With both practice sessions for Saturday night’s race at Bristol being held before qualifying, fantasy owners need to take note when analyzing the practice data. While the drivers guaranteed a starting spot spent time in race trim throughout the first practice and some even in Happy Hour, the go or go home drivers focused on qualifying trim. As a result, owners need to ignore the average speeds of drivers like Jeff Green and Joe Nemechek in the first practice. Owners need to make sure that the driver they are analyzing ran at least 40 laps before taking the data seriously.

With that out of the way, let’s dive into the first session of the afternoon where two-time night race winner Carl Edwards topped the charts. He has been in a mini slump the last few weeks, but he did finish second at Bristol in March. More importantly, he has always been at his best at the track when the sun goes down. Edwards could bust out of his slump in a big way this weekend.

Mark Martin was second on the charts, and coming off a solid showing last weekend at Michigan, he may have some serious value for the first time in a long time. After all, he did have a shot at winning both races at Bristol in 2009, finishing sixth and second. Maybe Martin has plans on ending his Hendrick Motorsports career on a high note.

Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski and Kasey Kahne rounded out the top five, and all three deserves consideration from fantasy owners. Kenseth is a two-time winner at Bristol, and he finished fourth at the track in March. Kahne has back-to-back top-10 finishes at the track, including a top-five last August. Meanwhile, Keselowski is the hottest driver in the series, finishing third or better in the three races leading up to Bristol.

Keselowski also led the way in terms of 10-lap average speed, followed by Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson. Of the two former champions, Johnson has to be considered the better option. He has three finishes of third or better in his last five starts at Bristol, including a win. Last August, Johnson led almost the entire first half of the race before being wrecked on a restart. Jeff Burton and Edwards rounded out the top five.

In final practice, Edwards switched to qualifying trim but still topped the charts. David Stremme turned heads with the second-fastest lap of the session, and Juan Pablo Montoya ranked third. Montoya has finished in the top 10 twice at Bristol, but he has also finished outside the top 20 in three of his last four starts at the track. As always, he is a boom or bust option for owners.

Clint Bowyer and Keselowski rounded out the top five, and while Keselowski is a virtual must have for owner, Bowyer is questionable. He has had a lot of strong runs at Bristol, including a fourth-place finish last August. However, he has been struggling lately. It was at Bristol last season that he turned it on and rallied to make the Chase. If he starts a similar charge this weekend, Bowyer could be a steal for fantasy owners.

In terms of 10-lap average speeds, Martin, Johnson and Kenseth led the way. All three have to be considered strong options for this weekend’s race after popping up in the top five throughout both practices. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and David Reutimann rounded out the top five, and Junior probably deserves a roster spot in fantasy leagues. He has gone a decade without finishing outside the top 20 at Bristol, and even with his recent slump, he should be able to deliver at arguably his best track.

One driver missing from the top of the charts was Kyle Busch. The five-time Bristol winner is going for a three-peat this weekend, and he has won four of the last five races at the track. He did rank 10th in Happy Hour, and considering his incredible record at the track, fantasy owners should feel more than comfortable adding him to their rosters this weekend. After all, he does have seven top-two finishes in his last 10 starts at Bristol.

Happy Hour Speeds (sorted by Avg. Speed)

Rk indicates Best Lap standing

10-Lap Average Speeds (must run 10 consecutive laps) 

First Practice Speeds (sorted by Avg. Speed)

Rk indicates Best Lap standing 

10-Lap Average Speeds (must run 10 consecutive laps) 

Combined Average Speeds (weighted by # of laps run in each session)