NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol

Track Classification: Short Track

Similar Tracks: Dover International Speedway • Phoenix International Raceway 

Martinsville Speedway • Richmond International Raceway

Distance: .533 Miles

Drivers with Most Top 10s (Last 5 Years):

By Race

Matt Kenseth - 4
All with 3 - Jeff Gordon, Joey Logano, Jamie McMurray, Kasey Kahne, Paul Menard, Greg Biffle and Jimmie Johnson

By Track

All with 6 - Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson and Paul Menard
Both with 5 - Brian Vickers and Jeff Gordon
All with 4 - Ryan Newman, Brad Keselowski, Jamie McMurray and Carl Edwards

Recent Pole Winners: 

2014 Kevin Harvick
2013 Denny Hamlin

The Likely Suspects: There will be three categories of racers when we go short-tracking at Bristol Saturday night: the wildly wicked, the incredibly patient and the desperate for a win. This combination is sure to make the race extra exciting. You'll want to consider these drivers as you build your fantasy team this week: Matt Kenseth, Paul Menard, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano, Jamie McMurray, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson.

My 2 Cents: My no-brainer pick is the threesome of Matt Kenneth, Kyle Busch and Paul Menard. I will round out my team with Kyle Larson, Jamie McMurray, Kasey Kahne, Ryan Blaney and Justin Allgaier. Keep in mind that Clint Bowyer is on a mission this week to prove he deserves a ride in 2016. Since Bowyer ran well here in the past, this extra motivation may make him worthy of consideration for your fantasy team.

My final four: Matt Kenseth, Paul Menard, Jamie McMurray and Justin Allgaier.

Points to ponder:

• A third (36 of the 109) of the races at Bristol have been won from the front row: Pole position, 23 wins; second place, 13 wins.
• The race winner has started from the pole 23 times (21.1%) - the most productive starting position. The last driver to win from the pole was Matt Kenseth earlier this season.
• Eighty-seven of the 109 (79.8%) races have been won from a top-10 starting position, including 54 from the first four spots.
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr. leads active drivers in average finishing position at Bristol with an 9.200.

Enjoy the race! Post your comments here or follow me on Twitter at @purplecatpr.