NASCAR Weekly Preview: STP 500
This weekend we head to Ridgeway, Virginia for the STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway. The race is Sunday at 2pm EST on FS1. I decided to move the weekly preview article from my fantasy NASCAR package this season. I hope it helps everyone get started on their fantasy NASCAR research.
Track Preview
Martinsville Speedway
“The Paperclip”
- 263 Miles
- 500 Laps
- Surface : Asphalt, Concrete
- Banks:
Turns 12°
Straights 0°
Comparable Short Tracks
Bristol
Richmond
Comparable Flat-Banked Tracks
New Hampshire
Phoenix
Richmond
Stats from 2005-Present
Top 5 Driver Rating
Jimmie Johnson – 115.8
Denny Hamlin – 106.2
Kyle Busch – 102.6
Brad Keselowski – 96
Kevin Harvick – 93.7
Top 5 Average Running Position
Jimmie Johnson – 8.185
Denny Hamlin – 9.844
Kyle Busch – 11.278
Brad Keselowski – 12.538
Joey Logano – 12.781
Top 5 Average Finish
Jimmie Johnson – 7.3
Denny Hamlin – 10
Brad Keselowski – 12.4
Kyle Busch – 13.1
Clint Bowyer – 14
October 2017 Race Results
| Driver | Starting Spot | Finishing Spot | Diff | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Busch | 14 | 1 | 13 | #18 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 2 | 2 | 0 | #78 |
| Clint Bowyer | 5 | 3 | 2 | #14 |
| Brad Keselowski | 7 | 4 | 3 | #2 |
| Kevin Harvick | 13 | 5 | 8 | #4 |
| Trevor Bayne | 34 | 6 | 28 | #6 |
| Denny Hamlin | 6 | 7 | -1 | #11 |
| Ryan Blaney | 4 | 8 | -4 | #21 |
| Matt Kenseth | 17 | 9 | 8 | #20 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 22 | 10 | 12 | #17 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 21 | 11 | 10 | #88 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 24 | 12 | 12 | #48 |
| Austin Dillon | 25 | 13 | 12 | #3 |
| Ryan Newman | 18 | 14 | 4 | #31 |
| Daniel Suarez | 15 | 15 | 0 | #19 |
| Kasey Kahne | 12 | 16 | -4 | #5 |
| Danica Patrick | 23 | 17 | 6 | #10 |
| Aric Almirola | 10 | 18 | -8 | #43 |
| Michael McDowell | 20 | 19 | 1 | #95 |
| Paul Menard | 19 | 20 | -1 | #27 |
| Chris Buescher | 29 | 21 | 8 | #37 |
| Kurt Busch | 11 | 22 | -11 | #41 |
| Landon Cassill | 33 | 23 | 10 | #34 |
| Joey Logano | 1 | 24 | -23 | #22 |
| Cole Whitt | 30 | 25 | 5 | #72 |
| Erik Jones | 8 | 26 | -18 | #77 |
| Chase Elliott | 3 | 27 | -24 | #24 |
| David Ragan | 31 | 28 | 3 | #38 |
| Jamie McMurray | 16 | 29 | -13 | #1 |
| Ty Dillon | 26 | 30 | -4 | #13 |
| Gray Gaulding | 35 | 31 | 4 | #83 |
| Reed Sorenson | 32 | 32 | 0 | #15 |
| Corey LaJoie | 36 | 33 | 3 | #23 |
| Hermie Sadler | 40 | 34 | 6 | #7 |
| Kyle Weatherman | 38 | 35 | 3 | #51 |
| Carl Long | 39 | 36 | 3 | #66 |
| Kyle Larson | 9 | 37 | -28 | #42 |
| Jeffrey Earnhardt | 37 | 38 | -1 | #33 |
| Matt DiBenedetto | 28 | 39 | -11 | #32 |
| A.J. Allmendinger | 27 | 40 | -13 | #47 |
