Bristol Food City 500 Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Ross Chastain
Bristol Fantasy Outlook – Look for Ross Chastain to be a top ten contender at Bristol. Chastain’s been respectable in many of the recent Bristol races and there’s no reason why the #1 team shouldn’t continue to run well. For the season minus Daytona and Homestead, Chastain has an 8.2 average finish and he’s had a result in the top 12 every race. In the Next Gen, Chastain has a 13.5 average finish, and his Speed Ranking ranks 15th.
Bristol Track History – At Bristol, Ross Chastain has been respectable and in 4 of the last 5 races, he’s finished in the top 15 with his average finish being 13.6 since 2021. Last summer, the #1 was strong. In the race, Chastain finished 10th, had a 13.8 average running position and earned the 12th best Driver Rating. In terms of speed stats, Chastain ranked 3rd for Speed Late In A Run and then 10th for Total Speed Rankings. Last spring, Chastain started 36th, had a 19.5 average running position and then finished 15th. Chastain dodged trouble and I would say it was overall an OK afternoon. In 2023, Chastain was “close your eyes” uncompetitive. In the race, Chastain finished 23rd, had a 22.4 average running position and ranked 24th in terms of Total Speed Rankings. In 2022, Chastain finished 6th, had a 10.8 average running position and then ranked 9th for Total Speed Rankings and Speed Late In A Run.

Ty Gibbs
Bristol Fantasy Outlook – I don’t know if Ty Gibbs will show up at Bristol, but he’s been elite and ranks among the best at “Thunder Valley” in recent races. Over the last three Bristol races, Gibbs has the 4th best Driver Rating, the 4th best Average Running Position and a 9.7 average finish which underrates him. Heading into the weekend, I would view Gibbs as a risky top ten contender.
Bristol Track History – Ty Gibbs has performed at a high-level at Bristol. In terms of Next Gen Speed Rankings, Gibbs ranks 6th. Last summer, not many drivers had problems, but Gibbs did. In the race, Gibbs started 15th, finished 8th in Stage #1 but then during that Stage caution, Gibbs was caught speeding on pit road which dropped him back to the mid 20’s. Passing was difficult and Gibbs just wasn’t ever able to fully bounce back and finished 15th when the checkered flag waved. Additionally, Gibbs had a 13.8 average running position and the 15th best Total speed Ranking. Last spring, Gibbs had a rocket and was arguably the best, but he finished an asterisk mark 9th. In the race, Gibbs started 19th, won Stage #1, won Stage #2, earned the 3rd best driver rating, led 137 laps and had the best Total Speed Ranking. In the race, Gibbs got a pit penalty around lap 180 while leading and then late in the race, Gibbs also had a flat tire. Prior to his race going south a little to close out, Gibbs was running in 3rd. In 2023, Gibbs was a factor. In the race, Gibbs finished 10th in Stage #1, finished 2nd in Stage #2, had the 2nd best average running position (4.4), finished 5th overall and led 102 laps. In terms of speed stats, Gibbs ranked 2nd for Total Speed Rankings, 3rd for Green Flag Speed and 4th for Speed Late In A Run. In 2022 in a pre-rookie start, Gibbs had power steering issues early and finished 35th.

Ryan Preece
Bristol Fantasy Outlook – Ryan Preece and the #60 team have been running well and clicking off good finishes and at Bristol, he might just notch another good result. Preece ran well in both 2024 races and since 2020, his average finish is 11.8, and he’s had a result in the top 17 every race (6 races for him). With Preece being so solid here, he’s worth a roll of the dice for the risk takers out there.
Bristol Track History – Since 2020, Ryan Preece is 6 for 6 at finishing in the top 17 and has a 11.8 average finish. In the Next Gen, Preece has the 8th best Average Finish (11.0) and the 8th best Speed Ranking. Last summer, Preece had a really good performance. In the race, Preece finished 7th, had a 12.8 average running position, ranked 4th for Speed Late In A Run and had the 9th best Total Speed Ranking. In spring 2024, Preece was solid. In the race, Preece started 25th, finished 9th in Stage #1, finished 10th in Stage #2, had a 15.6 average running position and then finished 14th. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Preece ranked 12th. In 2023, Preece finished 9th in Stage #2, had a 12.1 average running position and then finished 12th when the checkered flag waved. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Preece ranked 12th.

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