NASCAR DFS Fantasy Picks 2025 Martinsville: Top Drivers, Sleepers, and Strategy

Modified Mar 26, 2025 23:17 GMT

The NASCAR Cup Series circuit takes the track this weekend for the seventh time in 2025. Martinsville Speedway, nicknamed "The Paperclip," will host the Cook Out 400 this Sunday.

For fans who will be in attendance or watching on TV, there are a few drivers they'll want in the daily fantasy sports (DFS) lineup. With this being the first short-track race of the season, a few drivers stand out among the rest as the favorites.

According to DraftKings Sportsbooks, as of Wednesday evening EST, Ryan Blaney is the favorite to win at +400 odds. This is no surprise as the driver of the #12 Team Penske Ford has won the last two Martinsville fall races. While he's never won the spring race, the 2023 Cup champion needs a strong run after a string of poor finishes this season. With his track record, Blaney is a go-to bet for this weekend.

Last week's winner, Kyle Larson, is the second-best favorite at +500 odds to win. The driver of the #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet has had a string of strong runs at Martinsville in recent memory. In his last five Martinsville races, the 2021 Cup champion has one win and finished no worse than sixth. Whether it's an outright win bet or a top-five bet, bettors should have Larson in their lineups.

Two other favorites to have an eye on this weekend are Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott, both at +650 to win. For Hamlin, he's finished top five in four of his last five Martinsville races and is a five-time Martinsville winner. Elliott, meanwhile, is a former Martinsville winner and has finished second and third in his last two races at the Virginia track. If you don't pick them to win, a top five or top 10 for these two drivers is a solid strategy pick.

Look no further than Josh Berry for a sleeper pick this weekend. A former Martinsville winner in the Xfinity Series, the driver of the #21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford has two top 10s on short tracks in the Cup Series. Berry is a short-track racing ace, so a top five or even a win bet could hit this weekend.

Another sleeper pick could be Ryan Preece. The driver of the #60 RFK Racing Ford is a former stage winner at Martinsville and scored top 15s in both races at the 0.5-short track last year. At +3000 to win, Preece could be worth a top-10 bet.

When does the NASCAR Cup race at Martinsville start?

The NASCAR Cup Series field will take on the sport's oldest and shortest track, Martinsville Speedway, this weekend. The green flag is scheduled to drop at 3 p.m. EST.

The race can be watched on FS1 or listened to on the Motor Racing Network. Named the Cook Out 400, the race will be 400 laps and 210.4 miles.

About the author

John Breeden is a NASCAR content writer at Sportskeeda with over three years of sports journalism experience. His career began back in 2021, when he started writing for The Breeze - a student-run publication at James Madison University that covered a wide variety of collegiate sports. He graduated from JMU in May 2022 with a degree in media arts and design concentrating in journalism. He currently writes for his local publication, the Daily News-Record, in Harrisonburg, VA, where he covers a variety of sports at the high school and collegiate level.

John has been a lifelong NASCAR fan and has followed the sport closely since 2005. He stays informed on motorsports developments through social media, NASCAR.com, and NASCAR podcasts, which help him craft unique and engaging stories. Interviewing Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon at Martinsville Speedway was a career highlight for John, where he wrote about William Byron taking the famed No. 24 car back to the Championship 4.

Beyond motorsports, John enjoys writing about other sports such as football, baseball, and basketball. He believes that NASCAR could reach the global popularity of Formula 1 by expanding its audience with more international races and enhancing its mainstream appeal, just like F1 has done.

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Edited by Rupesh