The NASCAR Xfinity Series will wrap the Round of 8 of the 2021 Playoffs at the Martinsville Speedway on Saturday night in the Dead On Tools 250. Racing at Martinsville is bumper-to-bumper exciting short track racing and Martinsville is the smallest track on the Xfinity circuit. 250 laps will make up the distance in the Dead On Tools 250 on Saturday night, and there will not be a great deal of time to get to the front. Strategy will no doubt be a factor in the pits on Saturday night.
Here are a few drivers to consider for the Dead On Tools 250.
Ty Gibbs +450- Gibbs will roll off from the 2nd position on Saturday for the Xfinity Series race at Martinsville. Saturday marks the 18th start of the 2021 Xfinity Series season for Ty and he has 4 victories and an additional 5 top 5 finishes on the 2021 season. Saturday’s Dead On Tools 250 marks the 2nd time Ty Gibbs will be competing at Martinsville, came away with a 4th place finish in April of 2021 after starting 16th. Expect Ty to be going after win 5 on the 2021 Xfinity season here on Saturday night.
Noah Gragson +600- Noah will take the green flag for Saturday’s Dead On Tool 250 from the 9th position. Gragson led 12 of the 250 laps at Martinsville in the Xfinity Series race back in April, coming home 2nd place. Gragson finished 3rd in the 2020 Xfinity race in the Playoffs after starting 2nd. 24 points outside the final 4 for Noah heading into Saturday’s Xfinity race and he has proven Martinsville is a successful track. A win and Gragson is in at Phoenix next weekend.
Justin Allgaier +700- Allgaier will roll off inside row 3 from the 5th starting position for Saturday night’s Dead On Tools 250 at Martinsville. Justin finished 2nd in the 2020 Xfinity playoff race at Martinsville, not leading any laps in that event. Justin finished 9th at Martinsville in the April Xfinity race after starting 2nd. Allgaier 9 points above the cutline heading into Saturday’s Dead On Tools 250, look for Justin to be in competition in the final stage.
A.J. Allmendinger +800- Allmendinger will fire off on Saturday for the Xfinity Series race from the 3rd position. Allmendinger probably has the most laps of any contender in Saturday’s race at the Martinsville Speedway. Allmendinger led 68 of the 250 laps in the 2020 Xfinity race only to finish 26th after a late race issue. A.J. finished 13th at Martinsville back in April of 2021 after having an issue. Look for a bounce back here from A.J. on Saturday night.
Daniel Hemric +900- Hemric will start from the 7th position for the Dead On Tools 250 on Saturday night. Hemric started 4th and came home 3rd in the Xfinity Series race back in April. Hemric is one of the more experienced drivers at Martinsville with Truck Series starts as well as Cup Series starts. Hemric is the last car in heading into Saturday’s Dead On Tools 250, 7 points above the 2021 Playoff cut line. Nice value here on Hemric for Saturday night.
AUTHOR: Jeff Jeter
Mitch's Take...
