Bristol IRWIN Tools Night Race Fantasy NASCAR Confidence Picks

1. Matt Kenseth – Matt Kenseth is a good pick to win the Bristol IRWIN Tools Night Race. He had a great car at Bristol this spring. It was one of the best handling in the field. He was fast on both the high-line and the low-line. He likely would’ve finished in the top five, but while he was running in second Jeff Gordon had a tire go flat and it shot up the track and took out Kenseth. In the race he finished 35th, led 85 laps and earned the 6th best driver rating. Last August at Bristol he had problem early in the race but rebounded and even found himself in the lead. In that race he led 25 laps but on lap #331 while he was battling Stewart for the lead they took each other out. Before his problems in the last two Thunder Valley races he had six consecutive top tens. From a career perspective Bristol has been a good track for him. He’s won the Bristol Night Race twice and has a 12.9 average finish. Matt Kenseth’s odds to win are currently listed as 8/1. Matt Kenseth didn’t seem to happy with his car today in practice. He said it was off the charts tight. It seems like often when he’s not happy in practice he has his best races. On Saturday night Kenseth will start in 5th. My prediction is that Kenseth will win the Bristol IRWIN Tools Night Race.

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2. Kurt Busch – Bristol is a Kurt Busch track. He has both the smarts and aggression it takes to get to victory lane. In twenty five races he’s won here 5 times. He’s also finished in the top ten nearly 60% percent of the time. It’s important to note though that the period of his greatest success was between the early to mid 2000’s. Earlier this year in his Furniture Row debut at Thunder Valley he had a strong showing. His car worked particularly good on the low line. It’s a good thing it worked so well in that groove because he had a flat tire in the race and was forced to drive his way up through traffic. In the event he finished 4th and earned the 4th best driver rating. Kurt Busch’s odds to win are currently listed at 12/1. Today in practice Kurt Busch had a very good car. His strength in the race will be the high-line. If he doesn’t have to battle traffic up in that groove then he will be a serious contender. In practice #1 his ten lap average ranked as the 4th best. As long as pole sitter Denny Hamlin chooses the bottom line he’ll start in his preferred groove.

Recommended Reading: Bristol Qualifying Results, Bristol 10 Lap Big Board, Bristol Practice Speeds, Bristol Practice Notes

3. Kasey Kahne – Kasey Kahne has arguably been the best driver on the ground down surface at Bristol. This spring his car was exceptionally strong. He could run both the high-line and the low-line with ease. In the race he finished 1st, earned the best driver rating and led 109 laps. On Saturday night he’ll be returning that very chassis to the track. Last August he also had a car that was capable of winning. In that race led 42 laps and finished 9th. He could’ve finished a lot better but while he was leading around lap #150 David Ragan blew up and Kahne got into his oil and had hard contact with the wall. Kahne’s odds to win the IRWIN Tools Night Race are currently listed at 8/1. In the last five races at Bristol that he’s avoided problems his average finish is 7th. On the speed charts Kasey Kahne didn’t look impressive but I wouldn’t overreact about it. On Saturday night Kahne will start in 7th.