and the car, so it is fitting that this bullring is one of the pivotal races that crowns NASCAR's champion. 

Some of the top contenders for this season's championship are excellent short track drivers, so we should see some real fireworks at the front of the pack this Sunday afternoon. For those playoff drivers still vying for a spot in the Championship Round of the Chase, the stakes will be very high in

This week we visit the circuit's shortest track to bring to an end the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. NASCAR's top division visits Martinsville Speedway, which is the circuit's shortest track, nestled in the foothills of Southern Virginia. After visiting superspeedways and intermediate ovals for most of the Chase, we swing to the other extreme for this week's Xfinity 500. With the big shift in racing style, the drivers had better be prepared for the surprises that the bullring at Martinsville will provide. 

Martinsville Speedway is best described as a "paperclip" shaped track for its twin 800 foot straight-aways capped with hair-pin corners banked at a modest 12 degrees. Racing at Martinsville requires mental toughness, physical stamina, and razor-sharp concentration, and that doesn't even include the durability of your equipment which takes a brutal pounding on this abusive small oval. So, survival will be the name of the game this weekend as the playoff drivers take to the short track in Southern Virginia. Martinsville Speedway demands the ultimate performance from both the driver and the car, so it is fitting that this bullring is one of the pivotal races that crowns NASCAR's champion. 

Some of the top contenders for this season's championship are excellent short track drivers, so we should see some real fireworks at the front of the pack this Sunday afternoon. For those playoff drivers still vying for a spot in the Championship Round of the Chase, the stakes will be very high in this 500-lap brawl. Among those are the teams of William Byron, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott. All four have at some point won in their career at the Virginia short track and will look to clinch a playoff advancing win this Sunday. So, this group of championship hopeful drivers are definitely in the right place at the right time this weekend to possibly secure a championship round-advancing win. 

Let's take a quick look at the recent history of Martinsville Speedway. We have a select group of drivers that rise above the field on short tracks, and we expect to see them running up front on Sunday. As the loop stats will illustrate, there's a group of the usual suspects we expect to dominate short track racing at the top. Among these are Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, William Byron and Christopher Bell. This group of drivers have combined to win 12 races at this small oval. So, these guys will be among the contenders to win the Xfinity 500. In the table below are the loop stats for the last 41 races at Martinsville Speedway.

DriverAvg. FinishQuality Passes# of Fastest LapsLaps LedLaps in Top 15Driver Rating
Denny Hamlin9.81,2931,3902,72215,539106.6
Chase Elliott11.85348141,2757,305103.1
Ryan Blaney8.55184745547,177101.8
Joey Logano10.71,0015951,22012,10996.8
Kyle Busch13.41,1499221,42913,59794.8
Brad Keselowski12.89677091,06810,56594.2
William Byron13.93782713604,44889.4
Chase Briscoe12.32631561422,71789.2
Kyle Larson15.55962733676,86188.0
Christopher Bell15.52811701842,99084.9
Alex Bowman19.1383214164,24473.9
Bubba Wallace16.1296112293,04673.2
Josh Berry24.732284040872.9
Todd Gilliland18.31283001,34371.5
AJ Allmendinger19.8579169505,70171.1
Austin Dillon19.0455147124,01069.7
Ty Gibbs20.011540098168.1
Ryan Preece21.61671021351,93667.7
Cole Custer21.9923201,17966.6
Tyler Reddick20.32427401,92266.1

A lot has happened since the last race at Martinsville Speedway in March of this year. Parity has prevailed and we've had 14 different drivers win since that Denny Hamlin victory at Martinsville. Shane van Gisbergen has orchestrated five road course wins during the year. Ryan Blaney forged two of his three big wins between August and September to advance deep in the playoffs. Austin Dillon pulled his surprising, upset victory at Richmond Raceway in August. Bubba Wallace staged an underdog win on the big stage at Indianapolis in July. Alex Bowman was shockingly eliminated from the Chase field after the Round of 16 at Bristol. Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Joey Logano and Chase Elliott are trying desperately to stay alive in terms of the championship, so they'll be racing for the win this Sunday at Martinsville to get the ticket to Phoenix. All-in-all it has been a wild season of NASCAR racing since the last time we visited the historic Virginia short track. 

