Believe it or not, there are only two races left this season in the NASCAR Cup Series and there’s a ton on the line this weekend. A loaded field is on its way to Martinsville for the second to last race and people are waiting to see who will end up punching a ticket to the Championship 4. With all of that said, Ryan Blaney is the NASCAR favorite to win at Martinsville. Will he end up getting the job done?
Blaney knows that there’s a lot of pressure on the line in this one, as he has to win at Martinsville in order for him to keep his title hopes alive. Blaney is no stranger to success on this track, which is why a lot of his fans are holding out some hope that he’ll be able to stun the rest of the field and come out victorious. It’s not going to be easy for him, but Blaney is ready to deliver.
| Martinsville Odds |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blaney to win | +375 | +375 | +375 |
| Hamlin to win | +400 | +400 | +400 |
| Elliott to win | +625 | +625 | +625 |
| Bell to win | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 |
“I told myself like, ‘Hey, you can be upset with the Vegas deal Sunday, but when you wake up Monday, we’re gonna be full-on looking forward and heads-up looking forward to Talladega and then what challenges come at Martinsville,’” Blaney said to reporters last week. “I think it gets easier as you get older and your outlook on things change and you’re just trying to look ahead a little bit more.”
According to the best betting sites, Blaney, hoping for a Martinsville three-peat, has been given +375 sports betting odds to post a win. He’s at the top of the list, which is pretty telling. Obviously, others have strong odds too and they’re going to want to do everything in their power to make sure that Blaney doesn’t cross the finish line first. It will be interesting to see how things turn out here, but we’re going in a different direction for our pick.
Call it a gut feeling and not everyone is going to agree with this one, but Chase Elliott is our pick to win at Martinsville this weekend. Just like Blaney, things did not go to plan for Elliott in his last race and now he’s facing a bit of an uphill climb to keep his season going the way he wants it too. In order for Elliott to do so, he needs to win this weekend. Will he silence the haters and do so after his rough crash in Talladega?
“The assignment is simple. I don’t know about the crash, I saw someone get turned sideways and I got turned sideways. I hate it. We had ourselves in a good spot through the cycle but we didn’t execute the cycle well and got back there. Can’t change that, though. All eyes on Martinsville and we’ve been good there before,” Elliott told NBC during an interview.
Leading up to this weekend’s race, now is a good time to remind you that there are plenty of great specials and bonuses being offered by sportsbooks that NASCAR fans can take full advantage of. With the season really heating up right now with things almost coming to a close, perhaps there’s no better time than now to check those specials and get a bet in or two.
As for the action back on the track, Elliott has been given +625 betting odds per the NASCAR betting sites to win this weekend at Martinsville, which are the third best. Plenty of people think that Blaney is going to be the one to pull off the needed win and advance, but Elliott and others are going to work to make things tough there. We’ll see how things go for him, but we indeed think that Elliott will work his magic and win.
While a lot of the focus right now may be on Elliott and Blaney, keep in mind that Denny Hamlin and others are also ones to watch at Martinsville in the coming days. Hamlin has the second-best odds to win, as he has been set at +400. Hamlin continues to prove time and time again that he’s one of the best drivers in the country and he actually already has a spot locked in for the Championship 4.
Because of this, he could look to take things a bit easy and not try to face things. However, Hamlin has been known for driving incredibly well at the Martinsville track. He also may want to record a win to give himself a confidence boost before things really get interesting in the Championship 4. From our chair, it won’t be a surprise at all if he ends up crossing the finish line first.
Who else should NASCAR fans be monitoring once the race gets started this weekend? In addition to Blaney, Elliott and Hamlin, people should also be ready to focus on Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, William Byron and more. People around the planet can’t wait for this race to get underway, as someone is going to have to step up and deliver. Who will do so? We can’t wait to find out.
Looking for more betting info? Be sure to check out our betting guides before you get ready to make your NASCAR wagers.
About the Author
Braulio Perez has been writing about sports professionally since graduating from Washington State in 2011. A fan of all major leagues in the USA, he’s also a supporter of the English Premier League and international soccer.
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