Fantasy NASCAR: Top Drivers for the Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series travels to Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia, this week for the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500.

It seems like a season ago when the Sprint Cup Series last raced at the half-mile paperclip race track. The race was dominated by Jimmie Johnson, who qualified fourth and led 296 laps on his way to a second-place finish. The Outlaw, Kurt Busch, was involved in an accident with Brad Keselowski and told his team he was done. Busch continued to race hard, though, and drove his No. 41 Chevy to Victory Lane.

Now that the series enters the Eliminator Round of the Chase, the eight drivers left will have the spotlight this week. These drivers—Keselowski, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and Jeff Gordon—should also be the top selections for your fantasy team the next three weeks. Teams will do anything possible to get these drivers to the front.

Here are my picks for the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 at Martinsville.

Yahoo Group A Picks

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There are many good choices in Group A of Yahoo Fantasy Auto Racing this week. 

If you have any allocations with Gordon left, he should be on your team this week. He has eight career wins at Martinsville, and his 7.8 average finishing on the short tracks this season is second-best in the series.

Clint Bowyer has struggled this season, but he is always a good pick at Martinsville. Bowyer has finished five consecutive races at the track in the top 10. He has also led laps in four of the last five Martinsville races. Bowyer is a good sleeper pick in this group.

Here are the two drivers I selected for Group A, with the number of allocations I have left with each driver in parentheses.

Jimmie Johnson (3)

The new Chase format has not been kind to Johnson. He has not dominated the series like he did in the past in the Chase. He is eliminated from the Chase, but Johnson will still want to prove he is the best driver by winning the last four races. He has eight wins at Martinsville and has finished 22 of his 25 starts in the top 10. Expect him to dominate the race this week.

Kevin Harvick (1)

Harvick is on my team for qualifying points only this week. He has won eight poles this season and will have a good chance to add another this week. He did not run well in the last race at Martinsville, but that was when his team was struggling through some horrible luck. Harvick will run up front and lead laps Sunday.

Other good choices: Gordon, Bowyer, Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch

Yahoo Group B Picks

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My prediction is that the winner of the race this week will come from Group B. Logano has been the best driver on the short race tracks this season. He won the races at Richmond and Bristol and finished fourth in the last race at Martinsville. He is my pick to win Sunday.

Hamlin is at his home race track this week. He has four wins and three poles in his career at Martinsville. Hamlin has just one top-10 finish on the short tracks this season, but he is always a threat at Martinsville.

Aric Almirola is a good sleeper pick this week. The short race tracks have been his best races this season. Almirola has finished three of the five races in the top 10, including an eighth-place finish in March at Martinsville.

Here are the four drivers I selected for Group B.

Joey Logano (1)

I have only one allocation left with Logano, and I might use it this week. He has not been great at Martinsville in his career, but Logano is a different driver this year. His average finish this season on short tracks is a series-best 6.4. Logano has a good chance to be the first driver to clinch a spot in the Championship Round of the Chase.

Brad Keselowski (1)

Keselowski has not been as good as his teammate on the short race tracks, but he should be considered a threat for the pole and the win this week with the momentum he brings from Talladega. Keselowski finished the last three races on the short tracks in the top four, including a win at Richmond. If you have any allocations left with him, he should be on your team this week.

Jamie McMurray (6)

McMurray has been the best driver who did not make the Chase. He's been running well (not including the bad luck last week at Talladega), and my strategy is to use him while he is hot. The Chip Ganassi Racing team has been flirting with victory for weeks. This could be the week that McMurray or Kyle Larson finds his way to Victory Lane.

Carl Edwards (3)

Edwards has not finished in the top 10 at Martinsville in the last five races. My prediction is that that will change this week. Although Edwards is leaving Roush Fenway Racing at the end of the season, Jack Roush would like to see him advance to the Championship Round of the Chase. The team will provide Edwards all of the resources to run well Sunday.

Other good choices: Hamlin, Newman, Almirola and Greg Biffle

Yahoo Group C Picks

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The best pick in Group C is Kyle Larson, and it is not even close. Larson is still looking for his first win of the season, and it would not be surprising to see it come at Martinsville. The problem is that most fantasy teams are out of allocations with him, which is the situation my team faces.

There are still other options in the field this week, though. Here are the two drivers I selected for Group C.

Austin Dillon (1)

I really wish I had an allocation left with Larson, but Dillon is not a bad second choice. Dillon had a poor qualifying effort in March at Martinsville, but he was able to race through the field and finish in the top 15. He should qualify better this week and finish near the top 10.

Danica Patrick (5)

Patrick is not the ideal pick for Group C this week, but she is the best choice other than Larson and Dillon. Her best race at Martinsville came in her first race at the track, when she qualified 32nd and finished 12th. Patrick should add another top-20 finish this week.

Other Good Choices: Larson and Justin Allgaier

Fantasy Live Picks

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The strategy this week for Fantasy Live is to select drivers who start up front with a good chance to lead many laps. Track position is very important at Martinsville, and passing will not be easy. There are 500 laps in the race, so 250 bonus points will be available to drivers who lead laps in the race.

Having the drivers who lead laps will put your team at the top of your league standings this week. Here are the five drivers I selected for Fantasy Live for the race at Martinsville:

Fantasy Live Picks: Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Reed Sorenson, Landon Cassill

Fox Fantasy Racing

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The strategy for Fox Fantasy Racing this week is to select some drivers who qualify in the back and have a good chance to move to the front and two drivers who start up front with a good chance to win the race. It will be too risky to select an entire team of drivers who start in the back. The winners of the races at Martinsville usually start in the top 10.

Here are my selections for Fox Fantasy Racing for the race at Martinsville:

Captain: Joey Logano

Driver 2: Denny Hamlin

Driver 3: Jimmie Johnson

Driver 4: Kurt Busch

Driver 5: Ryan Newman

*Stats from DriverAverages.com and career stats from Racing-Reference.Info. 

If you need any further advice with your team, look for me on Twitter @MrFantasyNASCAR. If you like Fantasy NASCAR, LIKE my Fantasy NASCAR Tips Page on Facebook.