CJ is on a two-race win streak as he correctly predicted Kyle Larson’s win in last Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at the Richmond (VA) Raceway. It was shocking in a sense that Larson hasn’t had much success on the .75-mile short track but prevailed in the end after getting a great launch on the final restart.

Now, it’s to Bristol Dirt to where we can expect the unexpected.

RACE FUTURES: BRISTOL DIRT RACE

 

5-1…K Larson

6-1…C Bell and T Reddick

10-1…C Briscoe, W Byron and J Logano

12-1…K Busch

15-1…R Blaney and R Chastain

18-1…D Hamlin

20-1…R Stenhouse Jr.

25-1…A Bowman, D Suarez and M Truex Jr.

30-1…C Buescher and B Keselowski

40-1…J Berry and K Harvick

50-1…A Dillon

60-1…J Davenport and B Wallace

80-1…T Dillon, T Gibbs, J Haley, M McDowell and R Preece

100-1…AJ Allmendinger

150-1…A Cindric and E Jones

200-1…A Almirola, H Burton, T Gilliland and N Gragson

1000-1…C Lajoie

 

NOTE: Each analyst has a weekly wagering limit of $100.

NOTE: The weekly wagering limits will increase $100 for each playoff round ending with a $500 wagering limit for the Championship Four race. 

 

BRISTOL DIRT RACE PICKS: RACE 8

 

Greg DePalma

C Briscoe…10-1…$22 ($220)

J Logano…10-1…$15 ($150) 

R Blaney…15-1…$13 ($195) 

D Hamlin…18-1…$8 ($144) 

A Bowman…25-1…$8 ($200) 

D Suarez…25-1…$15 ($375) 

M Truex Jr.…25-1…$10 ($250) 

B Keselowski…30-1…$4 ($120) 

K Harvick…40-1…$3 ($120) 

D Gilliland…200-1…$2 ($400) 

 

CJ Radune

K Larson…5-1…$25 ($125) 

C Bell…6-1…$20 ($120) 

T Reddick…6-1…$20 ($120)

K Busch…12-1…$10 ($120) 

R Chastain…15-1…$8 ($120) 

D Hamlin…18-1…$7 ($126) 

R Stenhouse Jr.…20-1…$6 ($120) 

A Dillon…50-1…$3 ($150) 

C Lajoie…1000-1…$1 ($1,000) 

 

Eric Smith

K Larson…5-1…$22 ($110) 

C Bell…6-1…$20 ($120) 

T Reddick…6-1…$18 ($108)

K Busch…12-1…$10 ($120) 

C Briscoe…10-1…$11 ($110)

J Logano…10-1…$11 ($110) 

A Bowman…25-1…$5 ($125) 

J Haley…80-1…$3 ($240) 

 

WEEKLY RACE PICKS STANDINGS

 

CJ Radune

RECORD: 4 for 7

TOTAL: -150

 

Greg DePalma

RECORD: 2 for 7

TOTAL: -335

Eric Smith

RECORD: 2 for 7

TOTAL: -459

ARCHIVES

 

TOYOTA OWNERS 400 PICKS: RACE 7

TOYOTA OWNERS 400 RACEWINNER: Kyle Larson

 

Greg DePalma

C Bell…7-1…$30 ($210) 

D Hamlin…9-1…$13 ($117) 

M Truex Jr.…11-1…$18 ($198) 

K Busch…12-1…$12 ($144) 

R Blaney…16-1…$8 ($128) 

J Logano…16-1…$8 ($128) 

R Chastain…18-1…$6 ($108) 

C Briscoe…50-1…$2 ($100)

T Gibbs…80-1…$2 ($160) 

A Cindric…100-1…$1 ($100) 

 

RECORD: 0 for 1

TOTAL: -100

 

CJ Radune

K Larson…6-1…$19 ($114) …WINNER!

C Bell…7-1…$17 ($119) 

D Hamlin…9-1…$13 ($117) 

M Truex Jr.…11-1…$11 ($121) 

K Busch…12-1…$10 ($120) 

R Blaney…16-1…$8 ($128) 

J Logano…16-1…$8 ($128) 

R Chastain…18-1…$7 ($126) 

T Reddick…18-1…$7 ($126)

 

RECORD: 1 for 1

TOTAL: +33

 

Eric Smith

K Harvick…5-1…$25 ($125) 

C Bell…7-1…$18 ($126) 

D Hamlin…9-1…$15 ($135) 

M Truex Jr.…11-1…$12 ($132) 

K Busch…12-1…$9 ($108) 

A Bowman…18-1…$7 ($126)

B Keselowski…25-1…$5 ($125) 

C Buescher…28-1…$4 ($112)

A Dillon…80-1…$2 ($160) 

T Gibbs…80-1…$2 ($160) 

R Preece…130-1…$1 ($130) 

 

RECORD: 0 for 1

TOTAL: -100

RACE HISTORY/TRENDS

This will be the 3rd ever race on this track so there’s not much history or trends to witness here. The inaugural race was run during daytime conditions while the second edition last year under the lights.

