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Kevin Harvick picked Denny Hamlin to win Sunday’s Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway, a race Hamlin likely needs to win to stay in the Cup Series title fight.
Harvick missed this week’s episode of his Happy Hour podcast but made his pick before the taping. His co-hosts and guest host Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports each picked a different driver.
The picks
- Kevin Harvick: Denny Hamlin
- Kaitlyn Vincie: Kyle Larson
- Mamba Smith: Christopher Bell
- Bob Pockrass: Ryan Blaney
“I’m going with Kyle Larson,” Vincie said. “I think he just keeps this going and strengthens his lead. I think he says, ‘See you guys later. No one else is winning.’”
Smith picked Bell to win the title before the season and is sticking with him. “So I got to pick the 20 basically for the next two races,” Smith said. “‘Cause yeah, I gotta be locked in.”
Why Hamlin
Hamlin has six Cup wins at Martinsville, his home track, more than any other active driver. In the spring race, he won the pole, swept both stages and led 292 of 400 laps before finishing second to Chase Elliott.
He is second in the Chase standings, 73 points behind Larson. Larson clinches the title on Sunday if he leaves Martinsville with a lead of at least 77 points, as Pit This Time reported. Hamlin said on his own podcast this week that catching Larson is “highly unlikely.”
The other picks
Bell is third in points, 74 back, and won the fall Martinsville race in 2022. Blaney is sixth, 107 back, and won the fall race in 2023 and 2024. A Larson win would clinch his third Cup title.
William Byron won this race last year, sweeping the pole, both stages and the win.
How to watch
Cup practice is Saturday at 1 p.m. ET and qualifying at 2:05 p.m., on truTV and HBO Max. The Xfinity 500 is Sunday, November 1, at 2 p.m. ET on NBC from Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia.
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