The Cup Series has already reached the final race in the Round of 12. Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick have advanced with their wins. Denny Hamlin and William Byron should feel safe since they are 40+ points above the cut line. There is going to be a lot of movement in the playoff standings during the race. It should be fun to see which drivers advance and which get eliminated. The Bass Pro Shop Night Race can be seen Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.
STRATEGY FOR BRISTOL
Bristol is a tough race. It is hard to hide at Bristol. A wreck could easily take out your entire Driver Group Game lineup (It has happened to me many times). So, do we fade out top drivers and treat this race like Talladega or do we swing for the fences. The last two Bristol Night Races have been calmer than what we have seen in the past. Team Penske Racing had tire issues at the track last year, but the other drivers raced aggressively, but not stupid. I am not worried about saving allocations in Group A. I will take a chance with a few drivers I have not played much in Groups B and C.
Here are the picks for the Bass Pro Shop Night Race …
GROUP A DRIVERS
CHRISTOPHER BELL (6): Bell had a good chance to win the Bristol Night Race last year. He qualified fourth, led 143, finished second in Stage 1, won Stage 2 and finished fourth in the race. Bell had a history of dominating the races at Bristol in the Xfinity Series. He is starting to figure out how to do it in the Cup Series too. Bell is a great choice for Group A Saturday night.
KYLE LARSON (4): Larson already has his spot in the Round of 12 secured, but that does not mean he will not go for the win Saturday night. Larson won this race in 2021 and he finished fifth last year. He has finished three of his last six races at Bristol in the top-two. I want to use Christopher Bell and save my allocation with Larson, but I will have the No. 5 car ready to go if Larson dominates practice and qualifies up front.
(OTHER PICK) WILLIAM BYRON (2): Byron would be a good choice to pair with Christopher Bell if you are running low with your allocations with Kyle Larson. Byron is starting to figure out Bristol Motor Speedway. He finished third in the last two races in thunder Valley and his cars have been faster this year than they have been in the past. It also helps that he has the fastest pit crew in the Cup Series to help Byron get track position on a tough pit road.
GROUP A DRIVER RANKINGS: 1) Christopher Bell 2) Kyle Larson 3) Denny Hamlin 4) William Byron 5) Chase Elliott 6) Ryan Blaney 7) Joey Logano 8) Ross Chastain
GROUP B DRIVERS
KEVIN HARVICK (2): This is the last race at Bristol for Harvick. It is one of his better tracks and I am sure he is going to be extra motivated to get back to Victory Lane in Thunder Valley. Harvick won the Bristol Night Race in 2020 and he finished second in 2021. Harvick has the third-best driver rating on the short tracks this year. I only have two allocations left with Harvick, but I am not afraid to use one of them Saturday night.
KYLE BUSCH (2): It would really be nice if Busch could stop wrecking his car and starting in the back. The No. 8 car has a lot of speed in the races, but the team continues to make mistakes. Maybe a trip to the best track for Rowdy will help him get back to Victory Lane. Busch has eight wins at Bristol in the Cup Series (and too many to count in the Truck and Xfinity Series). He is either going to compete for the win or crash out of the race. I am willing to take a chance with Busch Saturday night.
BRAD KESELOWSKI (3): The Bristol Night Race was the best race for RFK Racing in 2022. Keselowski led 109 laps, won Stage 1 and finished 10th in the race. It is obvious that RFK Racing figured out a setup that works at Bristol. The team is running a lot better in 2023 than they were in 2022. I would not be surprised to see Keselowski racing for the win at the end of the Bass Pro Shop Night Race.
CHIRS BUESCHER (7): Buescher won this race last year. Can he do it again? I would not bet against him. Buescher has won three of the last five oval track races (not including Daytona). He has finished in the top-three in four of the last five oval track races. The No. 17 team is running too well right now to fade. I will take a chance with Buescher and hope he can have a race like he did last year at Bristol.
(OTHER PICK) CHASE BRISCOE (8): Briscoe is a good sleeper pick for the Bass Pro Shop Night Race. No one in your league is going to use Briscoe, so if he runs well, you will make up a lot of ground in your league standings. Briscoe has finished 13th and 14th in his two Cup Series races at Bristol. His average driver rating in those two races is seventh. I doubt he will finish in the top-five, but he does have the upside to finish in the top-10 Saturday night.
GROUP B DRIVER RANKINGS: 1) Kevin Harvick 2) Brad Keselowski 3) Chris Buescher 4) Kyle Busch 5) Martin Tryex Jr. 6) Bubba Wallace 7) Chase Briscoe 8) Tyler Reddick 9) Aric Almirola 10) Alex Bowman
GROUP C DRIVERS
AJ ALLMENDINGER (3): I have three allocations left with Allmendinger. I only need one for the Charlotte Roval, so I will take a chance with the new papa Saturday night. Allmendinger finished seventh in the Bass Pro Shop Night race last year. That was in a part-time car. Allmendinger said he likes Bristol because drivers have to out-brake their competition in the corners, like they do on a road course. This is a good track to take a chance with the No. 16 car.
RYAN PREECE (5): Preece is a shot track specialist. He won the Xfinity Series race at Bristol in 2018 and he finished ninth in the Cup Series race at Bristol in 2020. Stewart-Haas Racing has not had a lot of speed this year, but they have been decent on the short tracks. I will take a chance with Preece and save Ty Gibbs for some of the other tracks left on the schedule.
(OTHER CHOICE) RICKY STENHOUSE JR. (4): Stenhouse will probably have more value while he is still racing for the championship. Stenhouse is 22 points below the cut-line, so he needs Stage Points and he needs a top-10 finish. I would not be surprised to see the No. 47 team gamble with their pit strategy to try and steal track position. I am not sure it will work, but Stenhouse would be a good pick if you are feeling lucky this week.
GROUP C DRIVER RANKINGS: 1) AJ Allmendinger 2) Ryan Preece 3) Ty Gibbs 4) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 5) Carson Hocevar
* Be sure to check back Saturday morning for my starting lineup.
TRUCK SERIES PICKS
XFINITY SERIES PICKS
Good Luck This Weekend!
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