Top 5 Lap Leaders
Kyle Busch – 184
Chase Elliott – 123
Brad Keselowski – 108
Joey Logano – 59
Jimmie Johnson – 24
Top 5 Positive Place Differential
Trevor Bayne +28
Kyle Busch +13
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. +12
Jimmie Johnson +12
Austin Dillon +12
Top 5 Negative Place Differential
Kyle Larson -28
Chase Elliott -24
Joey Logano -23
Erik Jones -18
Jamie McMurray -13
A.J. Allmendinger -13
Top 5 Average Running Position
1 2 Brad Keselowski – 2.37
2 18 Kyle Busch – 3.03
3 24 Chase Elliott – 4.01
4 22 Joey Logano – 4.28
5 78 Martin Truex Jr – 4.79
Top 5 Fastest Laps Run
Driver – Percentage – Laps
1 2 Brad Keselowski – 26.8% – 109
2 24 Chase Elliott – 16.5% – 67
3 18 Kyle Busch – 15.7% – 64
4 22 Joey Logano – 14.7% – 60
5 78 Martin Truex Jr – 6.9% – 28
April 2017 Race Results
| Driver | Starting Spot | Finishing Spot | Diff | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brad Keselowski | 4 | 1 | 3 | #2 |
| Kyle Busch | 10 | 2 | 8 | #18 |
| Chase Elliott | 2 | 3 | -1 | #24 |
| Joey Logano | 5 | 4 | 1 | #22 |
| Austin Dillon | 20 | 5 | 15 | #3 |
| A.J. Allmendinger | 30 | 6 | 24 | #47 |
| Clint Bowyer | 8 | 7 | 1 | #14 |
| Ryan Newman | 11 | 8 | 3 | #31 |
| Matt Kenseth | 25 | 9 | 16 | #20 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 24 | 10 | 14 | #17 |
| Chris Buescher | 33 | 11 | 22 | #37 |
| Erik Jones | 15 | 12 | 3 | #77 |
| Trevor Bayne | 16 | 13 | 3 | #6 |
| Kasey Kahne | 13 | 14 | -1 | #5 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 17 | 15 | 2 | #48 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 3 | 16 | -13 | #78 |
| Kyle Larson | 1 | 17 | -16 | #42 |
| Aric Almirola | 18 | 18 | 0 | #43 |
| Paul Menard | 22 | 19 | 3 | #27 |
| Kevin Harvick | 9 | 20 | -11 | #4 |
| Cole Whitt | 31 | 21 | 10 | #72 |
| Ty Dillon | 23 | 22 | 1 | #13 |
| Danica Patrick | 29 | 23 | 6 | #10 |
| David Ragan | 34 | 24 | 10 | #38 |
| Ryan Blaney | 7 | 25 | -18 | #21 |
| Michael McDowell | 26 | 26 | 0 | #95 |
| Landon Cassill | 27 | 27 | 0 | #34 |
| Corey LaJoie | 35 | 28 | 7 | #83 |
| Gray Gaulding | 37 | 29 | 8 | #23 |
| Denny Hamlin | 12 | 30 | -18 | #11 |
| Reed Sorenson | 32 | 31 | 1 | #15 |
| Daniel Suarez | 19 | 32 | -13 | #19 |
| Timmy Hill | 38 | 33 | 5 | #51 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 21 | 34 | -13 | #88 |
| Matt DiBenedetto | 28 | 35 | -7 | #32 |
| Jeffrey Earnhardt | 36 | 36 | 0 | #33 |
| Kurt Busch | 14 | 37 | -23 | #41 |
| Jamie McMurray | 6 | 38 | -32 | #1 |
Top 5 Lap Leaders
Kyle Busch – 274
Brad Keselowski – 116
Martin Truex Jr. – 42
Denny Hamlin – 24
Kyle Larson – 23
Top 5 Positive Place Differential
A.J. Allmendinger +24
Chris Buescher +22
Matt Kenseth +16
Austin Dillon +15
