Articles
Kevin Harvick Finding Speed In Time For Las Vegas
Kevin Harvick came into the chase under fire. He still is but for different reasons. Harvick had a run-in with Chase Elliott at Bristol but he led 71 laps. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver wound up second at the end of the race. Consider his Las Vegas track record and maybe the issues of the first […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoMartin Truex Jr. Figures To Be In The Mix At Las Vegas
Martin Truex Jr. was one of the more consistent drivers during the first three races of the chase. He finished fourth at Darlington, seventh at Bristol while winning at Richmond. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has six top-ten results in his previous seven races at Las Vegas. Furthermore, that includes a win and an average […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoWilliam Byron Finding His Form Bodes Well For Vegas
William Byron saved his playoffs with a top-five finish at Bristol. Arguably, the next three races lend themselves to better results ahead. This starts with Las Vegas where Byron ended up eighth earlier in the year. He led 25 laps in that race as well. While winning is not likely, Byron just needs that consistent […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoRyan Blaney Should Contend At Las Vegas
Ryan Blaney starts from the second position this Sunday night for the South Point 400 from Las Vegas. Some may forget that Blaney finished in the top-five during the first race earlier this season. Will Blaney win? That does seem unlikely. Will he contend? That is more likely for the Team Penske driver. Blaney got […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoKyle Larson A Favorite Once More At Las Vegas
Kyle Larson is the best driver from a wins and laps led standpoint this year. The Hendricks Motorsports Racing team has been dominant, but especially Larson. The No. 5 car has been incredible with a 5.83 average finish and five top-10s in his last six races at Las Vegas. Larson is also starting from the […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoRobert Thomas Signs Bridge Contract With St. Louis
Robert Thomas signed a new two-year deal with the St. Louis Blues late on Tuesday night. This was so he could get into training camp without the contract being a lingering issue. The deal pays the forward an AAV of $2.8 million. Thomas had a bit of a down year with just three goals and […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoRasmus Dahlin Signs Three-Year Contract With Buffalo
Rasmus Dahlin will be in training camp for the Buffalo Sabres after signing a three-year deal Wednesday morning. The defenseman signed for an AAV of $6 million. He is just 21-years old but under Don Granato has made strides despite COVID last season. Dahlin began to average close to 25 minutes average time on ice […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoKirill Kaprizov Inks New Five-Year Pact With Minnesota
Kirill Kaprizov signed a five-year deal with the Minnesota Wild early Tuesday evening. The contract will pay him $9 million per season. Kaprizov almost hoped for a deal like this from the beginning. He even walked away from an eight-year deal with similar dollars over the summer. Little of that matters now as the Calder […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoElvis Merzlikins Signs Five-Year Extension With Columbus
The Columbus Blue Jackets and Elvis Merzlikins agreed to a five-year extension on Tuesday. Merzlikins will get paid an AAV of $5.4 million. He went 8-12-5 last year for the Blue Jackets with a 2.77 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage. The goaltender followed up a brilliant rookie season with a solid second act. […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoMichael McDowell Eliminated At Bristol After Rough Night
Michael McDowell got into the playoff chase behind a win at the very first race of the season -- the Daytona 500. After that, McDowell had a few good results but little else. The No. 34 Ford crashed out in the season finale at Daytona and then crashed again at Darlington. That got him off […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoKurt Busch's Chase Ends At Bristol
Kurt Busch was another case where the No. 1 car never really got going in any of the three playoff races. His 19th place finish at Bristol just cemented his fate and elimination from the playoff chase. The older Busch started great with a sixth at Darlington. However, he crashed early (after 40 laps) at […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoTyler Reddick's Playoff Run Ends At Bristol
Tyler Reddick, like Aric Almirola, just could not get into the top 10 in any of the first three playoff races. As a result, he was eliminated from playoff contention over the weekend. Normally finishing 18th, 15th and 12th is pretty good. However, the No. 8 car was down near the bottom of the standings […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoAric Almirola Eliminated At Bristol
Aric Almirola was one of four eliminations from the playoff chase over the weekend after the Bristol race. The No. 10 car finished 18th on Saturday. The problem was that though Almirola was consistent over the previous seven races. Finishing 16th, 14th, and 18th when starting 12th in the chase did not help matters. It […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoAlex Bowman Delivers Top-Five at Bristol
Alex Bowman needed a result that did not seem as automatic as some believed. The No. 48 car did find a way to charge forward when it counted. Bowman was just 14th after Stage 1 and 15th after Stage 2. He made up quite a bit of time in the end as he ran out […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoRyan Blaney Sneaks Into Fourth Place at Bristol
Ryan Blaney lurked around most of the night. The Team Penske car then led 45 laps, out of almost nowhere. In the end, he battled back to a fourth-place result on Saturday night as he was sandwiched between William Byron and Alex Bowman. Blaney holding off Bowman was an interesting subplot over the final laps […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoWilliam Byron Surprises Many, Finishes Third at Bristol
