As predicted here at Apollo, Christopher Bell came out on top at the Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix. The #20 was very clearly the fastest car of the day on Sunday and will look to carry that momentum into Bristol for the 2024 Food City 500. Though the spring race at Bristol saw NASCAR run on dirt the past few years, this year the cars will be back on the traditional concrete surface. Will Bell keep up his momentum at the Last Great Colosseum or will we see a new face in Victory Lane?
2024 Food City 500 Entry List
After having a different face in the #16 the past few weeks, full-time Xfinity driver and multi-time Cup winner, AJ Allmendinger, steps back into the Kaulig Racing entry for this weekend’s race. The rest of the entry list remains unchanged from Phoenix.
Beautiful Thunder Valley 😍
— Bristol Motor Speedway (@ItsBristolBaby) March 13, 2024
🎟 https://t.co/jRTYOMmrOx#ItsBristolBaby #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/TPHICvC8dn
The high-banked, half-mile short track at Bristol Motor Speedway has a knack for producing classic moments and flaming tempers. It’s almost a guarantee that multiple drivers will leave East Tennessee with at least a touch of beef thanks to the tight confines of the track.
I’m approaching the 2024 Food City 500 with a bit of cautious optimism. Phoenix last week failed to produce better short-track racing. However, as Bristol represents a much different style of short track and historically has raced better – I believe that the changes to the package for these NextGen cars could produce better results. We’ll see come Sunday.
He really came out of nowhere. 👀 pic.twitter.com/UbXNYWM2lp
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 16, 2024
2024 Food City 500 Race Odds and Predictions
After winning the fall race at Bristol in 2023, Denny Hamlin returns to the World’s Fastest Half-Mile as the favorite to win at +500. His teammate Christopher Bell and weekly contender Kyle Larson follow just behind at +550.
Some other odds I have my eyes on for this race are the top manufacturer props. Chase Elliott at +500 for Top Chevrolet feels like decent value given that even though Larson runs well at Bristol, his aggression leads to mistakes. I also like Josh Berry as a long shot for Top Ford with a lot of value at +3000.
However, for my official winner race prediction, I look at how well RFK Racing runs on the short tracks as of late. Chris Buescher won at Bristol in the fall of ’22 and also found himself in Victory Lane at the July Richmond race. His runner-up finish at Phoenix last week shows these RFK Cars still possess loads of short-track speed. As for team owner and driver, Brad Keselowski, he has yet to find a win since getting behind the steering wheel of the #6. However, Kes also finished in the top five last week at Phoenix and it truly feels like he’s due for a win. I like Brad at +1500 to claim the checkered flag at Bristol Motor Speedway, a track he has won at multiple times.
Check out the schedule below so you don’t miss any on-track action from Bristol!
Saturday 03/16
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Qualifying – 2:40 p.m. CT on FS1
NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying – 4:50 p.m. CT on FS1
Weather Guard Truck Race (NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series) – 7:00 p.m. CT on FS1
Sunday 03/17
Food City 500 (NASCAR Cup Series) – 2:30 p.m. CT on FOX
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