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September 20, 2024

NASCAR.com’s 36 for 36 picks for Bristol Night Race


NASCAR.com’s 36 for 36 continues at Bristol Motor Speedway.

With 36 races and 36 full-time Charter cars, our players select one car per race, but there’s a simple twist: once they’ve made the pick, they can’t choose that car again for the rest of the 36-race season. Yes, that means every car will be selected exactly once … a survivor pool, by another name.

Follow along weekly as our panel of pickers — Dustin Albino from Jayski, along with Steve Luvender and Cameron Richardson from NASCAR.com — embarks on a season-long journey to think like strategists and prove their picking prowess.

We’ll also feature a fourth “community” 36 for 36 pick each week, as decided by fan vote on the r/NASCAR subreddit. Can the collective vote topple our trio of full-timers?

Current Standings:

  1. Steve Luvender: 711
  2. Dustin Albino: -60
  3. r/NASCAR Community: -67
  4. Cameron Richardson: -114

Race 29 of 36: Bristol

Our pickers had a solid outing last week at Watkins Glen. A 22-point day from Ty Gibbs, picked by points leader Steve Luvender, tightened the race slightly, as second-place Dustin Albino’s selection of Austin Cindric netted 33 points. Cameron Richardson shaved a point off his deficit to the r/NASCAR community in third place; Richardson went with Daniel Suárez (31 points) while the NASCAR subreddit picked Michael McDowell (30 points).

The Bristol Night Race challenges our four pickers next, closing out the Round of 16 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. In a race known for tempers, bumpers and helmet tosses, how will they approach this one — with only eight drivers left on the board?

Jayski’s Dustin Albino: No. 54, Ty Gibbs

Dustin’s pick last week: No. 2, Austin Cindric (33 points)

Total season points: 651 (second place)

Dustin: While his NASCAR career is still in its infancy, Ty Gibbs’ best track might be Bristol. Last September, he led 102 laps en route to a fifth-place finish. The No. 54 team backed up that performance in March by sweeping the first two stages and leading a career-high 137 laps. Entering the Round of 16 elimination race on the elimination line, Gibbs needs to be at his best in order to advance. Joe Gibbs Racing has a stellar track record in Thunder Valley with Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, during his time there, leading the way. Gibbs is due for his first victory — it could come as early as Saturday night.

NASCAR.com’s Steve Luvender: No. 24, William Byron

Steve’s pick last week: No. 54, Ty Gibbs (22 points)

Total season points: 711 (first place)

Steve: This one’s a gamble. William Byron has never led a lap at Bristol — the only oval where he’s made multiple starts (10, and 13 if you include dirt races) and never led a lap — but I think it’s a very William Byron thing to identify a weak area and conquer it. Even though Martinsville in April was the site of Byron’s last win, I’m not convinced he’s done making noise this year. I think, despite his underwhelming track record at Bristol, he’s going to close out the Round of 16 with a bang. (As long as that’s not the bang of a fender into the wall.)

NASCAR.com’s Cameron Richardson: No. 42, John Hunter Nemechek

Cameron’s pick last week: No. 99, Daniel Suárez (31 points)

Total season points: 597 (fourth place)

Cameron: Sure, I’m banking on a similar race to the spring at Bristol where Nemechek finished sixth, but the overall numbers for him in all three national series are pretty stellar. He’s completed all but seven laps in 2,700 laps turned combined in his Xfinity and Cup Series starts at the Tennessee short track, with all those finishes coming inside the top 20. While the whole playoff field, minus Joey Logano, needs to tread lightly around the track, Nemechek can come out swinging and go for another top-10 result in his first Bristol Night Race since 2020.

r/NASCAR Community: No. 42, John Hunter Nemechek

Total season points: 644 (third place)

The NASCAR subreddit picked John Hunter Nemechek in this week’s community voting thread. Here’s what Redditors had to say:

u/Extreme-Bite-9123: “We have to use JHN here. He was great in the spring, and we don’t really have anywhere else to use him”

u/michigan_matt: “He finished 6th at Bristol in the spring and was in the top 5 in both stages. His two starts with FRM were top 20s. I think we absolutely have to go with JHN this week.”

u/Dont_hate_the_8: “My gut said Gibbs this week, but stats say JHN. Great run there in the spring.”

u/Sea_Moment_9405: “Nemechek has 3 top 10s this year, and Spring Bristol was one of them. It was his best finish of the year, a 6th place where he scored 13 of his 23 total stage points this season. This is easily his best remaining track so I say we fire him up. There are other options like Ty Gibbs, but I think we could use him at an intermediate or the Roval and still get a good points haul from him.”

Check back next week to see how our pickers fared as the season-long 36 for 36 journey continues.

And, if you’ve got a competitive itch beyond meticulously managing your Fantasy Live lineup each week, feel free to save or print your own 36 for 36 sheet and see if you can beat our pickers and the Reddit community!

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