Food City 500 Preview: World's Fastest Half Mile

After the first of two off weeks in the 2026 schedule for Easter, we stay in the East this week and continue with the roots of NASCAR, and more short track racing. We take a trip to the "World's Fastest Half Mile" at Bristol Motor Speedway for this weekend's Food City 500. Bristol's half-mile oval with 36-degree corner banking makes it one of the most unique tracks on the circuit. This bull ring will not only test driver's skill but their patience as well. Trading paint and short tempers are the norm at BMS. When you put 38 of the world's best and most competitive drivers in this half-mile mixing bowl, contact and hard racing are a natural result. Avoiding a poor qualifying run and bad starting spot on the grid is very important here. Much like the superspeedways, you don't want to be in the eye of the storm when things go wrong. The teams that can pull off the right handling setup and qualify up front will likely stay out of the worst part of the battle in this 500-lap event. You don't want to deal with the handicap of starting beyond mid-pack and having to navigate the field as the leader is bearing down on your rear bumper.

Since this is just the second of the season's true short track races, we'll have to put a lot of emphasis on the historical data as well as the current hot streaks to get a feel for this weekend's top drivers. Recent statistics at Bristol Motor Speedway will be an invaluable tool in evaluating our driver lineup. That information combined with who has the hot hand right now will be our primary indicators. The loop stats in the table below span the last 38 races at Bristol Motor Speedway. This will be a dependable set of data to judge the best of the short track drivers in the series. 

Chevrolet and Toyota drivers have won the last five events at the half-mile oval. Christopher Bell snagged the win last fall for Toyota. When the series last visited Bristol last September it was Bell rising late and taking control after the final caution of the day to take his first-career victory at Bristol Motor Speedway. In this event one year ago, it would be Kyle Larson flexing his muscles and collecting his second-straight win at Bristol Motor Speedway and third Bristol victory of his career. However, before we simply cede this weekend's trophy to either Larson or Bell, we must realize there are several strong short track performers that are capable of upsetting them. That duo will be joined by Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney as some of the primary threats to win the Food City 500. Both have performed well in recent short track events and both have been players among the front in our last few visits to Bristol. We'll lay out the streaking drivers and the short track experts and give you the drivers to dominate your fantasy league at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The Contenders – Drivers in the Hunt for the Win

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 11:30 AM ET Thursday

Kyle Larson (+450) – With three wins (including two of the last three) and three runner-up finishes at Bristol since 2018 to go along with over 1,700 laps led, Larson has probably been the sharpest driver in recent seasons at Bristol Motor Speedway. His average finish at the Tennessee short track during this span is an eye-popping 6.9. It's really a wonder that Larson and the No. 5 team haven't converted more of these 500-lap Bristol battles into wins. But he's clearly one of the upper echelon performers here. Larson hasn't broken through to victory lane in the first seven races of the season (Homestead) but that doesn't diminish his threat to win at Bristol Motor Speedway. Every time he starts here, he's a major threat to win.     

Denny Hamlin (+500) – The driver of the No. 11 Toyota is a four-time Bristol winner and he has four-career poles and 13 Top-5 finishes at the Tennessee short track. That works out to a strong 35-percent Top-5 rate at Bristol Motor Speedway for Hamlin. While he's tended to be a better night race performer here than the day Spring race, he's still had his share of Bristol success in the early-season installment. Hamlin won this event two years ago in a dominating performance of 163 laps led and he finished runner-up in this event one year ago. Coming off the big runner-up performance at Martinsville Speedway before the Easter break, Hamlin is on a roll coming into the Food City 500.  

Christopher Bell (+750) –  Bell has yet to win this season but is coming off a solid Top-10 finish at Martinsville Speedway prior to the off-week. For an encore, Bell and the No. 20 Toyota team will take on a Bristol oval where they've had recent success. He has led over 350 laps in his last six Bristol Motor Speedway starts and his first victory at the oval in his last start there in last September's Bass Pro Shops Night Race. Bell is riding a six-race Bristol Top-10 streak into Sunday's Food City 500 and that has boosted his career Top-10 rate at the track to a stratospheric 78-percent. The No. 20 Toyota team have been a threat to win in the last several Bristol Motor Speedway events and this weekend is no different.

