Jeff Gordon won his third race of the season at Michigan last week and looks like a strong contender for this year’s championship. The win ties him with Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Brad Keselowski for most wins on the season with only three races left until the Chase starts. Kyle Larson dropped out of the last Chase spot after a disappointing last place finish and now Greg Biffle and Kasey Kahne are fighting for the last Chase spot to go by points. If we get another different winner in the next three races, that spot will vanish.
IRWIN TOOLS NIGHT RACE
This week the series heads back to Bristol Motor Speedway for the running of the Irwin Tools Night Race. This Saturday night race is one of my favorites of the year and always has a lot of excitement in it. This is also a track where we could see the thirteenth different winner on the season.
Bristol is a slightly longer than half-mile high banked track that the drivers can get around in about fifteen seconds. Qualifying is important at this track because you want to get a good pit stall. The pits are located all the way around the track and your pit stall location could be the difference between winning and losing this race.
Jeff Gordon: I am picking Jeff to win his fourth race of the season this week. Jeff has five career wins at this track and the way he has been running lately, it is hard to pick against him. This team is hitting on all cylinders right now and that is exactly where you want to be as we close in on the Chase. Every bonus point will come in handy once the Chase starts also.
Kyle Busch: Kyle also has five career wins at Bristol and would like to come away with a great finish this week after hitting the wall very early in the race at Michigan last week which lead to a dismal finish for him. Kyle has the mentality to win at Bristol where trading paint is the name of the game. If they can start towards the front of the field he will have a great shot at winning this race.
Kurt Busch: Kurt is another driver with five wins at this track and I think that with his new team he should have a car that is good enough for him to get back to victory lane once again this season. Look for Kurt to be in contention at the end of this race if they can stay out of trouble early in the race. Small mistakes are huge at this track because you can find yourself down multiple laps in a hurry if you have a penalty on pit road.
Brad Keselowski: Brad has won twice here in only nine starts and he loves this type of racing where you can trade a little paint if you need to move someone out of your way as you work your way through traffic. If you go to Bristol with this mind set you will be successful more often than not. Brad never seems to get too upset when someone bumps him when they are racing hard and knows that he can do the same.
Carl Edwards: Carl won the race here in March and this is the type of track that this team has been good at this season. They have really struggled on the intermediate tracks, but have been very good on the short tracks. Carl could very well pick up his third short track win of the season and gain some valuable bonus points for the Chase. However, if they want to have a real shot at winning the championship this year they will have to correct the problems they have on those intermediate tracks.
Greg Biffle: Greg has never won a race at Bristol in the Sprint Cup series, but he has had some very good cars and very bad luck during the races here. Instead of worrying if he can make the Chase on points he would just love to get the win here this weekend. If this team can stay close to the front and have a flawless pit stop late in the race they should have a good chance of getting that win.
Matt Kenseth: Matt won this race last year which gave him three career victories at this track. Matt should make the Chase on points without a win, but they would like to get that win for the bonus point. A win would also give this team some confidence as we near the Chase. You are going to have to win races during the Chase to win the championship and those who have wins going in know that they can finish races.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Dale has one win at Bristol and has finished in the top ten in almost half of his starts here. This team looks good every week on all types of tracks. They will have a great chance at winning the championship the way they are going about business this season and I think they will win at least one more race this season.
Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie has struggled for the past couple of months with mechanical problems that has taken them out of races. I think this is the type of track that this team will be able to turn their fortunes around at this weekend. I don’t think we will see a lot of tire issues this weekend which is something that has really plagued this team lately.
Kevin Harvick: Kevin has one career win at Bristol, but he has only one top ten finish here in his last eleven starts. However, the way this team has brought a fast car to the track every week this season, I think they will be a contender once again this weekend. All they need is for all the cautions to fall right for them just like every other team.
YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Yahoo Driver Group A
- Jeff Gordon
- Kyle Busch
Yahoo Driver Group B
- Carl Edwards
- Greg Biffle
- Brad Keselowski
- Marcos Ambrose
Yahoo Driver Group C
- Jeff Burton (tentative)
- Austin Dillon
MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
- Jeff Gordon
- Kyle Busch
- Kurt Busch
- Carl Edwards
- Brad Keselowski
Dark Horse: Marcos Ambrose
Stay Away From: Brian Vickers