March 30, 2026
Chase Elliott obtained his first victory of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season in the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday. Elliott began the race from 10th, but struggled to maintain his place inside the top 10 throughout the first stage. He eventually finished the stage in 12th and failed to earn stage points. The second stage was similar in the fact that Elliott could not reach the top 10 and ended the stage in 14th, leaving him with no stage points for the entire race. In the final stage, Elliott's crew chief, Alan Gustafson, made a call to pit the No. 9 Chevrolet driver early for tires on lap 261 and gained track position after late race cautions bunched the field back up. Elliott then took the lead from Ross Chastain and Denny Hamlin and never looked back, leading 84 laps for the second win of his Cup career at Martinsville. With his victory this past weekend, Elliott is now ranked fourth in the regular-season standings after seven races.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
March 30, 2026
Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing was the dominant driver in Sunday's Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway. The No. 11 Toyota driver went on to lead 292 of 400 total laps in the race while winning the first two stages, but fell short of victory to Chase Elliott. Through the first two stages, Hamlin looked untouchable outside of when William Byron passed him and led for six laps in the first stage until Hamlin took the lead back from Byron. In the final stage, however, Hamlin eventually lost the lead to Chase Elliott, who made his way to the lead thanks to a pit strategy call that allowed him to gain track position over Hamlin after some late cautions occurred for crashes and debris. Late in the stage, Hamlin was trying to catch Elliott to pass him for the win, but just could not pass Elliott as he did not have the proper tire grip in his car by the end of the race. Although Hamlin earned his third top-5 of the season and missed out on winning, he now rose up to third in the regular-season standings after seven races this year.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
March 30, 2026
Joey Logano, the No. 22 Ford driver for Team Penske, bounced back from a horrible 33rd-place run at Darlington to finish third in the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway. Logano began the race from the ninth position and, in the first stage, showcased a car that was fast on longer green flag runs. The Penske driver went from ninth to seventh in the first stage, earning four stage points as passing became a challenge at the track throughout the day. In the second stage, Logano made up further ground as he went from seventh all the way to third by the end of the stage. He scored eight more stage points as the race transitioned to the final stage. For most of the stage, Logano ran inside the top five and made it as high as second to try and challenge Denny Hamlin for the lead. However, Logano's car was not fast enough to overtake Hamlin and then fell behind Chase Elliott, who took advantage of a pit strategy and the timing of cautions late in the race to gain track position. On the final restart, Logano went from the middle of the top 10 to finishing in third behind Elliott and Hamlin, matching his best result of the 2026 season so far and continuing his top-10 streak at Martinsville to 14 consecutive races. After seven Cup races this year, Logano is now 12th in the regular season standings.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
March 30, 2026
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Ty Gibbs placed fourth in the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway. Gibbs began the race from the same position and had one of the fastest cars in the field. In the first stage, Gibbs maintained his starting position throughout the stage and finished it with seven stage points. In the second stage, the No. 54 Toyota team improved Gibbs' car to the point that he drove up to second, but did not have the speed to get past Denny Hamlin, who proved to be the dominant driver of the day. Gibbs finished the second stage in second place and obtained nine more stage points. In the final stage of the race, Gibbs lost ground to Joey Logano and eventually Chase Elliott, who took advantage of a pit strategy to gain track position under two late race cautions to get past Gibbs. In the late parts of the final stage, Gibbs did not have enough speed to get past Elliott, Hamlin, and Logano and settled for fourth, leading to his fourth top-5 finish of the year. The No. 54 Toyota driver is now sixth in points after seven races this season.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
March 30, 2026
