The NASCAR Cup Series is back after a week off to celebrate Easter. They will bring their 750 HP Package to the high-banks of the concrete track in Bristol. This new package put on a good show on the high-banks of Darlington Raceway. The package was a dud for the race at Martinsville. What will we get this week at Bristol? This concrete track tacks rubber quickly, so I expect the tires to wear out and the racing will be pretty good. It is hard not to get excited Sunday, because this is Bristol Baby!
Here are the picks for the season long games at Bristol Motor Speedway….
DRIVER GROUP GAME
GROUP A: Kyle Larson has a history of smoking the field at Bristol Motor Speedway. He led 411 laps, won both Stages and went to Victory Lane in the Food City 500 last year. He also led 462 laps, won both Stages and went to Victory Lane in the Bristol Night Race in 2024. Larson did not dominate practice and he only qualified 8th. I still trust Larson to get to the front and have a good chance to win the Food City 500.
GROUP B: Ty Gibbs is having his best season in the Cup Series. He finished 4th at COTA, 4th at Phoenix, 5th at Las Vegas, 6th at Darlington and 4th at Martinsville. The only two drivers who have been better than Gibbs at Tyler Reddick and Denny Hamlin. Now we get to see what Gibbs can do at his best track. He led 201 laps and finished 10th in the Bristol Night Race last year. He also finished 3rd in the Food City 500. If Gibbs is going to win a race this year, this is it. He is just too good this year and at this track to fade Sunday.
Chris Buescher looked fast at Darlington, just like his boss (Brad Keselowski). Buescher led 41 laps and finished 9th at “The Track Too Tough to Tame.” That speed should translate in speed at “The World’s Fastest Half-Mile.” Buescher won in the Gen-7 car at Bristol in 2022. The No. 17 car has the speed to score some Stage Points and finish in the top-10 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
GROUP C: Carson Hocevar finished 7th and 11th in his two races at Bristol last year. The No. 77 car looks fast again this week. Hocevar posted the 2nd-fastest speed on the long-run charts in practice and the No. 77 car qualified 10th for the race. His aggressive driving style my get him a punch in the face after the race Sunday, but it should get us a top-10 finish in our Driver Group Game lineup.
SPEEDWAY COLLECTIVE
My Speedway Collective lineup will look a lot like my Driver Group Game lineup. The only change is with Daniel Suarez in Group D. Suarez is having a good season and he qualified 13th for the race Sunday. He is also going to be a Papa, so that has to have him fired up. I will trust “My Amigo” at Bristol.
FANTRAX
Ryan Blaney is my pick to win so he gets the spot as my Driver A Sunday. Blaney posted the fastest long-run speed in practice, he has the No. 1 pit stall and he starts from the pole. Blaney is going to be tough to beat. The rest of the lineup will be the same as the Driver Group Game and the Speedway Collective game.
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