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. +14
Top 5 Negative Place Differential
Jamie McMurray -32
Kurt Busch -23
Ryan Blaney -18
Denny Hamlin -18
Kyle Larson -16
Top 5 Average Running Position
1 18 Kyle Busch – 3.18
2 24 Chase Elliott – 3.37
3 2 Brad Keselowski – 5.15
4 48 Jimmie Johnson – 8.48
5 78 Martin Truex Jr – 8.83
Top 5 Fastest Laps Run
Driver – Percentage – Laps
1 18 Kyle Busch – 24.1% – 91
2 2 Brad Keselowski – 23.9% – 90
3 22 Joey Logano – 12.7% – 48
4 24 Chase Elliott – 10.1% – 38
5 48 Jimmie Johnson – 5.3% – 20
October 2016 Race Results
| Driver | Starting Spot | Finishing Spot | Diff | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jimmie Johnson | 3 | 1 | 2 | #48 |
| Brad Keselowski | 19 | 2 | 17 | #2 |
| Denny Hamlin | 8 | 3 | 5 | #11 |
| Matt Kenseth | 17 | 4 | 13 | #20 |
| Kyle Busch | 9 | 5 | 4 | #18 |
| Jeff Gordon | 10 | 6 | 4 | #88 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 1 | 7 | -6 | #78 |
| Jamie McMurray | 14 | 8 | 6 | #1 |
| Joey Logano | 2 | 9 | -7 | #22 |
| A.J. Allmendinger | 4 | 10 | -6 | #47 |
| Kasey Kahne | 22 | 11 | 11 | #5 |
| Chase Elliott | 5 | 12 | -7 | #24 |
| Greg Biffle | 25 | 13 | 12 | #16 |
| Kyle Larson | 11 | 14 | -3 | #42 |
| Aric Almirola | 16 | 15 | 1 | #43 |
| Ryan Newman | 13 | 16 | -3 | #31 |
| Austin Dillon | 32 | 17 | 15 | #3 |
| Michael McDowell | 30 | 18 | 12 | #95 |
| Ryan Blaney | 15 | 19 | -4 | #21 |
| Kevin Harvick | 20 | 20 | 0 | #4 |
| Casey Mears | 26 | 21 | 5 | #13 |
| Kurt Busch | 23 | 22 | 1 | #41 |
| Trevor Bayne | 31 | 23 | 8 | #6 |
| Danica Patrick | 24 | 24 | 0 | #10 |
| Paul Menard | 18 | 25 | -7 | #27 |
| Tony Stewart | 6 | 26 | -20 | #14 |
| Chris Buescher | 29 | 27 | 2 | #34 |
| Clint Bowyer | 28 | 28 | 0 | #15 |
| Landon Cassill | 33 | 29 | 4 | #38 |
| Regan Smith | 21 | 30 | -9 | #7 |
| Dylan Lupton | 37 | 31 | 6 | #83 |
| Matt DiBenedetto | 27 | 32 | -5 | #93 |
| Jeffrey Earnhardt | 38 | 33 | 5 | #32 |
| Brian Scott | 35 | 34 | 1 | #44 |
| Michael Annett | 40 | 35 | 5 | #46 |
| Carl Edwards | 7 | 36 | -29 | #19 |
| David Ragan | 12 | 37 | -25 | #23 |
| Reed Sorenson | 34 | 38 | -4 | #55 |
| Gray Gaulding | 36 | 39 | -3 | #30 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 39 | 40 | -1 | #17 |
Top 5 Lap Leaders
Matt Kenseth – 176
Martin Truex Jr. – 147
Jimmie Johnson – 92
Denny Hamlin – 48
Joey Logano – 21
Top 5 Positive Place Differential
Brad Keselowski +17
Austin Dillon +15
Matt Kenseth +13
Greg Biffle +12
Michael McDowell +12
Top 5 Negative Place Differential
Carl Edwards -29
David Ragan -25
Tony Stewart -20
Regan Smith -9
Joey Logano -7
Chase Elliott -7
Paul Menard -7
Top 5 Average Running Position
1 18 Kyle Busch – 3.49
2 78 Martin Truex Jr – 3.94
3 20 Matt Kenseth – 4.01
4 47 AJ Allmendinger – 6.63
