NASCAR Cook Out 400 Predictions, Odds & Race Preview — Martinsville Speedway

The NASCAR Cup Series drivers go short-track racing for the first time in 2025 this Sunday afternoon in the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway. 

Ryan Blaney has taken two of the last three races held at "The Paperclip," so it's no surprise to see him toward the top in the wagering. 

Our free betting picks dive into what we can expect to witness in the seventh race of the Cup Series season.

Odds to win 2025 Cook Out 400

Driver
Ryan Blaney	+550
Denny Hamlin	+550
Kyle Larson	+650
Christopher Bell	+700
Chase Elliott	+850
William Byron	+900
Joey Logano	+1100
Bubba Wallace	+1200
Alex Bowman	+1400
Kyle Busch	+1800
Josh Berry	+1800
Tyler Reddick	+2000
Chase Briscoe	+2000
Ryan Preece	+2200
Brad Keselowski	+4000
Ross Chastain	+4000
Ty Gibbs	+4000
Chris Buescher	+5000
Austin Cindric	+6000
Austin Dillon	+8000

Odds as of 3-30.

Cook Out 400 field

A couple of unfamiliar names dot the 38-car entry sheet for the Cook Out 400 in Burt Myers and Casey Mears. Myers participated in the Clash prior to the Daytona 500 but has no other Cup Series experience. Mears last ran at NASCAR's highest level in 2019 and has one prior win (2007 Coca-Cola 600). Neither is expected to contend for the win on Sunday.

A crush of seven drivers are listed at +900 or less, comprised of two Penske Fords (Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano), two Joe Gibbs Toyotas (Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell), and three Hendrick Chevrolets (Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, William Byron). Considering a driver from one of this trio of teams has won 19 of the last 20 races at Martinsville dating back to 2015 (Clint Bowyer for Stewart-Haas in 2018 being the exception), these opening odds are not surprising in the slightest.

Cook Out 400 expert picks and predictions

Odds listed below courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook as of 3-29.

Cook Out 400 pre-qualifying favorites

Ryan Blaney (+400)
Ryan Blaney stomped the field with 145 laps led and a Championship 4-sealing victory in the fall of 2023, and did so again after leading three times for 32 laps last year. Included were stage finishes of second and first in 2023 and fifth and second last November. 

Blaney has 10 Top-5 finishes in his last 14 Martinsville starts, including a fifth-place finish last spring. He needs a strong finish with results of 19th, 28th, 35th and 36th the last four weeks.

Kyle Larson (+500)
Kyle Larson has seven Top-10 finishes in his last nine Martinsville tries, including his last six finishes being second, first, sixth, second, second, and third, respectively. Larson started on pole and led 86 laps last spring, and charged from ninth to lead 71 laps last Fall. 

Entering this weekend, Larson has four Top-10 results in the last five weekends, three of which in the Top 3. 

William Byron (+650)
William Byron won last year’s spring race and was sixth in the fall for his sixth Top 7 in his last eight Martinsville starts. The current Cup Series points leader has four Top-6 finishes in six races this season. 

Joey Logano (+900)
Joey Logano hasn’t won at Martinsville since the 2018 playoff race. However, he has finished in the Top 10 in 11 of the 12 races since. Logano was second, sixth, second, fifth, sixth and 10th, respectively, in the last six. He’s led the most laps this season, so don’t let it fool you that his best result is 12th. 

Cook Out 400 sleepers

Chase Briscoe (+1200)
Chase Briscoe has five Top-10 finishes in his last six Martinsville starts and five straight Top-5 qualifying efforts at Martinsville. In 2023, he qualified fourth and third, respectively, while finishing fifth and fourth. He led 109 laps in the 2023 spring race with stage finishes of fifth and second. 

Last spring, he qualified fifth, finished fourth and seventh in the pair of stages, and 10th in the race. The car he’s now driving qualified in the Top 5 in both races in 2023 and started fourth and first, respectively, last season. 

