It’s time for the primary Saturday evening race of the season.
Saturday evening’s race at Martinsville (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1) is the primary of three Saturday evening races over the course of the 2022 Cup Sequence season. And it’s a race that’s 100 laps shorter than typical Martinsville races. The race has been reduce from 500 laps to 400 and is about to be the shortest scheduled Martinsville race because the fall race in 1956 on the observe.
The shortening of the race shouldn’t change the racing type an excessive amount of. If something, it means drivers can be extra aggressive all through extra of the race. These final 100 laps can take some time if there are a bunch of cautions and people cautions present alternatives for drivers who’re a lap right down to get their laps again. You may see some drivers at risk of getting lapped attempt to preserve the leaders at bay as a lot as doable.
It’ll even be fascinating to see how tire put on impacts the race. Sunday’s race at Richmond had an intriguing end due to the time that Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick made up on recent tires to complete 1-2. Drivers received’t have the ability to shut like that on recent tires at Martinsville, however vital tire put on will make tire technique fairly totally different. We’ve seen drivers and groups keep out on older tires at Martinsville throughout cautions to seize observe place. If tires are slowing down loads over the course of a tire run, these observe place performs aren’t going to be as robust.
Right here’s what you could know to wager Saturday evening’s race. The race weekend begins Thursday evening with the Truck Sequence and the Xfinity Sequence races on Friday evening. All odds are via BetMGM.
The favorites
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Martin Truex Jr. (+500)
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Chase Elliott (+700)
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Denny Hamlin (+800)
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Kyle Busch (+800)
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Ryan Blaney (+800)
Hamlin and Blaney have one of the best common end at Martinsville amongst energetic drivers. Busch is fourth, Elliott is sixth and Truex is eighth. Hamlin has 5 wins in 32 begins whereas Truex has three wins. Busch has two and Elliott has one. Truex is the favourite as a result of his three wins have come within the final 5 races. He’s completed exterior the highest 20 at Martinsville simply as soon as courting again to the beginning of the 2015 season. Hamlin led over 100 laps within the fall race at Martinsville earlier than he went spinning after a collision with Alex Bowman.
Good mid-tier worth
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Kevin Harvick (+2200)
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Tyler Reddick (+2200)
Harvick has completed within the prime 10 in practically half of his Martinsville begins. His lone win on the observe got here in 2011 and he’s completed inside the highest 20 in his final 14 races on the observe. Reddick has one top-10 end in 4 begins and has completed on the lead lap simply twice. However he might be a continuing presence close to the entrance of the sphere on Saturday.
Do not wager this driver
Bowman received the final race at Martinsville however we’re undecided his late-race voodoo magic goes to work once more right here.
On the lookout for a protracted shot?
We could also be stretching the definition of a protracted shot right here a bit, however Keselowski’s odds are above +3000. And he’s additionally been actually good at Martinsville. He’s completed exterior the highest 10 in simply seven of his 24 begins and his Roush Fenway Keselowski staff confirmed good pace at Richmond.
