2 months agoHeading into the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on Saturday evening, Chase Elliott sits 30 points above the cut line as the playoff field prepares to be cut down to 12 at the conclusion of the race. Barring any catastrophic happenings on Saturday night, Chase Elliott should be able to advance and keep his Championship hopes alive. Bristol Motor Speedway has been a strong race track for the Hendrick Motorsports driver, as he has finished eighth, seventh, and second in the three Next Gen races here while posting nine top-11 results in 14 career starts in Thunder Valley. This weekend, the No. 9 Chevrolet will roll off the starting grid from 10th-place, and at just $9,000 on DraftKings, Elliott could end up being a sneaky tournament play considering he didn't show blazing-fast speed in practice. However, his teammates were all fast, and given Chase's track history in "Thunder Valley," he should be very good on Saturday night as well.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Driver Averages
2 months agoIn qualifying for Saturday's Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Zane Smith will start 33rd, which is lower than his only previous start at Bristol in the spring earlier this year. In the spring Bristol race, Smith finished 36th after engine issues took him out of contention. In five previous races at Bristol in the Truck Series, however, Smith has three top-10 finishes, including a finish of third earlier in 2024. After 28 Cup Series races completed this season, Smith has 10 top-20 finishes and placed in the Top 25 in each of the last seven Cup events. In practice, Smith ranked 34th in overall lap averages while displaying top-15 speeds in the 15, 20, and 25 consecutive lap average categories. Smith is a quality DFS value option worth rostering in any format for his cap flexibility, high upside, and equipment that is capable of placing in the Top 25.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
2 months agoJustin Haley should get plenty of love from the DFS community at Bristol on Saturday night. The Rick Ware Racing driver surprised a lot of people in the first race in "Thunder Valley" earlier this year by showing legitimate top-10 speed, and this weekend, the No. 51 Ford was solid on the long-run in practice, ranking 13th-fastest or better in 10, 15-, 20-, 25-, and 30-lap averages. Add in the fact that Haley is pretty low-priced at just $5,700 on DraftKings, as well as his starting position of 26th--which gives him high Place Differential potential--and it's likely we see a significant number of DFS players rolling the dice with the RWR driver. As far as track history goes, Justin Haley has actually been a solid sleeper pick in the past as well, with a 12th-place finish here in 2022 to go along with his 17th-place finish earlier this season.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
2 months agoOne mid-range driver that could be a contender for a good finish in Saturday night's Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway is Josh Berry. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver started second and finished 12th at "Thunder Valley" in the spring, leading 25 laps along the way. This time around, Berry won't have the advantage of starting up front, though, as the No. 4 Ford was just 25th-fastest in qualifying on Saturday evening. With that being said, Berry looked to be faster than that on the long runs in practice, and because of that, he should garner a good chunk of ownership in DFS contests on Saturday night. At $8,200 on DraftKings, Berry is a solid Place Differential option this weekend, but not really a slam dunk so make sure to spread out your exposure in that driver price range when building Bristol lineups.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Jayski
2 months agoFor Saturday's Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Erik Jones will start 32nd, marking the lowest starting position of his Cup Series career to date at the site. In 12 races at Bristol, Jones has seven top-20 finishes, including three of his last five appearances at the Tennessee track. With 26 races completed this season, Jones has 13 top-20 finishes, including the spring Bristol race, where he finished 20th. In practice for Saturday's race, Jones ranked 11th in overall lap averages while he was among the Top 20 fastest in all other speed categories. Jones is worth rostering in all DFS formats this week due to his high upside and solid practice speeds, indicating that he will compete for a top-20 finish.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
2 months agoCarson Hocevar of Spire Motorsports will start seventh after qualifying for this week's Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. It will be the fourth time this year that the Cup Series rookie will start inside the Top 10 in a race. In two starts at Bristol, Hocevar scored two finishes with positive Place Differential and had a best finish of 11th while driving for Legacy Motor Club. In 28 races completed this year, Hocevar has five top-10 finishes while placing 12th or better in five of the last seven Cup events. In practice, Hocevar ranked 12th in overall lap averages and displayed top-10 speeds in the 10, 15, and 20 consecutive lap averages. With great practice speeds and favorable history of scoring PD, Hocevar is worth rostering in tournament lineups due to his low upside from his starting position, but he has a solid chance of placing in the Top 10 due to his equipment.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
2
months
agoDenny
Hamlin
will
start
eighth
in
Saturday
night's
Bass
Pro
Shops
Night
Race
at
Bristol
Motor
Speedway.
This
marks
Hamlin's
lowest
starting
position
at
Bristol
since
May
2020,
when
he
started
in
the
10th
position.
In
34
starts
at
the
Tennessee
track,
Hamlin
has
four
wins,
18
top-10
read more...
