Welcome to our ninth year of staff predictions! Each week, our experts attempt to tell you who the winner of each Cup race will be. Take a look to see who your favorite writers think will win it all (or at least score some points) this week!
Think you can out-prognosticate our staff? Leave your picks in the comments section and see how they stack up!
How we roll:
Each driver can be picked only twice each week. We can’t pick the same driver two weeks in a row. And if anyone is daring enough to pick from a pool of higher-risk drivers… well, he or she reaps some serious bonus points!
Prediction Scoring
+5 – Win
+3 – 2nd-5th
+1 – 6th-10th
0 – 11th-20th
-1 – 21st-30th
-2 – 31st-36th
-3 – 37th-40th
*High-risk bonus: Win: +3; 2nd-5th: +2; 6th-10th: +1
High-Risk Drivers — Richmond I:
Michael McDowell
Danica Patrick
Michael Annett
Matt DiBenedetto
Josh Wise
Regan Smith
Landon Cassill
This week’s predictions: Toyota Owners 400
Amy Henderson, Senior Editor: I’m going with Denny Hamlin this week.
Jeff Wolfe, Senior Writer: Kevin Harvick.
Mark Howell, Senior Writer: Cousin Carl makes it two in a row.
Jeff Meyer, Semi-retired Contributor: Martin Truex, Jr.
Tony Lumbis, Financial Manager: Brad Keselowski.
Dan Greene, Webmaster: Smoke.
Aaron Bearden, Assistant Editor: Rowdy Busch.
Zach Catanzareti, Contributor: I’ll welcome Smoke back with a pick.
Joseph Wolkin, Assistant Editor: Chase Elliott.
Jason Schultz, Contributor: Joey Logano.
Danny Peters, Senior Writer: Kevin Harvick.
Huston Ladner, Senior Editor: Matt Kenseth.
Dustin Albino, Contributor: Kurt Busch.
Clayton Caldwell, Contributor: I’ll take Hamlin too.
Sean Fesko, Staff Writer: Kurt Busch.
Vito Pugliese, Senior Writer: Brad Keselowski.
Bryan Gable, Contributor: Kyle Busch.
Food City 500
| Writer | Pick | Finishing Position | Points |
| Jeff Meyer | Carl Edwards | 1st | 5 |
| Joseph Wolkin | Carl Edwards | 1st | 5 |
| Dustin Albino | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | 2nd | 3 |
| Clayton Caldwell | Kurt Busch | 3rd | 3 |
| Bryan Gable | Kurt Busch | 3rd | 3 |
| Tony Lumbis | Trevor Bayne* | 5th | 5 |
| Jason Schultz | Kevin Harvick | 7th | 1 |
| Zach Catanzareti | Clint Bowyer | 8th | 1 |
| Dan Greene | Joey Logano | 10th | 1 |
| Danny Peters | Joey Logano | 10th | 1 |
| Mark Howell | Martin Truex, Jr. | 14th | 0 |
| Jeff Wolfe | Brad Keselowski | 18th | 0 |
| Huston Ladner | Brad Keselowski | 18th | 0 |
| Michael Finley | Jimmie Johnson | 23rd | -1 |
| Phil Allaway | Casey Mears* | 24th | -1 |
| Vito Pugliese | Matt Kenseth | 36th | -2 |
| Amy Henderson | Kyle Busch | 38th | -3 |
| Sean Fesko | Kyle Busch | 38th | -3 |
Standings
| Writer | Points | Behind | Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 |
| Jeff Meyer | 17 | — | 8 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Dustin Albino | 13 | -4 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Bryan Gable | 12 | -5 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Jeff Wolfe | 12 | -5 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Sean Fesko | 10 | -7 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Tony Lumbis | 9 | -8 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Danny Peters | 9 | -8 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Jason Schultz | 8 | -9 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Amy Henderson | 7 | -10 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Huston Ladner | 7 | -10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Clayton Caldwell | 7 | -10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Dan Greene | 6 | -11 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| Jerry Jordan | 4 | -13 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Mike Neff | 4 | -13 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Aaron Bearden | 4 | -13 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Tom Bowles | 3 | -14 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Summer Bedgood | 1 | -16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Phil Allaway | 1 | -16 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Joseph Wolkin | 0 | -18 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Vito Pugliese | 0 | -17 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Matt Stallknecht | -1 | -18 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Mark Howell | -1 | -18 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Kevin Rutherford | -2 | -19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zach Catanzareti | -2 | -19 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
The Frontstretch Staff is made up of a group of talented men and women spread out all over the United States and Canada. Residing in 15 states throughout the country, plus Ontario, and widely ranging in age, the staff showcases a wide variety of diverse opinions that will keep you coming back for more week in and week out.