NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Predictions & Picks: Who Will Prosper at the Paper Clip?

Spring has just sprung, but it has been Tyler Reddick season since the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series campaign began last month. In today's Cook Out 400, the series points leader will try to master Martinsville and pick up his fifth win in seven races.

Last week, Reddick drove away from the field, winning the Goodyear 400 at Darlington by nearly six seconds ahead of Brad Keselowski. Keselowski won Stage 1 and Stage 2 and led 144 of the 293 laps. However, he and the rest of the field were in Reddick's dust when the checkered flag.

It was the third time this season that Reddick won from pole, but it was the first of the three in which he didn't lead the most laps. However, when it mattered, no one could touch the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota. And when the margin of victory is often inside a second, Reddick's win was a rare sight for an oval race.

What is in store for this week's race at the paper clip? Virginia native and 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin, who has six career Cup Series wins at Martinsville, will start on pole.

Joining Hamlin up front will be William Byron, who owns three career Cup Series wins at the track.

Hamlin won last year's Cook Out 400 at Martinsville, and he is favored to become the ninth repeat winner in the race's seven-and-a-half-decade history. At Lucky Rebel and other top online sportsbooks, Hamlin sits atop the odds ahead of Ryan Blaney (a two-time winner in the fall race, the Xfinity 500), and the Hendrick Motorsports trio of Chase Elliott (a winner in the 2020 fall race), Kyle Larson (who won this race in 2023), and Byron. Reddick carries the 11th-best odds, though he will start the race eighth.

Cook Out 400 Race Information

• Race: 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 (Race #7 of 36)
• Location: Martinsville, Virginia (Martinsville Speedway)
• Lap Length: 0.526 miles
• Race Length: 400 laps

Odds to Win the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Martinsville

Odds are from Lucky Rebel as of Sunday, March 29, 2026, at 10 a.m. ET.

Cook Out 400 Starting Lineup

Cook Out 400 Predictions and Picks

Tyler Reddick to Finish in the Top 10 (+125 at Lucky Rebel)

Reddick has just two top-10 finishes in 12 career Cup Series races at Martinsville, including one in six with 23XI Racing. Both of those Martinsville top 10s are in this race, a eighth-place finish with Richard Childress Racing in 2021 and a seventh-place finish with his current team in 2024.

Historically, Reddick has not had fantastic results overall at short tracks. In 33 career Cup Series races at Martinsville, Bristol, Richmond, and Iowa, Reddick has just two top-five finishes and five top-10 finishes, though those numbers increase to four top fives and eight top 10s if you include his seventh-place finish and two runner-up finishes in three Bristol dirt races.

But while his historic numbers aren't good, he is on fire right now. And while he may not win, it would be silly to pass on these odds for him to finish in the top 10. While past results are certainly worth noting, sometimes you must look beyond history and look at the present. And in the present, Reddick's current run makes this an easy choice.

William Byron to Finish in the Top Five (+125 at Lucky Rebel)

Last week, Byron recorded his third consecutive top-10 finish as he came in eighth at Darlington. He is 134 points behind Reddick in the points, but a so-so string of results to start the season seems to be behind him.

Can he claim his first win of the season today? It's mildly surprising that his odds across the board are what they are, given his previous success at Martinsville and how well he qualified. But that presents opportunities for value, especially with his finishing position odds.

Since finishing 20^th, 39^th, and 22^nd in his first three Cup Series starts at Martinsville, Byron has three wins, six top-five finishes, and nine top-10 finishes in 13 Martinsville starts, including last year's clutch victory when he needed exactly that result for a Championship 4 spot.

While recent results are behind the Reddick pick, recent results and historical results are both why these odds are too good to pass on Byron.

Kyle Larson to Finish in the Top Five (+125 at Lucky Rebel)

While making four Cook Out 400 picks would not have been unreasonable, three picks is a good spot to wrap it up when two of the three are top-five bets. And for this final pick, it was a toss-up between Hamlin and Larson.

While I feel confident in Hamlin, Larson, and Byron all landing in the top five, I'm happy to give Larson the edge here because of the odds.

Hamlin is -130 to finish in the top five, which feels like another steal given his success at Martinsville, but this may be the best value on the board for today's race.

In 10 Martinsville races in his Hendrick Motorsports No. 5, Larson has a win, seven top-five finishes, and eight top-10 finishes. And in his last seven starts there, he has finished second, first, sixth, second, third, fifth, and fifth. In this race alone, Larson has finished fifth, 19^th, first, second, and fifth in the No. 5.

Larson will start only 13^th today, but barring any incidents and mishaps (which are always a possibility for the two-time Cup Series champion), he will finish much better.