NASCAR will bring its top three series to Bristol this week for some short-track racing. The Cup Series and Truck Series will compete in playoff races, while the Xfinity Series will have its final race of the regular season. There is a lot on the line for all three series, so I expect a lot of excitement under the lights in Thunder Valley. It should be fun to see how all three races play out this week in Bristol.
BRISTOL SCHEDULE
NASCAR has a unique schedule this week. The Truck Series will practice and qualify Thursday afternoon and then they will race Thursday night. The Xfinity Series and the Cup Series will practice and qualify Friday afternoon. The Xfinity Series will race Friday night and the Cup Series will race Saturday night.
You are going to need to make sure you have your remote control ready for the rest of the races this year. The Truck Series race on FS1, the Xfinity Series race on the CW Channel and the Cup Series race on USA Network or NBC. Like they say… Check your local listings for race times and schedule.
Here is the schedule for the races at Bristol this week…
RACE RECAP AT BRISTOL
Tires, tire, tires…. That was the story of the spring race at Bristol. There is a rumor that Goodyear accidently screwed up the compound for the tires used in the first race at Bristol. This caused the tires to wear out quickly and bring back some old-school racing in Thunder Valley. Denny Hamlin was the first driver to figure out that the slower he ran, the more cars he could pass. This race was all about tire management and some of the veterans in the field had to think back to how they raced at Bristol 10+ years ago. Denny Hamlin led 163 laps and went to Victory Lane. Ty Gibbs led 137 laps and finished 9th. This was a race between Joe Gibbs Racing, Hendrick Motorsports and RFK Racing. Goodyear is bringing the same tire to Bristol this week, so I expect the same teams to dominate Saturday night.
The best drivers in the spring race at Bristol included Denny Hamlin, Ty Gibbs, Martin Truex Jr., Christopher Bell, Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher, Kyle Larson, Josh Berry, Alex Bowman and John H. Nemechek
Stage 1 Results: 1. Ty Gibbs, 2. Kyle Larson, 3. Chris Buescher, 4. Brad Keselowski, 5. John H. Nemechek, 6. Ryan Blaney, 7. Martin Truex Jr., 8. Christopher Bell, 9. Ryan Preece, 10. Josh Berry
Stage 2 Results: 1. Ty Gibbs, 2. Brad Keselowski, 3. Joey Logano, 4. John H. Nemechek, 5. Christopher Bell, 6. Martin Truex Jr., 7. Denny Hamlin, 8. Kyle Larson, 9. Bubba Wallace, 10. Ryan Preece
Click here for highlights of the last race at Bristol: Bristol Spring Race Rewind
FANTASY STATS FOR BRISTOL
So, how do we handicap the Bass Pro Shop Night Race? The racing at Bristol in March was different from what we have seen at the track in over a decade. I am using the data from the spring race for my rankings this week. That race was a battle between Joe Gibbs Racing and RFK Racing. I expect Hendrick Motorsports to have more speed this week. The drivers from these teams will be at the top of my Driver Rankings at Bristol.
Here are the stats from the three races on the concrete at Bristol in the Gen-7 car, sorted by Driver Ranking…
The race Sunday is going to come down to tire management, just like it did in March. The best stat to look at is “Fastest Speed Late in the Run.” Here are the driver’s rankings late in a run from the race at Bristol last March….
EARLY WEEK PICKS FOR BRISTOL
ONE & DONE PICK: BRAD KESELOWSKI
DRIVER GROUP GAME PICKS: DENNY HAMLIN, KYLE LARSON, TY GIBBS, BRAD KESELOWSKI, CHRIS BUESCHER, JOSH BERRY, CHASE BRISCOE, RYAN PREECE
FANTASY LIVE PICKS: DENNY HAMLIN, CHRISTOPHER BELL, TY GIBBS, KYLE LARSON, BRAD KESELOWSKI, GARAGE: CHRIS BUESCHER
* I will update these picks this weekend.
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