NASCAR Cup Series playoffs at Martinsville odds, picks: Who will make the Championship 4?
The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs will go from eight to four drivers this weekend in Martinsville. Joey Logano has already secured his spot among the final four. Ross Chastain, Chase Elliott and William Byron are also in the top four entering this week's Xfinity 500 at the Martinville Speedway.
Martinsville is the shortest track on the NASCAR schedule. Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi give their predictions for the Xfinity 500.
The new Next Gen car has made NASCAR races at short tracks more about track position. The qualifying results for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville will be announced on Saturday afternoon. William Byron and Chase Elliott led 397 laps of a possible 400 at the Martinville race in the spring.
Ross Chastain and Chase Elliott will make it to the Championship 4. William Byron and Denny Hamlin will go for the final spot. They will have to win at Martinsville. Hamlins has five career wins there, but Byron won at the track in the spring.
Logano, Elliott and Ross Chastain are already in the Championship 4. Byron, Hamlin and Blaney are the only drivers who can go on by points. Blaney is out. Hamlins is the Martinsville master, but Byron won there in spring and Hammin struggled there.
Gluck and Bianchi expect the points to be very close in the final laps of the race. There are only five points between Byron and Hamlin. The winner of this race will be decided on the last lap. There will probably be a strategy call instead of a dramatic pass on track.
Brad Keselowski is a longshot to win this weekend's NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville. AJ Allmendinger is an intriguing sleeper. He's finished ninth or better in his past six Cup starts and his +4000 odds to won offer some value.
Joey Logano is a good pick to win the race at Martinsville. Chase Elliott is the pick for the Championship 4. Gluck, Bianchi and Jeff are unsure about the outcome of the Martinville race. They think it's a special track with a paperclip shape and lack of banking. Logana finished second there in the spring.
