3 years agoThe Chevy cars were pretty fast after all on Saturday night. Ross Chastain was able to fight and scrap his way into the top five at the end of 403 laps. Martinsville became a bit predictable from a racing standpoint but Chastain scooped up his fifth top-five result of the season. That leads all NASCAR drivers currently. The No. 1 car did get helped a bit from the late restart (lap 393) but not as much as expected. Chastain keeps showing how good his Trackhouse Racing car is and on any track formation. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoRyan Blaney does it again for Team Penske and the Ford. Blaney finished fourth on Saturday at Martinsville while leading five laps. He was not on the William Byron-Chase Elliott train. Also, the No. 12 car just could not get around Austin Dillon or Joey Logano in the final overtime laps. The good news for Blaney is his third top-five finish of the season has him just three points behind Chase Elliott for the overall points lead. Next week could be quite the adventure for the No. 12 at Bristol. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoGive Austin Dillon credit. He started from a long way back in 23rd on Saturday. The Chevy was faster at the end but not quite enough on the restarts. That was the difference as Dillon had to settle for third on Saturday night. He was one of the few drivers not named Byron or Elliott to lead a lap (just one). Dillon's Richard Childress Chevy finished less than a second back when all was said and done. Overall, the Chevy drove well as the runs extended. It was a solid and needed result for Dillon. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoJoey Logano just kept driving on Saturday. He did not lead a single lap but from 14th, the Ford persisted. That resulted in a second-place finish on Saturday night from Richmond. He never could get close enough to William Byron. That seemed to be a problem all night. Was it the cold and the lack of grip? That is possible. On restarts at least, Byron had a bit more in the tank compared to Logano. In the end, that made all the difference. The good news is that Logano sticks around in the overall standings. The Team Penske car is fourth now, just 27 points behind Chase Elliott.--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoWilliam Byron got the job done in what was a relatively uneventful race on Saturday night from Martinsville. The Hendrick Motorsports Racing team dominated the laps led department overall. Byron, however, led the ones that mattered along with 212 overall. He held off Joey Logano and Austin Dillon to win his second race of the season. With the win, the No. 24 car moves to just 12 points of the overall cup standings lead (third place). Of course, next week is Bristol and the dirt but for this week, Byron and the Hendricks performed as expected and then some.--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoChase Briscoe and his Ford begin Saturday evening 19th at Martinsville. The Stewart-Haas Racing car was not grouped in the top cluster with the rest of his teammates. However, the No. 14 was able to maintain most of its early speed later in runs. At the least, Briscoe could move up the field some especially during the longer final stage (220 laps). Between pit strategy, tire wear, and car adjustments, this Ford should be able to move up close to the front barring something unforeseen. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoDenny Hamlin and the Joe Gibbs Racing car needs to find speed somehow on Saturday night or it may be a long race. Hamlin's best lap in Friday qualifying and practice was still slower than rookie Todd Gilliland by almost 1/4 of a second. The numbers only became worse as the laps ticked off. Are the issues reversible? Anything is possible. Look at how Hamlin won last week at Richmond. The pit crew and Hamlin found speed on a late run that was just short enough where he did not fade. He starts 25th on Saturday so improvement of position is likely at least. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoSome regard Bubba Wallace as a possible "sleeper" pick. The jury remains out on this one as Wallace qualified 21st on Friday. Furthermore, his Toyota dropped by well over a half-second as the laps piled up. That is an eternity on this short track. The Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 does not offer much time for adjustments on the fly. Wallace's #23 looked to need a few even in practice. That does not always bode well. Again, maybe cooler track conditions mitigate the "looseness" but maybe it does not. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoMartin Truex Jr. starts all the way down in 20th on Saturday from Martinsville. Yes, his Next-Gen Toyota showed one of the biggest fades in 15,20, and 30-lap intervals. On the other hand, the No. 19 driver can flat out drive on a short-track. He has three wins in his last six starts at Martinsville. In that span, Truex Jr. has led 25.1% of the laps. For perspective, if one does the math, that would be 100 laps in an average 400 lap race at Martinsville. This seems not likely on Saturday night but Truex Jr. could fight his way to the front. After that, it is all about strategy. Truex Jr. may find himself in a position to contend and win. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoKurt Busch had one of the better laps late in qualifying on Friday but because it came when it did, he starts 18th. The 23XI Racing driver also watch his lap times drop as practice wore along. Something with the Toyota engine just seemed to produce these results across the board. It affected just about every single car including the No. 45. Can adjustments be made heading into Saturday night? Absolutely. However, it is something to watch for. The elder Busch does have four top-ten results in his previous six starts. Once he gains track position, it boils down to can the driver consolidate those gains. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoAlex Bowman and the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports car begin 15th at Martinsville on Saturday night. Does he stay there? That does not seem likely. Bowman has a knack of lurking then striking. His one win on the track came in such a scenario. What is lost is the bad luck that happened a couple times to Bowman. That throws his average finish off kilter some. He did have three top-ten results in the last six starts. Expect the Hendricks to work together like they did last year. Does that work in the Next-Gen car? That is the only question mark. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoDespite his track record on the course, Joey Logano may have problems moving up at Martinsville on Saturday night. Logano does have an answer finish of 8.3 in the Team Penske Ford. He starts 14th which is not that bad of a place to qualify. However, the No. 22 car may need some drafting help late in runs. It did seem his car got a little loose. Yes, adjustments can be made but that may mean some fading later in those longer runs. Again, there is a chance for reward but the risk could be too great. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoFor Austin Cindric, qualifying 13th may not be a bad thing at Martinsville. Cindric can keep his speed with a pack of cars that can reel in the early front-runners. From there, it comes down to can the Ford avoid trouble. Martinsville can be a dangerous track where things err incidents happen quickly. Cindric has fallen back a bit since the Daytona 500 win but one never quite knows. His times did slow a little more than some of the other Ford's surrounding him. The Team Penske driver may endure another short-track lesson on Saturday night. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoRyan Blaney was another driver who got caught in the not so lucky group when it came to qualifying. Blaney did turn in one of the faster laps but ended up 12th in qualifying. His Team Penske Ford maintained speed decently as the practice laps increased. Blaney's average finish of 5.8 is the best of any active driver. That includes four top-five results in the last six appearances. The likelihood is that the No. 12 car is right in the thick of things once again later on Saturday night. Lost in the shuffle is that this is a 400 lap race on the 0.526-mile track. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoKyle Busch ran some fast laps but not in the round of qualifying that truly mattered. As a result, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver will start 11th on Saturday night. The sub-20 second laps were there but the No. 18 car slowed down a good bit as the laps went on. Loop data indicated well over a half-second slower. That is a bit troubling and was common among the Toyota's. If fewer cautions do come out, will that affect the younger Busch? It seems likely. The car also seemed to get a bit loose as well. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com