On Saturday night under the lights, NASCAR will be racing at Bristol for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race! Bristol is “The World’s Fastest Half-Mile” and it’s been described as flying a jet fighter in a gymnasium. This week’s race also marks the end of round #1 of the Playoffs, and four drivers will get eliminated! Desperate drivers do desperate things, so look for the intensity to be turned up a dial.

On Friday, NASCAR held an extended combined 45-minute practice sessions for the teams. Make sure you check out our Bristol Practice Notes, Bristol Practice Speeds and Bristol 10,15,20,25 and 30 Lap Average Speed Cheat Sheet.

Here’s the Bristol Starting Lineup/ Qualifying results.

Bristol Full Field Fantasy Rankings

1) Kyle Larson
Start 2nd / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – High
Bristol Outlook – Kyle Larson’s a super-elite performer at Bristol who’ll be a favorite. Larson won this race in 2021 and “Performance Wise”, Larson should have another couple wins on his resume. In the Next Gen, Larson has been a standout performer and over the combined races, Larson has the 2nd best average finish (4.0), the 3rd best Next Gen Speed Ranking, the 3rd best Driver Rating and he’s also the only driver who’s a perfect 3 for 3 at finishing in the top five. The “Night-Time” is the right time for Larson and since 2018 in Bristol Night Races, Larson has the best average finish (3.2) and the best Driver Rating by a wide margin. In practice, the #5 was stout and Larson had the best 30-lap average.
Bristol Track Record Breakdown – Kyle Larson is one of the premiere performers at Bristol. Since 2017 minus spring 2019, Larson has a 4.2 average finish, a 5.3 average running position and he’s averaged leading 88.8 laps per race. In terms of the results column, in 7 of the last 8 he’s finished in the top 6. This spring, Larson had a great performance despite his race not being incident free. In the race, Larson finished 2nd in Stage #1, finished 8th in Stage #2, had an 8.4 average running position and then finished 5th. Around lap 370 during a caution while running in 4th, Larson got a pit penalty which dropped him to the back. In terms of speed stats, Larson ranked as the fastest driver late in a run and ranked 5th in terms of Total Speed Rankings. Last summer, Larson started 36th but quickly climbed up thru the field, finishing 8th in Stage #1, finishing 3rd in Stage #2 and then finished runner-up. Additionally, Larson led 20 laps and earned the 4th best Driver Rating. In terms of speed stats, Larson was the 2nd Fastest Driver Late In A Run and his Total Speed Ranking ranked 4th. In 2022, Larson finished 5th in Stage #1, finished 9th in Stage #2, led 34 laps and then finished 5th overall. In 2021, Larson raced his way to victory lane in impressive fashion (Led 175 laps, 2.5 average running position).
DraftKings $10,500/ FanDuel $13,500

Further Recommended Reading = Bristol Finish Projections, Bristol Quick Rankings, DraftKings Bristol Scoring Projections, FanDuel Bristol Scoring Projections

2) Denny Hamlin
Start 8th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – High
Bristol Outlook – At Bristol, look for Denny Hamlin to bring his A-game and be a factor as he vies to avoid elimination. Hamlin’s a 4-time “Thunder Valley” winner and currently has back-to-back wins in dominating fashion. This spring, Hamlin won when tire wear was extreme and then last fall, he “Beat your favorite driver” despite getting a speeding penalty. “Performance Wise” at Bristol, Hamlin’s been a factor to win 5 of the last 8 races, so you can be confident he’ll show up and be a factor. In practice, Hamlin was happy with his car.
Bristol Track Record Breakdown – Denny Hamlin ranks among the premiere performers at Bristol. Since 2019 minus a pair of misleading results in 2020, Hamlin has 3-wins and a 4.3 average finish. In the Next Gen over the last three, Hamlin has the best average finish (3.7), the 2nd best Next Gen Speed Ranking, the 2nd best Driver Rating, the 2nd best Average Running Position and he’s averaged leading the 2nd most laps per race (101.7). This spring, Hamlin put on a masterclass in tire management and dominated, racing his way to victory lane. In the race, Hamlin finished 7th in Stage #2, had a 5.0 average running position, earned the best driver rating and led the most laps (163). In terms of speed stats, Hamlin ranked 3rd for Total Speed Rankings and 4th for Speed Late In A Run. Last summer, Hamlin was impressive and raced his way to victory lane. In the race, Hamlin started 2nd, was caught speeding on pit road during Stage #1 around lap 70 while running in 2nd, rallied to finish 4th in Stage #2, led 142 laps, earned the 2nd best Driver Rating and then of course took home the trophy. In 2022, Hamlin had a strong showing and finished 9th, despite multiple problems. In the race, Hamlin had a flat tire and got into the wall while running in 3rd on lap 235, and then later around lap 435 he had a slow pit stop while running in 6th.
DraftKings $11,000/ FanDuel $14,000

3) Christopher Bell
Start 6th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – High
Bristol Outlook – Christopher Bell has been a super-elite performer at Bristol and on Saturday night, look for Bell to be a top five performer who’ll be a factor to win. At “Thunder Valley”, Bell has been stout and over the combined races in the Next Gen, Bell has the best Next Gen Speed Ranking, the best Driver Rating, the best average running position (4.5), he’s averaged leading the most laps per race (119.7) and his average finish is tied for being the 4th best (5.7). In practice, Bell was happy with how the track was rubbering up and seemed optimistic.
Bristol Track Record Breakdown – In the Next Gen at Bristol, Christopher Bell’s been elite. This spring, Bell had a hot rod. In the race, Bell finished 8th in Stage #1, finished 5th in Stage #2, had the 2nd best average running position (5.7), led 29 laps and then finished 10th which underrates him. Late in the race, Bell had a tire issue. On lap 420 he was in 2nd but then on lap 440 he had fallen back to 10th. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Bell ranked 6th but take note his speed over the segments were 9th, 4th, 3rd and then 17th. Last year, Bell started on the pole, won the two opening Stages, led the most laps (187), earned the best driver rating, had the best average running position (2.7) and then finished 3rd. In terms of speed analytics, Bell ranked #1 for Total Speed Rankings, #1 for Green Flag Speed and then 3rd for Speed Late In A Run. In 2022, Bell was a standout performer and ranked among the best. In the race, Bell finished 2nd in Stage #1, won Stage #2, led 143 laps, had a 5.7 average running position and then finished 4th overall. In terms of speed stats, the #20 had the best Green Flag Speed, was the Fastest Car Late In A Run and had the best Total Speed Ranking.
DraftKings $10,300/ FanDuel $13,000