5 22 Joey Logano – 6.76
Top 5 Fastest Laps Run
Driver – Percentage – Laps
1 15 Clint Bowyer – 12.4% – 54
2 11 Denny Hamlin – 9.7% – 42
3 20 Matt Kenseth – 9.0% – 39
4 78 Martin Truex Jr – 8.5% – 37
5 38 Landon Cassill – 8.1% – 35
April 2016 Race Results
| Driver | Starting Spot | Finishing Spot | Diff | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Busch | 7 | 1 | 6 | #18 |
| A.J. Allmendinger | 6 | 2 | 4 | #47 |
| Kyle Larson | 17 | 3 | 14 | #42 |
| Austin Dillon | 29 | 4 | 25 | #3 |
| Brad Keselowski | 11 | 5 | 6 | #2 |
| Carl Edwards | 25 | 6 | 19 | #19 |
| Brian Vickers | 3 | 7 | -4 | #14 |
| Paul Menard | 4 | 8 | -4 | #27 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 24 | 9 | 15 | #48 |
| Ryan Newman | 5 | 10 | -5 | #31 |
| Joey Logano | 1 | 11 | -10 | #22 |
| Greg Biffle | 14 | 12 | 2 | #16 |
| Kurt Busch | 23 | 13 | 10 | #41 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 21 | 14 | 7 | #88 |
| Matt Kenseth | 9 | 15 | -6 | #20 |
| Danica Patrick | 28 | 16 | 12 | #10 |
| Kevin Harvick | 19 | 17 | 2 | #4 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 16 | 18 | -2 | #78 |
| Ryan Blaney | 12 | 19 | -7 | #21 |
| Chase Elliott | 10 | 20 | -10 | #24 |
| David Ragan | 22 | 21 | 1 | #23 |
| Kasey Kahne | 2 | 22 | -20 | #5 |
| Jamie McMurray | 15 | 23 | -8 | #1 |
| Michael McDowell | 27 | 24 | 3 | #95 |
| Clint Bowyer | 30 | 25 | 5 | #15 |
| Brian Scott | 26 | 26 | 0 | #44 |
| Trevor Bayne | 32 | 27 | 5 | #6 |
| Landon Cassill | 33 | 28 | 5 | #38 |
| Matt DiBenedetto | 35 | 29 | 6 | #83 |
| Cole Whitt | 31 | 30 | 1 | #98 |
| Casey Mears | 18 | 31 | -13 | #13 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 13 | 32 | -19 | #17 |
| Chris Buescher | 36 | 33 | 3 | #34 |
| Regan Smith | 34 | 34 | 0 | #7 |
| Michael Annett | 38 | 35 | 3 | #46 |
| Joey Gase | 37 | 36 | 1 | #32 |
| Reed Sorenson | 40 | 37 | 3 | #55 |
| Josh Wise | 39 | 38 | 1 | #30 |
| Denny Hamlin | 8 | 39 | -31 | #11 |
| Aric Almirola | 20 | 40 | -20 | #43 |
Top 5 Lap Leaders
Kyle Busch – 352
Kevin Harvick – 72
Matt Kenseth – 45
Joey Logano – 21
Paul Menard – 10
Top 5 Positive Place Differential
Austin Dillon +25
Carl Edwards +19
Jimmie Johnson +15
Kyle Larson +14
Danica Patrick +12
Top 5 Negative Place Differential
Denny Hamlin -31
Kasey Kahne -20
Aric Almirola -20
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. -19
Casey Mears -13
Top 5 Average Running Position
1 18 Kyle Busch – 1.49
2 20 Matt Kenseth – 3.07
3 4 Kevin Harvick – 4.93
4 2 Brad Keselowski – 6.91
5 42 Kyle Larson – 7.10
Top 5 Fastest Laps Run
Driver – Percentage – Laps
1 18 Kyle Busch – 18.8% – 81
2 2 Brad Keselowski – 17.4% – 75
3 4 Kevin Harvick – 16.4% – 71
4 20 Matt Kenseth – 11.1% – 48
5 47 AJ Allmendinger – 5.6% – 24