Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. [Credit: Jeff Zelevansky/NASCAR via Getty Images]
by Dan Margetta and John Wiedemann
It’s back to the short tracks for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as the tough and exciting Bristol Motor Speedway hosts the Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes and Stand Up to Cancer.
Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes Bristol Motor Speedway 266.5 miles (500 laps) Sunday, April 19 1pm ET FOX, 12:30pm ET
PRN, Sirius XM Ch. 90
The race, recently named in honor of Fox Sports personality Steve Byrnes who is battling head and neck cancer, should feature thrilling fender rubbing action as Britol’s high banks are known for the close quarters racing.
Bristol is also known for riling up driver’s tempers and they will have to work to keep their heads on their shoulders both figuratively and literally as Bristol has also historically been tough on the drivers physically as well.
The tough survive at Bristol and here are some drivers to watch Sunday as they battle the Bristol high banks.
Kurt Busch (Dan Margetta)
With brother Kyle still on the sidelines as he mends from his Daytona injuries, Kurt Busch becomes the driver to beat this week at Bristol in my mind. Busch has five wins at this track to go along with 15 top ten finishes and right now the #41 team has been one of the elite teams performance wise early on this season. The strong relationship between Busch and his crew chief Tony Gibson should pay off this weekend as Busch’s take no prisoners style is what is needed to succeed at Bristol. Busch is listed at 7-1 odds to win and he should be among the favorites Sunday afternoon.
Jimmie Johnson (John Wiedemann)
Last week’s winner, Jimmie Johnson, is a solid pick to go on a winning streak. Johnson has been running well all year so far, there just have been unlucky occurrences that have derailed him. A Bristol race is full of unlucky occurrences but Johnson has done well in avoiding them. Johnson has only one win at Bristol and that came in the spring race of 2010. Overall he has fourteen top ten runs and finished fourth in the fall race last season. Will Johnson start a hot streak, we will have to watch.
Matt Kenseth (DM)
A three time Bristol winner, Matt Kenseth has always adapted well to Bristol no matter what car he drove. Kenseth was third here in the last event and has 19 top ten finishes here to his credit as well. Bristol represents a bigger version of the Slinger Speedway, a short track in Wisconsin where Kenseth always excelled at and with 8-1 odds this week, he should be near the front of the field. It’s been a long time since Matt Kenseth has won a points Sprint Cup event and Bristol on Sunday presents a golden opportunity for Kenseth and the #20 team to punch their ticket to the 2015 Chase.
Joey Logano (JW)
Joey Logano won the fall race last season at Bristol Motor Speedway and is looking to break the streak of six different winners in the last six races. Logano is my pick to win this weekend. Consistently fast in qualifying and in the race, Logano should be a threat at the front. Even when he has run into problems, Logano has been able to charge back to the front by the time the checkers wave. If he has a clean race, the field will be in trouble and even if he doesn’t, the field still will have problems outrunning the #22 Penske Ford. Logano’s big competition will come from the next driver on the list… his teammate.
Brad Keselowski (DM)
When challenged, Brad Keselowski always seems to step up and take the fight to the competition and that kind of determination and attitude usually pays off at Bristol, where he has won twice and finished second last fall. He comes into Bristol as a 6-1 favorite and so far this season the Penske Fords have been among the top tier performance standards every week. If Keselowski can avoid getting run into early and steer clear of mid-race confrontations, he should have a very good shot at picking up win #2 on the season Sunday afternoon.
Greg Biffle (JW)
Greg Biffle has been one of the top drivers in the last ten races at Bristol. Even though he doesn’t have a win in those races, he finished in the top ten in half of the races and has an average finish of 13th. Building on the success that Roush Fenway Racing had at Texas, this weekend’s event looks to be a good one for Biffle. I predict another solid top ten finish with the possibility that anything can happen if you are near the front. It is Bristol and there is danger for the leaders all the way around the track.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (DM)
My long shot pick this week is Ricky Stenhouse Jr. who comes into Bristol at 200-1 odds to win, mostly due to in my opinion have been performances far below his ability this season. Bristol was one of the bright spots for Stenhouse last season as he recorded his best finish of second in the spring race and was sixth in the fall. The Roush-Fenway cars made some improvements last week and set up issues that plagued Stenhouse so far this year don’t hold as much weight at Bristol. That leaves it more up to the driver and it’s time for Stenhouse to showcase his ability to wheel a race car around the tough Bristol course that should fit his style. It’s also time for Stenhouse to be known for something other than being Danica’s boyfriend and Bristol is the perfect place to bring back the attitude that drove him to Xfinity Series wins and championships.
David Ragan (JW)
Kyle Busch is tied with brother Kurt with the most wins of active drivers at Bristol Motor Speedway. While Kyle won’t be able to race this weekend, still recovering with from a broken ankle and leg, David Ragan could take the #18 Toyota to victory lane. Ragan has run well at Bristol, mostly when he was driving for Roush Fenway Racing but he has run better at Bristol than other tracks while driving for Bob Jenkins. Now in top equipment with Joe Gibbs Racing, this is a weekend for Ragan to show his stuff. Ragan has been running better each week in the #18 and qualifying has been his strong suit. A good qualifying run gives him a good pit pick which will a huge boost to his chances this weekend.
Others to watch: • Jamie McMurray, Kasey Kahne, Paul Menard. All have 6 top ten finishes in the last 10 races, Kahne also has a victory. • Kevin Harvick and Martin Turex. Along with Joey Logano, these drivers all looking to keep their top 10 streak alive in 2015. • The last six races were won by Joey Logano, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Kasey Kahne. Will there be another new winner or will one of them break the streak.
• Jeff Gordon hasn’t won at Bristol since 2002. Can he find Bristol’s victory lane again in his final season? Can he increase his streak of four top ten finishes in a row?