Martinsville Speedway is my favorite track on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, but even I have to admit the racing there hasn’t been good lately.

Fortunately, NASCAR and Goodyear got to work and this weekend will bring a much softer tire than they have in recent memory.

In theory, softer tires should wear more quickly and make cars harder to drive, which would then encourage more overtaking.

I’m in wait-and-see mode as to when the tires will actually impact Sunday’s Xfinity 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBC), but I’ve decided to go ahead and take a small position on a driver undervalued to score a top 1o. finishing.

NASCAR odds and top pick for Martinsville

*Odds from Wednesday morning

Since joining Stewart-Haas Racing ahead of the 2023 Cup Series season, Ryan Preece has been a very solid player at Martinsville.

In those three races, Preece posted the 10th best driver rating, which in itself is interesting compared to his odds of finishing in the top 10 of +400.

And while that driver rating is solid, it’s also misleading.

In the spring of 2023, Preece won the pole at Martinsville and led 135 laps before getting caught speeding on pit road, forcing him to start from the back.

Preece managed to work his way back to a 15th place finish in this race – a finish that doesn’t properly represent the speed of this race car.

As a result, I’m taking Preece at +400 odds right now to finish inside the top 10 on Sunday at Martinsville.

NASCAR Picks: Ryan Preece (+400) for a top 10 — bet365