There seems to be some rain in the forecast but hopefully it will be gone in time to get a couple races in today. The winner gets a grandfather clock, everyone else gets hot dogs. Let’s take a quick look at the betting preview at this tricky little paperclip racetrack.

 

Best Bets

Jimmie Johnson 3-1

Jeff Gordon 5-1

These guys are both eight time winners at this track. Of course Jimmie has done it in 18 fewer races, but in 42 career starts at Martinsville, Jeff Gordon still has never posted a DNF. That’s a rather impressive streak. These guys are 1-2 in average finish here, having posted a combined 44 top 5’s in 66 races while leading over 6,000 laps.

Best Value Bets

Tony Stewart 15-1

Smoke has led more laps than any active drivers other than Jimmie and Jeff. He is a three time winner in Martinsville and is coming off of back to back top 5 finishes. This race will really test that leg of his, but he has shown he can be fast at this place all time and this week.

Danica Patrick 100-1

Danica has really impressed at this track. She finished 12th the first time she came to this track. I don’t think it will happen, but this is a tricky track and weird things can happen here.

My Pick

Denny Hamlin 5-1

Denny is going to be pissed off in that car this week. Hamlin is just as good at this place as Jimmie and Jeff. He has won four times here and he let a couple other wins slip through his fingers. This week he is coming off a weekend in which he was pulled from the race moments before it got underway and wound up in the hospital while some people questioned his toughness. Just like how he won three races in a row, at Homestead and then the preseason races at Daytona, he wants to shut everyone else up. He wants to grab that first win in 2014 and get back to competing for a championship. This is his track this week and he will be winning this race.

mlz

Sunday, March 30, 2014