Ice Picks – Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol, Fantasy Insider
Aug 22, 2014; Bristol, TN, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick (4) during practice for the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Ice picks eight drivers to give you the best points for the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol.
Kevin Harvick was freaky fast as he took the pole for the night race by the narrowest of margins over red-hot Jeff Gordon. It’s Harvick’s fifth pole of the season and leads all drivers in that department. Harvick has the 10th best driver rating among all active drivers at Bristol Kevin does have one Bristol win, nine top 5s and 12 top 10s. His average finish is 14.3 for his career. It’s been a good year for Kevin Harvick and it could get better Saturday night.
The top speeds posted for first practice are as follows:
#42-Larson 131.083
#11-Hamlin 130.557
#4-Harvick 130.504
#55-Vickers 130.495
#88-Earnhardt Jr. 130.132
We also had happy hour practice before qualifying Friday; here are the top speeds:
#17-Stenhouse Jr. 131.048
#48-Johnson 131.012
#5-Kahne 130.869
#43-Almirola 130.780
#42-Larson 130.762
Carl Edwards somehow put a great lap together to take the third starting spot for Saturday night. Carl led 78 laps before his signature back flip back in March of this year. It was his third win at Bristol and he looks to get a fourth; his price should be right if you pencil him in.
Jeff Gordon got beat for the pole but when your red-hot, you got to play your hand. He ranks fourth all time at Bristol with five wins, 10 top fives and 16 top 10s. He’s a bit on the pricey side in most leagues, but he can make you say winner, winner chicken dinner and that could be a phrase used by most of us Saturday night.
Kyle Busch is a great choice for Saturday night; his five wins, eight top fives and 10 top 10s all time record has to be considered a favorite. Kyle leads all active drivers with a 10.89 average finish. Forget about the past two weeks; tomorrow is a new race and his price should be an incentive to have on your team.
Most wins by active drivers:
Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch each have five wins and all three are starting in the top 10 Saturday night.
Roush Fenway Racing has the most wins at Bristol with 10. Chevrolet leads all manufacturer’s with 43 victories, and Ford has 34. Toyota has six victories, courtesy of Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin’s one.
I mentioned in my power rankings that track position is everything and pole position has produced the most wins with 22. Seven of the last ten races have been decided by less than a second.
Goodyear is using a different tire set up for all three series than they ran in March of this year at Bristol. Left-side D-4416; Right-side D-4526.
Here are my Ice Picks for Saturday night.
A List
Kevin Harvick- He’s got the pole. Twenty-two races have been won from the pole.
Kyle Busch- Has five wins and starts fourth.
Jeff Gordon- Red hot and a winner all year-long
B List
Ryan Newman- has been top 10 most of this year and is looking for that elusive win.
Brad Keselowski- top 10 start makes him dangerous with one previous win.
Carl Edwards- starts third and won the March race.
Joey Logano- looking for that first Bristol win in good equipment.
C List
Austin Dillon- has a far better start than Kyle Larson’s 42nd spot; take Dillon!
FYI(for your information)- The race is scheduled to be on ABC but it might not be televised in your city or town. I recommend you read Amanda Vincent’s article called “NFL Moves NASCAR Elsewhere On TV Dial” on this website to see if you will be affected. Amanda has posted the area’s affected with the alternate viewing channel. Weather might play a factor tomorrow night. Bookmark Stock Car Spin to get all the latest NASCAR news and great articles by our writing staff. Thanks for stopping in, Good Luck!