Bristol Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Chase Elliott
Bristol Fantasy Spin – Look for Chase Elliott to be a contender at “The Last Great Coliseum.” Elliott’s a Bristol All-Star winner and in recent points paying races, Elliott’s come extremely close to victory lane only to have problems in 2 of the last 3 races while battling for the lead late. Over the last six Bristol races, Elliott has a series best 5.4 average running position, the best driver rating, he’s averaged leading a series best 70.5 laps per race but has a misleading 12.2 average finish. On Saturday night, look for Elliott to be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win.
Bristol Track History – Chase Elliott has never won a points paying race at Bristol, but he’s performed at a super-elite level and he’s been a serious factor to win 2 of the last 3. Last fall, Elliott might’ve just had the best car but with 35 laps to go while battling for the lead, Harvick had contact with him which cut his tire and led to his misleading 25th. In the race, Elliott finished 3rd in Stage #1, 5th in Stage #2, led 129 laps, ranked 3rd for Speed Late In A Run and had the 5th best Total Speed Ranking. Elliott being in contention to win is even more impressive when you take into account after just finishing 3rd in Stage #1, he was caught speeding on pit road which dropped him to the back. In summer 2020, Elliott won Stage #1, finished 3rd in Stage #2, led 23 laps, had the 2nd best Total Speed Ranking, was the 2nd Fastest Driver Late In A Run and then finished 7th. I’ll note, that’s a misleading result. Elliott was hurt by a late caution during the pit cycle on lap 405. Before that he was running in 3rd, after that he was back to around 13th. In the 2020 Bristol All-Star Race, Elliott led 60 laps and raced his way to victory lane. In spring 2020, Elliott had a great car, but finished an asterisk mark 22nd after wrecking while battling for the lead with 3 laps to go. In the race, Elliott won the first two Stages, had a 4.5 average running position, had the 4th best Total Speed Ranking and led 88 laps. In summer 2019, Elliott had a great car. He earned the best driver rating, had the best average running position (3.5), finished 5th, led 33 laps and his Green Flag Speed ranked as the 4th best. Additionally, Elliott finished 2nd in Stage #1 and finished 6th in Stage #2. In spring 2019, Elliott ran well, but his race wasn’t incident free. He started on the pole and led the opening 38 laps until he spun out while leading in a multi-car accident. After that, Elliott wasn’t as competitive. When the race reached its conclusion, he finished 11th. In summer 2018, Elliott was a contender to win. He earned the best driver rating, finished 3rd, had a 3rd place average running position and led 112 laps.

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Denny Hamlin
Bristol Fantasy Spin – Denny Hamlin should prominently be on your fantasy NASCAR radar at Bristol. Hamlin’s a two-time winner, and in recent races he unquestionably ranks among the best. “Performance Wise”, Hamlin’s been a serious factor to win 3 of the last 5 races here. With how well the #11 team is running, you better believe he’ll be a contender again. On Saturday night, look for Hamlin to be a top five contender who might just be a factor to win.
Bristol Track History – Denny Hamlin has been stout at “The Last Great Coliseum” and he’s frequently a factor. In 2 of the last 4 races here, Hamlin’s ranked #1 in our PROS Rankings. Last year, Hamlin was one of the best, but he finished an asterisk mark 22nd. In the race, Hamlin won Stage #1, finished 2nd in Stage #2, led 65 laps but then in the final Stage on lap 399 while he was running in 2nd, Hamlin had a flat tire. A caution shortly after that helped, but that was a huge setback. In terms of speed stats, Hamlin ranked 2nd for Total Speed Rankings and Speed Late In A Run. In 2020, Hamlin performed at a high-level in both races, but had a pair of misleading results. In summer 2020, Hamlin started in the rear of the field, finished just outside the top ten in Stage #1, was in 5th on lap 204, but then on lap 216 he was shown to have a ton of damage to his nose after he ran into the back of Martin Truex Jr which led to his asterisk mark 21st. In spring 2020, Hamlin arguably had the best car, but he finished an asterisk mark 17th after having problems late while leading with 12 laps to go (got into the marbles, ran into the back of Logano who just passed him who also got into the marbles and then spun and was hit by BJ McLeod). Just prior to spinning he paced the field for the previous 53 laps. In the race, Hamlin finished 8th in Stage #1, 2nd in Stage #2 and led a race high 131 laps. Despite his problem, Hamlin had the 2nd best Total Speed Ranking, was the 3rd Fastest Driver Late In A Run and had a 5.2 average running position. In summer 2019, Hamlin smashed “Cinderella’s slipper” and passed DiBenedetto for the win with 11 laps to go for the win. In addition to finishing first, Hamlin led 79 laps, earned the 4th best driver rating and had the 6th best Green Flag Average Speed. In spring 2019, Hamlin finished 5th.

Kevin Harvick
Bristol Fantasy Spin – At Bristol, there’s “Predators, and then there’s prey.” On Saturday night, Kevin Harvick will be racing with a take no prisoner approach, so nobody better be in his way. Harvick has nothing to lose, and I don’t think he’ll be afraid to rough up the competition by any means. After how last year’s race played out, you also better believe he’ll have that chip on his shoulder. On Saturday night, look for Harvick to be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win.
Bristol Track History – At Bristol, Kevin Harvick is a fantasy ace and he’s consistently performed at a high-level. Over the last 12 Bristol races minus transmission problems in summer 2019, Harvick has a 5.9 average finish. “Performance Wise”, I think Harvick should have back-to-back wins here. Last fall, I think Kevin Harvick likely would’ve won, but an angry Chase Elliott held him up at the end which allowed Kyle Larson to catch him. With 27 laps to go, Harvick had a 1 second lead. In the race, Harvick finished 6th in Stage #1, 6th in Stage #2, led 71 laps and had the 2nd best driver rating. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Harvick ranked 3rd. In summer 2020, Harvick put on a display of domination and notched his third career Bristol win. In the race he finished 3rd in Stage #1, 2nd in Stage #2, led 226 laps, had the best Total Speed Ranking and was the Fastest Driver Late In A Run. In spring 2020, Harvick was a top five contender, but walked away with an asterisk mark 11th. In the race, Harvick finished 6th in Stage #1, 3rd in Stage #2 and was running in 5th with 66 laps to go until he had contact with Erik Jones. It did minimal damage, but it cost him track position.

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