Saturday, October 23, 2010

Final Martinsville Driver Ratings Following All Practice Sessions

Micah Roberts Top 10 Driver Ratings
Tums Fast Relief 500
Martinsville Speedway
Sunday, October 24, 2010 - 10:16 am (PDT)

Rating    Driver     Odds   Practice 1  Qualifying  Practice 2  Practice 3

 1. Denny Hamlin 3/1          2nd               1st             17th             8th 
Native Virginian has won last two Martinsville races and three overall; 6.6 average finish.
 2. Jimmie Johnson 3/1     13th              19th            10th             6th 
Six-time winner with track best 5.4 average finish in 17 starts; using winning Loudon chassis.
 3. Jeff Gordon 6/1              8th              11th            13th             7th 
Seven time winner on track with last coming in 2005 sweep, 11 straight top-five finishes.
 4. Jeff Burton 20/1            19th              18th             6th              2nd 
Native Virginian claimed 1997 win; led five times for 140 laps in the spring race.
 5. Tony Stewart 10/1         1st                6th             18th             35th 
Two-time winner with the last coming in spring of 2006; using Loudon chassis this week.
 6. Clint Bowyer 15/1           6th               17th            2nd              3rd 
One of the better flat track drivers. 12.8 average finish in nine starts; debuts new car this week..
 7. Ryan Newman 30/1       25th              4th            12th              15th 
Using same chassis that has averaged a finish of 5.7 in last three Martinsville starts.
 8. Greg Biffle 50/1              4th               3rd             22nd             1st 
No top five finishes in 15 career Martinsville starts, but fast in practice; using Loudon chassis.
 9. Kevin Harvick 12/1        28th              36th            3rd               5th
No top five finishes in 18 starts, but had fastest average speeds during happy hour; using Loudon chassis.
10. Mark Martin 50/1          20th              21st            32nd            10th        
Two-time winner with the last coming in 2000; fourth fastest average speeds during happy hour.
                            
Note: Martinsville’s flat 0.526-mile layout is unlike any other track on the circuit, but some crew chiefs do use notes from their Loudon, New Hampshire set-ups.

Odds courtesy of the Las Vegas Hilton Super Book.

Micah Roberts, a former Race and Sports Book Director, has been setting NASCAR lines in Las Vegas since 1995. He currently writes for multiple publications covering all sports. He can be reached at MM.Roberts7Gmail.com.

Write-up on race to follow later today

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