Nothing says old-school NASCAR racing like a Saturday night at Martinsville, as the oldest track in NASCAR will host the 2021 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500. Just 0.526 miles in length, the flat concrete turns and narrow asphalt straightaways lend themselves to the short-track racing that made the sport popular worldwide. The 2021 NASCAR at Martinsville green flag drops at 7:30 p.m. ET, with Joey Logano on the pole.
Two-time Martinsville winner Brad Keselowski is the 4-1 favorite in the latest 2021 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 odds from William Hill Sportsbook. Joey Logano, who won the Food City Dirt Race on March 28, and defending Martinsville spring winner Ryan Blaney are 13-2 on the 2021 NASCAR at Martinsville odds board. Before you scour the 2021 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 starting lineup and making any NASCAR at Martinsville predictions, be sure to see the latest 2021 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 picks from SportsLine's proven projection model.
Developed by daily Fantasy pro and SportsLine predictive data engineer Mike McClure, this proprietary NASCAR prediction model simulates every race 10,000 times, taking into account factors such as track history and recent results.
The model began the 2020 season paying out big by picking Denny Hamlin to win his second consecutive Daytona 500 at 10-1. The model also called Kevin Harvick's win at Atlanta and nailed a whopping nine top-10 finishers in that race. McClure then used the model to lock in a 10-1 bet on Hamlin for his win at Miami.
At The Brickyard, the model called Harvick's fourth victory of the season. Then during the 2020 NASCAR Playoffs, the model nailed its NASCAR picks in back-to-back races, calling Denny Hamlin to win at 17-2 at Talladega and Chase Elliott to win at 7-2 at the Charlotte Roval.
During the 2021 season, the model has correctly predicted at least seven top-10 finishers in three of the last four races. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model simulated the 2021 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 10,000 times. Head to SportsLine to see the complete projected 2021 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 leaderboard.
Top 2021 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 predictions
One shocker: The model is high on Alex Bowman, even though he's a 30-1 long shot in the latest NASCAR at Martinsville odds 2021. He's a target for anyone looking for a huge payday. Bowman is currently 16th in the NASCAR standings, recording one top-five and three top-10 finishes this season. Bowman won the pole for the season-opening Daytona 500, but struggled to a 35th-place finish.
Bowman rebounded to run 10th the following week at the O'Reilly Auto Parts 253 and also placed ninth at the Dixie Vodka 400. His best run so far in 2021 was a third place at the Folds Of Honor QuikTrip 500 three starts ago. Bowman knows the fast line at Martinsville, too, finishing sixth in both races at the track in 2020. With fast equipment in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevy, Bowman is a driver worth backing for your 2021 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 bets, according to the model.
Another massive shocker: Chase Elliott, one of the favorites at 11-2, stumbles at Martinsville and barely cracks the top 10. The reigning Cup Series champion is coming off a 10th place finish at the Food City Dirt Race, which was the Cup Series' first dirt event in over 50 years. He is the face of NASCAR at the moment and has been voted by fans as NASCAR's Most Popular Driver for three consecutive years.
Elliott's last race on asphalt resulted in a disappointing 38th place finish after his motor gave out. That was at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March and marked his second-worst finish over the last four years. On asphalt this season, Elliott has as many finishes outside the top 20 (two) as inside the top 10. There are far better values in a loaded 2021 NASCAR at Martinsville starting lineup.
How to make 2021 NASCAR at Martinsville picks
The model is also targeting two other drivers with 2021 NASCAR at Martinsville odds of 12-1 or longer to make a serious run at winning it all. Anyone who backs these drivers could hit it big. You can see all of the model's NASCAR picks over at SportsLine.
So who wins the 2021 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500? And which long shot stuns NASCAR? Check out the latest 2021 NASCAR at Martinsville odds below, then visit SportsLine now to see the full projected 2021 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 leaderboard, all from the model that nailed at least seven of the top 10 drivers in three of the last four races.
2021 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 odds
Martin Truex Jr. 3-1
Brad Keselowski 4-1
Chase Elliott 11-2
Ryan Blaney 13-2
Joey Logano 13-2
Denny Hamlin 15-2
Kyle Larson 10-1
Kyle Busch 12-1
Kevin Harvick 15-1
Kurt Busch 30-1
William Byron 30-1
Alex Bowman 30-1
Christopher Bell 50-1
Matt DiBenedetto 60-1
Aric Almirola 75-1
Tyler Reddick 100-1
Bubba Wallace 100-1
Ryan Newman 100-1
Austin Dillon 125-1
Chris Buescher 150-1
Cole Custer 200-1
Erik Jones 200-1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 200-1
Ross Chastain 250-1
Chase Briscoe 250-1
Daniel Suarez 250-1
Michael McDowell 300-1
Ryan Preece 750-1
Corey Lajoie 2000-1
Anthony Alfredo 2500-1
Justin Haley 2500-1
Quin Houff 5000-1
Cody Ware 5000-1
James Davison 5000-1
BJ McLeod 5000-1
JJ Yeley 5000-1
Josh Bilicki 5000-1