NASCAR at Martinsville 2022: Odds, Preview and Top Storylines

Three spots in the NASCAR Cup Series' Championship 4 will be up for grabs Sunday afternoon at Martinsville Speedway. A wide range of outcomes are possible, too, as seven drivers in the Round of 8 have an opportunity to automatically advance with a playoff win.

Joey Logano is the only driver who has already punched a ticket to the Championship 4 with a victory in Round of 8 action. He was the winner at Las Vegas Motor Speedway two weeks ago. Last week at Homestead-Motor Speedway, it was Kyle Larson (who has already been eliminated from the playoffs) who raced to Victory Lane.

At this point, Ross Chastain, Chase Elliott and William Byron are in the final three transfer spots in second, third and fourth in the standings, respectively. But any of Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell or Chase Briscoe could still get into the Championship 4.

The four drivers who advance will then battle it out for the Cup Series title on Nov. 6 at Phoenix Raceway.

Here's everything else you need to know heading into Sunday's Xfinity 500 at Martinsville.

Chase Elliott: +650 (bet $100 to win $650)

Denny Hamlin: +700

William Byron: +800

Ryan Blaney: +800

Joey Logano: +900

Martin Truex Jr.: +1000

Christopher Bell: +1200

Ross Chastain: +1200

Kyle Larson: +1200

Kyle Busch: +1500

Kevin Harvick: +1500

Tyler Reddick: +2500

Brad Keselowski: +2500

A.J. Allmendinger: +3000

Chase Briscoe: +3000

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Last year, Hendrick Motorsports had two drivers reach the Championship 4: Kyle Larson (who won his first title with a victory at Phoenix) and Chase Elliott, the 2020 Cup Series champion who ended up in fourth in the final standings.

There's a good chance for Hendrick to have two drivers advance to the championship race this year. Only this time, it's Elliott and William Byron who are the two drivers from the team battling it out in Round of 8 action.

Elliott (4,093 points) and Byron (4,087) are in third and fourth in the points standings, respectively, with a slim advantage over Denny Hamlin (4,082), who is the first driver below the cut line. But for this Hendrick Motorsports duo, there couldn't be a much better track than Martinsville to show up on the schedule in crunch time.

Over Elliott's past 11 races at Martinsville, the 26-year-old has finished in the top 10 eight times and in the top five five times. His lone career win at the 0.526-mile short track came in 2020, when he won the final Round of 8 race to advance to the Championship 4.

Meanwhile, Byron is the most recent winner of a Cup Series race at Martinsville, as he won the spring event at the track in April, leading 212 of 403 laps. It was the 24-year-old's first win at Martinsville, and he's now finished in the top eight in five of his past six races at the track.

This time, the stakes will be higher. And both Elliott and Byron can't afford any mistakes, otherwise they won't be racing for a championship in Phoenix the following week.

Elliott is the betting favorite to win, and that's a wise pick. He's driven his No. 9 Chevrolet to Victory Lane five times this season, two more times than anybody else. And although he's finished 21st and 14th in the two Round of 8 playoff races, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native knows what it takes to win when the pressure's on, as he's done in the past.

For Byron, this is uncharted territory. But his past success at Martinsville in his No. 24 Chevy should give him a good opportunity to reach the Championship 4 for the first time in his budding Cup Series career.

Denny Hamlin has 48 Cup Series wins in a career that dates back to late 2005. Yet the driver of the No. 11 Toyota has never captured a championship. In fact, no driver in Cup Series history has that many victories with no titles to show for it.

But if Hamlin doesn't have a strong showing at Martinsville on Sunday, the 41-year-old may not even get an opportunity to race for a championship the following week in Phoenix. He's currently just outside of a transfer spot for the Championship 4, sitting in fifth place five points behind William Byron.

In recent seasons, Hamlin has been so close to finally winning that elusive first Cup Series title. He made the Championship 4 in 2019, 2020 and 2021, yet he finished fourth, fourth and third in the standings in those three seasons.

Hamlin has fared well at Phoenix in his career, winning twice at the track. However, he needs to get through the Round of 8 first. And he's had strong showings at Martinsville, too, having won there five times.

It's been a while since Hamlin has made it to Victory Lane at Martinsville, though. Four of his wins came between 2008-10, and his most recent victory at the track was in 2015. He's finished 24th or worse in three of his past five showings there.

Hamlin is racing well of late, though, having ended up in the top 10 in seven of his past eight races (including both Round of 8 playoff events). He could punch an automatic ticket to the Championship 4 with a Martinsville win. If not, he'll need to jump up into a top-four spot in the standings to advance.

That would be much more difficult if one of the other playoff drivers ends up in Victory Lane. So if Hamlin doesn't win, he needs to hope that it's a non-playoff competitor (or Joey Logano, who has already clinched a spot) who races to victory on Sunday.

If Hamlin can find a way into the Championship 4, perhaps it's finally going to be his year.

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