Bristol Dirt Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Daniel Suarez 
Bristol Dirt Bottom Line – Daniel Suarez arguably had the best performance of his career last year at Bristol Dirt, who could’ve seen that coming! His dirt racing experience was essentially nothing, until the day of when he did double duty and raced in the Trucks (finished 17th). He clearly learned something, and it paid dividends in the main event. In year #2, I don’t think he’ll be nearly as strong, but I think he’ll be a low double-digit to mid-teens driver who’ll have a great chance to compete for a top ten.
Bristol Dirt 2021 – Last year on the dirt, Daniel Suarez had a career day! In the race he started 18th, finished 4th in Stage #1, 2nd in Stage #2, led the 3rd most laps (58) and had the 4th best average running position (4.3). In terms of speed analytics, Suarez was the 4th Fastest Driver Late In A Run and his Total Speed Ranking was the 6th best. To further break down his speed, Suarez’s speed over the segments were 12th, 3rd, 2nd and 4th.

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Bubba Wallace
Bristol Dirt Bottom Line – Bubba Wallace should be solid at Bristol Dirt. Wallace ran well last year (despite his result), and he’s also proven himself to be solid on this surface in the past. Wallace is also a former Eldora winner. On Sunday, I wouldn’t be surprised if Wallace is a top ten contender.
Bristol Dirt 2021 – Last year at Bristol Dirt, Bubba Wallace had a solid showing and was clearly a top ten contender, despite having a misleading 27th place finish. In the race, Wallace started 19th, finished 7th in Stage #1, 7th in Stage #2 and was running in 7th until he got a flat tire on lap 215 which led to an unexpected pit stop which ruined his afternoon. In terms of speed analytics, Wallace was the 8th Fastest Driver Late In A Run and had the 9th best Total Speed Ranking.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 
Bristol Dirt Bottom Line – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is a little bit of a dirt track ringer, and you have to believe he has this race circled on his schedule. His performance last year at Bristol Dirt was his only top five of 2021 (finished 2nd), and I would argue it was also the smartest race he’s managed in a long time. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and driving a patient race don’t often go hand in hand, but he did it last year. On Sunday, look for Stenhouse to be in the mix for a top ten. I will note, Stenhouse Jr. is a risky pick. Heading into the weekend, Stenhouse has 5 straight results of 27th or worse.
Bristol Dirt 2021 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. loves dirt racing, and this “World Of Outlaws” team owner had a great performance in 2021. Last year, Stenhouse drove a very conservative race, and his approach worked out perfectly! In the race, Stenhouse started 13th, finished 9th in Stage #1, 6th in Stage #2, was in 4th before the final caution came out and then finished 2nd when the checkered flag waved. Additionally, Stenhouse had a 10.8 average running position, was the 5th Fastest Driver Late In A Run and had the 8th best Total Speed Ranking. Over the segments, the #47 got better and better and his speed rankings were 16th, 14th, 5th and 3rd. Stenhouse’s car was setup to be at its best late, and on lap 220 while he was running in 7th it was mentioned that he had the 2nd fastest car on the track at the time.

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