William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports finished in fifth place during Sunday's Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway. The No. 24 Chevrolet driver ran a mostly consistent race from start to finish after beginning the race from second. In the first stage, Byron ran second for almost the entire stage, passing Denny Hamlin for the lead once midway through it in order to lead six laps before Hamlin took the lead back. Byron finished the first stage in second and earned nine stage points. In the second stage, Byron ran inside the top 10 throughout most of the stage, but then made his way back to fifth by the end of the stage to collect six more stage points. The final stage for Byron went similarly to the second stage as he continued to run inside the top 10, but did not have the pace to make it past his eventual finishing position of fifth. As a result, Byron earned back-to-back top-5 finishes in consecutive Martinsville races since the 2024 season, and he now sits fifth in the regular-season standings after five races.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com
March 29, 2026
Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports will start in the 13th position for Sunday's Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway. This will be the first time that Larson qualified outside of the top 10 in a Martinsville race since April 2023. In 22 Cup races at the site, Larson has one win and 10 top-10 finishes with an average finish of 15.0. Through the first six races of the season, Larson has three top-10 finishes, an average finish of 16.0, and is currently 10th in the regular-season standings. In practice for this week's Cup race, Larson ranked sixth in overall lap averages and was fastest in the 15, 25, and 30 consecutive lap average categories. Due to his upside, great practice speeds, and overall favorable track history, Larson is one of the best drivers to consider for DFS this week at Martinsville.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
March 29, 2026
Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing will start in the 11th position for this week's Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway. This marks the first time since the beginning of the year that Bell will start outside of the top 10 in back-to-back races this season. In 12 Cup starts at Martinsville, Bell has one win and five top-10 finishes with an average finish of 14.8. After six races completed in the 2026 season, Bell ranks ninth in the regular-season standings with three top-5 finishes scored. In practice for this week's race, Bell ranked 31st in overall lap averages and displayed top-10 speeds in the 15-30 consecutive lap average categories. Overall, Bell is a solid choice for DFS lineups this week as a driver capable of placing in the top 10 based on track history and practice speeds.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
March 29, 2026
Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron will start on the front row in second after qualifying for the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway. This will be the first time in Byron's Cup career that he will have back-to-back starts on the front row of two Martinsville races, as he earned the pole and started first in last Fall's race at the site. In 16 Cup starts at Martinsville, Byron has three wins and nine top-10 finishes with an average finish of 13.1. With six races completed so far this season, Byron is sixth in the regular-season standings with three top-10 finishes scored. In practice for Sunday's race, Byron ranked 12th in overall lap averages and as high as 11th in 30 consecutive lap averages. Considering Martinsville is a great track for Byron, and how he starts at the front with some of the best equipment in the field, he will be a threat to win and to lead laps on Sunday.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
March 29, 2026
Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports qualified in the 10th position for this week's Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway. The No. 9 Chevrolet driver qualified in his lowest starting position at the site since October 2023. In 21 starts at Martinsville, Elliott has one win, 14 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 11.3. Through six races so far this year, Elliott has three top-10 finishes and an average finish of 10.3 while ranking fifth in the regular-season standings. In practice, Elliott ranked 27th in overall lap averages, but displayed top-10 speeds in the 10-30 consecutive lap average categories, including fastest in 10 consecutive lap averages. With Martinsville being one of his better tracks, some small upside, and a car that is capable of a top-5 finish, Elliott is a solid overall choice for DFS lineups this week.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
March 29, 2026
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Chase Briscoe will start in the 27th position for this week's Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway. This is the lowest starting position of Briscoe's Cup career at Martinsville. In 10 previous races at the site, Briscoe has seven top-15 finishes, including this event one year ago where he finished ninth. After six races so far this season, Briscoe is 22nd in the regular-season standings with three top-20 finishes and an average finish of 22.0. In practice, Briscoe ranked 32nd in overall lap averages and as high as 22nd in 25 and 30 consecutive lap averages. Despite underwhelming practice speeds, Briscoe has plenty of potential upside with equipment from one of the top teams in the sport. Fantasy players can utilize Briscoe in all DFS formats this week, but he is especially proficient in cash game lineups.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
