Fantasy NASCAR Preview: Bristol
Hopefully this week I don't continue to curse whoever I rank first. Bristol will be a much different race than we've seen thus far anywhere else. It's a little easier on fantasy players though, since both races last season on the wicked fast half-mile were run in the Car of Tomorrow.
1. Carl Edwards, #99 Office Depot Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing
No driver is hotter (even Kyle Busch), despite the mechanical problem that cost him a win in Atlanta. To top that off, he won at Bristol in the fall and also dominated at Dover (another track with a concrete surface).
2. Kyle Busch, #18 M & M's/Snickers Toyota, Gibbs Racing
If Carl Edwards is the hottest driver in NASCAR, then the younger Busch is a close second. He won this race in Bristol last season and is coming off a win at Atlanta. He has been highly competitive and is capable of winning every race this season. The only downside to choosing him yet again this week is that you are limited to using him 9 times. It's tough, because he's been one of the best two B choices each week.
3. Kurt Busch, #2 Miller Lite Dodge, Penske Racing South
Busch has had some poor finishes this weekend, but has run stronger than his finishes have indicated. He is the king of Bristol, so expect a solid run and possible win from him despite finishes of 29th and 6th there last season.
4. Tony Stewart, #20 Home Depot Toyota, Gibbs Racing
Stewart was simply dominant last spring in Bristol, leading 257 laps. A part failure turned a sure win into a 35th place finish. He was solid (but not spectacular) in the fall finishing 4th, but coming off a 2nd place run in Atlanta Stewart is a top class A selection.
5. Jeff Gordon, #24 DuPont Chevrolet, Hendrick Motor Sports
Gordon has led almost 2500 laps at Bristol (the only other active driver with over 1000 is Tony Stewart) and has 5 wins; tied with Kurt Busch for most of any active driver. In 30 starts, he has 18 top 10's and 12 top 5's. A top 5 rate of 40% is as close to a sure thing as you can get and he was 3rd in this race last season.
6. Kevin Harvick, #29 Shell/Reeses/GM Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
Harvick has finished in the top 5 in half of his 14 Bristol starts, including a 4th in this race last season. This may be a week to slip him onto your class A roster, since he won't be a primary option at most other tracks.
7. Kasey Kahne, #9 Budweiser Dodge, Gillett-Evernham Motorsports
Kahne was 2nd at Bristol in August, leading 305 out of 500 laps. This was by far his best career run at Bristol in 8 starts; and the first time he had even led one lap, nevermind over 300. Still, that run shows that he figured something out and could possibly run up front this weekend.
8. Jeff Burton, #31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
Burton ran 2nd to Kyle Busch in the spring race last season and probably could have won had he been willing to spin Busch. He was 12th in the August race and 9th in August of 2006 -- even though he led 263 laps. He is a solid class A option this week.
9. Dale Earnhardt Jr, #88 AMP/National Guard Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
Earnhardt has 6 top 5's and 9 top 10's in his Bristol career. In his last 12 starts, he has finished outside the top 11 just once and in his last 3 starts he has netted finishes of 3rd, 7th, and 5th. He is a great class B option this week.
10. Greg Biffle, #16 3M Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing
Biffle was 10th in the fall at Bristol and 5th in the spring. When fans think of Bristol, Biffle isn't the first name that comes to mind, but he has the best average finish of any active driver (10.3 in 10 starts) and 3 top 5's for his career. He has been solid the last few weeks and is an excellent class B choice.
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