STEWART-HAAS RACING PLAYOFF FANTASY CHALLENGE – BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY PREVIEW
Welcome back, Stewart-Haas Racing Playoff Fantasy Challenge players!
Thanks for sticking with the Stewart-Haas Racing Playoff Fantasy Challenge powered by the Stewart-Haas Racing Fan Club for the first two races of the 2020 NASCAR Playoffs. This week we are headed to Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee for the World’s Fastest Half-Mile!
Week 2 Winner: FillyKonk scored 249 points – the most so far in our two races! His impressive roster included, Martin Truex Jr. (47 points), Chase Elliott (41 points), Joey Logano (49 points), Denny Hamlin (35 points) and Brad Keselowski (57 points!). Stage points came through big again – he only had one driver finish a stage outside the top-10! He also picked Hamlin to win Stage 2, Keselowski to be the race winner and Ford as the winning manufacturer to pick up bonus points. He will win a SHR Fan Club prize pack.
FillyKonk – our folks should have already been in touch to help you claim your prize.
Key Takeaway: Impressive roster, stage points, stage winner, race winner, winning manufacturer. Nailed it.
Stewart-Haas Racing in the Playoffs
We have all four of our NASCAR Cup Series drivers in the playoffs – and we were fortunate enough to see Kevin Harvick win to kickoff the playoffs in style with a win at Darlington, but our other three are battling hard to advance to the Round of 12.
Aric Almirola finished eighth, Clint Bowyer 10th and Cole Custer 14th at Richmond. Almirola (+7 points on the cutoff), Bowyer (+3 points) and Custer (-8 points) are going to be battling all night long at Bristol Motor Speedway to get and / or stay above the playoff cut line on Saturday night.
A Look Ahead: Week 3 at Bristol
As you fill out your lineup for this week, we recommend you take a look at the following guys:
Kyle Busch: Kyle has eight Cup Series wins at Bristol, including three trips to victory lane in his last 10 trips the half-mile track. He’s been battling hard in what would be considered an off-season, but the reigning Cup Series Champion and a problem at Bristol could put him in danger of falling out of the playoffs. He’s 18 points above the Cup, but expect a solid run to help him advance to the Round of 12.
Kurt Busch: The older Busch brother is no slouch in Thunder Valley either! Kurt Busch has six Cup wins at Bristol Motor Speedway, including as recently as August 2018. He’s seven points to the good coming into the event, so a solid run is needed to help him advance to the Round of 12. He’s scored 12 top-fives, 21 top-10s and has an average finish of 14th with nearly 1,100 laps led at the track throughout his Cup Series career.
Denny Hamlin: Hamlin continues his march through the playoffs and has already secured his spot in the Round of 12, so with nothing to lose and points on the line – expect a strong showing. Hamlin raced to victory lane at Bristol in August 2019 and has five top-five finishes in his last 10 starts at the high-banked, half-mile oval.
Clint Bowyer: Who has the most top-10s at Bristol in the last 10 events – Clint Bowyer. He’s been strong at Bristol throughout his career with eight top-five finishes, 16 top-10s and an average finish of 13th. He’s battling to stay alive, so I’d expect him to be on his game.
Brad Keselowski: He won last week at Richmond and he won at Bristol in May.
Our Dark Horse Pick: Matt DiBenedetto. He has made his career at Bristol. Battling to score great finishes in both the No. 32 and No. 95 cars in recent years has allowed him to progress into a better position each year as seats have become available. He’s in a top ride now and could capitalize in a Hail Mary situation.
This week’s prize will be a Stewart-Haas Racing Fan Club prize pack. If there are specific prizes you’d like to see offered or suggestions on how we can improve, please let us know!
