And then there were eight. The Chase for the Sprint Cup rolls along to the Eliminator round, which begins with the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500. The last eight drivers still eligible for the championship will be looking for that first automatic berth to the Championship Four.
Red-hot Joey Logano is the man to beat as he won all three races in the Contender round. Can any of the other seven drivers catch up and cut Logano’s win streak at Martinsville Speedway?
Read on as we preview this first race of the Eliminator round. Meanwhile, set your NFL fantasy teams for Sunday with the help of our fantasy points compilation for all 14 games in Week 8.
[sc:MultiSportArticles ]Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 Preview
Where: Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway
When: Sunday, November 1, 2:30 PM ET
TV Broadcast: NBC
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Joey Logano
[sc:Other240banner ]After the way Joey Logano dominated the Contender round, it’d be pretty hard to doubt him at this point. Logano won all three races in the previous round, so he’ll be in exceptional form heading into the first race of the Eliminator round.
Logano is +600 to make it a remarkable four wins in a row, and he’s a good bet to do just that at Martinsville. Although Logano has no career wins on the track in 13 career races, he has finished in the top five in three of his last five races there.
Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon is still very much in the running to win the Sprint Cup championship in his very last season. Gordon took poll at Talladega and eventually finished third to seal his place in the Eliminator round. He likely won’t get a better chance to clinch an automatic berth to the Championship round than in Martinsville, where he’s priced at +600 to win.
Gordon has the most career poles in Martinsville with nine and is tied with Jimmie Johnson for the most wins among active drivers with eight. Gordon’s last win at the track was in the 2013 Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500. He’s also finished in the top five two other times in his past five races at the track.
Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin crashed out of the Chase after a disastrous 37th place finish at Talladega. It was quite a disappointing result for Hamlin, who had been one of the most consistent drivers thus far in the Chase. In the previous five races, Hamlin had finished first, second, 18th, fourth and second.
Hamlin also has an affinity for the Martinsville track, having won there in five of 19 career races, including the STP Gas Booster 500 earlier this year. He’s also finished in the top five in five more occasions. Even though he’s out of the Chase, Hamlin is a very good bet at +600 to grab one more win this season at Martinsville.
Sleepers
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Junior couldn’t have suffered a more heartbreaking end to his Chase run as he came just inches from winning at Talladega. He couldn’t get past Logano, though, which spelled the end for his Sprint Cup championship hopes.
Look for Junior to come back with a vengeance in Martinsville, though. He is, after all, the defending champion at the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 and is +1,200 to defend his crown. In 31 career races at Martinsville, Junior has finished in the top five an impressive 12 times.
Kurt Busch
Both Busch brothers have made it into the Eliminator round, with Kyle just about making it on points. But while Kyle is priced much lower at +700 to win at Martinsville, don’t sleep on Kurt at +2,000 to book his place in the final four with a win. Kurt already owns two career wins at Martinsville Speedway, the most recent one coming last year at the STP Gas Booster 500.
Long Shot
Ryan Newman
Ryan Newman was unable to build on a promising fourth-place finish in the first race of the Chase, as he missed out on the Eliminator round. He didn’t finish lower than 19th in any of the past five races, but just couldn’t quite break into the top 10 often enough.
Newman has been quite a frequent top 10 finisher at Martinsville, though. In 27 career starts, he’s got 12 top 10 finishes, including eight inside the top five. He also owns three career poles and one career win back in 2012. At +10,000, Newman looks like the most likely long shot to pay off in a big way.
Writer’s Prediction
Jeff Gordon (+600) breaks his tie with Jimmie Johnson as he gets his ninth win in Martinsville.
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