NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Bristol

Drivers with Most Top 10s (Last 5 Years):
By Race
All with 4 - Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson
Both with 3 - Denny Hamlin and Kurt Busch

By Track
All with 7 - Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano, and Kevin Harvick
All with 6 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Larson
All with 5 - Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, and Ryan Newman
Kurt Busch - 4

Recent Pole Winners: 
2018 Kyle Larson
2017 Erik Jones

Last Year's Race Winner: Kurt Busch

The Likely Suspects:  Night racing at Bristol is fast, furious, and more than a little nerve-racking.  Here are my Bristol elite drivers: Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kyle Larson, and Ryan Newman.

My 2 Cents: My no-brainer pick are the Busch brothers. Kurt and Kyle Busch know their way around this track and you really don't want to get in their way. My next choices are Joey Logano, Ryan Newman, Erik Jones, and Clint Bowyer. I will complete my team with Ty Dillon and Chris Buescher.

My Final Four: Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Ryan Newman, and Ty Dillon.

Second-Look Driver: This week's second-look driver is Denny Hamlin. Among active drivers, Denny has the seventh-best driver rating at Bristol with one win, eight top fives, 13 top 10s, and three poles. Denny has been quietly doing his job week in and week out this season, but I wouldn't be surprised if he makes some noise this weekend.

Last week's second-look driver is Ryan Newman, who positioned himself solidly in 15th place in the points standings with his 12th place finish. He started his day in 20th place on the grid. The team worked throughout the day to dial-in the car to help Ryan battle for positions throughout the day. The final call ended up being a fuel strategy one that helped Ryan greatly as other cars were in fuel-saving mode.

Points to Ponder:
  • Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman lead all active drivers in Busch poles at Bristol with three each.
  • Kyle Busch leads the series among active drivers in wins at Bristol with eight victories (Spring 2007, 2009 sweep, Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2019).
  • The race winner has started from the pole 25 times (21.3%) - the most productive starting position in the field. The last driver to win from the pole was Kyle Busch (Spring 2018).
  • Kevin Harvick leads all active drivers in runner-up finishes at Bristol with five.
  • Kevin Harvick, Kurt Bush, and Jimmie Johnson lead all active drivers in top fives at Bristol with 12 each. 
  • Jimmie Johnson leads the series among active drivers in top-10 finishes at Bristol with 21.
  • Chase Elliott leads the series among active drivers in average finishing position at Bristol with a 12.429 in seven series starts.
Remember, if you're playing Driver Group Game, make your picks by 8 a.m. EST on Friday, Aug. 16th, and your final picks by 7:30 p.m. EST on race day Saturday, Aug. 17th.

Enjoy the race!
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Carol D’Agostino wields fantasy-racing superpowers. Each week, Carol researches statistics and combs through her personal racing notes to provide fans with fantasy racing advice in NASCAR Fantasy Fusion, a column she has written for Skirts & Scuffs since October 2011. Carol also does race coverage for Skirts & Scuffs at Richmond Raceway and occasionally at her home track, Dover International Speedway. This year she joins the NASCAR Expert Picks panel at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. When she isn’t crunching numbers, you’ll find Carol in business meetings or hammering out a news release or creating a marketing strategy at a small niche public relations firm she founded called Purple Cat. 
NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Bristol NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Bristol Reviewed by Carol D'Agostino on Thursday, August 15, 2019 Rating: 5