NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Food City 500 at Bristol

Track Classification: Short Track

Similar Tracks: Dover International Speedway • Martinsville Speedway

Phoenix International Raceway •  Richmond International Raceway

Distance: .533 Miles

By Carol D'Agostino

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

By Race

All with 3: Ryan Newman, Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, Paul Menard, Brian Vickers and Kasey Kahne 

All with 2: Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kyle Larson, Clint Bowyer, Brad Keselowski, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Jamie McMurray 

By Track

All with 5: Brian Vickers, Jimmie Johnson and Paul Menard
All with 4: Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne 

Recent Pole Winners: 

2015 Matt Kenseth
2014 Denny Hamlin

Last Year's Race Winner: Matt Kenseth

The Likely Suspects: Short-track racing is an art embraced by both the wild and the powerfully patient drivers. These drivers will perform well this weekend: Matt Kenseth, Ryan Newman, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Jamie McMurray, Paul Menard, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Larson, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards and Austin Dillon.

My 2 Cents: My no-brainer pick this week is a three-way tie between the powerfully-patient Matt Kenneth, Jimmie Johnson and Ryan Newman. My next picks are Kyle Larson, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Paul Menard. I will complete my team with Ryan Blaney and Ty Dillon.

My Final Four: Matt Kenseth, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney.

Points to Ponder:

• Roger Penske leads the series among active car owners with the most wins at Bristol with 12.
• Paul Menard (17 starts) leads the series in starts with the fewest DNFs (0) at Bristol.
• Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch each have five wins at Bristol Motor Speedway, the most among active drivers.
• Kevin Harvick leads all active drivers in runner-up finishes at Bristol with five; followed by Kyle Busch with three. 
• 64 of the 110 (58.8%) races have been won from a top-five starting position. Matt Kenseth leads all active drivers in top-five finishes at Bristol with 13; followed by Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick with 10 each.
• 88 of the 110 (80%) races have been won from a top-10 starting position.
• Eight different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Bristol; led by Chevrolet with 43 victories; followed by Ford (36), Dodge (8), Pontiac (8), Toyota (7), Buick (4), Plymouth (3) and Oldsmobile (1).
• Four car numbers have produced eight or more Bristol NSCS wins. They are by Car Number – (Number of Wins) – Most Recent Win: No. 11  - (19 wins) – Denny Hamlin, 2012; No. 2 – (12 wins) – Brad Keselowski, 2012; No. 17 – (eight wins) – Matt Kenseth, 2006; and No. 3 – (eight wins) – Dale Earnhardt, 1999.

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