Bristol Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Kyle Busch
Bristol Fantasy Outlook – Kyle Busch is a living legend at Bristol but on Saturday night, I’m just going to view him as a risky top ten contender. Busch is an 8-time winner and over the last 11 races, Busch has 3-wins and in 54% of the races he’s finished in the top 4, with nearly all his results outside of that range needing asterisk marks. With Busch currently having four straight results of 20th or worse here, he’ll likely present a good amount of “Out of sync” potential. With Busch’s overall recent up-tick in performance, there’s reason for optimism.
Bristol Track History – Kyle Busch is a fantasy ace at Bristol who’s almost always a factor. Since summer 2017 minus summer 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023 and this spring, Busch has a 2.2 average finish, and he’s averaged leading 105.5 laps per race. Take note, all of those were night races except for this spring, so the “Nighttime” hasn’t been the right time for Busch recently. This spring, Busch looked good briefly early in the race and ran as high as 2nd in Stage #1, but then late in Stage #1 he plummeted in the running order and then spun which ended the Stage. Later on lap 228, Busch spun again while running in 31st. When the race reached its conclusion, Busch finished 25th and had the 25th best Speed Ranking. Last summer, Busch was just uncharacteristically uncompetitive. In the race, Busch finished 20th, had an 18.8 average running position and ranked 17th in terms of Total Speed Rankings. In 2022, Busch looked extremely competitive, but his race ended early due to an engine failure early in the final Stage which led to his 34th. In the race, Busch started 21st, finished 3rd in Stage #1, 5th in Stage #2 and had the 8th best Green Flag Speed. In summer 2021, Busch was a top five contender but finished an asterisk mark 21st. In the race, Busch finished 7th in Stage #1, finished 10th in Stage #2 and had the 7th best Total Speed Ranking. In the final Stage on lap 455 while he was running in 5th, Busch had a flat tire. Over the five races prior to that, Busch had results of 2nd, 4th, 4th, 1st, 20th, 1st and 1st.

Chase Briscoe
Bristol Fantasy Outlook – At Bristol, Chase Briscoe’s Playoff hopes won’t go down without a fight. Briscoe’s been solid here, and he took part in the test session in July, so he should have a slight edge on much of the field. At Bristol, Briscoe’s been consistent and in 3 of his 4 starts he’s finished in either 13th or 14th, and that includes a 13th this spring. Heading into the weekend, I would view Briscoe as a teens driver who has upside.
Bristol Track History – Chase Briscoe has finished in either 13th or 14th in 3 of his 4 starts, so naturally more of the same should be expected. This spring, Briscoe was a teens performer. In the race, Briscoe finished 13th, had a 15.4 average running position and earned the 15th best Driver Rating. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Briscoe ranked 18th. Last summer, Briscoe had a disappointing performance and finished 27th. Additionally, Briscoe had a 24.9 average running position and ranked 28th in terms of Total Speed Rankings. In 2022, Briscoe finished 4th in Stage #1, finished 3rd in Stage #2, had a 10.6 average running position and then finished 14th overall. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Briscoe ranked 11th for the evening. In 2021, Briscoe finished 13th.

Michael McDowell
Bristol Fantasy Outlook – At Bristol, don’t overlook Michael McDowell. McDowell’s been about as solid as they come in recent races and in 4 of the last 5, he’s finished between 6th to 11th. In the Next Gen, he’s 3 for 3 at finishing in the top 11, has a 9.3 average finish and has the 10th best Next Gen Speed Ranking. It’s hard to see him being a top ten contender again but he’s run great here in recent races, so he might just have another in him for those who are looking to roll the dice.
Bristol Track History – As you just read, Michael McDowell has been clicking off good finishes at Bristol. This spring, McDowell had a solid showing and avoided trouble. In the race, McDowell finished 11th, had a 15.4 average running position and had the 13th best speed Ranking. Last summer, McDowell had his best Bristol showing. In the race, McDowell finished 6th in Stage #2, had a 5.8 average running position, earned the 5th best Driver Rating and then finished 6th overall. In terms of speed stats, McDowell had the 4th best Total Speed Ranking and ranked 10th for Speed Late In A Run. In 2022, McDowell avoided trouble and had a solid showing. When the checkered flag waved, McDowell finished 11th, had a 13.9 average running position and had the 14th best Total Speed Ranking.

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