NASCAR Food City 500 Picks, Predictions

Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee is the site for Sunday's Food City 500. After a 3-year experiment with this race using a dirt surface, it will revert back to concrete for Sunday's event.

Christopher Bell grabbed the checkered flag at this event last year, while finishing 3rd in the concrete race at Bristol last September.

Last year's champion Ryan Blaney is the current points leader with 151, followed by Kyle Larson (141) and Martin Truex, Jr. (141).

Bell is coming off a win at Phoenix last Sunday, as no driver has won consecutive races this season through the first month.

NASCAR EXPERT BETS - FOOD CITY 500

For this week's Food City 500 on Sunday March 17, 2024 from Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee, our auto racing experts are focusing on the below individuals:

  • Erik Jones
  • Ricky Stenhouse
Erik Jones Top 10 Finish (+180)

Jones showed top 5 speed last weekend, and we're already seeing the improvements for this team with the switch over to Toyota. With the Next Gen car, Jones has finished 21st and 24th at Bristol. In 11 career Cup races here, he's finished inside the top 10 in 5 of those races. This was one of his best tracks when he was with JGR, and I'm betting on the speed we saw from him last weekend.

Ricky Stenhouse Top 10 Finish (+420)

Anytime we go to Bristol, I'm a sucker for Stenhouse. He finished 10th in this race last season and was one of the best cars at the end of that race. This is the same tire combo he ran here last season, and I'm hoping they can build on the speed we saw. He has 7 top-10 finishes in 19 career races here, including 4 top-5 finishes.

The Food City 500 is back to a concrete surface for Sunday's race. (Getty)

FOOD CITY 500 BETTING RESOURCES

  • Date: Sunday, March 17, 2024
  • TV-Time: FOX, 3:30 p.m. ET
  • Venue: Bristol Motor Speedway
  • Location: Bristol, Tennessee
  • Distance: 133.25 miles
  • Laps: 250

ODDS TO WIN FOOD CITY 500 RACE

  • Kyle Larson +450
  • Christopher Bell +500
  • Denny Hamlin +550
  • Ryan Blaney +1000
  • William Byron +1000
  • Brad Keselowski +1200
  • Chris Buescher +1200
  • Ty Gibbs +1200
  • Tyler Reddick +1400
  • Ross Chastain +1600
  • Kyle Busch +1800
  • Chase Elliott +2000
  • Joey Logano +2000
  • Martin Truex, Jr. +2000
  • Bubba Wallace +4000
  • Erik Jones +4000
  • Alex Bowman +4000
  • Michael McDowell +5000
  • Noah Gragson +6600
  • Chase Briscoe +6600
  • Carson Hocevar +7500
  • Daniel Suarez +7500
  • Josh Berry +10000
  • Austin Dillon +12500
  • Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. +12500
  • Austin Cindric +15000
  • Corey Lajoie +15000
  • A.J. Allmendinger +15000
  • John Hunter Nemechek +15000
  • Ryan Preece +25000
  • Daniel Hemric +50000
  • Todd Gilliand +50000
  • Justin Haley +50000
  • Harrison Burton +75000
  • Zane Smith +75000
  • Kaz Grala +100000

FOOD CITY 500 HISTORY

Christopher Bell picked up a victory in the third-ever dirt race at Bristol in 2023. (Getty)
  • 2023 - Christopher Bell (Dirt)
  • 2022 - Kyle Busch (Dirt)
  • 2021 - Joey Logano (Dirt)
  • 2020 - Brad Keselowski (Concrete)
  • 2019 - Kyle Busch (Concrete)
  • 2018 - Kyle Busch (Concrete)
  • 2017 - Jimmie Johnson (Concrete)
  • 2016 - Carl Edwards (Concrete)
  • 2015 - Matt Kenseth (Concrete)
  • 2014 - Carl Edwards (Concrete)