NASCAR Nextel Cup Food City 500 Projections

Here are our pre-qualifying projections for the finishing order for this weeks Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. These are specifically for those of you that must freeze your drivers prior to tomorrow's qualifying runs. (Yahoo leagues note: you must finalize your drivers by 3:00 PM Eastern)

1. Kurt Busch
2. Ricky Rudd
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Matt Kenseth
5. Rusty Wallace
6. Jamie McMurray
7. Jimmie Johnson
8. Jeff Burton
9. Kevin Harvick
10. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
11. Ryan Newman
12. Sterling Marlin
13. Mike Wallace
14. Mark Martin
15. Bobby Labonte
16. Jimmy Spencer
17. Terry Labonte
18. Elliott Sadler
19. Dale Jarrett
20. Ken Schrader

SPECIAL NOTE: Of the top 20 listed above, Ricky Rudd, Mike Wallace, and Elliott Sadler have finished a significantly lower than average percent of races at Bristol. Rudd ha finished only 8 out of 14 (57.14%) within 10 laps of the leader. Wallace has completed 1 of 4 (25%) while Sadler has 8 of 13 (61.54%). Other driver with low completion percents:

• Kyle Petty - 8 of 13 (61.54%)
  
• Jeff Green - 3 of 8 (37.5%)
  
• Dave Blaney - 3 of 8 (37.5%)

Best completion percents include:

• Sterling Marlin - 13 of 14 (92.86%)
• Terry Labonte - 13 of 14 (92.86%)
• Jeff Gordon -12 of 14 (85.71%)
• Dale Jarrett -12 of 14 (85.71%)
• Rusty Wallace -12 of 14 (85.71%)
• Jeremy Mayfield -12 of 14 (85.71%)

Note also that analysis was not available for the drivers who have not competed in this race previously. We will revisit and updat the projections as required after the qualifying run.