NASCAR Cook Out 400 preview: Favorite, underdog, top storylines

On Sunday, the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series will visit Martinsville Speedway for the seventh race of the season.

Here are the top storylines you should be aware of ahead of Sunday's Cook Out 400:

Favorite: Ryan Blaney (+400, per DraftKings)

Blaney has driven one of the fastest cars on the track the last three weeks with nothing to show for it. The 2023 champion was involved in a multi-car crash at Las Vegas and finished 35th. A blown engine ended his day prematurely at Phoenix and Homestead-Miami, with finishes of 28th and 36th, respectively.

The finishes may not be there, but Blaney has arguably the most speed of anyone in the Cup Series right now. As the winner of the last two fall races at Martinsville and five top 10s in the last six races at the half-mile paperclip, all signs point to Blaney putting the bad finishes to rest.

Underdog: Josh Berry (+2800, per DraftKings)

Berry has already found victory lane this season at 1.5-mile Las Vegas and could be a strong contender for a second win at Martinsville.

The Wood Brothers organization has an alliance with Team Penske, which should bode well considering Blaney's recent success and Joey Logano's 11 consecutive top 10s at the track. On top of that, Berry is an experienced short-track racer and recorded his first career Xfinity Series win at Martinsville four years ago. Don't be surprised to see him up front once again on Sunday.

Martinsville represents first short track of season

Through six races so far, the Cup Series has visited two drafting-style tracks (Daytona, Atlanta), one road course (COTA), 1-mile Phoenix Raceway and two 1.5-mile intermediates (Las Vegas, Homestead-Miami). On Sunday, drivers will tackle a short track for the first of six times this season in a points-paying race.

Given Martinsville is the cutoff race that sets the Championship 4 by season's end, Sunday will give drivers their only laps on the track before the stakes are magnified in October. Not to mention, this weekend's race at Martinsville is only 400 laps compared to the 500 laps that will be run in the playoffs, giving drivers fewer opportunities to overcome mistakes and less time on track.

Can Team Penske finally take advantage of speed?

Despite Austin Cindric, Blaney and Logano leading the most laps in the field and consistently putting themselves toward the front with speed, it has been a frustrating start to the 2025 season for the trio.

If there was an ideal track for Team Penske to execute and take advantage of the speed, Martinsville is it. Blaney and Logano have three wins between the two of them and, while Cindric only has two top 10s in six starts at the paperclip, his lone top five came in last year's fall race.

Will Hendrick Motorsports' dominance at Martinsville continue?

Team Penske is usually up front at Martinsville, but Hendrick Motorsports typically sets the bar, especially in the spring race. The organization has 29 wins and has led 11,103 laps at the half-mile track, which are the most for any team at one track.

Since the Next Gen car debuted in 2022, Hendrick Motorsports has won all three spring races at Martinsville, including last year's 1-2-3 finish between William Byron, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott. Team Penske may have the upper hand in the fall, but Hendrick Motorsports has proven to be the team to beat in the spring at Martinsville.