William Byron had to feel like deja vu was coming once again. He was starting 14th and was out of the playoff Round of 12 coming into the night. Byron was only tenth after Stage 1 and briefly had fallen out of the top ten during Stage 2. It looked like time was not on […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoKevin Harvick Rides Rough to Second at Bristol
Kevin Harvick raced like vintage Kevin Harvick. Yes, it ruffled some feathers like Chase Elliott's but the result was a second-place finish at Bristol on Saturday. It was only the slightly faster No. 5 car of Kyle Larson that kept Harvick's Stewart-Haas ride from victory. Harvick was sandwiched between two Hendricks Motorsports cars as William […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoKyle Larson Does It Again at Bristol
Kyle Larson let every other NASCAR driver know who is the top favorite for this year's NASCAR playoff chase. It was not enough the No. 5 car was leading the playoff points race. Larson punctuated the first three races by winning the short-track Round of 16 finale at Bristol. He passed Kevin Harvick in a […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoNASCAR DFS Prop Picks for 9/18 - PrizePicks
Hello once again everyone! We hit the Bass Pro Shops Night Race from Bristol Motor Speedway this week and another edition of NASCAR DFS on PrizePicks. Now, that means our new friends over at PrizePicks have a TON of great props we can look to take advantage of. PrizePicks is a great DFS props site […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoNASCAR DFS Prop Picks: Bass Pro Shops Night Race - Monkey Knife Fight
Saturday night features the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at the Bristol Motor Speedway from Bristol, Tennessee. Monkey Knife Fight has an extremely easy fantasy point system: 0.1 points for each lap led and then a set amount of points for their position (20 for 1st place, 19 for 2nd place, 18 for 3rd, and […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoErik Jones A Good Possibility At Bristol
Erik Jones has nearly won the race at Bristol several times. The No. 20 car just has it when it comes to the short track. The 2017 race where he led 260 laps is still talked about today as he just barely missed out on a win. Last season, Jones finished fifth and third on […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoDaniel Suarez Could Surprise At Bristol Again
Daniel Suarez likes the short tracks but particularly Bristol. Before car issues snuffed his effort out last summer, Suarez was in the top-15 once more on the short track. He finished in the top 20 in every single race prior. Expect that trend to continue on Saturday. Suarez starts in 21st but should move up […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoAustin Dillon Not An Optimal Choice At Bristol
Austin Dillon just missed out on the playoff chase and now starts 18th at Bristol on Saturday night. Despite not leading a single lap, Dillon has fared well on the 0.533-mile course with seven top-15 results in his previous nine races. It is odd how consistent he has been at Bristol without leading one lap. […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoRoss Chastain Making Nice Push In Time For Bristol
Ross Chastain did not race at Bristol in 2020 and his limited history in a slower car makes those results almost irrelevant. He has raced great at Darlington and Richmond with third and seventh place results. If not for the crash at Daytona, Chastain would have finished in the top ten for three straight races. […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoMichael McDowell A Shaky Option At Bristol
Michael McDowell did finish 14th and 10th at Bristol in 2020. In three of the prior four races, he wrecked himself right out of contention. That is kind of the pattern with McDowell. The No. 34 car does well at Daytona and a few select tracks. Outside of that, though, it is often a battle […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoKurt Busch Squarely On The Brink At Bristol
Kurt Busch is tied for 12th in playoff points heading into Saturday night's race at Bristol. There is no pressure at all other than Busch has been here the last two years before this. In his last five races at Bristol, the elder Busch does have a win and five top-15 results. He won the […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoWilliam Byron In Real Trouble At Bristol
William Byron may be that one driver who just gets into trouble early in the playoff chase and never quite climbs out. This is the third year where he is up against it. Last year, he did not get to the Round of 12. Bristol does not help matters this year. The Hendrick Motorsports Racing […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoTyler Reddick A Coin Flip At Bristol
Tyler Reddick has two races on the big stage at Bristol. In the first race he crashed out but in the second one, Reddick contended and finished fourth. That was the summer Bristol race as well. The Richard Childress Racing driver is currently 14th in the playoff chase and needs help to advance along with […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoAric Almirola On The Bubble As Bristol Looms
Aric Almirola is just a few points ahead of Kurt Busch and Alex Bowman as Bristol beckons on Saturday night. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver finished fifth the last time this race was held on a non-dirt surface. Almirola must stay out of trouble. In two of the last four races, he did not. As a […]
Chris Wassel 3 years agoAlex Bowman Has A Chance For Bristol Success
Alex Bowman is right around the Round of 12 bubble. He needs a very good result to avoid elimination. The crazy thing is Bowman has never led a lap on the Bristol track when it has been an asphalt course. Yet, there is something about this third race of the playoff chase that makes one […]
Chris Wassel 3 years ago