The MENCS competes at Bristol Motor Speedway this week. Allocations are important in this game but if you plan out which tracks are best for each driver, you can still build a great lineup and have enough allocations for the rest of the season. There are some drivers who simply know how to turn fast laps at Bristol better than others. I will be selecting as many of the good drivers who start up front as possible this week. Track position will be very important at Bristol.
Points for leading laps and position differential will no longer be awarded. Fantasy teams will score points for finishing the Stage in the top 10 and where they finish the race. Because of this; it is no longer important to select drivers starting in the back. Just pick the best team you can.
* There is also a garage driver this year. Fantasy players can put this driver into their lineup at any time before the end of Stage 2. You will lose the Stage points from the driver you take out of your lineup though. I only plan to make a change if one of my driver crashes and that is likely to happen this week. If I make a change I will post a message on my Twitter account: @MrFantasyNASCAR
Drivers
Kyle Busch (5): I have only have 5 allocations with Busch this week but he is running too well right now to ignore. Busch has finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 2nd and 2nd in his last 5 races. Now he starts on the pole at one of his best race tracks. Busch has been boom or bust at Bristol the last two seasons but Fantasy Live allows you to switch him out if he crashes, so I will have the No. 18 car in my starting lineup.
Kyle Larson (7): Larson was the most dominant driver at Bristol last year and he will likely be a very good pick this week. The concrete track at Bristol changes more than any other track on the circuit. Drivers must search the track to find the groove with the most speed. No driver in the field is as good at it as Larson. I would not be surprised if Larson won this week.
Denny Hamlin (7): The No. 11 car was horrible in the morning practice Saturday and then the team made some big changes. They must have hit on something because Hamlin was very happy with the car. Hamlin was 3rd fastest in final practice with the 3rd-best 10-lap average speed. Hamlin has finished 3rd in 3 of the last 5 races at Bristol. He should quickly make his way through the field Sunday.
Joey Logano (7): Logano has been very consistent this season. He has finished 6 of the 7 races in the top 10. Bristol is one of his best tracks. Logano has 2 wins at Bristol and he has a 7.8 average finishing position in the last 5 races at the track. Logano should finish in the top 10 again this week.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (10): This is by far the best track for Stenhouse. He has an 8th-place average finishing position in the last 4 races at Bristol. Stenhouse starts 4th and should be good enough to finish in the top 10 this week. I am not worried about using him this week to save allocations with my top drivers because I always have my Garage Driver to use if Stenhouse crashes.
Garage Driver: My Garage Driver this week will be Erik Jones (8). Jones led the most laps in the last race at Bristol and finished 2nd. The No. 20 car looked good in practice and this is his best track. Jones is a great insurance policy Sunday.
* Trust me on the allocations. I have each driver mapped out for the season so we use them at their best tracks. We will have plenty of allocations to get us through the season.
Here are my picks for the Bristol…
Driver 1: Kyle Busch
Driver 2: Kyle Larson
Driver 3: Denny Hamlin
Driver 4: Joey Logano
Driver 5: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Garage Driver: Erik Jones
STAGE 1 WINNER: Kyle Busch
STAGE 2 WINNER: Kyle Busch
PICK TO WIN: Kyle Busch
MANUFACTURER: Toyota