Ryan Blaney (+700) – Blaney is not a top Bristol performer, historically speaking. His 44-percent Top-10 rate at the Tennessee short track drops him below normal contender recommendation. However, the Penske Racing star won the pole position and led some laps in this event two years ago and that has set up the Penske Racing driver with more recent success at the track. Blaney now has eight-career Top 10's at BMS and has led just under 600 laps at the half-mile oval. He rides a three-race Bristol Top-10 streak into Sunday and he sat on the outside pole here last September. It seems like just a matter of time before Blaney collects his first-career Bristol win.   

Solid Plays – Near Locks for Top 10 with an Outside Shot to Win

Chase Elliott (+1600) – The driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet is coming off a strong Martinsville win and looking to keep the momentum rolling despite the Easter off-week. Elliott has nine-career Top 10's here for a strong 53-percent Top-10 rate and sharp 12.8 average finish. He's led over 400 laps at this historic short track and has four Top 10's in his last six Bristol starts entering this weekend. Elliott recently qualified Top 10 at the Martinsville short track and led a number of laps before sweeping away with a win in that event. This driver and team's short track skill are in good form coming into the Food City 500. Elliott could be the spoiler among the solid plays list.

Chris Buescher (+1600) – Buescher languished at this challenging half-mile oval for many years, but his recent move to Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing has jump started his performance at Bristol. In nine starts with the No. 17 Ford team he has one win, two Top-5 and four Top-10 finishes on the Bristol pavement. Buescher's last start at Bristol Motor Speedway last September yielded a strong 11th-place finish in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. He doesn't qualify particularly well here (23.3 average start) but don't let that deter you from fantasy lineup deployment. Buescher has shown a knack for driving through the field to earn Top-10 finishes and lead laps here. 

Ty Gibbs (+750) – The Joe Gibbs Racing youngster has started this season strong with four Top-5 and five Top-10 finishes including a sharp fourth-place finish at Martinsville before the break. The short tracks appear to be his best ovals right now. He's had some pretty big success at Bristol Motor Speedway the past few seasons. The driver of the No. 54 JGR Toyota has led over 400 laps and earned two Top-5 and four Top-10 finishes in his last five Bristol starts. Those efforts have helped to erase some of the struggles that Gibbs had in his first couple starts at the Bristol short track. He now boasts a 67-percent Top-10 rate at BMS and holds a steady 12.8 average finish. He's a sneaky good fantasy play for the Food City 500.      

Chase Briscoe (+1600) – Briscoe has always performed reasonably well at Bristol Motor Speedway. His seven-career Cup Series starts have yielded an average start of 13.1 and that's helped aid him in getting good finishes. Solid qualifying counts for a lot on this half-mile oval. Briscoe rides a three-race Bristol Top-10 streak into Sunday's action and that has given him a reasonable 12.6 average finish at BMS. In his last start at Bristol, he led 127 laps and earned a ninth-place finish in last September's Bass Pro Shops Night Race. That's a great last look for this driver heading into Sunday's Food City 500. Briscoe's move to Joe Gibbs Racing last year has only boosted his performance at this small oval.       

Sleepers – Drivers with Good History at Bristol & Solid Upside

Brad Keselowski (+1800) – With three-career Bristol victories in his 29-career starts, Keselowski is among one of the most experienced veteran drivers this oval. While his last win is getting further in the rearview mirror (2020) he still races at a high level at this track. The owner/driver of the No. 6 For finished runner-up in his last Bristol start in last September's Bass Pro Shops Night Race. That's one of eight-career Top 5 for him at the World's Fastest Half Mile and one of 11 Top 10's. Keselowski has grabbed three of those Top 10's in his last five trips to East Tennessee. Coming off a steady Top-15 finish at the Martinsville short track, he'll have his sights set higher for the Food City 500.   

William Byron (+1400) – The Hendrick Motorsports star is looking to build on the momentum of his strong fifth-place finish at Martinsville two weeks ago. Byron is gearing up and the short tracks are good ovals for this driver and team. He grabbed a sixth-place finish in this event one year ago at Bristol Motor Speedway and returned in the late summer to collect a steady 12th-place finish. His 39-percent Bristol Top-10 rate is not the greatest, but Byron has had good consistent performances at this track in recent years. His four Bristol Top 10's in the last seven starts check in at a 57-percent rate which is well above his career rate here. Byron's current level of performance has us optimistic about his chances in Bristol.

