Fantasy NASCAR Preview: Bristol

by Eric McGuire , Tuesday, August 19, 2008

A lot has changed since the race at Bristol back in March. It will be interesting (as always) to see how the night pans out. One thing is for sure, so many drivers are good at Bristol these days that it's hard to see anyone completely dominating for 500 laps. There are several guys in both class A and class B who could contend for the win.

This is such a unique race track that data and track time on other tracks doesn't really translate to success at Bristol. It's higher banked, but half the size of the concrete Monster Mile in Dover, Delaware. It's similar in size to Martinsville, but the surface and banking are so drastically different that teams approach the race setups on opposite ends of the spectrum. Pay attention to what happened in March, as well as who has had consistent success on the tight Tennessee bull-ring over their career.

1. Tony Stewart, #20 Home Depot Toyota, Gibbs Racing

I'll say it one more time: Tony Stewart is due for a win. This past spring, Stewart led 267 laps but was involved in an altercation with Kevin Harvick (which relegated him to a 14th place finish). Last spring was more of the same: he was simply dominant in leading 257 laps before a part failure turned a sure win into a 35th place finish. He was solid but not spectacular last fall, finishing 4th. This track suits his style and he's an excellent class A choice.

2. Denny Hamlin, #11 FedEx Toyota, Gibbs Racing

Two spring races in a row Hamlin has been in position to win when car trouble cost him the race. He led 177 laps last spring, blew a motor last August, and led 98 laps in the spring before a fuel pickup problem left him out of contention for the win. He's another great class A choice this weekend.

3. Carl Edwards, #99 Office Depot Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing

Edwards won this race last season and also won at Dover. He is as hot as they come on the racetrack right now and should be way better than his 16th place finish in the spring indicates.

4. Jeff Burton, #31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing

Burton won in the spring after Hamlin had trouble and he ran 2nd to Kyle Busch in the 2007 spring event. He was 12th last August and 9th in August of 2006 (even though he led 263 laps). He is a solid class A option this week and a testament to the entire class A group that the winner in the spring is ranked fourth overall coming back to Bristol.

5. Kevin Harvick, #29 Shell/Reeses/GM Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing

Harvick was 2nd in the spring -- part of RCR's 1-2-3 finish. He has 8 top 5's in 15 starts and is worth a class A selection this weekend.

6. 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. He has 18 top 10's in 31 starts to go with 12 top 5's. He knows he has to finish well to solidify a spot in the Chase; look for him to perform well this weekend (better than his 11th place run in the spring).

7. Kyle Busch, #18 M & M's/Snickers Toyota, Gibbs Racing

If you could use him 36 times, you should. He is the top class B choice this weekend, despite a 17th place finish in the spring. My personal recommendation would be to save him for some tracks later in the year -- there are still 13 races left and you can only use him 9 times if you are in a Yahoo league.

8. Clint Bowyer, #07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing

Bowyer has scored consecutive 3rd place finishes at Bristol and was 8th last spring as well. It's been so long since he has been on the class A radar you almost have to consider using him this weekend.

9. Greg Biffle, #16 3M Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing

Biffle was 4th in the spring, 10th last August and 5th last 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 and 4 top 5's for his career. He is right up there with Kyle Busch as the best class B driver this weekend.

10. Dale Earnhardt Jr, #88 AMP/National Guard Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports

Earnhardt was 5th in the spring, giving him 7 top 5's and 10 top 10's in his Bristol career. In his last 13 starts, he has finished outside the top 11 just once and his last 4 starts have netted finishes of 3rd, 7th, and 5th, and 5th. He is a great class B option this week.

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