Cook Out 400 Preview: Short Track Survival

The NASCAR Cup Series starts their short track schedule for 2026 this week as the series pulls into the small town of Martinsville, Virginia for the Cook Out 400. This Martinsville event marks the first short track event of the season. NASCAR shortened this race a few seasons ago from 500 to 400 laps and now uses stages of 80/100/220 laps. Martinsville Speedway is very flat track with only 12 degrees of banking in the turns and is truly flat on the long straight-aways. Last week we witnessed tire preservation/fall off and some issues with tire wear at Darlington. Will we see a similar game played at the Martinsville oval? Very likely yes, but probably more dramatic than the Darlington race. Brake preservation is the name of the game in Martinsville, because you essentially have two long drag strips with hairpin corners on either end. The oval looks very much like a paperclip when viewed from above, thus the nickname "the paperclip" has taken hold over the years. Taking care of your brakes for the full 400 laps becomes as important as passing on this tricky short track.

Like any bull ring in the NASCAR Cup Series, not only is equipment preservation important but getting and maintaining good track position is of the utmost importance. If you get stuck in the back of the field here, you can find yourself a lap down in a matter of minutes from the start or any restart, so teams must place high priority on getting and keeping good track position. You won't be able to race your way through traffic and back toward the front as easily here as some other small ovals. Track position will become so important over the course of the race that you will see teams chose either not to pit certain cautions, or to take on two tires in order to grab valuable track position on pit road. All these factors make any Martinsville race a battle of survival and often times the best equipment preservation and pit strategy wins.

Since Martinsville Speedway is like no other track on the NASCAR Cup circuit, we'll have to pay close attention to the loop stats this week. Recent historical statistics at Martinsville will be one of the biggest considerations in our weekly projections. Hot streaks go out the window to a certain extent when we visit this facility, so it's these recent numbers that require close scrutiny. The loop stats in the table below span the last 21 years or 42 races at Martinsville Speedway. 

In this event one year ago, we saw Denny Hamlin absolutely dominate and run away from Christopher Bell down the stretch to capture the win. He would capture his sixth-career win at Martinsville Speedway and be a part of Joe Gibbs Racing's Toyotas 1-2 finish that day. That performance has become the trend of late at Martinsville Speedway. Not long ago, drivers seemed rise late at this track and use pit strategy and late speed to capture the win. Of late it seems, we come to Martinsville and one driver has the dominant car and not much can be done by the other contenders to upset them in these short track battles. We'll see if this trend and phenomena hold up Sunday in the Cook Out 400.  

When the NASCAR Cup Series returned to Martinsville Speedway last fall, it would be William Byron dominating his way into victory lane for the third time in the last eight races at the historic Virginia short track. Ryan Blaney would also be strong in that race and lead 177 laps en route to finishing second-place by the checkered flag. We'll take a look at the recent Martinsville stats as well as current short track trends and give you the drivers you need to dominate your fantasy racing leagues at Martinsville Speedway in the Cook Out 400.

The Contenders – Drivers in the Hunt for the Win

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 5:00 PM ET Wednesday

Denny Hamlin (+500) – No other driver has as much knowledge and success at Martinsville Speedway as does Hamlin. His six-career Martinsville victories, 21 Top 5's and over 2,700 laps led lead all active drivers at this facility. In this event one year ago at the Virginia short track, the Joe Gibbs Racing star came from fifth-place on the starting grid and led 274 of the 400 laps to capture the victory. That only bolstered his career Top-5 rate here to an amazing 53-percent. Hamlin and the No. 11 Toyota team are coming off a steady 11th-place finish at Darlington and are locked in right now. A possible seventh Martinsville win and grandfather clock trophy await this veteran driver. 

Ryan Blaney (+500) – If there's a track to get Blaney back into the win column this early in the season, its Martinsville Speedway. He's grabbed two wins; three runner-up finishes and has accumulated over 700 laps led here in 20-career starts. Recent performances have lowered his career average finish at the facility to a strong 8.2. Blaney finished 11th-place in this event one year ago and he returned last fall to capture his third-career Martinsville runner-up finish. The Penske Racing star's current high level of performance was highlighted by his victory at Phoenix recently and third-place finish at Darlington this past Sunday. Blaney and the No. 12 Ford team are top contenders to win the Cook Out 400.

William Byron (+700) – The driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet has seemingly figured this oval out over the past few seasons. The Hendrick Motorsports star earned an impressive victory in this event four years ago, and he won this event two seasons ago. He earned a third Martinsville victory in the Cup Series' last visit to the speedway last October. That makes Byron a three-time victor at Martinsville since the 2022 season and he also boasts a runner-up finish at the Virginia short track. Byron now sports a strong 56-percent Top-10 rate and steady 13.1 average finish at this facility. He now has well over 650 laps led at this half-mile oval. We believe Byron and his team will be one of the top contenders to win Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.     

