Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Ryan Preece
Clash Fantasy Outlook – If you’re looking for a Bowman Gray Clash dark horse pick, Ryan Preece who’ll be making his #60 RFK debut could be your guy. Preece was a legit contender to win in 2023, and he’s pretty good at short tracks. Last year in the Clash, Preece was actually a letdown, given how strong he was in the previous year. In the race, Preece finished 11th, had a 10.6 average running position, and ranked 14th in terms of Driver Rating. In 2023 in his first start in the #41, Preece was impressive, and a strong case could be made that he was subjectively the best. In the race, Preece started 16th, had a 6.1 average running position, led a race-high 43 laps, and then finished 7th overall. Late in the race, while leading, Preece developed electrical problems which were his undoing. Martinsville also has correlation, and in the Next Gen, Preece has the 8th best Next Gen Speed Ranking and the 11th best Next Gen Average Finish (14.5).

Don’t be a pretender, become a contender and get the ifantasyrace advantage to read all of our full exclusive content. Membership prices are just $2 a race! 

Tyler Reddick
Clash Fantasy Outlook – Tyler Reddick might be a factor in the Clash, but I can’t say I love the idea of picking him. Reddick is a clean driver, and this year’s Clash is being held at a track with the nickname “The Mad House”, so he’ll likely need to change his driving style to be successful. In the LA Clash, Reddick ran well in 2 of the 3, and he might’ve just subjectively been the best in 2022. In last year’s Clash, Reddick was a bottom-half-of-the-field performer. In 2024 in LA, Reddick finished 14th, had a 14.3 average running position, and ranked 16th in terms of Green Flag Speed. In 2023, Reddick was solid and finished 6th. In 2022, Reddick led start to finish in his Heat Race (led 25 laps), and then in the Main Event, Reddick led 51 of the 53 laps he completed until a parts failure while leading during the lap 54 caution marked the end of his race, leading to his 21st. At Martinsville, Reddick finished 7th last spring, but in all the other seven races since fall 2021, he’s finished 18th or worse.

Brad Keselowski 
Clash Fantasy Outlook – RFK has a small notebook for .25-mile ovals, and over the three LA Clashes, Brad Keselowski has only made the main event once, and Chris Buescher has yet to make it! .25-mile ovals, which are such one-offs, just don’t seem to be a big priority for the organization, and they still might not be, so beware and proceed with caution. In last year’s Clash, Keselowski started 13th, had a 15.7 average running position, had the 14th best Green Flag Speed, and then finished 8th. I’ll note that with 10 laps to go before late cautions broke out, Keselowski was running in 12th, so the late wildness boosted him a little. Last fall at Martinsville, Keselowski finished 9th and had the 5th best Total Speed Ranking.

Make sure you read the full spectrum of our Clash at Bowman Gray Fantasy NASCAR Rankings

Top Tier Elite Picks > Front Runners Rankings > Mid Pack Predictions & The Low Tier