• Starting position hasn’t mattered here. The winners started 10th and 11th respectively.
• In fact, the inaugural race saw 11 of the top 14 finishers each start outside the top 10 that day.
• In both races, the pole winner failed to lead a single lap. Kyle Larson finished 29th from the pole in 2021 and Cole Custer 13th a year ago.
• Also, in both races, the 2nd place starter has just 1 total lap led too. Denny Hamlin led just a single lap in 2021. Christopher Bell failed to lead a lap last year and finished 7th.
• Both winners did score stage points in both stages of their respective race.
• Stage 1 finish: 6th (2021), 5th (2022)
• Stage 2 finish: 1st (2021), 5th (2022)
• Both races saw a lot of cautions. There were 10 for 39 laps in 2021 and 14 for 82 laps last year.

TRACK COMPARISONS

This is the only dirt track on the schedule still so no where else to compare this one to.

Favorites

Joey Logano

He won the inaugural race in 2021 and backed that up with a strong third place finish last year. For whatever reason, Logano has taken to dirt racing even though he had no real experience on it prior to the inaugural edition.

Kyle Larson

Arguably the top dirt racer in the game today. He started on the pole in 2021 and finished fifth after leading 27 laps last year.

Christopher Bell

Off to a strong start this season (5 top 5’s in the 1st 7 weeks) and honestly as good as Larson is on dirt. He started second and finished seventh a year ago.

Chase Briscoe

Stats say finishes of 20th and 29th respectively. However, Briscoe is a dirt guy by nature and was second in the final laps a year ago. He even led 59 laps in the process. However, an overzealous move for the win cost him a top two finish. He’s after redemption on Sunday night.

Kyle Busch

The car he’s driving was in contention to win last year but crashed with Chase Briscoe in going for the win. It allowed Busch to sneak by to take the victory instead. Busch has led laps in both races so far here on the dirt too.

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Sleepers

Ryan Blaney

Not known as a dirt racer, but he’s been in the Top-10 in both races (8th, 5th).

Alex Bowman

A dirt guy growing up with a finish of sixth last year. He’s started in Row 4 (7th, 8th) in both events too. On top of that, Bowman has had a Top-10 finish in six of the seven weeks thus far as well.

Tyler Reddick

He was seventh in the inaugural edition in 2021 and runner-up last year after leading 99 laps and being two corners away from victory.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

A dirt guy who was runner-up in 2021.

Daniel Suarez

Was 4th in 2021 after leading 58 laps. While he was only 12th last year, he led another 64 laps in the process.

Austin Dillon

He won a late model race at Bristol in 2021 and has a dirt background to where he’s been very successful at. That’s why I don’t put a lot of stock in his finishes (21st, 31st) here.

Brad Keselowski

11th in both races. You have to put yourself up front in order to capitalize on others’ mistakes and I feel like Keselowski has that capability here. Worth a flier.

Michael McDowell

A respectable 12th in 2021 and ninth last year.

Justin Haley

He’s been great on dirt tracks and was 14th as a rookie last year. I expect a good night out of him on Sunday.

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Fades

Denny Hamlin

Started second and finished third in 2021 but was only 35th after experiencing engine issues a year ago. Hamlin has just two Top-10 finishes this season, both being sixth place runs with three of his last four finishes being 16th or worse.

William Byron

He was sixth in 2021 but just 18th a year ago. Byron doesn’t come from a dirt background.

Kevin Harvick

This is his final Bristol dirt start and I’m sure he’ll be ecstatic about that. Harvick was only 15th and 34th in his pair of starts here.

Martin Truex Jr.

He won the inaugural Truck Series race here in 2021 and even led 126 laps in the Cup race that day as well. However, his two finishes in Cup competition are also 19th and 21st respectively too. He has just one Top-10 finish all season.

Ross Chastain

Arguably his worst track on the schedule with a pair of sub-30th place finishes (35th, 33rd).

Bubba Wallace

He’s not shy in saying he’s not suited well for this track. Wallace has finished 27th and 28th respectively.

Austin Cindric

He has a road racing background and not dirt. Which is why he was only 16th a year ago.

Aric Almirola

Not one of his stronger tracks. He’s not a dirt racer and finished 36th and 23rd respectively here.

Chris Buescher

Not a dirt racer either. However, he’s had a Top-15 result in both years (14th, 15th).

Harrison Burton

20th as a rookie a year ago.

Erik Jones

9th in 2021 but 24th a year ago.