The NASCAR Cup Series moves to Martinsville Speedway for Saturday’s 2022 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400. The green flag is set to drop a little after 7:30 p.m. ET (FOX Sports 1). Below we analyze the 2022 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 odds and lines, with NASCAR picks and predictions.
Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott led Friday’s qualifying session to win the pole for Saturday’s Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 in Martinsville. He also led the practice session on Friday, too.
Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola and Cole Custer were second and third in the practice in qualifying, respectively. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell was the top Toyota in qualifying, and he’ll go off seventh.
JGR’s Denny Hamlin, the winner of last weekend’s race in Richmond, struggled in qualifying, posting a speed of 94.289 mph. He’ll start 25th.
2022 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400: What you need to know
- Hamlin struggled in qualifying, but he heads into Saturday’s race with a 10.2 Average-Finish Position (AFP) to lead all active drivers. He also leads all drivers with five wins in 32 Cup starts at Martinsville, with half of his starts resulting in a finish of fifth or better.
- Brad Keselowski is right on Hamlin’s heels with a 10.8 AFP in 24 career Cup starts at Martinsville, posting two wins and 12 Top 5 finishes with 891 laps led.
- Penske Racing’s Ryan Blaney has never won at Martinsville, but he has a runner-up finish. In 12 career Cup starts there he has a 10.8 AFP to rank third among all drivers, and 11 of his 12 starts have been 20th or better.
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Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 – Expert picks
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:20 a.m. ET.
Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott is the chalk at +450. He was super impressive while leading Friday’s practice session and qualifying session, and he’s a great play for a chance to more than quadruple up.
Elliott already has one win in 13 career Cup starts at Martinsville, posting five finishes in the Top 5 and seven finishes in the Top 10 with 718 laps led.
Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 picks – Long shot
ARIC ALMIROLA (+2000) was so-so in Friday’s practice session, posting a 94.092 mph to rank 12th. He was more impressive in qualifying, rolling to 95.641 mph to end up right on the heels of Elliott. As such, he will start on the outside of Row 1.
Almirola has really improved on short tracks at Bristol and Richmond, but he has struggled over the years at Martinsville. In 26 career Cup starts he has just one finish in the Top 5, and six finishes in the Top 10. However, he looked good Friday, and a $5 wager pays $100. Why not take a chance?
Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 prop picks
While a Chevrolet (+115) is on the pole thanks to Hendrick’s Elliott, watch out for FORD (+250) in Martinsville. Ford drivers qualified second, third, fourth and sixth for Saturday’s race, and that’s the best bet for a manufacturer win.
Take a shot on STEWART-HAAS RACING (+750) for the team race winner bet. Almirola, Custer and Kevin Harvick will each start inside the Top 6 drivers. Five of the past six winners at Martinsville have started eighth or higher.
COLE CUSTER TOP 10 FINISH (+260) is worth a roll of the dice. He goes off third. While he has a 20.8 AFP in four career Cup starts at the paper clip, he looked very good in practice and qualifying.
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