Overview
The Cup Series will race the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Track for the second time in as many seasons but obviously this time with the Next-Gen car. After an exciting Camping World Truck race last night, The Cup cars line up to cap off Easter Sunday. The Cup drivers will turn 250 laps in what promises to be just as exciting as last year’s inaugural event.
Strategy
With a solid amount of laps (250) dominator points will be impactful but not to the degree that they were on a short track like last week at Martinsville which was 400 laps. I’ll look to grab a dominator, in some cases two that I feel can get out to the front for a long period of time. The focus for me will be finding the drivers that I feel are in a position to excel in this environment more so than in other types of races as well as looking at drivers who’ve had success in this type of race in the past.
Note: Be sure to check Discord for updates after qualifying.
Most comparable tracks: Eldora, the only other dirt track on the schedule.
*Note: all pricing is DraftKings focused
Top Drivers
Martin Truex Jr. ($9,600), Starting 30th
Truex will start 30th after a lackluster effort during the heat segment yesterday but is no stranger to the dirt. Truex dominated and won the truck race in the Bristol dirt last season. In the Cup race on this track, last season Truex led 126 laps starting from the fifth position before getting into a bit of a skirmish and finishing 19th. If the roles are reversed this year we will see Truex pick up plenty of place differential points en route to a productive showing in the 19 car.
Tyler Reddick ($9,200), Starting 3rd
Consider Reddick a dark horse candidate to win this race and rack up a ton of dominator points starting from the third position behind Cole Custer (pole) and Christopher Bell (2nd). Last season on this track Reddick started way back at 27th and found himself in the seventh by the time the checkered flag flew. Reddick has also raced the Eldora dirt track three times in the Camping World Truck Series and has pulled up with finishes of 11th, third, and fifth. Obviously the Cup cars are different than a truck but it’s clear that Reddick has a feel for running in the dirt based off of last years success and his practice numbers to go along with his heat results.
Joey Logano ($10,600), Starting 10th
It’s clear that Logano likes running in the dirt. He won the Cup race here last year and had a strong showing in the Truck series race last night as he was able to pass high and low on the track with relative ease for the most part. The driver of the 22 Penske car started this race 10th last year en route to 61 laps led and a win. Can lightning strike twice?
Kyle Larson ($11,200), Starting 5th
Considered one of the better dirt racers in the field, Larson will start fifth and is the highest-priced driver in the field. The defending Cup champion was running well in this race last season before getting wrecked in a big accident at around lap 150 and simply not having enough time to recover. Larson has run two races at Eldora in a truck and finished first, second, and 26th (due to a crash).
Also Consider:
Denny Hamlin ($8,700), Starting 34th
- This season has been nothing short of a nightmare for Hamlin to this point. He’ll look to right the ship in a spot with plenty of place differential available. In this race last season Hamlin was as consistent as could be starting the race in the second position and then finishing third in the first stage, the second stage, and when the checkered flag was waving.
Ross Chastain ($8,500), Starting 33rd
- Chastain has been as consistent as any driver this season and it hasn’t matter which style of track he was attacking. Chastain’s only NASCAR dirt experience was at Eldora where he finished 12th in a truck race.
Bubba Wallace ($7,500), Starting 22nd
Aric Almirola ($6,800), Starting 31st
Corey Lajoie ($5,200), Starting 26th
Note: Be sure to check Discord for updates after qualifying.
GOOD LUCK!!