Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway - NASCAR picks and best bets
The Monster Energy Cup Series returns to Thunder Valley Sunday afternoon for the Food City 500 from Bristol Motor Speedway, the second short-track race of the 2019 MENCS schedule.
The weather might be a big factor, potentially causing a lengthy delay to start, interruptions during the race or perhaps even a postponement. It's a rather frequent occurrence at the Tennessee track nestled in the mountains.
Who is going to win at Bristol Motor Speedway?
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Kyle Busch (+300) has racked up seven victories in 27 Cup starts at Bristol, posting an Average-Finish Position (AFP) of 14.3. He has also led the pack for 2,232 laps, more than double the next active driver, his brother Kurt Busch (+2800), who has six victories and 1,086 laps led with a 14.7 AFP in his 36 career starts.
Since March 2002 there have been 34 Cup races at Bristol, and 13 times the winner has had the last name of Busch.
JGR's Erik Jones (+2800) has been a quick study at Bristol, posting a 12.5 AFP in his four Cup starts while leading 260 laps. That includes a runner-up finish in the NRA Night Race at Bristol in 2017.
Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott (+1100) is on the pole, and he starts alongside his teammate William Byron (+7500) on Row 1. Elliott is obviously the much better bet, especially since three of the past eight winners have won from the pole. In fact, 14 of the past 16 winners at BMS have started from the 12th position or higher.
Lastly, Ganassi Racing's Kyle Larson (+2000) has posted the best Driver Rating (113.2) across the past five starts at Bristol, leading 263 laps while turning 91.4 percent of his laps inside the Top 15. He could be a nice value as well.
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook; for a full-set of today's sport odds, access them at USA TODAY Sports.
Bristol Motor Speedway long shot bets
Leavine Family Racing driver Matt DiBenedetto (+10000) had the third-fastest 10-lap consecutive average Saturday in the final practice, posting an average speed of 127.344 mph, just a tick off of Kyle Busch's lead of 127.371 mph. DiBenedetto found plenty of speed in his No. 95 Toyota Saturday, but can he use that to his advantage Sunday? We'll see.
If you're a little less adventurous, but still want someone with slightly longer odds, consider Roush Fenway Racing's Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (+6500). He leads all active drivers with an 11.3 AFP in 12 Cup races at Bristol, posting four top-5 finishes, six top-10 showings and he has never finished lower than 24th, and he was a runner-up in the spring 2014 race and fall 2016 installment.
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