NASCAR Fantasy 2015: Irwin Tools Night Race Top Drivers and Sleeper Picks

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series travels to Bristol, Tennessee, this week for the Irwin Tools Night Race.

The series last competed at Bristol Motor Speedway in April. Rain delayed the race, and as soon as it started, teammates Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano crashed each other by getting into a wet spot on the track. Kevin Harvick dominated most of the race by leading 184 laps, but Matt Kenseth got the victory by beating Jimmie Johnson to the checkered flag.

The Sprint Cup Series has been bouncing back and forth between rules packages the last month, but this week it will be using the same package it used in the first race at Bristol. The drivers who performed well in the first race should be considered for your DraftKings contest this week.  

Here are the top 10 drivers with the highest point totals from the last race at Bristol from IFantasyRace.com.

Pos.	Driver	Points
1	Kyle Larson	95
2	Jimmie Johnson	76.5
3	Matt Kenseth	75.75
4	Jeff Gordon	75.75
5	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	65.5
6	Clint Bowyer	61.5
7	Kurt Busch	61
8	Kevin Harvick	55
9	Tony Stewart	53
10	Danica Patrick	52.5

The best strategy for your DraftKings contest this week is to select the drivers who start up front. Track position is very important and so is pit selection for the race. The drivers who qualify well will select the pits stalls on the front stretch, allowing them to make up time on pit road.

There are 500 laps in the race Saturday night and 125 bonus points available in DraftKings for leading laps. Fantasy teams must score as many of these bonus points as possible to win your contest. The drivers who qualify up front and run fast laps in Happy Hour practice will be the drivers to choose for your contest.

Top Drivers

Matt Kenseth, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota ($10,400)

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Kenseth and the entire Joe Gibbs Racing organization have been on fire since the summer race at Daytona. Kenseth has finished the last six races in the top seven, including wins at Pocono and last week at Michigan. He also won the race at Bristol in April.

Bristol is one of Kenseth’s best tracks. He has a series-best driver rating and the fourth-best average finish position since the track was reconfigured in 2013. Kenseth has won two of the last five races in Thunder Valley and is the favorite to win Saturday night, according to Odds Shark.

I really thought DraftKings would have made Kenseth the highest-priced driver this week, but he is priced $100 cheaper than Kevin Harvick. Kenseth is the best choice in the contest this week and is worth every penny. He is a good driver to start building your team around this week.

Wins	Top 5's	Top 10's	Avg Start	Avg Finish
4	13	20	15.5	20

Usually, it is not wise to select the driver who wins the pole for your DraftKings contest. That is not the case this week. Kenseth won the pole and the race both last week at Michigan and in the April race at Bristol. He should be selected for your contest regardless of where he starts the race.

Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota ($10,300)

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Busch is too hot to fade in your DraftKings contest right now. He has four wins and a second-place finish in the last eight races this season. When Busch is running well, he usually wins at Bristol. He has never been as hot as he is now.

Fantasy teams will have a hard time finding a better driver for their contest than Busch Saturday night. He has five wins and three runner-up finishes in his 20 career starts at the track. Busch grew up racing on the Bull Ring in Las Vegas, and the skills he learned at the short track have taught him to dominate the races at Bristol.

My pick to win the race this week is Busch, and fantasy teams can have him at the third-highest price in the contest this week. Busch is the type of driver who can dominate a race. If he is able to lead the majority of the laps and finish up front, Busch could carry your team to a nice paycheck.

Wins	Top 5's	Top 10's	Avg Start	Avg Finish
5	8	12	18.2	12.1

He has been to Victory Lane 16 times in the three top series in NASCAR. He always runs well after winning the Xfinity race the day before the Sprint Cup race. Busch will compete in the Xfinity race Friday, and he should have a good chance to sweep the weekend races.

Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevy ($10,500)

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

Harvick is not the first name that comes to mind when most fans think of short-track racing at Bristol, but the No. 4 team has been good at every track this season. Harvick is almost a lock for a top-10 finish Saturday night. He has finished in the top 10 in 20 of the 23 races this season.

Harvick has run well but has not had good luck at Bristol since the track was reconfigured. He has only finished two of the five races in the top 15 but has led 294 laps in the races. His luck has to turn around sometime, and it will be hard to fade the No. 4 car in your DraftKings contest.

Once again, Harvick is the highest-priced driver in the contest. He has been able to live up to his price most weeks. He would have scored the most points in the first race at Bristol if he was not involved in an accident on lap 310. Harvick is worth his price this week.

Wins	Top 5's	Top 10's	Avg Start	Avg Finish
1	9	12	17.0	15.0

Leading laps is important this week and no driver has done it better than Harvick. He has led 1,406 laps this season, including 183 laps in the last race at Bristol. He will be the best option this week to score the most bonus points for your DraftKings contest.

Kurt Busch, Stewart-Haas Racing, Chevy ($10,200)

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

It is hard to tell which Busch brother is better at Bristol. Both have five wins and eight top-five finishes in Thunder Valley. I would give the edge this week to Kurt over Kyle because he competed in the 2015 rules package at Bristol this season and Kyle has not.

