The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Martinsville for the Cookout 400, where short-track chaos meets sharp betting angles. We break down the top picks, value plays, and key trends shaping Sunday’s race.
Race: Cookout 400
Date: Sunday, March 29, 2026
Track: Martinsville Speedway
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Channel: FS1
What Did We Learn From Last Week?
What did we actually learn? We learned that Tyler Reddick is apparently trying to seal the championship deal before the Chase even gets here. Reddick took his fourth win of the season at Darlington on Sunday, nearly six seconds ahead of second-place finisher Brad Keselowski. In fact, Reddick closed a seven-second deficit to catch Keselowski during the final run of the race and then decisively pulled away, leaving no doubt who had the best car of the day.
It was a battle from the start, though, with Reddick starting the race with charging issues from lap one. He was forced to eliminate a lot of power-stealing elements in his car and also change a battery. Despite those early problems, Reddick persevered and held strong to take the checkered flag. His four wins in the first six starts put him in elite company. Only Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Bill Elliott have ever accomplished the same.
Keselowski was obviously disappointed but very clearly recognized that the 23XI car was superior. It was undoubtedly nothing he, or anyone else, could compete with. Ryan Blaney had his fair share of troubles, mostly on pit road, but he still managed a third-place run when all was said and done.
Carson Hocevar and Austin Cindric rounded out the top five. Ty Gibbs, Daniel Suarez, William Byron, Chris Buescher, and Erik Jones completed the top 10. For Cindric, it was an excellent result after starting from the rear of the field due to an unapproved modification to his car prior to the race. This is a tough place to start near the back and come to the front, so kudos to Cindric, as well as Jones and Gibbs, who also had less-than-ideal starting positions.
Where Are We Headed This Weekend?
This week’s race at Martinsville is similar but oh-so-different. Darlington is a unique track with a lot of history. Martinsville is also a unique track with a lot of history. That’s about where the similarities stop.
Martinsville’s nickname isn’t as ominous as Darlington’s. Affectionately known as “The Paperclip,” Martinsville is the shortest track on the circuit. It’s almost like running stock cars on a dirt track. The straights are only 800 feet long. I have pastures bigger than that!
With only 12 degrees of banking in the turns, you can imagine there’s a lot of stop-and-go here. It’s one of those tracks that is extremely brake-heavy. Drivers have to take care of both tires and brakes here. They’re basically nose-diving into these turns, braking as hard as they can, and then slamming on the throttle coming out of Turns 2 and 4 to get back to as much speed as the straights will allow before doing it all over again.
It’s all about track position. Once you’re passed, it’s a tough go. It’s definitely possible to come back from being a lap, or laps, down, but try not to get there to begin with. That being said, lap traffic is another tough contender these drivers will have to battle with.
Bet Martinsville with Bovada Sportsbook
Looking to add even more action to Sunday’s short-track showdown? Check out Bovada Sportsbook for race odds, matchup markets, and more before the green flag drops at Martinsville. If you’re backing a favorite like Ryan Blaney or hunting for value deeper on the board, Bovada is a solid place to shop the market before locking in your NASCAR picks.
Odds and Value Picks
When it comes to picking a winner, I’m sick of Tyler Reddick. I just needed to say that out loud. I mean that as respectfully as possible because I actually like the guy, but man, is he making me wonder about what is happening in the Toyota garages. Anyway, let’s take a look at your potential winners heading into this weekend’s race.
Winner: Ryan Blaney (+450)
Blaney has the third-best average finish at this track with two wins in the last six starts. It’s definitely a track that he’s got figured out well. With 354 laps led, his wins aren’t happenstance. Blaney will be hard to beat on Sunday.
Mid-Range Pick: Ross Chastain (+3300)
Chastain has been having a rollercoaster of finishes so far this season. Martinsville is a place he hopes to level out those finishes. His best finish in the last six races is fourth, with 39 total laps led over that span. Chastain is looking for a little redemption. Let’s see if he can pull it off.
Dark Horse: Ryan Preece (+2000)
I’m still a firm believer that Preece has a lot to offer this Cup Series group. He’s the 10th-best finisher at Martinsville in the last six starts. He’s led 135 laps in those races, so he’s got something figured out. Preece has a good chance to have a very solid finish this weekend.
Preece has an advantage over Chastain, but I’m not so sure the numbers will reflect the finishes this weekend. RFK puts a lot of pressure on Preece when it comes to these short tracks, though, so you never know. Let’s see where everyone is sitting after Darlington’s race on Sunday.
Current Standings
- Tyler Reddick
- Ryan Blaney
- Bubba Wallace
- Denny Hamlin
- Chase Elliott
- William Byron
- Chris Buescher
- Christopher Bell
- Brad Keselowski
- Kyle Larson
- Ty Gibbs
- Ryan Preece
- Carson Hocevar
- Daniel Suarez
- Shane Van Gisbergen
- Joey Logano
Logano took a big hit in the points, dropping five spots when all was said and done. Keselowski climbed above Larson after a strong run at Darlington, and Michael McDowell fell out of contention for the Chase after his recent struggles. How will Martinsville treat these guys this weekend? Stay tuned and find out. Short-track Sunday is sure to be a great one.