March 29, 2026
Ty Gibbs of Joe Gibbs Racing will start in the fourth position for Sunday's Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway. This will be the fourth time in his Cup career that Gibbs will start a Martinsville race in the top five, but the first time he will do so in a Spring race at the site. In seven previous Cup starts at Martinsville, Gibbs has six top-20 finishes with a best finish of 12th. After six Cup races so far this season, Gibbs has four top-10 finishes with an average finish of 13.2 while sitting 11th in regular-season standings. In practice for this week's Cup race at Martinsville, Gibbs ranked 33rd in overall lap averages and as high as 15th in 20 consecutive lap averages. Considering his high starting position, Gibbs is a DFS risk, especially with his past history of never finishing in the top 10 at Martinsville. Fantasy players should only consider the No. 54 Toyota driver in lineups specifically for tournament games and not cash.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
March 29, 2026
RFK Racing's Ryan Preece will start 17th for this week's Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway. Preece last qualified this well in the Cup Series in the November 2024 race at Martinsville. In 13 Cup races at the Virginia short track, Preece has nine top-20 finishes with three inside the top 10. All three of Preece's top-10 finishes came within the last four races at the site. Through six races, Preece has five top-20 finishes and currently sits 12th in the regular-season standings with an average finish of 14.8. In practice for this week's race, Preece ranked 10th in overall lap averages and displayed top-10 speeds in the 10-30 consecutive lap average categories. With decent upside from his starting position, favorable recent stats, and solid equipment, Preece is a driver worth rostering in all formats for DFS this week.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
March 29, 2026
Josh Berry of Wood Brothers Racing is starting in the third position for this week's race at Martinsville Speedway, the Cook Out 400. This marks a new career-best starting position for Berry at Martinsville in the Cup Series. In four previous starts at the site in the Cup Series, Berry's best finish is 10th, which he scored in his last race there in October 2025. With six races completed so far this year, Berry ranks 31st in the regular-season standings with two top-20 finishes and an average finish of 25.5. In practice for this week's race, Berry ranked 24th in overall lap averages but displayed speeds of sixth or better in the 10-30 consecutive lap average categories. Berry has almost no upside for DFS with his starting position being close to the front, but he does have fast practice speeds, and he is a former O'Reilly Auto Parts Series winner at Martinsville. Fantasy players could take a chance on Berry and have him pay off for tournament lineups in particular, for this week's race.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
March 29, 2026
Carson Hocevar will start Sunday's Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway from the seventh position after qualifying. Hocevar has never previously qualified inside the top 10 for a Cup race at Martinsville. In five prior starts at the site in the Cup Series, Hocevar has two top-20 finishes and gained positive Place Differential four times. After six races so far this season, Hocevar has four top-20 finishes with two inside the top five, and he currently is 13th in the regular-season standings. In practice for Sunday's race, Hocevar ranked ninth in overall lap averages, but struggled in other categories in practice. Due to Hocevar's lack of upside from his starting position as well as his inconsistency at Martinsville in terms of finishes, he is difficult to trust in any DFS lineup this week. Hocevar should be avoided in all cash game lineups for DFS and for tournaments; there are better playable options with more upside around his salary range.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
March 29, 2026
Team Penske's Austin Cindric will start sixth after qualifying for the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway. This is a new career-best starting position for the No. 2 Ford driver at Martinsville and has qualified inside the top 10 for the second time in his Cup career at the site. In eight Cup starts at Martinsville, Cindric has two top-10 finishes, and he scored positive Place Differential four times. Through six races so far this season, Cindric has one top-10 finish, an average finish of 25.0, and currently sits 21st in the regular-season standings. In practice for this week's race, Cindric ranked 29th in overall lap averages but displayed top-15 speeds in the 10-30 consecutive lap average categories. Cindric's high starting position makes him a DFS risk this week, and combined with his inconsistent history at Martinsville, he is only playable in tournament games. Despite almost no upside, he does have decent enough equipment to compete for a top-10 finish at Martinsville.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
RADIO
