Forty years after traveling to Martinsville Speedway with a struggling, sponsor-less NASCAR Cup Series team, Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports, was not present, but watched from his North Carolina residence as William Byron, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott placed 1-2-3 during Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway.
It was the first time an organization recorded a trifecta in 151 Cup events at the .526-mile short track.
In the past, Hendrick told NASCAR.com that situations like Sunday “always knots your tummy up.
“You’ve got to let ’em race, but man, all I could see was them wrecking … I’m glad they played nice and raced each other clean.”
Hendrick Motorsports has captured half of the eight Cup events this season.
Below, we’ll preview the top storylines heading into Sunday’s AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400, go over the odds, and give our best bets for the ninth race on the 2024 NASCAR schedule.
Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing have won the last 6 races (7 of 8 in 2024).
Together they’ve led 1,623 of the last 1,969 laps in the Cup Series, 82.4% of the possible laps (Las Vegas-Martinsville) pic.twitter.com/seX9Tgjhlp
— Trey Ryan (@TreyRyan99) April 8, 2024
AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 Storylines
- Did the crew chief switch do any good? Austin Dillon placed P34 with Justin Alexander commanding the team. Dillon has yet to place better than 16th this season.
- Is it Harrison Burton? Or Wood Brothers Racing? Burton’s P33 at Martinsville was his fourth straight finish in the 30s. The team has yet to place in the top 10 this season.
- Ryan Preece secured a P9 at Martinsville. It was his first top-10 finish this season. Should fans expect more?
P22 ➡️ P9@RyanPreece_ and the No. 41 toughed it out at Martinsville to finish in the top-10. pic.twitter.com/2CiHYNMthF
— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) April 8, 2024
NASCAR Cup Series Driver Odds
Here is an early look at the drivers’ odds for the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway, according to BetOnline Sportsbook:
| Driver | NASCAR Cup Series’ AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 | Play |
|---|---|---|
| Kyle Larson | +400 |  |
| Denny Hamlin | +650 | |
| William Byron | +650 | |
| Tyler Reddick | +700 | |
| Ryan Blaney | +850 | |
| Martin Truex Jr. | +1000 | |
| Christopher Bell | +1200 | |
| Chase Elliott | +1400 | |
| Bubba Wallace | +1400 | |
| Ross Chastain | +1400 | |
| Ty Gibbs | +1800 | |
| Kyle Busch | +1800 | |
| Joey Logano | +2000 | |
| Alex Bowman | +2200 | |
| Brad Keselowski | +2500 | |
| Chris Buescher | +2800 | |
| Noah Gragson | +6600 | |
| Chase Briscoe | +8000 | |
| Daniel Suarez | +8000 | |
| Erik Jones | +8000 | |
| Austin Hill | +10000 | |
| John H. Nemechek | +15000 | |
| Josh Berry | +20000 | |
| Michael McDowell | +20000 | |
| Carson Hocevar | +20000 | |
| Austin Dillon | +20000 | |
| Austin Cindric | +20000 | |
| Corey LaJoie | +20000 | |
| Jimmie Johnson | +20000 | |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | +25000 | |
| Ryan Preece | +30000 | |
| Todd Gilliland | +30000 | |
| Zane Smith | +30000 | |
| Justin Haley | +50000 | |
| Harrison Burton | +50000 | |
| Daniel Hemric | +100000 | |
| Kaz Grala | +100000 | |
| Ty Dillon | +100000 | |
*Odds current at time of publication
AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 Predictions and Picks
Here are our best NASCAR bets for the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway:
Kyle Larson (+400)
The new regular-season points leader, Larson has compiled one win and four top-five finishes this season. His four stage wins are double the number of anyone on the circuit.
William Byron (+650)
Talk about a good bet. Byron, who claimed last Sunday’s Cook Out 400, has won on a superspeedway, road course and short track this season. He also captured the playoff race at Texas last season.
Bubba Wallace (+1400)
Wallace’s P4 last Sunday was his career-best effort at Martinsville, totaling 18 stage points. He has three top-five finishes this season.
Bubba Wallace’s Columbia scheme for Texas pic.twitter.com/qGiUPaMeQZ
— Skewcar (@Skewcar) April 9, 2024
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