The NASCAR Cup Series continues on today as it visits Martinsville Speedway for the NOCO 400. The half-mile paper clip, built in 1947, has been on the schedule in each of NASCAR’s 75 seasons, the only track able to make that claim. Last year’s edition was won by William Byron, who led 212 laps and held off Joey Logano and Austin Dillon on a green-white-checkered finish to pick up the victory.
Driver to Fade:
Unfortunately for Mr. Justin Haley, he doesn’t stand much of a chance today. Currently in 32nd place in the Cup standings, it’s been a rough 2023 campaign, and today will be no exception.
Dark Horse:
Chris Buescher is having a decent season, with one too 5 finish and two top 10’s. We predict a top 20 finish for Mr. Buescher.
Top 10:
Kyle Larson, the best driver in the business, will surely have a top 10 finish this week. With one win, three top 5’s, and three top 10’s under his belt this season, it is clear that Larson is heading for a repeat as a Championship Four driver. He’ll come up just short this week, though.
Winner:
Joey Logano is having a solid 2023 campaign thus far, with a win, two top 5 finishes, and four top 10 finishes. Since 2020, he averages the highest finish out of any driver at Martinsville, with an average finish of fifth place. I believe that Logano is being somewhat overlooked as a contender this week; however, that means a higher payout when he takes first place today. Can’t argue with that.