If this week's race plays out like the earlier installment at Martinsville, we should be in for some similar action. There would be good balance and parity would reign as five different drivers would share most of the time up front and in the lead. However, Denny Hamlin would be the class of the field and hold off Christopher Bell down the stretch to grab the win at the historic Virginia short track. The Joe Gibbs Racing star would lead a dominant 274 laps at the half-mile short track and grab one of his six victories this season. There's good reason to believe we could see a similar scenario develop in Sunday's Xfinity 500. There were just nine lead changes in March's Cook Out 400. Part of that was due to the reduced distance (400 vs. 500 laps) and part was due to the current short track package on the new generation car, which made passing on this challenging short track difficult. Those who qualify well again this weekend could be the drivers to watch closely as we could see a repeat of dominance at the front. We'll examine the short track specialists who thrive on small ovals like Martinsville and give you the tips that will help you win your fantasy league this weekend.

The Contenders – Drivers in the hunt for the win

Denny Hamlin – Coming to Martinsville, Hamlin's spot in the Championship Round of the playoffs is locked-in. But that doesn't mean he'll be soft-pedaling around the Martinsville oval this weekend. The Joe Gibbs Racing star has six-career wins at Martinsville Speedway, and he's led over 2,700-career laps at the half-mile oval. Hamlin won the spring installment at this track and is now looking for the season sweep and yet another grandfather clock trophy. The No. 11 Toyota team has two short track wins this season (Martinsville and Dover). He's cracked the Top 5 on short tracks this season at an amazing 50-percent rate with over 340 laps led. Hamlin is visiting one of his favorite short tracks at a very crucial time during the playoffs.

Ryan Blaney – Blaney's back is against the wall and he faces elimination before the cutoff to advance into the championship round at Phoenix. He needs a win or big performance in the Xfinity 500. Fortunately, Blaney has the ability to challenge for the win at this small oval and he's proven it in recent seasons. He's won two of the last four Martinsville races and he has two-career runner-up finishes at Martinsville Speedway. Blaney owns an astonishing 53-percent Top-5 rate at this Virginia short track across 19-career starts. The Penske Racing driver won our most recent short track race in Loudon, so he could be a spoiler. If any of the other contenders stumble Sunday, Blaney will want to be in good position to seize that opportunity to advance to Phoenix and race for the championship.

William Byron – Byron is still alive in terms of making the Championship Round at Phoenix, and that's great news coming to Virginia for this round of the playoffs. The Hendrick Motorsports youngster could potentially advance on points, but a win and automatic berth that go with it would be preferred. Byron has a pair of wins at Martinsville since 2022 and he cracks the Top-10 here at a reasonably good 53-percent rate. Short tracks have sort of been a mixed bag for the No. 24 Chevrolet team this season, however, Byron does have a win earlier in the campaign at Iowa Speedway. The Hendrick Motorsports star is a bit inconsistent on other short tracks but based on the evidence he really seems to understand how to get around this flat, half-mile oval.

Christopher Bell – The Joe Gibbs Racing youngster is a one-time Martinsville winner (2022) despite only having a 36-percent Top-10 rate at Martinsville Speedway. This time the stakes are higher for the No. 20 team as Bell is thick in the heat of the championship battle. He's been racing extremely well of late and contending for wins, albeit on larger ovals. Bell has been very consistent on the short tracks this season. He's accumulated two victories, 209 laps led and five Top-10 finishes (63-percent). Bell won the pole position and finished runner-up earlier this season at Martinsville Speedway. That experience will pay dividends in this playoff battle. The driver of the No. 20 Toyota has better short tracks in his resume, but Bell has been top notch all season long on these bullring tracks.

Solid Plays – Near locks for a Top 10 with an outside shot to win

Kyle Larson – Larson picked up career win number one at Martinsville Speedway in 2023, and he has finished runner-up twice there since 2022. He has three pole positions, one win, two runner-up finishes and over 300 laps led in his last eight starts at Martinsville Speedway. Coming off the big disappointment at Talladega this past week, Larson will look to right the ship before Phoenix in Sunday's Xfinity 500. The Hendrick Motorsports star has been the apex predator this season on the short tracks. Larson has one victory, four Top 5's  and six Top 10's on the small ovals in 2025. His outing at the Martinsville oval earlier this season netted a Top-5 finish. He can easily do that again in Sunday's Xfinity 500.

