Building an Optimal DFS Lineup: Xfinity 500

Two to go.

Martinsville Speedway has hosted some instant classics, being the only track remaining on the original NASCAR Cup Series schedule. Sure, over the past couple of years, there have been some duds, but the last three fall races -- four out of five -- have seen drivers upset with another following the duration of the race.

Now it's the cutoff race in the Round of 8? Expect craziness, as four drivers are in near must-win situations to be in contention for the championship next weekend at Phoenix Raceway, including one that's won the last two races at the famed track.

This lineup will include that driver, Martin Truex Jr. With a big price tag of $11,800, it will make you get creative on the back end of the lineup, but if you do so correctly, maybe you'll be the big winner this weekend.

My DFS Lineup - Xfinity 500

Martin Truex Jr. ($11,800)

Career at Martinsville: 29 starts, 2 wins, 858 laps led
Average finish at Martinsville: 16.8

For years, one of the biggest questions entering a short track race was, “Can Martin Truex Jr. finally win on a short track?” Well, last spring at Richmond Raceway he laid that question to rest, followed it up with another win in the fall at the track before heading to the circuit’s next short track, Martinsville.

The question of whether Truex would ever win at Martinsville was quickly put to sleep on a brisk October afternoon, grabbing the lead on lap 31. The No. 19 Toyota went on to lead 464 of the final 470 laps en route to the victory. Pure dominance.

Truex followed that performance up in June, leading 132 laps, scoring yet another victory. And if you date back to the fall race two years ago, he would be three-for-three had Joey Logano not moved him out of the way on the final lap.

With six straight top-10 finishes at Martinsville – five of which have been top fives – Truex is automatic for your lineup. Plus, he starts the 500-lap event from second (should he pass pre-race inspection, which he’s failed the last two weeks), meaning he’s likely going to pace the field early.

Brad Keselowski ($11,400)

Career at Martinsville: 21 starts, 2 wins, 888 laps led
Average finish at Martinsville: 10.5

Quite simply, Keselowski is really good at Martinsville. Entering the cutoff race, he’s scored nine consecutive top-10 finishes at the paperclip, with a career percentage of 71.4 inside the top 10 in southern Virginia.

Truex’s 464 laps led last fall was astonishing, but let’s not forget Keselowski led a hefty 446 laps spring at the same racetrack. Man, those two races were barnburners!

Keselowski enters the race on the cutline to make it to the championship race at Phoenix Raceway, and just needs a solid run to advance, unless one of the bottom four in the playoffs wins the race. Luckily for the No. 2 team, they will start from pole position, and should he keep Truex behind him, will probably lead a bunch of laps early (led at least 108 laps in four of the past 10 Martinsville races), equaling points for you.

Clint Bowyer ($8,300)

Career at Martinsville: 29 starts, 1 win, 572 laps led
Average finish at Martinsville: 14.4

This weekend could very well likely to be Bowyer’s final race on a short track, as he’s retiring from full-time competition at the conclusion of the 2020 season. Fortunately for you, he’s proven to be very valuable at short tracks.

Let’s not forget, it wasn’t all that long ago (spring, 2018) Bowyer led 215 laps at the track en route to the victory. Yes, three of his last four finishes at the paperclip have been 17th or worse, but last year he DNF’d due to a broken track bar after running inside the top five for the majority of the race.

Bowyer’s 14.4 average finish at Martinsville is slightly deceiving. The No. 14 car does start 16th, giving you some room to work with, so for the price, he’s worth it.

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Ryan Newman ($6,500)

Career at Martinsville: 37 starts, 1 win, 196 laps led
Average finish at Martinsville: 14.7

On paper, 2020 has been one of Newman’s worst seasons at the Cup level. However, he did have one of his best finishes of the season in the June Martinsville race, placing 12th.

Martinsville being the penultimate race of the season be what the doctor ordered for Newman to salvage a frustrating season. Dating back to the fall 2014 race, the Indiana native has scored six top-10 efforts, making up for half of the Martinsville races.

The No. 6 Ford will begin the Xfinity 500 from 21st, on par with where he’s began the last handful of events at Martinsville. By having both Truex and Keselowski on your team, you needed a fall off, it begins here, but don’t overlook Newman, a respectable, hard-nose driver.

Michael McDowell ($6,100)

Career at Martinsville: 19 starts, 0 wins, 0 laps led
Average finish at Martinsville: 29.8

Like most every track on the schedule, McDowell’s numbers aren’t a true indicative of where he’s capable of running at Martinsville; seven of his first 10 starts at the track were start-and-parks.

But since getting in competitive equipment in 2016, McDowell has been a solid top 20-25 driver at the paperclip. Even further, after moving to Front Row Motorsports in 2018, he’s scored four top 25s, most recently placing 14th in June, his best career finish at the track.

McDowell will roll off 24th, and should you base McDowell over the past few years, he could gain you some valuable clean-up points if he can replicate his June performance.

Ty Dillon ($5,900)

Career at Martinsville: 7 starts, 0 wins, 0 laps led
Average finish at Martinsville: 21.1

Quietly, Martinsville is one of Dillon's best racetracks on the Cup schedule (if you throw away the superspeedways) while running for Germain Racing. In six out of seven races, he's drove the No. 13 Chevrolet to a top 25 finish, including consecutive top 15s in late 2018, early 2019.

Sure, an average finish of 22.1 isn’t anything to bloat about, but short tracks are an equalizer of sorts for smaller race teams.  Hell, dating back to Casey Mears’ tenure in the No. 13 car, the team scored top 20s in 33% of Martinsville races. Not too shabby for a smaller organization.

Starting 25th, Dillon is worth his $5,900 price tag. It would be a feel good story should this team score another top 15 – or possibly top 10 – with just two races left in its existence.

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