NASCAR Food City 500 preview
Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 Team Penske Menards/Peak Ford Mustang, during practice for the Daytona 500. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire)
May 29th, 2020
NASCAR heads to Bristol Motor Speedway this Sunday for the Food City 500 (3:30 p.m., FS1). Tempers typically flare at the 1/2-mile oval nicknamed "The Last Great Colosseum," and on a short turnaround from Thursday night’s Alsco Uniforms 500, that should prove true again this weekend.
So which driver will keep his cool and head to victory lane? Kyle Busch appears to have the edge, with eight wins at Bristol to his credit (the most of any active driver), but he is not invincible. Here are our three top picks for the Food City 500.
Odds to win the Food City 500
| Driver | Food City 500 Odds |
|---|
Kyle Busch | +400 |
Joey Logano | +650 |
Denny Hamlin | +800 |
Kevin Harvick | +800 |
Chase Elliott | +900 |
Chase Elliott (+900)
Chase Elliott was able to get the monkey off his back by winning the Alsco Uniforms 500 at Charlotte last Thursday after a last-lap crash at Darlington and a backfired pit strategy in the Coca-Cola 600 cost him what could have been two straight victories. The man in the No. 9 Chevrolet has been among the hottest drivers since NASCAR returned two weeks ago, finishing out of the Top 5 only once.
Turn that sound up, and enjoy that @chaseelliott burnout view. 🔊⬆️ pic.twitter.com/3PCbUqeS4L
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 29, 2020
Elliott has never won in eight starts at Bristol, but he has the highest average finish (11.5) of any active driver. He has two Top 5s in his last three races at "Thunder Valley," so a breakthrough triumph is not a far-fetched notion.
Joey Logano (+650)
It’s been an up-and-down start to the unofficial second half of the NASCAR season for Joey Logano, who tallied a sixth-place finish at both Darlington and Charlotte, but mustered an average finishing position of just 10.75 through four races. However, the 2018 Cup Series champion won two out of the first four events this year and returns to one of his better tracks this Sunday.
Logano has eight Top 10s in his last 11 trips to Bristol, including two victories. He’s led 608 laps in that span.
Ryan Blaney (+1600)
After pairing up third-place finishes at Charlotte, his first Top 5s since running second in the Daytona 500, Ryan Blaney suddenly has momentum on his side heading into Bristol.
Blaney guided his No. 12 Ford to three Top 10 finishes in his last three trips to "The Bullring," leading 279 laps in the process. Longshot players could do a lot worse.
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