RADIO
I don't know about you guys but I am over the moon that we've made it to the first Bristol week of the 2019 season. Bristol is one of the best tracks for gritty skill driving and overall fan excitement due to the bumper to bumper conditions the drivers are put in. Whether you're a big NASCAR fan or a casual DFS player you have no reason not to watch this race. If I could come to all of your houses I would hi-jack your remote and tell you you're welcome.
We're riding into Tennessee coming off of a wild week in Texas where Denny Hamlin grabbed the win. Hamlin was widely considered a sleeper play last week but in all honestly I feel that Ryan Blaney could have pulled off that win if his engine would have stayed in shape (I may or may not have hyperventilated into a paper bag when that happened). Blaney was the one driver I talked about last week that failed to make it in the Top 10 due to DNF but the good news for you is that you're reading this on a site that has finished first in NASCAR DFS picks two weeks in a row!
Two drivers I have to mention before you get to my picks for the week grew up in the same household. Kyle Busch and Kurt Bush have excellent records at Bristol throughout their careers. Kyle has won seven times and Kurt has bagged 6 victories and 11 Top 5s in his races at The Last Great Coliseum. There's no reason not to give these guys a start, but Kurt's price has jumped up there with the heavy hitters due to his recent success with Chip Ganassi Racing. With the price tag on the Busch brothers being on the higher side this week I feel that we can find value in other places.
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Race Day Update
Kevin Harvick will be starting in the rear after failing pre-race inspection along with a pass through penalty. This will likely drop him 2-3 laps down at the beginning of the race. Change lineups accordingly.
Food City 500 - Starting Lineup
- (#9) Chase Elliott - Chevrolet
- (#24) William Byron - Chevrolet
- (#12) Ryan Blaney - Ford
- (#20) Erik Jones - Toyota
- (#11) Denny Hamlin - Toyota
- (#10) Aric Almirola - Ford
- (#22) Joey Logano - Ford
- (#14) Clint Bowyer - Ford
- (#21) Paul Menard - Ford
- (#48) Jimmie Johnson - Chevrolet
- (#6) Ryan Newman - Ford
- (#2) Brad Keselowski - Ford
- (#4) Kevin Harvick - Ford
- (#88) Alex Bowman - Chevrolet
- (#3) Austin Dillon - Chevrolet
- (#42) Kyle Larson - Chevrolet
- (#18) Kyle Busch - Toyota
- (#34) Michael McDowell - Ford
- (#17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr - Ford
- (#41) Daniel Suarez - Ford
- (#95) Matt DiBenedetto - Toyota
- (#38) David Ragan - Ford
- (#19) Martin Truex Jr - Toyota
- (#13) Ty Dillon - Chevrolet
- (#37) Chris Buescher - Chevrolet
- (#8) Daniel Hemric - Chevrolet
- (#1) Kurt Busch - Chevrolet
- (#43) Bubba Wallace - Chevrolet
- (#36) Matt Tifft - Ford
- (#47) Ryan Preece - Chevrolet
- (#00) Landon Cassill - Chevrolet
- (#32) Corey Lajoie - Ford
- (#51) Gray Gaulding - Ford
- (#52) Bayley Currey - Chevrolet
- (#66) Timmy Hill - Toyota
- (#77) Quin Hoff - Chevrolet
- (#15) Ross Chastain - Chevrolet
DFS Lineup Picks - DraftKings, FanDuel
Kyle Larson #42 (DraftKings $9,500 | FanDuel $13,000)
Kyle Larson has had some rough luck thus far in the 2019 season but if there's going to be a track where he can show out its Bristol. Since April of 2017, Larson has had four straight Top 10s but never has been able to bag a win at the track. According to Sean Engel's Driver Rankings that will all change this week. Kurt Busch has hands down been stealing the show at Chip Ganassi Racing and Larson has to be feeling that heat. Larson will start 16th on Sunday and posted a speed of 128.735 in the first practice.
Jimmie Johnson #48 (DraftKings $8,000 | FanDuel $9,700 )
Jimmie Johnson finally had himself a solid race at Texas Motor Speedway last week finishing in fifth after starting on the pole. Johnson is another driver who has street cred in Bristol with two career wins and 19 Top 10s. Hendrick Motorsports hasn't had quite the year we predicted so far but they're looking a little better with three of their four drivers qualifying inside the Top 10. Johnson posted a speed of 127.363 in the first practice but his squad has all weekend to get it right. Honestly, Jimmie "J Dog" Johnson has always been able to grind his way through the crowd at this track and that's all I need to give him the go ahead in my lineup for the first time in 2019.
Clint Bowyer #14 (DraftKings $8,600 | FanDuel $11,000)
The "Short Track God" Clint Bowyer is a hot play this week. Not only is he a historically good at short tracks but hes just really enjoyable to root for. I will say if you've never tuned into his pit call you're missing out on some of the best audio in the business. As far as the numbers go, Bowyer had a good first practice coming in 10th with a speed of 128.142. Bowyer is one of those drivers that takes any means necessary when it comes down to crunch time and at Bristol you have to have that mentality (well you should have it at every race but its another level at Bristol). Bowyer has had five Top 5s since 2015 and is also chasing his first dub at this track.
Joey Logano #22 (DraftKings $11,100 | FanDuel $14,000)
On this weeks Garage Guys Fantasy Sports Podcast I gave a little hint into who I thought would win this week. I didn't name a name but I said that I liked Team Penske to take it home. Joey Logano has had two wins at Bristol in August at the night race but hasn't been able to turn the volume all the way up in April over his career. Logano placed second in the first practice with a blazing speed of 128.882. He finished behind teammate Ryan Blaney who posted the fastest lap. Since 2016 Logano has finished every Food City 500 inside the Top 10 and this Sunday he'll be starting in seventh. While Blaney has good odds for a Top 10 finish starting third, I feel that Logano has the skill at this track to finally get himself a victory in the spring.
For any and all fantasy NASCAR questions, find me on Twitter @GarageGuyChase. Good luck RotoBallers!
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