It's Martinsville day, it's Martinsville day!
OK, not as catchy as Daytona day, and the race isn't for two days, but I'm sure you can guess where this is going.
The "adults" in the Walsh household bribed a couple of babysitters (grandmas) and are headed to Martinsville Speedway for Sunday's NOCO 400 (3 p.m. ET, FS1) for a kid-free day of gambling, drinking, racing and maybe rain? Meh.
The questionable weather isn’t that surprising considering the location and time of year, but I’ll be damned if a little rain is going to stop me from milking this kid-free day for all it's worth.
And, yes, that includes sweating bets with White Claws in-hand.
More importantly, there won't be any kids telling me that "mommies don’t need laptops," or that I "look like I’m going to have another baby (which happened just a few days ago)" or asking me why cats poop in rocks and not on toilets.
All I need is a poncho, a Martinsville hot dog, a Bud Light to troll everyone and a Ryan Blaney win. I’m not asking for much here.
Speaking of Blaney …
NASCAR Picks for Martinsville
*NASCAR odds as of Friday afternoon
NASCAR Pick: Ryan Blaney (12-1) to Win
With my first bet of the 2023 NOCO 400, I'll be taking — drumroll please — Blaney to win at 12-1 odds (bet365).
Shocked. SHOCKED, I tell you!
But hear me out:
In 2022, the first year of the Next Gen car, Blaney posted the best average finish across both races at Martinsville, including the second-best averaging running position and fifth-most fast laps.
Now, one-year samples aren't ideal, so let's look back to 2018 when Blaney joined Team Penske.
Despite no trips to Victory Lane, here are Blaney's stats among active Cup Series drivers over those 10 races at Martinsville:
- Seven top-five finishes (tied for the most with Brad Keselowski)
- Best average finish
- Fourth-most fast laps run
- Sixth-most laps led
- Second-best average running position
#NumbersAndStuff
Not like I needed a reason to bet on my beloved YRB, but there is plenty of data backing Blaney at 12-1 odds.
NASCAR Pick: Alex Bowman (3-1) for a Top-5 Finish
I know, I know, this isn't a Blaney bet, but Bowman has a good recent history at Martinsville. As Ryan from ifantasyrace.com tweeted below, I like my odds (3-1 via bet365) here:
Alex Bowman in recent Martinsville races …
2022 #2 = Sat at home
2022 #1 = 12th, nothing special
2021 #2 = Won!
2021 #1 = 34th BUT had to make an unexpected pit stop for loose wheel on lap 362. Was in 2nd on lap 354.
2020 #1/#2 / 6th & 6th— Ryan (@ifantasyrace) April 13, 2023
And if everything goes smoothly (lol) and Wrecky Stenhouse Jr. stays the hell away from my drivers (though I'll always love him for that 40-1 winner in the Daytona 500), I could hit both of these bets!
Or, maybe I should parlay them?
Nope, not drunk enough for that, yet …
