Bristol Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Brad Keselowski
Bristol Fantasy Spin – Brad Keselowski’s a super-elite performer at Bristol who’ll be tough to beat. At “Thunder Valley” since summer 2019 minus fall 2020 where he lost power steering and a misleading result last summer where he had a flat tire while leading, Keselowski has 1 win and a 3.3 average finish. Also, Keselowski has often been dominant here and in 4 of the last 5 he’s led +82 laps or more. The #6 team is getting close to victory lane and since Atlanta #2 at “Ovals”, Keselowski has a series best 5.4 average finish. On Saturday night, look for Keselowski to finish in the top five and compete for the win.
Bristol Track History – Brad Keselowski is one of the premiere performers at Bristol. He’s a three-time winner and in 3 of the last 5 races he’s finished in the top 6. Last year, the #6 was stout and Keselowski was one of the best but finished an asterisk mark 13th. In the race, Keselowski won Stage #1, led 109 laps but then in the final Stage on lap 412 while leading, Keselowski had a flat tire and made an unexpected pit stop which led to his asterisk mark 13th. In terms of speed stats, Keselowski ranked 4th for Speed Late In A Run and then 5th for both Total Speed Rankings and Green Flag Speed. In 2021, Keselowski had a great evening. In the race he finished 4th in Stage #1, 3rd in Stage #2, had a 7.4 average running position and then finished 6th when the checkered flag waved. In fall 2020, Keselowski showed potential, but he finished an asterisk mark 34th. In the race, Keselowski started on the pole, led 82 laps, finished 7th in Stage #1 but then in the second half his car just dropped off. On lap 258 he was in 13th, but then a little later on lap 297 while he was back in 21st he radioed his team that he lost power steering. His problem was so bad he was black flagged for not meeting minimum speed. In spring 2020, Keselowski had a great car and raced his way to victory lane after Elliott and Logano got together at the end. In addition to finishing 1st, Keselowski led 115 laps and earned the best driver rating. In fall 2019, Keselowski finished 3rd and led 91 laps. In spring 2019, Keselowski had a great car and was a contender, but he finished a misleading 18th. In the race he finished 3rd in Stage #1, 4th in Stage #2, led 40 laps, was the leader with 31 laps to go, but then during a caution with about 20 laps to go he got penalized for restarting incorrectly (Was in 2nd prior to the caution, restarted in 5th).

Kyle Larson
Bristol Fantasy Spin – Kyle Larson’s a super-elite performer at Bristol who should be near the top of your fantasy NASCAR radar. Larson’s already locked into the next round, so he won’t be racing on eggshells and be driving scared. Larson won this race in 2021 and “Performance Wise”, Larson should have another couple W’s on his resume. The high-line is the fast line, and nobody is better than Larson at running that groove. On Saturday night, look for Larson to be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win.
Bristol Track History – Kyle Larson has thrived at “Thunder Valley” and since 2017 minus spring 2019 where he had multiple problems, Larson has a 4.2 average finish, a 4.6 average running position and he’s averaged leading 93 laps per race. Last fall, Larson finished 5th in Stage #1, 9th in Stage #2, led 34 laps and then finished 5th overall. In terms of speed stats, Larson ranked 2nd for Green Flag Speed, 2nd for Speed Late In A Run and then 3rd for Total Speed Rankings. In 2021, Larson had a stellar showing and raced his way to victory lane after a late assist from Chase Elliott (held up Harvick). In the race, Larson finished 2nd in Stage #1, won Stage #2, had a 2.5 average running position, led a race high 175 laps and earned the best driver rating by a wide margin. In terms of speed stats, Larson had the best Total Speed Ranking and ranked as the Fastest Driver Late In A Run. In summer 2019 in his next most recent race, Larson won Stage #1, finished 6th and led 62 laps. In spring 2019, Larson was easily a top ten contender, but he had multiple problems and finished an asterisk mark 19th. In his two starts prior to that, Larson had back-to-back 2nd’s.

Chase Elliott
Bristol Fantasy Spin – Look for Chase Elliott to be a contender at “The Last Great Coliseum.” Elliott’s never won a points paying race at “Thunder Valley” but he’s won the All-Star Race, finished runner-up last year and in 2 of the last 5 races he’s had problems late while battling for the lead which led to asterisk mark results. Over the last seven Bristol races among drivers who competed in every race, Elliott has the best average finish (10.7), the best average running position (6.2), the best driver rating and he’s averaged leading the 2nd most laps per race (60.4).
Bristol Track History – Chase Elliott has been elite at “Thunder Valley.” He’s never won, but he’s come close to victory lane in 3 of the last 5 races and has a recent All-Star win (2020). Last summer, Elliott finished 4th in Stage #2 and then 2nd when the checkered flag waved. In terms of speed stats, Elliott ranked 3rd for Speed Late In A Run and then 7th for Green Flag Speed and Total Speed Rankings. In 2021, 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 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.

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