The World's Fastest Half-Mile is ready for a spectacle, and Bristol Motor Speedway never disappoints the masses. This historic venue recently played host to Ty Gibbs' first Cup Series victory, an unforgettable finish that felt straight out of a WWE script. Now, the Fantasy Fastlane 36 for 36 game returns with its season-long strategy format, where players pick each of the 36 chartered cars just once across the 36 races on the 2026 schedule.
When it comes to must-start drivers, Kyle Larson and Hendrick Motorsports stand tall with the No. 5 Chevrolet. Larson enters his strongest track just nine points behind Denny Hamlin for the championship lead, carrying momentum from a monstrous points day at World Wide Technology Raceway. The No. 5 team has captured three wins in the last eight Bristol visits while cracking the top five seven times during that span. Joining him as a premier option is Denny Hamlin in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota. Hamlin matches Larson's prowess here with three wins in his last 11 starts, including two in the last six, alongside seven top 10s in his last eight appearances. Rounding out the must-starts is Ty Gibbs in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54 Toyota. An emotional weekend approaches as M&M's returns to JGR to honor the late Kyle Busch, and Gibbs brings a stellar Bristol resume featuring 465 laps led in seven starts and a 5.0 short-track average finish in 2026.
Not everyone finds easy glory in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, however. Tyler Reddick and the 23XI Racing No. 45 Toyota land in the avoid column despite the venue's aggressive nature fitting his style. Consistency has been missing in Tennessee, where he holds just two top 10s in 10 starts and only seven total laps led, though his fourth-place finish in the spring was his first lead-lap result here since 2021. His teammate Bubba Wallace in the 23XI Racing No. 23 Toyota faces similar hurdles with only a single top-10 finish in eight Bristol starts with the organization, giving him a 19.6 average finish across 14 career starts that ranks as the third-worst among Chase drivers.
For sleepers who can surprise the field, Carson Hocevar and the Spire Motorsports No. 77 Chevrolet have flown around Thunder Valley since joining the Cup level in late 2023. Four of his six starts have landed 11th or better, including two top 10s, though potential payback from rivals remains a constant threat. Meanwhile, Chase Elliott and Hendrick Motorsports pilot the No. 9 Chevrolet as an unorthodox sleeper pick. Even though the No. 9 team has secured just one top-10 finish in its last 14 races, Elliott boasts four finishes of eighth or better in his last seven Bristol starts.
Featured head-to-head matchups highlight tight battles across the field. Chris Buescher's team has tumbled with a best finish of 10th in the last 11 races of 2026, making Ryan Preece the pick over Buescher due to Preece's two top 10s in the last four Bristol starts. Denny Hamlin edges Joey Logano, given Logano's 21.0 average finish in seven Next Gen races at the bullring compared to Hamlin's two wins in that span. Ty Gibbs takes the nod over Ryan Blaney despite Blaney leading 190 of 505 laps in April before a late caution, as Bristol remains Gibbs' strongest statistical venue. Finally, Kyle Larson gets the preference over Christopher Bell; Bell is the defending winner of this race with six top-10 finishes in his last seven Bristol visits, but Larson leads the field with a stunning record at the Tennessee short track.
For the final lineup, the starting five features Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Ty Gibbs, Ryan Blaney, and Christopher Bell, with Chase Elliott held in the garage. For the 36 for 36 selection, Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Chevrolet take the top spot. Since taking over the ride in 2021, Larson leads the series at Bristol in wins with three, top fives with seven, laps led at 1,405, an average finish of 6.25, stage wins with seven, laps inside the top five at 2,860, and laps in the top 10 at 3,232.