Joey Logano – The short tracks have been steady but unspectacular for Logano and his Penske Racing team this season. The driver of the No. 22 Ford has been fast in recent Martinsville Speedway outings. Logano rides a whopping 12-race Martinsville Top-10 streak into Sunday's action. These recent efforts have boosted his career Top-10 rate at the track to a strong 64-percent. Logano led 13 laps and scored a strong eighth-place finish in the race earlier this season at the half-mile Virginia oval. It's a good bet the veteran Penske Racing driver will stay on his Martinsville roll. He'll be a strong fantasy racing choice in Sunday's 500-lap playoff battle.

Chase Elliott – Elliott is hoping to keep his slim championship hopes alive and turn in a strong performance at Martinsville. The driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet is a one-time Martinsville winner and his 13-career Top-10 finishes at the track check in at a strong 65-percent rate. Elliott has Top 5's in his last three Martinsville races heading into Sunday's action. This driver and team have been very consistent on the short tracks this season, pulling in four Top-10 finishes in eight starts (50-percent). The 16.3 average finish across the short tracks does illustrate some inconsistency this season. However, Elliott's back is to the wall in terms of playoff advancement, so we should see the very best out of the No. 9 Chevrolet team this Sunday.   

Chase Briscoe – The resume isn't long but it is quite impressive to say the least. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has nine-career Cup Series starts at Martinsville Speedway and he's fetched Top 10's in six of those starts (67-percent). He finished a steady ninth-place here in the spring and that lowered his career average finish at the Viriginia short track to a respectable 12.2. Briscoe and the No. 19 Toyota team have had their ups-and-downs this season, but the short tracks have been a rewarding and consistent presence in their performance. He has grabbed three Top-5 and six Top-10 finishes on the series' short tracks in 2025. Briscoe is locked into the championship round of the playoffs so the pressure is off for now. That's a great sign heading into Sunday's 500-lap battle in Virginia.

Sleepers – Drivers with good history at Martinsville & solid upside

Bubba Wallace – The 23XI Racing veteran has finished seventh- and sixth-place in summer short track performances at Dover and Iowa. That's a very good look for the No. 23 Toyota team coming into the Xfinity 500. The short tracks have been a mixed bag for Wallace this season but they're trending in the right direction coming to Martinsville Speedway. He has just four-career Top-10 finishes at this bullring, but they've all come since the 2022 season. Across that span, Wallace has managed a razor sharp 8.8 average finish. Earlier this season in the Cook Out 400, the driver of the No. 23 Toyota fetched his career-best Martinsville finish of third-place. Those notes will come in handy this Sunday afternoon.          

Alex Bowman – The Hendrick Motorsports veteran's Top 10 recently at Bristol has capped a good season for the No. 48 team on the series' short tracks. Bowman is cracking the Top 10 at a good 63-percent rate this season on the bullrings. Earlier this season he qualified third, led 6 laps but didn't get the finish at Martinsville Speedway that he deserved. Bowman owns five-career Top-10 finishes at the Virginia short track, however, most of them have come since the 2020 season. Career-wise this has not been that good a track for this veteran driver, but Bowman has generally been a Top-15 finisher at Martinsville in his last seven starts, save one really bad outing. He brings value and upside to the table in this 500-lap playoff race.  

Ryan Preece – The driver of the No. 60 Ford has been a pretty good short track performer this season. Preece has grabbed two Top-10 and four Top-15 finishes on the small ovals. Most recently, he was Top 15 at the Loudon short track in New Hampshire. Preece has just two Top-10 finishes in 12-career starts at Martinsville Speedway. The really good news is that they've both come in his last three starts at the flat short track. The Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing veteran won the pole position and led 135 laps at Martinsville in the spring 2023 event so Preece understands racing up front here and can pull it off. His start here in March of this year resulted in a strong seventh-place finish for the No. 60 Ford team.

Josh Berry – He only has three-career Cup Series starts at Martinsville Speedway with unremarkable results. However, Berry has been a surprise performer on the short tracks in 2025. The Wood Brothers Racing driver earned a Top 5 at Phoenix to kick off the year, he grabbed a solid eighth-place finish recently at Richmond. Most recently, Berry forged a brilliant runner-up finish at the Loudon oval in New Hampshire. He rides that momentum into his fourth-career start at Martinsville Speedway. Berry's last look on these size ovals was that impressive runner-up finish on the flat oval at Loudon. We get good vibes from that performance. The driver of the No. 21 Ford has a lot of potential in the Xfinity 500.

