Our strategy in the FOX Fantasy Auto game this weekend for the Bristol 2 race is pretty much the same as it was when we ran here back in April: pick a couple drivers that have a chance at making their way through the field, but mainly focus on finish points this weekend. The first race here in Thunder Valley was a little crazy–Matt DiBenedetto finished 6th and that’s all you need to know about that–and our score wasn’t that high (124 points) but that just seems to be how some of these races turn out. There’s the potential for craziness to happen again this weekend but that’s not something that we can, or are going to try to, predict.
Our official Fantasy Racing Online FOX Fantasy Auto team had a respectable 160 points at Watkins Glen a couple of weeks ago, and we would have had a much higher score if Kevin Harvick didn’t have the problems that he did. We now sit in 608th place overall after 22 of the 36 races this season, and in 3rd place in our private group.
FOX Fantasy Auto Picks for the Bristol Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race
Kevin Harvick ($13,000) – Even at this high price, Kevin Harvick is pretty close to a must-start this weekend at Bristol. The #4 team had a really rough day on-track Friday, and it was capped off by their mediocre qualifying effort of 24th. Now, that obviously doesn’t sound like Harvick would make a good Fantasy NASCAR pick, but keep in mind who we are talking about. Both practices were held during the middle of the afternoon, and we’re racing at night. Rodney Childers is one of the best at setting up race cars for the race, and we have no doubt that he’s going to have this #4 Chevrolet at least partially hooked up once we get going on Saturday night. You also can’t forget that Harvick has been one of the best drivers here at Bristol in recent years, and one bad day isn’t going to take that all away. He came home 2nd in this race one year ago and wound up finishing 7th in the April race here at Bristol this season. Even a 10th-place finish out of Harvick on Saturday night would net us 45 points in FOX Fantasy Auto, and we’ll gladly take that.
Joey Logano ($10,200) – The #22 Ford wound up 10th after qualifying was overwith and that’s good enough to make our FOX Fantasy Auto roster this weekend. Joey Logano has won the last two Bristol summer races and has a decent shot at making it three in a row here on Saturday night. He wasn’t overly impressive on the speed charts during Friday’s practice sessions, but that’s not uncommon out of Joey. Usually only one of the Penske cars shows speed during practice and Brad Keselowski in the #2 Ford showed plenty of that on Friday. In the last six Bristol races overall, Logano has posted four top 10 finishes and three of those were also top 5s. We have him ranked 5th heading into Saturday night’s Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race, and that would net us 41 points if it comes true. Joey is a pretty safe option this weekend as far as finish points, and the fact that he can add some place differential points as well is just an added bonus.
Kyle Larson ($9,400) – We initially had Kyle Busch in this roster spot but we decided we’re going to fade Rowdy in this game, and for a couple of reasons. First, he starts 3rd, so the place differential points are minimal. Also, he’s had a pretty rough go of things here at Bristol as of late with three finishes outside of the top 10 in the last four events. Also, as of this posting, nearly 70% of FOX Fantasy Auto teams had Kyle Busch on their roster (wow). So we’re going to roll the dice with another Kyle on Saturday night: Larson. We think that the driver of the #42 Chevrolet is going to go for broke this weekend, as he will probably need a win to make the Chase this year. Larson has a pretty fast race car (top 10 speed in both practice sessions on Friday) but for whatever reason he just didn’t perform in qualifying and will start from 23rd on Saturday night. That’s just more potential points for us. Kyle has made five career Sprint Cup starts here at Bristol Motor Speedway and has finished 12th or better in three of them. This is a pretty risky Fantasy NASCAR pick but the upside here is huge, and we’ll gladly roll the dice.
Tony Stewart ($8,600) – Coming through the field at Bristol is something that Tony Stewart is no stranger to. Over his last three starts at this track, Smoke has averaged a 32.7 starting position and a 9.7 finishing position. Like we said, he’s done this before. Here on Saturday night, the #14 Chevrolet is going to roll off the grid from the 27th spot, but with the way this team is running right now, it honestly wouldn’t surprise us to see Tony inside the top 10 when it’s all said and done. What can we say, when you’re hot, you’re hot. Smoke wound up 5th at Watkins Glen a couple of weeks ago and that makes it four top 5s in the last five Sprint Cup races for him, along with seven results of 11th or better in the last eight. He’s been to victory lane once here at Bristol in his storied career, and while this isn’t Tony’s strongest track on the circuit (17.3 career average finish) we’re not going to pass up all of those potential place differential points.
Greg Biffle ($7,600) – We’re all about taking risks with our FOX Fantasy Auto roster this weekend. Greg Biffle spun out during the first round of qualifying on Friday and because of that he’s going to start Saturday night’s Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race from way back in 34th. However, with a little bit of strategy, and a little bit more luck, he just might be able to come away with a top 20 finish (or better). This #16 team is one that constantly gambles on fuel mileage and pit strategy, and we’ve seen them get a great finish out of that before. Will it happen again here on Saturday night? Biffle has finished 12th or better in five of the last seven Bristol races and was 11th-fastest on the Happy Hour speed chart this weekend.
