Tony Stewart Mastered the Restart and Won the Race

Tony Stewart captures his first checkered flag at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after taking the win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 400 on Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nev.
Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Congratulations to Tony Stewart who got his first ever win at Las Vegas by beating everyone on every restart at the end of the race. No one else was even close keeping up with Tony on those restarts and that cost me big on my fantasy team. My pick to win last week, Matt Kenseth, had a terrible restart and as a result got stuck three wide and run into the wall taking the rest of my starters with him to the rear of the pack. And so it goes in fantasy racing.

This week the series heads back east to Bristol Motor Speedway and the running of the Food City 500. There is always great racing at Bristol and this season will be no different. Trading paint is the norm at this track and not many people get knocked out of this race.

However, if you have a problem such as a flat tire you can find yourself down 6 laps in a hurry.

Food City 500

Kyle Busch: Kyle is my pick to win this week’s race at Bristol. Despite having a slow start to his season, I still believe that Kyle handles his car better than anyone else on the circuit and he has the attitude that it takes to win at Bristol. A little banging is what this team needs to get back on track.

Tony Stewart: It isn’t often that Tony wins a race early in the season so, after last week’s win this team has a lot of confidence heading to Bristol. Tony is another driver that thrives on a little bumper to bumper action and will be more than happy to let everyone know that he is the defending Sprint Cup champion.

Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie and crew chief Chad Knaus will hear their appeals to NASCAR for rules infractions at Daytona on Tuesday. More than likely Chad will be suspended for the next 6 races. If anything good happens to this team it is that their penalties will be reduced but, I’m sure they won’t be completely overturned. Still Jimmie should be okay this weekend at Bristol.

Matt Kenseth: Matt was having a great run at Las Vegas last week until the final restart and is having a great year. He has finished outside the top 10 at Bristol only 4 times in his last 20 races. Matt is not a driver that likes contact and tries to stay away from it at Bristol as much as he can and still comes away with great finishes. A must start on most fantasy teams this week.

Carl Edwards: Carl has 2 wins at Bristol during his career and has the physical prowess to run well here each time he visits. Bristol is one of the most demanding races on the circuit both mentally and physically. The only other tracks that demand more mental and physical focus are the road courses.

Greg Biffle: Greg is having an outstanding season so far and has finished in the top 10 at Bristol in 4 of his past 5 starts. This team finally has a lot of confidence in themselves to be a threat every week. Look for Greg to have another strong run this weekend.

Kevin Harvick: Kevin has struggled here a little bit over the past three seasons. Now that he has sold his race team he should be more focused on racing and can get back to the mental toughness he had. I look for Kevin to once again be a top 10 finisher at Bristol this weekend.

Jeff Burton: Jeff always seems to run well at Bristol. He won this race during the 2008 season and has fallen off a little bit since that time. He is another of the RCR drivers just like Kevin Harvick who know how to get around Bristol and like Harvick he will have a good run this weekend.

Ryan Newman: Ryan has finished in the top 10 here in 6 of his last 7 starts. He had a good run at Vegas last week and has the Hendrick power under his hood just like Tony Stewart. This is a place where Ryan likes to run and he could be a contender this weekend.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Dale had a very good run at Las Vegas last weekend and used to get around Bristol pretty well. He has struggled a little bit the last couple of years but, this team seems to have new life this year. I look for them to have a strong run this week and I think they will get to victory lane sometime this year.

Yahoo Fantasy NASCAR Picks for Bristol Motor Speedway

Yahoo Driver Group A

• Kyle Busch
• Matt Kenseth

Yahoo Driver Group B

• Ryan Newman
• Jeff Burton
• Greg Biffle
• Jamie McMurray

Yahoo Driver Group C

• Brian Vickers
• Bobby Labonte

Top-5 Overall at Bristol Motor Speedway

1. Kyle Busch
2. Matt Kenseth
3. Tony Stewart
4. Carl Edwards
5. Jimmie Johnson

Dark Horse: Jamie McMurray

Stay Away From: Clint Bowyer