Todd Gilliland – Gilliland has just seven-career starts at Martinsville Speedway, but he's been a Top-15 finisher in three of his last four starts at the half-mile paperclip. In the race earlier this season at the Martinsville oval, Gilliland drove the No. 34 Ford to a respectable 10th-place finish. It was his second Martinsville Speedway Top 10 in his last four starts. Short tracks have been generally up-and-down affairs for Gilliland, but Martinsville seems to be different for the young driver. He has some skill and ability that he puts on display here. Gilliland registered an impressive runner-up finish at Talladega this past Sunday, so the Front Row Motorsports youngster has been driving well of late.    

Ross Chastain – It's been three years since Chastain's infamous "Hail Melon" move at Martinsville Speedway propelled him into the championship round of the playoffs that season. People won't soon forget seeing him ride the wall in turns 3 and 4 of the final lap to claim several positions before the checkered flag and race into the playoff finale. That was one of two Top-5 finishes for Chastain at this oval and he's been a Top-10 to Top-15 driver here ever since. He finished ninth-place at New Hampshire recently and that's one of three Top 10's he's racked up on the small ovals in 2025. Chastain finished sixth-place at Martinsville Speedway earlier this season and that's a good precursor of potential for this driver and team this Sunday afternoon.

Slow Down – Drivers to avoid this week

Brad Keselowski – Being a two-time winner of the grandfather clock trophy and boasting over 1,000 laps led for his career are major endorsements of Keselowski this weekend. The owner/driver of the No. 6 Ford has collected 18 Top-10 finishes at Martinsville Speedway over the years for a strong 58-percent Top-10 rate at the track. However, Keselowski has fallen on some hard times in more recent Martinsville outings. He's only cracked the Top 10 once in his last seven starts at the historic Virginia oval, and he was a lackluster 26th-place there earlier this season. Keselowski was good in the middle portion of this season on the bullring tracks, but he was a disappointing 23rd-place at Loudon just a few weeks ago.    

Kyle Busch – Despite Busch's two-career Martinsville victories and steady 53-percent Top-10 rate at this short track, we're calling for the fade this weekend. The Richard Childress Racing star has had a tough time on the small ovals in 2025. Busch has just one Top-10 finish in eight starts (13-percent) and an inflated 16.5 average finish. Those are not good looks coming into Martinsville Speedway. Busch's last short track outing was a disappointing 30th-palce finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway a few weeks ago. Recent outings at the Virginia short track have been subpar. Busch has just two Top-20 finishes in his last six starts at Martinsville Speedway.

Daniel Suarez – Suarez has 17-career starts at Martinsville Speedway and just two Top-10 finishes to show for, the last of those coming in 2019. The 12-percent Top-10 rate and 22.8 average finish are big warning signs. In the race there earlier this season he struggled and finished a disappointing 21st-place in the Cook Out 400. That's almost exactly in line with his career average at this Virginia bullring. Suarez has not been a world beater on the short tracks this season with just a 13-percent Top-10 rate and below desirable 26.0 average finish. This driver and team are best left on the bench this week in weekly lineup and salary cap fantasy games.

Erik Jones – Despite his value and utility on intermediate ovals this season, this is a week to sit on Jones. The Legacy Motor Club veteran has really struggled on the short tracks. With no Top-15 finishes in eight starts and inflated 24.9 average finish, the driver of the No. 43 Toyota has been struggling this season with the small ovals. Martinsville Speedway has been one of the worst ovals in Jones' Cup Series resume with 17 starts and just one Top-10 finish (6-percent). His average across those efforts is a subpar 20.8 average finish. The veteran driver would labor to a distant 38th-place finish at Martinsville Speedway back in March. It's best to dismiss any thoughts of fantasy racing utilization this weekend in Southern Virginia. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Taylor is RotoWire's senior NASCAR writer. A nine-time FSWA finalist, Taylor was named the Racing Writer of the Year in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2016 and 2017. He is also a military historian, focused specifically on World War II and the U.S. Navy's efforts in the Pacific.
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