Ross Chastain (+4500) – Chastain was just a 16th-place finisher at the Martinsville short track and he is nearly always a good fantasy racing consideration on the shorter ovals of the NASCAR Cup Series. Bristol success has been slower to come, but the Trackhouse Racing veteran has swiped a pair of Top 10's in his last three trips to the Tennessee short track. In this event one year ago, Chastain drove the No. 1 Chevrolet to a respectable seventh-place finish in the last Food City 500. The notes from that outing should come in handy for Chastain and his crew chief, Brandon McSwain, this weekend. The veteran driver is off to a slow start this season, but this is a race that could get Chastain back on track.

Bubba Wallace (+2500) – Earlier in his Cup Series career known more for superspeedway and intermediate oval performance, Wallace has transformed into more of a short track performer the past couple seasons. The 23XI Racing veteran had a fast car at Martinsville a couple weeks ago but a mishap would put him out early. Now he'll look to rebound at Bristol. He's not been a career-long performer here (15-percent Top-10 rate) but he's qualified well in his last five Bristol Motor Speedway starts and he earned a Bristol career-best third-place in the 2024 Bass Pro Shops Night Race. That's a good glimpse of the potential for Wallace when be brings fast cars to Bristol Motor Speedway.

Ryan Preece (+3000) – Preece is finding his groove with his team at Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing. The journeyman driver rides a four-race Top-15 streak into Bristol and sits a respectable 13th-place in the driver points coming into the Food City 500. Preece was very impressive in his last short track start, earning a steady 12th-plae at Martinsville Speedway a couple weeks ago. Bristol Motor Speedway has always been a good track for the driver of the No. 60 Ford. Preece has earned two Top-10 and five Top-15 finishes at BMS with a respectable 15.5 average finish. He has Top-10 potential and certainly Top-15 potential for this weekend.

Carson Hocevar (+1800) – After an impressive performance and steady 17th-place finish at Martinsville Speedway, Hocevar will set his sights higher for Bristol Motor Speedway. The young Spire Motorsports driver has been pretty impressive at the half-mile Tennessee oval. Hocevar grabbed 11th- and seventh-place finishes at the track last season so now he boasts three Top-15 finishes in his five-career Bristol starts. That places his average finish at the track at a steady 14.8. Hocevar is aggressive driving and wildly talented. His No. 77 Chevrolet continues to improve and give him faster and better cars as time passes. He's a driver to watch closely at Bristol Motor Speedway.    

Slow Down – Drivers to Avoid This Week

Kyle Busch (+4000) – Coming to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend, Busch is looking to find some consistency and build some momentum to start the season. He's had good speed through the first seven events, but the finishes have not followed to this point. He's the active wins leader at Bristol Motor Speedway with eight total victories. The last of those eight wins came in 2019. However, despite a career 50-percent Top-10 rate at Bristol, Busch has struggled in recent visits. He's only cracked the Top 20 three times in his last seven visits to East Tennessee and his laps led at BMS have plummeted to just 5 laps over that span. Busch is not the driver he once was at this historic short track.   

Joey Logano (+2200) – The talented Penske Racing driver has been a bit inconsistent to start the 2026 campaign and it's shaking our confidence a bit from a fantasy racing side. The driver of the No. 22 Ford has led over 600 laps since 2012 at the Bristol oval and collected two wins. However, more recent appearances have been very disappointing. Logano has just one Top-10 finish in his last 10 Bristol starts and the last three years have been particularly rough with several finishes outside the Top 20. This is the combination of an inconsistent driver and visiting a struggling race track for he and the No. 22 Ford team. Logano is a hard pass this weekend.

Daniel Suarez (+13000) – Suarez has had a pretty good start to the season but is likely to hit a snag this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. The Spire Motorsports driver has had some career-long struggles at this half-mile oval. Suarez has just two Top 10's in 15 starts or a 13-percent Top-10 rate at BMS. That places his average finish at a very high 20.2. In fact, things have been pretty bad for Suarez of late. He's failed to crack the Top 30 in his last three Bristol starts. That's pulled his average finish even higher. In this event one year ago, Suarez labored to a distant 33rd-place finish with his former team at Trackhouse Racing.   

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (+13000) – Stenhouse has always been a better superspeedway performer than short track driver. He has 23-career starts on the Bristol short track and they are mainly finishes outside the Top 20 with just seven Top 10's (30-percent). The average finish stands at 19.3. Those tend to validate the assertion. The driver of the No. 47 Chevrolet has just one Top 10 in seven starts to the begin the season, so struggles have been plenty outside the superspeedways. Stenhouse struggled and finished a disappointing 30th-place in the short track event at Martinsville Speedway a couple weeks ago. Save Stenhouse's next fantasy start for Talladega later this spring.