Getty Denny Hamlin (front) races at Martinsville Speedway.
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Martinsville Speedway for the first time in 2023 on April 16. According to odds provided by DraftKings, there are two championship organizations that will be the favorites to win.
The odds have two Hendrick Motorsports drivers in the top two spots. Defending spring winner William Byron is first at 6-1 while teammate Kyle Larson is second at 13-2. They are immediately followed by three drivers from Joe Gibbs Racing.
Christopher Bell, the fall Martinsville winner, is in a tie with Larson at 13-2 while five-time Martinsville winner Denny Hamlin is fourth at 7-1. Martin Truex Jr. rounds out the top five while in a tie with Team Penske’s Joey Logano at 17-2
Of these drivers, Larson is the only one yet to win a Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway. Bell and Byron split the 2022 races while Logano won in 2018. Truex has three wins — one each in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
Bell’s Last Trip To Martinsville Marked a Historic Moment
GettyChristopher Bell (front) has 1 previous win at Martinsville Speedway.
The two Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway in 2022 were lacking at times. The first had Byron and Chase Elliott combining to lead 395 of the 403 laps and only two cautions for single-car incidents.
The second Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway had more action at times. It still wasn’t on the same level as previous events at the historic short track. Though Ross Chastain’s decision to ride the wall all the way to a championship four spot will forever live on in infamy.
While the first race featured Hendrick Motorsports teammates leading the overwhelming majority of the laps, the playoff elimination event had Bell and Hamlin combining to lead 353 of the 500 laps. Hamlin, in particular, swept the first two stages as he tried to return to the championship four.
It was Bell that ultimately took control at the right time. He chased down Chase Briscoe after a late restart, and he took the lead with five laps remaining. He crossed the finish line first and punched his ticket to the championship four. Bell also secured the 200th Cup Series win for Joe Gibbs Racing.
The driver of the No. 20 will now return to Martinsville Speedway one week after winning the Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. He will pursue his second consecutive win of the 2023 season, and he will try to build upon his points lead.
A Winless Driver Has Strong Odds
GettyRyan Blaney waves to fans at Martinsville Speedway.
Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing lead the odds from DraftKings, but there is a driver from another organization that deserves discussion. Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney will enter the race weekend at 11-1 odds, putting him just behind Logano and Truex.
Blaney, who continues the pursuit of his first win since the 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400, has not won a Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway. However, he has been consistent overall in his 14 starts at the short track.
Blaney has finished every Cup Series race that he has started at Martinsville Speedway, and he has never finished outside of the top 25. He has eight top-10 finishes and seven top-fives. This includes a run of four consecutive top-five finishes in 2019 and 2020.
The consistency translated to the Next Gen era. Blaney finished fourth overall in the 2022 spring race and then he finished third overall in the fall race. The latter event marked his eighth straight race at Martinsville in which he finished no worse than 11th.