The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to Bristol Motor Speedway on August 20th for the Bass Pro Shops, NRA Night Race. “The Last Great Colosseum” is home to some of the best short-track racing on the schedule, and the excitement should continue this Saturday night under the lights.
Here are a few suggestions to keep in mind when constructing your Bristol DraftKings lineup for Saturday.
ELITE TIER: $10,000 and up
Kyle Busch ($10,600) FPPR: 49.9 – Career at Bristol: 22 starts, 5 wins, 8 top-5s, 13 top-10s.
Average finish at Bristol: 13.1
Kyle Busch has five career wins at Bristol, and finished 8th in this race last season after leading the most laps. Busch has six top-10s in the last six races and is back on track heading into the chase. Kyle Busch will be starting on the inside of the second row Saturday night.
Brad Keselowski ($10,200) FPPR: 45.9 – Career at Bristol: 13 starts, 2 wins, 4 top-5s, 5 top-10s
Average finish at Bristol: 14.6
In the last ten races at Bristol, Keselowski has five top-10s and two wins. Keselowski is tied with Kyle Busch with four wins on the year, but has the best average finish of all drivers (9.2).
Joey Logano ($10,100) FPPR: 39 – Career at Bristol: 15 starts, 2 wins, 3 top-5s, 5 top-10s
Average finish at Bristol: 18.1
Joey Logano has won the last two Bristol night races, thus he is the odds on favorite to find victory lane Saturday night. Logano finished 10th in the spring race earlier this season, giving him five top-10s in 15 races at the track.
ALL-STAR TIER: $8,500 – $9,999
Carl Edwards ($9,700) FPPR: 44.6 – Career at Bristol: 24 starts, 4 wins, 6 top-5s, 11 top-10s
Average finish at Bristol: 14.2
Carl Edwards’ spring Bristol performance was utter domination. Edwards started on the pole and led 276 laps on his way to the win. He starts from the pole again Saturday night and is looking for the season sweep.
Kurt Busch ($9000) FPPR: 41.1 – Career at Bristol: 31 starts, 5 wins, 9 top-5s, 16 top-10s
Average finish at Bristol: 14.1
Kurt is tied with brother Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon with the most wins by an active driver (5). Since making the switch to Stewart-Haas racing in 2014, Kurt has four top-15s, including two top-5s. Kurt Busch is third in the point standings, and is third in average finish (10.1).
Jeff Gordon ($8,800) FPPR: 30.3 – Career at Bristol: 46 starts, 5 wins, 17 top-5s, 25 top-10s
Average finish at Bristol: 12.2
Gordon is second, behind only Ricky Stenhouse Jr., in average finish position at Bristol. He leads all active drivers in nearly every statistical category. Jeff Gordon announced that he will not be filling in for Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Michigan next week, so this could be Gordon’s last hurrah in the Sprint Cup Series.
MID TIER: $7,500 – $8,499
Tony Stewart: ($8,300) FPPR: 31 – Career at Bristol: 32 starts, 1 win, 7 top-5s, 10 top-10s
Average finish at Bristol: 17.3
Tony Stewart has two top-10 finishes in the last three Bristol races. Stewart is on a hot streak as of late with five top-5s in the last seven races this season, including a win at Sonoma. Tony Stewart will be starting 27th Saturday night, which could provide for great positive place differential points.
Ryan Blaney: ($7,800) FPPR: 26.2 – Career at Bristol: 2 starts, 1 top 15
Average finish at Bristol: 16.5
Ryan Blaney only has two races under his best at Bristol, but finished 11th in the spring race earlier this year. Blaney has show lots of speed in practice this week and will be starting fourth for Saturday night’s race.
Jamie McMurray: ($7,600) FPPR: 31.4 – Career at Bristol: 27 starts, 3 top-5s, 10 top-10s
Average finish at Bristol: 16.9
Jamie McMurray has four straight top-15 finishes at Bristol. McMurray is one of five drivers currently in the chase on points, and is currently 38 points above 17th place Trevor Bayne. Jamie has an average finish of 16 on the season and 16.9 at Bristol.
BARGAIN TIER: $4,500 – $7,499
Ryan Newman: ($7,400) FPPR: 27.5 – Career at Bristol: 29 starts, 2 top-5s, 16 top-10s
Average finish at Bristol: 16
Ryan Newman is the only driver to finish in the top-10 in the last three races at Bristol. In the last 12 races this season, Newman has 11 top-20 finishes, including five top-10s. He is the definition of consistency.
Greg Biffle: ($7,000) FPPR 23.1 – Career at Bristol: 27 starts, 6 top-5s, 13 top-10s
Average finish at Bristol: 13.1
Greg Biffle is fourth in average finish at Bristol among active drivers. He finished 12th in the spring race earlier this season. Biffle is too far below the chase cutoff to get in on points, so it is win or bust for him to make the playoffs. Roush Fenway Racing has performed better this season at short tracks compared to past few years.
Ricky Stenhouse: ($6,700) FPPR 22.7 – Career at Bristol: 7 starts, 2 top-5s, 3 top-10s
Average finish at Bristol: 11.9
If there was ever a time to start Ricky Stenhouse Jr., it would be now. Stenhouse leads all active drivers in average finish at the track, and has recorded top-10 finish in 43% of his stars. The fact that he is starting 25th should not deter you from adding him to your lineup because in his seven races, he has an average start of 23.1. Bristol is Ricky Stenhouse Jr’s best track on the circuit.
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