NASCAR: Five Drivers Most Likely To Win At Bristol
By Cole Mentzel
![Aug 22, 2015; Bristol, TN, USA; A general view during the NASCAR Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports Aug 22, 2015; Bristol, TN, USA; A general view during the NASCAR Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/f7c05487be927eaa9c251f4fa3af75b649ed6e68b3d3759b81d2fb256626afa3.jpg)
The Underdog: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Stats at Bristol:
- Wins: 0
- Top-5’s: 2
- Top-10’s: 3
- Laps Led: 0
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has been one of the early surprises this season and while you may not believe it, he’s not that bad of a driver at Bristol.
Stenhouse Jr. has only been in Cup Series races there since 2013 but he already has finishes of second, fourth and sixth. He has the highest average finish (11.2) of any other active driver right now.
Did you know? @StenhouseJr has the best average Bristol finish among active drivers (11.2). (Thanks as always to @racingreference for info)
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) April 12, 2016
His 2016 season has not been spectacular but it has been a pretty big upgrade from last season. His fifth-place finish at Fontana was his best race of the year so far and his best finish since finishing fourth at Bristol a year ago.
He’s simply looked like a better driver and is avoiding those middle-of-the-pack incidents a lot more than he has in the past. Even at Texas last weekend, he ran in the top-10 for a while before he was involved in the late wreck that impacted many.
More racing: Power Rankings Heading Into Bristol
Every driver always remembers their first big win. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s next win in the Cup Series will be his first and it could come as soon as this weekend, should things go his way.