Kevin Harvick picks NASCAR veteran as a favorite to win the 2025 Bristol Cup race

Modified Apr 08, 2025 17:48 GMT

Kevin Harvick predicts the Food City 500 winner (Source: Imagn)

Former NASCAR Cup Series champion-turned-commentator Kevin Harvick has dropped his insights and predicted the winner for the 2025 Food City 500, which is set to take place this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. Harvick picked NASCAR Cup Series veteran driver to win Sunday’s (April 13) Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

On the latest episode of his own ‘Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour’ podcast, Harvick and his co-hosts, Kaitlyn Vincie and Mamba Smith, dropped their prediction for this week’s Bristol winner.

Harvick picked Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin to win at Bristol Motor Speedway. Hamlin is riding on winning momentum as he won the back-to-back races of the season at Darlington last week. Known as the best short track driver, the #11 JGR is the defending winner of the Bristol Spring race.

Picking the driver to win the 2025 Food City 500, Kevin Harvick said [50:38]:

“I think that I'm gonna have to agree with you. I'm gonna go with Denny Hamlin that way you're not can't make up ground.”

Harvick’s co-host, Kaitlyn Vincie, named Hamlin’s teammate, Christopher Bell, to win his fourth race of the season.

“I'm going with Christopher Bell for this one,” Vincie said.

Meanwhile, co-host Mamba Smith also picked Denny Hamlin to clinch his third consecutive win of the season this weekend. Smith said:

“I'm picking Denny Hamlin in the #11. He’s the guy that’s the right one. This is one of his favorite racetracks. When I gave our favorite racetracks good scale runs good it like they should run well I have to pick him, and I have to get there before you.”

How has Kevin Harvick’s top pick performed at the Bristol Motor Speedway?

Kevin Harvick’s pick, Denny Hamlin, has had a strong record at the Bristol Motor Speedway, securing four wins, 13 top-five finishes, and 20 top-10 finishes, with an average finish of 13.06 in 36 races.

After eight races in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, the #11 Toyota JGR driver has amassed two wins, four top-fives, and five top-10s with an average finish of 10.6 in eight races so far. He’s second in the points table with 266 points and a favorite in the odds table to win the fifth career race at Bristol.

It will be interesting to see how Kevin Harvick and his co-hosts' predictions fare at Bristol Motor Speedway. Watch the Food City 500 on FS1 at 3 pm ET.

About the author

Yash Soni is a journalist who covers NASCAR at Sportskeeda, drawn to racing action and the rich history of the sport. He is inspired by Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, and Hendrick Motorsports, and strives to craft engaging narratives. With expertise in writing long and short-form content and a passion for tracking and publishing trends, Yash brings his best to reporting and analysis of the dynamic world of NASCAR.

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Edited by Yash Soni