2 months agoFront Row Motorsports driver Todd Gilliland will start 24th in this week's Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, matching his best starting position at the Tennessee track. In three starts at Bristol, Gilliland has two top-20 finishes and gained positive Place Differential twice. With 28 races completed this season, Gilliland obtained 16 top-20 finishes, including two of the last three Cup events. In practice, Gilliland ranked 26th in overall lap averages, but ranked 16th or better in all other categories on speed. Since Gilliland has favorable upside, practice speeds, and decent history, the No. 38 Ford driver is great value option for DFS lineups this week.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
2 months agoIn qualifying for Saturday night's Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Ross Chastain obtained a starting position of 12th, matching the best starting position of his Cup career at the site. In eight starts at Bristol, Chastain has three top-15 finishes, including a top-10 finish of sixth in 2022. Chastain also nabbed positive Place Differential in each of the last seven Cup events at BMS. After 28 races in the 2024 season, Chastain has 10 top-10 finishes and finished 13th or better in each of the last four Cup events. In practice, Chastain ranked 20th in overall lap averages. Due to his equipment and history of scoring positive PD, Chastain is a sneaky option capable of placing in the Top 10.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
2 months agoHendrick Motorsports driver William Byron will start third in Saturday's Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. It will be the fourth time in his Cup career that Byron will start inside the Top 5 at the Tennessee short track. In 10 starts at Bristol, Byron has four top-10 finishes, but he obtained three in his last four appearances at the site. The No. 24 Chevrolet driver also nabbed a Driver Rating of 99.0 or higher in three of the four previous Bristol races. Through 28 races in 2024, Byron has three wins and 14 top-10 finishes, including another short-track win at Martinsville. In practice, Byron ranked as one of the Top 10 fastest drivers in all categories on speed, including seventh in overall lap averages. With excellent equipment, recent history, and practice speeds, Byron is one driver to count on to compete for the win.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
2 months agoChris Buescher will start 17th in this week's Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. This will be the sixth time in his Cup career that Buescher will start inside the Top 20 at Bristol and is also the best starting position at the site in the Next-Gen car. In 15 races at BMS, Buescher has one win and five top-10 finishes, including each of the last three races. In 28 races completed this season, Buescher has one win from last week's race at Watkins Glen and 13 top-10 finishes, including four of the last five Cup events. In practice, Buescher ranked 23rd in overall lap averages and ranked as high as 17th in 10 consecutive lap averages. Despite the underwhelming practice speeds, Buescher's recent performances in 2024 and history at Bristol make him worth consideration for any DFS lineup.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
2 months agoFor the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman scored the pole position for the first time at the site. In 14 previous races, Bowman has four top-10 finishes, including the spring race earlier in the year, where he placed fourth. After 28 races so far this year, Bowman has one win, 13 top-10 finishes, and seven inside the Top 5. In practice, Bowman ranked 15th in overall lap averages and displayed top-10 speeds in the 15, 20, 25, and 30 consecutive lap average categories. With great equipment and practice speeds, Bowman is a driver who works best in tournament DFS games as a top-10 pick capable of leading a couple of laps despite no Place Differential upside.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
2 months agoTeam Penske driver Ryan Blaney will start 22nd in this week's Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. This marks Blaney's worst-ever starting position at Bristol in his Cup career and the first time he will start outside of the Top 20 at the site. In 15 races at Bristol, Blaney has eight top-20 finishes, including the spring race earlier in the year, where he also led 14 laps. With 28 races completed this season, Blaney has two wins and 19 top-20 finishes, including 12 inside the Top 10. In practice, Blaney ranked third of all drivers in overall lap averages and was the fastest driver in the 10, 15, and 20 consecutive lap average categories. Based on his equipment, upside, and practice speeds, Blaney is a driver who is an easy recommendation to roster in any DFS contest for Bristol.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
2 months agoA.J. Allmendinger qualified 19th for this week's Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. This is Allmendinger's second-best starting position at Bristol while driving for Kaulig Racing. In 24 starts at the site, Allmendinger has 10 top-20 finishes, including 2022, where he finished seventh. In three races at Bristol with Kaulig, Allmendinger has two finishes with positive Place Differential. In 12 races on a part-time schedule so far in 2024, Allmendinger has five top-20 finishes and captured positive PD seven times. In practice, Allmendinger ranked 10th in overall lap averages and ninth in 30 consecutive lap averages. Allmendinger is a driver capable of placing inside the Top 20 finish based on equipment and practice speeds, making him worth rostering in any DFS format this week.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
2 months agoEven though people still tend to associate Bubba Wallace primarily with drafting tracks, one could argue that short tracks are starting to become his actual best track type. His fourth-place finishes at Martinsville and Richmond are his best of the season, he was running in the top five in the spring Richmond race as well before his contact with Kyle Larson that ended regulation, and he did make two passes for the lead in the zany Bristol race last March although he finished a mere 29th. Additionally, he qualified eleventh after qualifying ninth in his previous two races there (which are his three best qualifying runs at the track), indicating that he has gotten faster at Bristol as well, even though it's definitely his worst short track with only a single top ten. Nonetheless, his recent uptick in short track performance makes him a solid contender for a top ten.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
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