Busch ran well in the first race in Thunder Valley. He qualified seventh, led 98 laps and finished 15th. He would have finished much higher if his team was not penalized for a tire leaving the pit area and Carl Edwards spinning him out with seven laps left in the race. He had one of the best cars in April, and Busch will be fast Saturday night.

I did not think Busch would be priced as high as he is, but it proves that DrafKings knows who the best drivers are. Busch is the fourth-highest priced driver but could score the most points this week. It would be a good idea to take both Busch brothers and build your team around them at Bristol.

Wins	Top 5's	Top 10's	Avg Start	Avg Finish
5	8	15	17.5	14.5

Busch has been hit or miss at Bristol. He either finishes in the top five or outside the top 30. He is a risky pick this week because of his aggressive driving style, but the risk is well worth the reward for your contest this week.

Sleepers

Kyle Larson, Chip Ganassi Racing, Chevy ($8,600)

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Larson needs a win to make the Chase and the race Saturday night will be his best chance. He has the second-best average finish position and the fourth-best driver rating at Bristol since the track was reconfigured. His worst finish in Thunder Valley was his 12th-place finish last season. Larson should easily finish in the top 10 this week.

Larson is an absolute steal at $8,600 this week. There are 10 drivers with a higher price than Larson, but he has a great shot to finish in the top five. Larson should be highly owned in DraftKings contests Saturday night.

Wins	Top 5's	Top 10's	Avg Start	Avg Finish
0	0	2	24.7	9.7

The best way for Larson to figure out how to get to Victory Lane and clinch his spot in the Chase is to get experience at the track. He will compete in the Xfinity race Friday night and he should learn what it takes to get his car to the front this week.

Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing, Chevy ($7,500)

Derik Hamilton/Associated Press

One of the teams that has been running well the last month has been the No. 3 team. Dillon started 43rd last week at Michigan and led 19 laps on his way to a top-five finish. He could have the same type of performance Saturday night.

Dillon knows how to get around the high-banked track at Bristol. He finished two of his three races in the Sprint Cup Series in the top 11. He also finished four of his five races in the Xfinity Series in the top 12. Dillon should easily finish in the top 15 this week.

Fantasy teams will have a hard time finding a better bargain than Dillon this week. He has a good chance to finish in the top 10, but Dillon is the 20th-highest priced choice in DraftKings contest. It would be wise to pair Dillon with some of the top drivers this week.

Wins	Top 5's	Top 10's	Avg Start	Avg Finish
0	0	1	21.3	16.3

I would have liked Dillon more if he was getting seat time in the Xfinity Series race Friday night. He has been improving each race this season, so I am hoping he can make it back-to-back top-five finishes this week at Bristol.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Roush Fenway Racing, Ford ($6,500)

David Graham/Associated Press

Stenhouse Jr. is one of the best kept secrets when it comes to short-track racing at Bristol. He has a series-best average finish position at the track since the track was reconfigured. Stenhouse has finished the last three races in the top six. He has not run well this season, so most of your competitors in DraftKings will probably overlook the No. 17 team this week. That will be a mistake.

Stenhouse is the best choice in DraftKings contests this week because of price. Fantasy players rarely get to own the driver with the best average finish position for $6,500. When a driver is underpriced like this, fantasy teams need to pounce on him. He could be the driver to win you your contest.

Wins	Top 5's	Top 10's	Avg Start	Avg Finish
0	2	3	24.4	9.2

Fantasy teams will want to watch Stenhouse in qualifying and in Happy Hour practice. If he has a fast car, he has the talent to get to the front. The unexpected always happens in NASCAR, and nothing would be more unexpected than Stenhouse winning the race and stealing a spot in the Chase.

Justin Allgaier, HScott Motorsports, Chevy ($6,000)

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Allgaier is not a great choice at many of the tracks, but he is when the series competes on the short tracks. He has only competed in three races in the Sprint Cup Series at Bristol but has finished each of them inside the top 20. Allgaier has one win and five finishes in the top 10 in the Xfinity Series. He is a great sleeper pick this week. 

Allgaier is severely underpriced this week. He has not finished many races in the top 15, but the series does not compete at Bristol every week. Allgaier is a great choice to help you save money for the higher-priced drivers Saturday night.

Wins	Top 5's	Top 10's	Avg Start	Avg Finish
0	0	1	21.3	14.7

Allgaier is a driver who could qualify in the top 10. If he does qualify up front, he will have more risk because Allgaier could lose points for place differential. The best-case scenario would be for Allgaier to qualify near the top 20 and finish near the top 10.

DraftKings Picks for Bristol

Driver 1: Kevin Harvick ($10,500)

Driver 2: Kurt Busch ($10,200)

Driver 3: Kasey Kahne ($8,200)

Driver 4: Kyle Larson ($8,600)

Driver 5: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ($6,500)

Driver 6: Justin Allgaier ($6,000)

Advanced stats courtesy Racing-Reference.Info.

DraftKings is giving away over $10 million Week 1 of the NFL Season. Use this knowledge to help you win some of that cash. The biggest first place prize ever at $2 million will be awarded. Play now for FREE at DraftKings.com.

 If you need any further advice with your team, look for me on Twitter: @MrFantasyNASCAR. If you like Fantasy NASCAR, "like" my Fantasy NASCAR Tips Page on Facebook