The NASCAR Sprint Cup makes its next stop at Bristol Motor Speedway’s half-mile coliseum for the Irwin Tools Night Race. We looked at past performances, season trends, and spoke to team contacts to give the internet’s best prediction of how the field should finish.
When: Saturday, August 22; 7:43 p.m./et.
Weather: Mostly sunny with a daytime high around 84; wind out of the SE at 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 10%.
The Track: Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway is a half-mile oval with high-banking the entire way around. The corners are banked 36 degrees with 16 degree banking on the straight-aways. This is a track where very few drivers have been able to dominate. Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch, and Jeff Gordon have all had decent success at the track, but that status can change with one nudge to the left-rear bumper.
Key to Race: DON’T BRING YOUR BEST CAR
The Bullring inBristolhas been described a flying an airplane in a gymnasium. There will be no cars that escape Saturday’s race without at least a little sheet metal damage. This race is one of the most entertaining races on the circuit for fans and most frustrating for drivers. Expect tempers to flare as the cars bump-and-bang. The driver that wins the race will be the one with the best set of pit stops and the most luck. Kyle Busch’s recent dominance will be tested this weekend as often the best car and driver won’t earn a trip to Bristol’s Victory Lane.
Qualifying:
46 cars will attempt to qualify for 43 spots.
Fantasy Cheat Sheet:
Top 5
No. 41 Kurt Busch: Busch has won five races at Bristol during his career. He could re-earn his King of Bristol nickname this weekend.
No. 18 Kyle Busch: Bristol is one of Kyle’s better tracks. He is worth using in all leagues.
No. 20 Matt Kenseth: Kenseth won at Bristol earlier this year and has 20 top 10 finishes at the track. He is a great option.
No. 22 Joey Logano: Logano finally appeared to solve Bristol’s riddle when he won the Night Race last year. He should finish inside the top five this visit to the wilds of Tennessee.
No. 4 Kevin Harvick: Harvick has 12 top 10 finishes in 29 career races at Bristol. The way he has driven this season we aren’t going to bet against him, but we prefer to save him for a track where down-force gives him more of an advantage.
6 to 10
No. 48 Jimmie Johnson: Johnson had one of the fastest cars in the past 13 Bristol races and won the 2010 spring race. He will be fast again.
No. 2 Brad Keselowski: Keselowski has won two of the past seven races at Bristol. There is no reason to think he can’t win again.
No. 19 Carl Edwards: Edwards has won three of the last 17 races at Bristol, including last spring. He is a good pick.
No. 24 Jeff Gordon: Gordon has five wins and has led nearly 2,500 laps at Bristol during his career. He should be in the top 10 once again on Saturday.
No. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Junior has been decent at Bristol in his career. In his last 27 starts at the track he has finished 17th or better in 24 of them. Look for him to finish just inside the top 10.
11 to 20
No. 5 Kasey Kahne: Kahne won at Bristol in 2013. He is a decent choice this weekend.
No. 11 Denny Hamlin: Hamlin won the 2012 Night Race at Bristol and has led nearly 580 laps in the past 17 races at the track. He should have the No. 11 inside the top 15 when the dust settles.
No. 78 Martin Truex Jr.: Truex struggled at Bristol earlier this year. We recommend saving him for another track.
No. 42 Kyle Larson: Larson ran great at Bristol the past three races. He should crack the top 15 again.
No. 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: Stenhouse was fantastic the past three races at Bristol. He is worth using in most leagues.
No. 15 Clint Bowyer: Bowyer has cracked the top 10 in eight of his last 17 starts at Bristol. He should notch another decent finish on Saturday.
No. 31 Ryan Newman: Newman ran a fast race at Bristol this spring. He should finish right around the top 15.
No. 14 Tony Stewart: “Smoke” has two top five finishes in the past nine starts at Bristol. He is could be worth taking a chance on this weekend.
No. 16 Greg Biffle: Biffle has 13 top 10 finishes in 25 career starts at Bristol. He is an okay fantasy option.
No. 27 Paul Menard: Menard has cracked the top 25 in 14 of the last 16 Bristol races. He is a great under-the-radar pick.
21 to 30
No. 1 Jamie McMurray: McMurray led 148 laps at Bristol last fall before finishing in eighth place. He will likely bring a similar setup this weekend and has value as a fourth driver.
No. 3 Austin Dillon: Dillon was great at Bristol this spring. He is an interesting option to round-out your roster.
No. 43 Aric Almirola: Almirola has been awesome the past two spring races at Bristol. We will see if his springtime-speed will translate to The Night Race.
No. 51 Justin Allgaier: Allgaier finished eighth at Bristol earlier this year and cracked the top 20 in both races at the track last year.
No. 10 Danica Patrick: Patrick finished ninth at Bristol earlier this year. She is a nice sleeper pick.
No. 47 A.J. Allmendinger: “Dinger” struggled at Bristol earlier this year. There a better options for sleeper picks this weekend.
No. 9 Sam Hornish Jr.: Hornish notched a top 20 finish at Bristol earlier this year. He is an okay pick.
No. 38 David Gilliland: Gilliland ran terrific at Bristol the past three races. He is worth trying in the deepest of leagues.
No. 6 Trevor Bayne: Bayne hasn’t performed well at Bristol so far in his career. We advise waiting a couple trips to the track before using hi.
No. 55 David Ragan: Ragan has averaged a middle-of-the-pack 23rd at Bristol in his career. He will finish around his average this visit.
Field Fillers:
No. 13 Casey Mears
No. 34 Brett Moffitt
No. 7 Alex Bowman
No. 21 Ryan Blaney
No. 83 Matt Dibendetto
No. 95 Michael McDowell
No. 46 Michael Annett
No. 35 Cole Whitt
No. 23 J.J. Yeley
No. 26 Jeb Burton
No. 40 Landon Cassill
No. 30 Travis Kvapil
No. 32 Josh Wise
No. 33 Mike Bliss
No. 62 Reed Sorenson
No. 98 Timmy Hill
My Yahoo! Fantasy NASCAR Team for this Week:
A. Kyle Busch
B. Carl Edwards
B. Kurt Busch
