The NASCAR Cup Series is at Bristol Motor Speedway, the famed 0.533-mile concrete short track, this week for the Food City 500. The race will be broadcast on FS1, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90) on Sunday, April 13, at 3 p.m. ET.
Ryan Blaney won the pole with a lap of 124.954 MPH (15.356 secs) on March 16, 2024.
Denny Hamlin led 13 times for 163 laps to capture his fourth victory at Bristol last spring. Hamlin returns to Bristol trying to capture his third straight win of the season and a repeat spring race winner.
Track & Race Information for the Food City 500
The Purse: $11,055,250
Track Size: 0.533 miles
Banking/Turns: 24-28 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 4-8 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 4-8 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 650 feet
Backstretch Length: 650 feet
Race Length: 500 laps / 266.5 miles
Times
Friday, April 11 — NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, 7:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
Saturday, April 12 — NASCAR Xfinity Series, 5 p.m. ET (CW)
Sunday, April 13 — NASCAR Cup Series, 3 p.m. ET (FS1)
Stages
Stage 1 Length: 125 laps
Stage 2 Length: 125 laps (Ends on Lap 250)
Final Stage Length: 250 laps (Ends on Lap 500)
Who and what should you look out for at Bristol?
| Active Bristol Winners (6) | Wins | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Kyle Busch | 8 | 2019, ’18, ’17, ’11, ’10, ’09 sweep, ’07 |
| Denny Hamlin | 4 | 2024, ’23, ’19, ’12 |
| Brad Keselowski | 3 | 2020, ’12, ’11 |
| Kyle Larson | 2 | 2024, ’21 |
| Joey Logano | 2 | 2015, ’14 |
| Chris Buescher | 1 | 2022 |
- Chase Elliott has one pole, five top fives, nine top 10s, and an average finish of 11.0. Elliott leads all active NCS drivers in average starting position with a 7.800 in 15 starts. “I love Bristol. It’s probably, to me, the best track on the circuit. It’s a great environment to race in and always a lot of excitement. The track is cool, and it’s banked up … but the environment is always what comes to mind there.”
- Kyle Larson has one pole, two wins, seven top fives, 12 top 10s, and the second-best average finish of 11.0. “To me, it’s the closest style to a dirt sprint car race, although it’s a lot longer. Just the intensity, the aggression, the fast-paced style of that race I’m comfortable with. I just love that track. I look forward to going there.”
- Christopher Bell has one pole, three top fives, five top 10s, and an average Finish of 12.571. Bell enters this weekend with four consecutive top-10s, and he won the 2023 spring Bristol dirt race.
- Kyle Busch has two poles, eight wins, 14 top fives, 19 top 10s, and an average finish of 14.472. With 36 starts at Bristol, Busch leads all active NCS drivers, and he leads the series among active drivers in wins with eight victories in 36 starts with 2,598 laps led in 36 starts. “Bristol’s one of my favorite tracks, if not my favorite. I love going there, it’s obviously a great place. It reminds me of the local short track atmosphere that you get on Saturday nights, growing up racing late models and things like that. It’s a lot of fun, I love the banking, I love the concrete and just the nature of that place.”
- Denny Hamlin has four poles, four wins, 12 top fives, 19 top 10s, and an average Finish of 13.286. Hamlin leads all active NCS drivers in poles with four (2013, 2014, 2015, 2019).
- Chris Buescher is coming off a sixth-place effort last weekend at Darlington Raceway and five top-10 finishes in the first eight races. He led 17 laps and finished 7th in the spring race last season.
- Brad Keselowski will make his 28th NCS start at Bristol. He has three wins, 10 top-10s, and an average finish of 16.2.
