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The NASCAR Cup Series returns to the concrete half-mile oval at Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City 500, scheduled this Sunday, March 17. The 500-lap event is divided into three stages of lengths 125 -125 - 250 laps, respectively.
Saturday's qualifying session threw a curveball for many drivers, with Ryan Blaney managing to secure his 10th career pole position in the Cup Series. Short-track slinger Josh Berry locked out the front row and will start beside the reigning Cup champion.
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Denny Hamlin won the recent Cup race on the Bristol concrete with fellow Joe Gibbs Racing drivers running up front. Following their dominant outing at Phoenix Raceway last weekend, there is plenty of intrigue around their performance at the half-mile oval and their potential challengers.
5 NASCAR drivers to watch out for in the Food City 500
#5 Ty Gibbs
The #54 Joe Gibbs Racing driver has shown front-running pace in recent outings and is coming off his best finish in the NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix. He also took a top-five finish in the fall Bristol race last season.
Ty Gibbs ran into trouble in the practice session and will start 19th on the grid for the Food City 500. Watch out for the #54 SiriusXM Toyota driver in the 500-lap race, who is expected to make progress through the pack.
#4 Kyle Larson
The #5 Hendrick Motorsports driver will line up in 10th position after a mistake in the qualifying session cost him a higher starting position. Despite the setback, he is one of the pre-race favorites for the race.
Kyle Larson has a 2.7 average finish in his last three outings at the concrete oval and has also won a race in his title-winning campaign in 2021.
#3 Christopher Bell
The #20 Joe Gibbs Racing driver booked his playoff spot in the previous outing at Phoenix, where Toyota drivers were the class of the field.
Christopher Bell took a podium result in the previous NASCAR Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway. The #20 Toyota driver lines up 12th on the grid for the Food City 500, with the odds backing the driver to win the race.
#2 Denny Hamlin
The #11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver is expected to take back-to-back victories at Bristol, with former NASCAR Cup champion Kevin Harvick betting on Hamlin to take the checkered flag.
Denny Hamlin has a 6.3 average finish in his last three outings on the concrete oval. He lines up on the second row behind Blaney, with the two drivers expected to duel for the race win.
#1 Ryan Blaney
The reigning NASCAR Cup champion will lead the field to the green flag this Sunday and is the pre-race favorite to win the race. Blaney is expected to continue his tremendous form, after scoring six top-five finishes in the previous seven races.
Ryan Blaney's previous three outings on the half-mile oval aren't impressive, except for a top-five finish. However, the practice and the qualifying sessions indicate that the #12 Penske driver is the class of the field.
Catch the Food City 500 this Sunday, March 17, scheduled at 3:30 pm ET.