Kyle Larson (+550) – Larson has yet to win this season, but Martinsville Speedway gives him a huge opportunity to get that momentum rolling in Southern Virginia. The No. 5 Chevrolet team will set their sights on Martinsville Speedway this weekend. The Hendrick Motorsports star won this event three seasons ago and he rides a strong four-race Martinsville Top-5 streak into this Sunday's action. Larson has overcome a lot of his early-career struggles at this track with his performances in recent seasons. He has led over 350 laps and accrued seven Top-5 finishes at the Martinsville short track since 2021. Chevrolet drivers have had difficulty breaking into the win column so far this season, but this looks like an opportunity for Larson to shine.   

Solid Plays – Near Locks for a Top 10 with an Outside Shot to Win

Chase Elliott (+900) – Elliott's decent start to the season should get a boost this Sunday at Martinsville Speedway. He should be poised to challenge for his third Top-5 finish of the season. The Hendrick Motorsports star has some pretty good performance stats at this oval. Elliott is a one-time Martinsville winner (2020) and his 14 Top-10 finishes check in at a strong 67-percent rate and 11.3 average finish. With over 1,200 career laps led at this small oval, it's obvious that Elliott loves racing here. Last season alone Elliott and the No. 9 Chevrolet team led 42 combined laps and grabbed two impressive Top-5 finishes at the South Virginia short track.

Joey Logano (+1200) – The Penske Racing ace has become a pretty dominant force at the Martinsville short track since 2014. His last 12 seasons of racing at Martinsville has yielded well over 1,000 laps led, one victory, two runner-up finishes, 10 Top-5 and 20 Top-10 finishes. Logano rides a staggering 13-race Martinsville Top-10 streak with over 300 laps led coming into this weekend's action. The driver of the No. 22 Ford Mustang is coming off Top-15 finishes in two of his last four events, but the veteran driver should take things up a notch this Sunday. We're confident Logano will race with the leaders and crack the Top 10 in Sunday's 400-lap Martinsville Speedway battle. 

Chase Briscoe (+1300) – The driver of the No. 19 Toyota is coming off reasonably good eighth- and 12th-place finishes at Vegas and Darlington and looking to keep it rolling at Martinsville. Despite an engine failure in last fall's Xfinity 500, Briscoe has been locked in during his last eight starts at Martinsville Speedway. He has qualified well (7.3 average starting spot over the span) and he's finished well with six Top-10 finishes. He's also led 142 laps during that time at the Virginia short track. Briscoe is looking to continue reversing a slow start to the season and this should be the perfect track to get him back inside the Top 10 finishing order. He finished ninth in this event one year ago and that's a reasonable expectation for Sunday afternoon.  

Bubba Wallace (+2200) – Some bad luck at Darlington derailed what had been a very hot start to the season for the 23XI Racing veteran. Wallace will look to regroup and rebound this weekend at the Martinsville oval. His last seven starts at the half-mile track have netted four Top-10 and five Top-15 finishes for a sound 10.1 average finish over the span. In this event one year ago, Wallace put the No. 23 Toyota eighth on the starting grid and drove to a strong third-place finish in last season's Cook Out 400. This track really appeals to Wallace and he tends to perform very well at Martinsville Speedway. Given how well he's started the season, we have high expectations for him in the Cook Out 400.     

Sleepers – Drivers with Good History at Martinsville & Solid Upside

Christopher Bell (+800) – Bell is off to a good start this season and gaining consistency. He hasn't won yet thus far, but he could heat up at any time. Bell has been steadily improving in his Martinsville Speedway performance. The driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota is a one-time Martinsville winner (2022) and he finished a strong second-place at the half-mile oval in this event last year. Bell's Cup Series career has been brief and his accomplishments at Martinsville Speedway have been few, but he's just beginning to etch out what appears to be a fantastic career of short track racing in the making. Bell and the No. 20 Toyota team will be a sleeper play in this 400-lap Martinsville battle.

Tyler Reddick (+1400) – The winner of four of the opening six races of the 2026 season sits in the sleepers list this week. We've slotted Reddick here for the mere fact that he hasn't been the best Martinsville Speedway performer. In 12-career starts at the southern Virgina oval, the 23XI Racing star has only notched two Top-10 finishes (17-percent) and accumulated a 19.4 average finish. Those are marks well above what we like to see for an "A" tier driver. However, everything this driver and team touches seems to turn to gold right now. It's hard to bet against their current level of performance. Reddick did lead 6 laps and finish a respectable 11th-place at Martinsville last October. We believe he has better in store this weekend.  