Alex Bowman (+2800)
Alex Bowman won the 2021 playoff race and has finished in the Top 13 in four of the five starts after. He also is hot on the season, finishing in the Top-10 in five of the first six weeks, including a runner-up last weekend at Homestead-Miami. 

Bubba Wallace (+3000)
Bubba Wallace won a Truck Series race here and has four Top-11 finishes in his last five starts on the track, including a fourth-place finish from the No. 2 starting spot last spring. He enters having finished third last week. 

Ryan Preece (+3500)
While his finishes in 2023 were 15th and 20th, respectively, he qualified on the pole and ninth. 

Ryan Preece led 135 laps and won the first stage in the first race. Pit road was the reason for his demise. In the second race, he finished eighth and seventh, respectively, in the two stages. Preece charged from 22nd to finish ninth last spring. He also has two Top-10 finishes across the last two weeks of the season. 

Cook Out 400 fades

Chase Elliott (+650) 
The 2020 playoff race winner has three Top-5 finishes at Martinsville in the eight starts since. With the Next Gen car, Chase Elliott finished 10th, 10th, 10th, 17th, third and second, here. The problem is, while he has three Top-10 finishes in the last four weeks, Elliott has just one Top-5 finish this season, and that was fourth in COTA. 

I don’t like these odds. I like a +200 play for a Top-3 finish, if anything. 

Christopher Bell (+900) 
Christopher Bell’s 2022 playoff win is the lone Top-5 finish in his last 10 Martinsville starts. Bell has only led in two of his 13 Martinsville races. 

He finished 35th and 22nd here last year. Also, since he completed the early season hat-trick, his results since are 12th and 29th, respectively. 

Tyler Reddick (+3500)
Don’t let the high number trap you along with the fact that he finished seventh last spring. That’s Reddick’s best finish in 10 Martinsville starts. He only has two Top-10 finishes and no laps led. 

Cook Out 400 prop pick: Denny Hamlin Top-3 finish

Denny Hamlin (+650 outright) could really use a win, and Martinsville is a great spot for it to occur.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has four Top-5 finishes with four stage wins in his last five Martinsville starts. He’s also led 103 or more laps in four of his last eight races here. He finished 11th and fifth, respectively, last season. This season, Hamlin has three Top-6 results in the last five weeks. 

Due to Hendrick Motorsports’ 2025 strength and how well it did at Martinsville last season mixed with Team Penske’s speed, I think a Top-3 finish is the best play.

Pick: Denny Hamlin Top-3 finish (+200 at DraftKings)

Martinsville Speedway track analysis

Martinsville is a unique track with long straights and tight corners. This first trip of the season is 100 laps shorter than the fall visit, or about a 53-mile differential. Will it truly change the outcome?

It may.

We’ve had 16 Martinsville races since the stage era began in 2017. In those 16 races, the leader at Lap 400 failed to win the race in the end six times. 

Joe Gibbs Racing, Team Penske, and Hendrick Motorsports have combined to win 19 of the last 20 Martinsville races, with five of the last nine belonging to HMS, who went 1-2-3 last spring and 2-3-6 last fall. 

Cook Out 400 trends

• The front row starters have failed to win each of the last 23 Martinsville races overall.
• The last 10 overall Martinsville races were won by a driver coming from fifth on back.
• Two of the last three Martinsville spring races have required an overtime finish.

Cook Out 400 info

Previous Cook Out 400 winners

There have been three drivers to record multiple victories in the Martinsville spring race in the last eight years, and it's also worth noting Ryan Blaney is the back-to-back winner of the fall race here.

How to make Cook Out 400 picks

NASCAR betting is a nuanced process that can take any number of factors into account, and spans several different types of bets. Fortunately, our How to Bet NASCAR guide walks you through the basics, including how to read odds, different markets that are available, and what to consider when making your bets. 

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