This week’s installment of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs will take place in Martinsville, Virginia, as the Xfinity 500 is set for Sunday afternoon, with the race starting at 2:00 pm Eastern time on NBC. Kyle Larson won last week in Miami at the Dixie Vodka 400, finally breaking through after quite a few races at Homestead-Miami Speedway where he led a lot of laps without getting the winner’s trophy. He won both stages and led for 199 of 267 laps, beating Ross Chastain by 1.261 seconds. A.J. Allmendinger, Austin Dillon and Brad Keselowski finished out the top five, giving Keselowski his first top-five finish of the season. Going into this week’s race, Joey Logano is the only driver who has locked in a slot in the Championship 4. Chastain, Chase Elliott and William Byron are the rest of the current top four in the points standings. Denny Hamlin is in fifth, ahead of Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe. Any of those four could still jump into the Championship 4 based on how they run this Sunday. Check out the sports betting odds for the field as well as our wager card suggestions.
NASCAR News: Xfinity 500 Preview
| Driver | Odds |
|---|---|
| Chase Elliott | +650 |
| Denny Hamlin | +700 |
| William Byron, Ryan Blaney | +800 |
| Joey Logano | +900 |
| Martin Truex Jr | +1000 |
| Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Ross Chastain | +1200 |
| Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick | +1500 |
| Tyler Reddick | +2500 |
| Chase Briscoe, Brad Keselowski, A.J. Allmendinger | +3000 |
| Chris Buescher, Austin Dillon, Aric Almirola, Bubba Wallace | +4000 |
| Noah Gragson, Daniel Suarez, Austin Cindric | +5000 |
| Erik Jones, Cole Custer, Ty Gibbs | +10000 |
| Michael McDowell, Justin Haley, Ricky Stenhouse Jr | +25000 |
| Harrison Burton | +50000 |
| Landon Cassill, J.J. Yeley, Corey LaJoie, B.J. McLeod, Cody Ware, Ty Dillon, Todd Gilliland | +100000 |
Chase Elliott has delivered in the clutch at Martinsville in the past, as this short track seems suited to what he does well.
William Byron won here in the spring. He cracked the top five twice in 2021, and the top ten twice in 2020. That’s what we call trending in the right direction.
Martin Truex Jr has finished in the top ten in nine of the last ten races at Martinsville. That includes seven finishes in the top five and three victories.
Joey Logano has a top-ten in six straight races at Martinsville, including three finishes in the top five.
Denny Hamlin has not won at Martinsville since 2015, but he still has five victories here overall among 16 top-five finishes.
Christopher Bell has been the best Cup Series driver on the short, flat tracks in 2022, and the only reason he didn’t win the spring race here was his penalty during a green-flag pit stop.
Kevin Harvick has dropped overall, but on the short, flat tracks, he is still dangerous. At Richmond, he won and finished second this year, and he took fifth at New Hampshire.
Kyle Larson does poorly at Martinsville, and there are others with better track records who need the win just as badly.
Ross Chastain was one of the few drivers who could pull off passes here in the spring. The track was cold back then, and it will be cold again this weekend.
Kyle Busch has done well at Martinsville in the past, but given the fact that he can’t make the Championship 4, it’s worth asking whether his motivation is all that high.
Ryan Blaney has led more than 140 laps in Martinsville races on two different occasions in the past. But can he win?
NASCAR Betting Odds
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