Ross Chastain (+3000) – Chastain returns to the scene of his "Hail Melon" maneuver that netted him a Top-5 finish at Martinsville Speedway four seasons ago and into the championship round of the playoffs at Phoenix. The Trackhouse Racing veteran had a tough time earlier in his NASCAR career at Martinsville Speedway, but his last several visits since moving to Trackhouse have been noteworthy. Chastain rides a three-race Martinsville Top-10 streak into this weekend's action and that has boosted his career Top-10 rate here to a more respectable 36-percent. He claimed sixth- and fourth-place finishes at this oval last season alone. This driver and team are not a major threat to win the Cook Out 400, but they are good enough to battle through the field and forge a Top-10 or Top-15 finish.

Ty Gibbs (+1900) – The young driver is off to a nice start this season. Gibbs rides a four-race Top-10 streak into Martinsville Speedway this Sunday and has climbed from 25th- to 11th-place in the driver standings since the Daytona 500. The driver of the No. 54 Toyota has been a bit of a tough luck driver at this speedway but he has qualified well with two outside poles, including here last October. Gibbs managed a Martinsville career-best finish of 12th-place in that event, the Xfinity 500. So while he doesn't have any Top 10's at this oval in seven previous starts, Gibbs keeps inching closer. We believe he'll break through this Sunday in the Cook Out 400 and claim his first Cup Series Top 10 at the half-mile Virginia oval.      

Ryan Preece (+2800) – While he's been a bit inconsistent to start the season, Preece has still mostly been a Top-15 finisher in the first six races of 2026. After some early-career struggles at Martinsville Speedway this veteran driver has been taking things up a notch in recent visits. Preece has nabbed three Top 10's in his last four trips to southern Virginia. That includes strong seventh- and sixth-place finishes in his two Martinsville starts last season alone. Given the Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing driver's love of short track racing, we're high on Preece this weekend. What better oval than this one for the No. 60 Ford team to forge their second Top 10 of the season.

Todd Gilliland (+10000) – The young driver has had limited success in his first four seasons of Cup Series racing. However, Gilliland has begun really etching out some impressive performances at Martinsville Speedway. He claimed a pair of Top-10 finishes here last year despite not qualifying well. The driver of the No. 34 Ford now has Top 10's in three of his last five starts at this challenging half-mile oval. That has lowered Gilliland's average finish at the track to 17.0 and improved his Top-10 percentage to 38-precent. Gilliland has opened some eyes with his recent performances here. He makes a great fantasy racing consideration in the lower tiers of weekly lineup leagues this week.  

Slow Down - Drivers to Avoid this Week

Kyle Busch (+5500) – Busch is a two-time Martinsville winner and his strong 42-percent Top-5 rate at the short track would normally lock him into contender's status this week. However, the No. 8 RCR team and Busch are struggling to find consistency right now. His two Top 15's thus far this season have been offset by three puzzling finishes outside the Top 20. Martinsville Speedway has been a tough nut to crack for this veteran driver in recent visits. He has only one Top-15 finish in his last seven starts and four of those have been efforts outside the Top 20. Frankly the driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet is struggling to stay on the lead lap at Martinsville and Busch hasn't led a single lap here since the 2020 season.

Brad Keselowski (+3500) – Despite a strong start to the season and big performance at Darlington this past week, we're calling for the fantasy fade on Keselowski at Martinsville. The two-time Martinsville Speedway winner sports a strong 56-percent career Top-10 rate at this half-mile oval. He also boasts a good 14.0 average finish over 32-career starts. However, Keselowski hasn't been impressive at this track in some time. He has just one Top-10 finish in his last eight Martinsville starts and his average finish during this recent span is 23.6 which is well above his career average. The owner/driver of the No. 6 Ford registered finishes of 26th- and 20th-place in his two starts at the southern Virginia oval last season.  

Daniel Suarez (+10000) – Coming off a strong seventh-place finish at Darlington Raceway a lot of fantasy players will continue to roll with the No. 7 Chevrolet team this week. We believe that would be a mistake. Despite Suarez respectable start to the season, this is a track where he's had career-long struggles. In 18 starts the Spire Motorsports driver has only registered two Top-10 finishes (11-percent) and the last of those came way back in 2019. Suarez collected subpar 21st- and 22nd-place finishes in his two Martinsville Speedway starts of last season. Those are in line with his career average finish here of 22.7. The hot-running Suarez and the No. 7 team are likely to hit some barriers to success this weekend.

Michael McDowell (+10000) – Despite some reasonably good racing by McDowell with his Spire Motorsports team (16th in the standings) he's a driver to fade this Sunday for the Cook Out 400. McDowell has had career-long struggles at Martinsville Speedway. In 30 starts he's never collected a single Top-10 finish and only two Top-15 finishes. He has only cracked the Top 20 once in his last five starts in southern Virginia and his average finish at this track stands at a disappointing 27.6. Qualifying well is a major problem as McDowell has just one start inside the Top 10 in all his racing here since the 2008 season. The driver of the No. 71 Chevrolet has better ovals in his resume, so keep him on the bench for the Cook Out 400.