The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series travels to Bristol, Tennessee this week for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race. There is nothing better than a good short track race on a Saturday night. Be sure to test your knowledge of NASCAR by competing in the Fox Sports Fantasy Auto Racing.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competed at the World’s Fastest Half-Mile in April. The race was dominated by the Joe Gibbs Racing cars. Carl Edwards won the pole and his teammate Matt Kenseth started second. The two drivers combined to lead 418 of the 500 laps. The Toyotas will be the cars to beat Saturday night.
The strategy for selecting your team this week is to look at the drivers who have run well at the short tracks this season. There are only four drivers (Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick and Chase Elliott) who have averaged a top 10 finishing position in the five short track races this season. These drivers will be the best choices to start building your fantasy lineup from this week. Here are the top-10 drivers on the short tracks in 2016…
| Short Track Average Finishing Position 2016 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | Phoenix | Martinsville | Bristol | Richmond | Dover | Average |
| Kurt Busch | 6 | 13 | 3 | 10 | 5 | 7.4 |
| Carl Edwards | 2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 7.6 |
| Kevin Harvick | 1 | 17 | 7 | 5 | 15 | 9.0 |
| Chase Elliott | 8 | 20 | 4 | 12 | 3 | 9.4 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 14 | 18 | 14 | 9 | 9 | 12.8 |
| Matt Kenseth | 7 | 15 | 36 | 7 | 1 | 13.2 |
| Kyle Larson | 12 | 3 | 35 | 14 | 2 | 13.2 |
| Brad Keselowski | 29 | 5 | 18 | 11 | 6 | 13.8 |
| Joey Logano | 18 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 22 | 13.8 |
| Kasey Kahne | 22 | 22 | 17 | 4 | 4 | 13.8 |
Fantasy teams need to select drivers who start outside the top 10 with a good chance to improve their position in the race. The scoring system for Fox Sports Fantasy Auto Racing game rewards drivers who improve their position in the race more than the drivers who lead the most laps. It will be important to try and score as many position differential points as possible Saturday night. Do not focus on the drivers who qualify in the top five since there is a lot of risk and little reward in using these drivers on your team.
Pick to Win
Carl Edwards ($9,600) dominated the spring race at Bristol and he could do the same in the night race. Edwards won the pole and led 276 laps on his way to Victory Lane. It was his fourth win at the track. Edwards has been the best driver on the short tracks this season. The No. 19 car has finished in the top two in three of the five short track races this season. Edwards only finish outside the top six came at Dover where he was running second at the end of the race and was spun out by Kyle Larson. Edwards is my pick to win Saturday night.
Contenders
Kevin Harvick ($13,000) always runs well at Bristol, but he seems to have a hard time finishing the race as well as his runs. Harvick has the second-best driver rating and the 22nd-best average finishing position in the last five races at the track. If Harvick can avoid problems in the pits he should easily finish in the top five this week.
Kurt Busch ($11,600) is at his best on the short tracks. Busch has a series-best average finishing position on the five short track races this season and he finished third in the spring race. Busch has five wins at Bristol and 1,062 laps led. The No. 41 car may not be in Victory Lane this week, but Busch should be one of the drivers in the top five when the checkered flag is waived.
Matt Kenseth ($11,200) had one of the cars to beat in the April race at Bristol. The No. 20 car led 142 laps before being involved in an accident. The team had a lot of bad luck early in the season, but they seem to be running much better now. Kenseth has the third-best driver rating in the last five races at the track. He has four wins and finished 20 of his 33 career starts at the track in the top 10. Kenseth is one of the safest picks in the field this week.
Joey Logano ($10,200) will have a good chance to go back to Victory Lane this week. The No. 22 car won the last two night races at Bristol. Logano has the fourth-best driver rating and has lead 268 laps in the last two seasons in Thunder Valley. The Team Penske cars have not had as much horsepower as the Joe Gibbs Racing cars this season, but that should not matter on the half-mile track. Logano should finish in the top five Saturday night.
Chase Elliott ($9,500) ran a near perfect race in his first Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol. He qualified 19th and finished fourth. Elliott is not running as well now as he was earlier in the season, but the night race should be just what the No. 24 team needs to get back on track. This car has always run well at Bristol with Jeff Gordon in the seat and they showed they can still run in the top five with Elliott at the wheel. It would not surprise me to see Elliott win his first race this week.
Value Picks (Drivers under $9,000)
Jimmie Johnson ($8,600) is priced under $9,000? Oh how the mighty have fallen. I am not ready to give up on the six-time champion just yet. The No. 48 car has an average finishing position of 23rd in the last six week, but those finishes had nothing to do with the car lacking speed. Johnson finished three of his last four races at Bristol in the top four so the odds are good that he will run well Saturday night.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ($8,200) is at his best when the series travels to Bristol. He has the second-best average finishing position at the track. The key to finishing up front at Bristol is the driver’s ability to avoid wrecks. Stenhouse knows how to stay out of trouble. He has finished five of his seven races at the track in the top 16. Stenhouse will have a good chance at finishing in the top 10 at Bristol.
Jeff Gordon ($6,800) does not look like the Gordon of last year but that was to be expected. It takes time for a driver to gel with a new team. I think the off week will be just what the No. 88 team needs to get Gordon to the front at Bristol. Do not give up on Gordon just because he started out slow in the No. 88 car. He will run up front this week.
Here are my picks for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race for Fox Sports Fantasy Auto Racing:
Driver 1: Kurt Busch $11,600
Driver 2: Matt Kenseth $11,200
Driver 3: Joey Logano $10,200
Driver 4: Carl Edwards $9,600
Driver 5: Jeff Gordon $6,800
FOX Fantasy Auto Resources
And don't forget - prizes are on the line each race of the fantasy season! First, second and third place each win a prize. Plus, each race builds your point total for larger segment and season prizes.
*Stats from Driveraverages.com and career stats from Racing-Reference.Info…
If you need any further advice with your team or want to see my updated picks after Happy Hour practice, look for me on Twitter (@MrFantasyNASCAR) or LIKE my Fantasy NASCAR Tips Page on Facebook.
