NASCAR Blue-Emu 500 Betting News, Match-Ups and Trends

By Micah Roberts

NASCAR Cup Series
Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500
Betting Resources

Date: Wednesday, June 10, 2020
TV/Time: FS1, 7:05 p.m. ET
Venue: Martinsville Speedway
Location: Martinsville, Virginia

We get a bonus NASCAR snack on Wednesday night under the lights of Martinsville Speedway with 500 laps around the flat half-mile paperclip, all thanks to the pandemic that shut down the USA. NASCAR has to make up dates to complete the 36 race schedule and auto racing bettors will be gearing up for more action.

While the other sports are figuring out their game plans for 2020, NASCAR will be running its seventh race in just over three weeks since coming back on May 17.

So instead of watching the NBA Finals or a Dodgers-Braves game on a weeknight, I get a NASCAR race at one of the most exciting tracks on the circuit. It’ll be the third time NASCAR will be racing on a weekday and the last until the All-Star race on July 15.

NASCAR Cup Odds
Martinsville Wednesday

Kyle Busch +450
Martin Truex Jr. +550
Brad Keselowski +600
Chase Elliott +750
Denny Hamlin +900
Joey Logano +1000
Ryan Blaney +1100
Alex Bowman +2000
Kurt Busch +2000
Jimmie Johnson +2000
More NASCAR Futures
(Odds Subject to Change)

The Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 will be the 11th race on the schedule, but only the third using the race package with engines producing 750 horsepower. The first race using it was at Phoenix Raceway where Joey Logano won, but three other drivers led more laps. The second time using it was May 31 at Bristol Motor Speedway with another Team Penske driver Brad Keselowski winning.

Of course, Phoenix and Bristol race nothing like Martinsville, but it’s the performance of the cars in those races that should be a starting point for Martinsville. Then we should look at past history and recent performances on the track. Several drivers have proven to have a knack for racing in the tight confines.

It wasn’t that long ago when we could be Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon or Denny Hamlin to win the race and cash with one of them. But 10 of the last 12 races have been won by a different driver, including the last five. It’s wide-open. But each of last year’s winners led at least 446 laps, although I remember the races being entertaining despite it.

Because of the slow speeds, drivers don’t have a problem banging fenders and bumpers which is why there’s always excitement on the track even if one driver leads most of the laps.
NASCAR Martinsville
Drivers to Watch
#11 Denny Hamlin (8/1)
The Virginian has been ruling Martinsville his entire life in racing. In the Cup Series, he has five wins in 28 starts, leading 1,566 laps and accumulating 15 top-fives. The home cooking always gets him ready. In the last race using this race package, he led a race-high 131 laps at Bristol before settling for 17th. He’s free-wheeling it with no playoff pressure by already having two wins in 2020. He wants it bad, too.
#2 Brad Keselowski (10/1)
He’s got a 10.8 average finish in 20 Cup starts at Martinsville, including two wins. In the spring race last season he led 446 laps, won both stages, and then finished third in the fall. He’s got top-10s in his last eight there and seven of them have been top-fives. He won at Bristol using this week’s race package and finished 11th at Phoenix after leading 82 laps.
#48 Jimmie Johnson (18/1)
This guy has none grandfather clocks in his house as trophies for winning at Martinsville. Noon has got to be interesting in the Johnson household. He’s led 2,863 laps and has 19 top-fives in 36 starts for an average finish of 9.3. His third-place at Bristol was a promising sign to back him with this race package.
#18 Kyle Busch (6/1)
He didn’t get his first Martinsville Cup win until 2016 and then he won again in 2017. He gets a top-five finish in almost every start since the fall of 2012 -- 10 of the last 14 starts.
#14 Clint Bowyer (30/1)
This is the sneaky bet of the week. He’s been close, knocking at the door of a win and this flat track is right up his alley. He won the spring race there in 2018, but more importantly, he’s made the most of his time with this week’s race package finishing fifth at Phoenix and runner-up at Bristol. Throw a few bucks on him.
#12 Ryan Blaney (20/1)
His car has been junk in the two races using this week’s race package, but he’s been an amazing Martinsville driver with top-fives in three of his last four there.
#4 Kevin Harvick (6/1)
He’s had 37 Cup starts at Martinsville and has just one win (2011) and a 14th-place average finish. This track should be ideal for him since he grew up racing and dominating at Mesa Marin Raceway’s half-mile layout. Surprisingly, he hasn’t led at Martinsville in his last seven starts. However, he was runner-up at Phoenix with this race package and 11th at Bristol, his only non-top-10 of the season.
#9 Chase Elliott (10/1)
This week’s race package might be his best. He led a race-high 93 laps before finishing seventh at Phoenix and won the first two stages at Bristol, leading 88 laps, before settling for 22nd. He was runner-up in the spring race last season and has been ninth or better in four of his last six Martinsville starts. He also won a 2017 Truck Series race there.
Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500
Top-5 Finish Prediction

1) #11 Denny Hamlin (8/1)
2) #2 Brad Keselowski (10/1)
3) #48 Jimmie Johnson (18/1)
4) #18 Kyle Busch (6/1)
5) #14 Clint Bowyer (30/1)