The infamous IRWIN Tools night race will take center stage tonight when 43 drivers battle it out on the world’s fastest half mile speedway for 500 laps at Thunder Valley. So far this week, Bristol Motor Speedway has not disappointed with exciting races in both the Camping World Truck Series and again last night in the Nationwide Series. Each race has been marked with close exciting racing, wrecks, and driver confrontations which is the status quo at Bristol. Tonight we expect nothing less as the Sprint Cup Series goes racing short track style at one of the most exciting tracks in NASCAR with just 3 races remaining to the start of the Chase. Take a look at our thoughts and IRWIN Tools night race picks:
Kevin Harvick won the Coors Light Pole for tonight’s event and will lead the field to the green flag at approximately 7:43pm. It has been nearly 10 years since Harvick scored his only Bristol victory in the spring of 2005. However with the speed the #4 car has shown throughout 2014, you would have to expect this will be his best chance to return to victory lane later tonight. Harvick did post the fastest 10 lap average in the final practice and was rather “Happy” with his car on the longer runs. Along with Harvick, the other leading candidates to tack home tonight’s victory include both Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski. Both drivers have been among the elite’s at Bristol Motor Speedway in recent history winning 6 of the last 11 races at Thunder Valley.
Busch has 4 victories during that time frame and 5 victories overall which ties Jeff Gordon for the most among active drivers. However, Busch has posted his 15 wins in just 19 starts compared to Gordon’s 43 starts and he has undoubtedly been the undisputed king of Bristol Motor Speedway. Keselowski posted back to back Bristol by winning the IRWIN Tools night race in 2011 and then winning again in the spring of 2012. Since those impressive wins, Keselowski has had a string of bad luck at Bristol and posted just 1 top 5 finish. However, the #2 posted the 3rd fastest 10 lap average in final practice and will be starting towards the front later tonight.
Outside of your normal Bristol heavyweights, this race is pretty wide open. A lot of drivers have shown speed this week and proven they can contend. A few things that bettors must keep in mind tonight is the fact of how much strategy will play out in the course of 500 laps. It is very tough to pass at Bristol due to the fast way around the track being on the high groove making it very difficult to complete a pass on the bottom lane. As a result, track position is extremely crucial. Therefore drivers and teams will constantly being playing the strategy game to get their drivers out front. Additionally, tire wear has not been too important meaning some 2 tire strategies will also play out as well especially towards the end of the race.
As a result of the expected strategy plays by crew chiefs and teams, it would not be surprising to see some surprising faces at the front when tonight’s race concludes. Therefore taking a few drivers with longer odds could be a winning formula for cashing a big payout. Luckily, there has been several drivers that have shown their capability of pulling out a big underdog type victory tonight. Instead of breaking down each driver’s chances tonight that would simply take too much time. Take a look at our IRWIN Tools night race picks below as we have dissected practices, analyzed recent races, and ultimately put together what we believe is a strong lineup for tonight’s IRWIN Tools night race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
IRWIN Tools Night Race Picks
Brian Vickers +5500 (1 unit): newsletter pick, 5 straight finishes of 9th or better at Bristol, starting 15th
Kasey Kahne +1850 (1 unit): 2013 spring winner, 3rd in final practice, starting 12th
Ricky Stenhouse Jr +9500 (.25 unit): runner-up finish back in spring race, fastest in final practice, starting 21st
Kyle Busch +750 (1.5 unit): 5 Bristol wins tied for most among active drivers, fastest 10 lap average in practice 1, starting 4th
Aric Almirola +20000 (.25 unit): 3rd in spring race, 3rd in fastest 10 lap average in practice 1, starting at back
H2H Matchups & Props
Kasey Kahne -135 over Denny Hamlin (2 units)
Marcos Ambrose -150 over Austin Dillon (1 unit)
Brad Keselowski +135 over Jeff Gordon (3 units)
Ryan Newman +130 over Greg Biffle (3 units)
Dale Earnhardt Jr +105 over Joey Logano (1 unit)
