dailyloe.com – The Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway presents key fantasy NASCAR lineup decisions. Ryan Blaney showed strong long-run speed in practice. He topped scoring charts on multiple lap averages. Goodyear debuts a new tire compound for the race.
Fantasy advice suggests using drivers who excel at Bristol. Kyle Larson has been dominant there with Hendrick Motorsports. Denny Hamlin has consistently challenged Larson at the track. Christopher Bell is another Joe Gibbs Racing option.
Ryan Blaney’s car appeared best over long runs in practice. He led the scoring pylon on 15-, 20-, 25- and 30-lap averages. The fantasy writer has only six uses left for Blaney and Hamlin. They are leaning toward using Blaney for more points.
Chase Elliott ranked 28th on 10-lap averages in practice. The fantasy writer is dropping Elliott for Carson Hocevar. Their final lineup includes Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson. Ty Gibbs, Chase Briscoe, and Christopher Bell complete the roster.
Carson Hocevar is placed in the garage spot. The race airs Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on FS1. It will also be on HBO Max, PRN Radio, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The new Goodyear tire compound could change race dynamics.
Some heavy favorites have struggled in recent high tire-wear races. This weekend might see a return to normal racing conditions. Drivers who excel at Bristol could dominate again. The track is known as the ‘World’s Fastest Half-Mile’.
The article includes a weekly ‘NASCAR 36 for 36’ fantasy pick. This is a season-long points battle introduced in 2024. Strategy is the primary emphasis for players. There are 36 chartered cars and 36 races on the 2026 schedule.
Players can choose each car once for the full season. The ‘MUST START’ driver recommendation is Kyle Larson. He drives the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. The fantasy player has eight selections of Larson remaining for the season.
Since joining Hendrick, Larson has been strong at Bristol. He had six consecutive top-five finishes there before a fall wreck. Those finishes included three victories. In the last two non-tire-wear races, he led 873 of 1,000 laps.
Denny Hamlin is another recommended start. He drives the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. The fantasy player has six selections of Hamlin remaining. Hamlin is a four-time Bristol winner, including two of the last five races.
Hamlin has been Larson’s main challenger at Bristol recently. His team has placed inside the top ten in six of the last seven trips. The track is nicknamed ‘The Last Great Colosseum’. Christopher Bell is the third highlighted driver.
Bell drives the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. The fantasy player has seven selections of Bell remaining. The article directs readers to a NASCAR Fantasy Live hub. It also encourages playing the ’36 for 36′ game.[]
Source: NASCAR.com
