Following a weekend in Texas, NASCAR heads to Bristol Motor Speedway to the eighth race of the 2019 Cup Series season.
Sunday’s 500-lap Food City 500 marks the next race onto a half-mile track this year, but Bristol’s unique concrete design with exorbitant banking is actually more similar to Dover’s one-mile track than Martinsville. Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Chase Elliott have graced victory lane the previous 3 races at Dover.
Busch is currently Sunday’s race favored at 5/2 chances in the Westgate SuperBook, with Harvick and Elliott priced at 12/1 and 14/1, respectively. Busch, who has finished in the top 10 in each of NASCAR’s seven races this year, leads active drivers with seven wins at Bristol. In total, Busch has listed 10 top-five and 15 top-10 finishes in 27 starts at the monitor.
While Busch is hot this year, Harvick isn’t, especially with his lofty standards. He’s led just 133 laps throughout seven races — and he’s led laps in only two races. He has led only 22 laps at Bristol over the past four races but has finished within the top 10 in every.
Thinking about the stiff gambling matchups oddsmakers have Harvick in –from Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Kyle Larson — it is tough to trust Harvick with the principles bundle used this week.
Rules package results At Bristol, the Cup Series will operate the 2019 rules bundle tailored for short paths (less than 1.33 miles) and street courses. A 1.17-inch tapered spacer is going to be utilized, with engines expected to create about 750 horsepower. Unlike last week’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, no aero ducts will be utilized. This weekend’s configuration of this 2019 rules package will be utilized at 14 events in total this season. The 1.17-inch tapered spacer was initially utilized this season at 1-mile ISM Raceway on March 10 in Phoenix at a race won by Kyle Busch.
Recent Bristol winners
2018 Fall: Kurt Busch
2018 Spring: Kyle Busch
2017 Fall: Kyle Busch
2017 Spring: Jimmie Johnson
Recent Dover winners
2018 Fall: Chase Elliott
2018 Spring: Kevin Harvick
2017 Fall: Kyle Busch
2017 Spring: Jimmie Johnson
MORE: Chances to win NASCAR Cup Series championship Curious to win 2019 Food City 500 in Bristol
Odds provided by Westgate
Kyle BUSCH 5/2
Kyle LARSON 7/1
Brad KESELOWSKI 8/1
Joey LOGANO 8/1
Kevin HARVICK 12/1
Ryan BLANEY 12/1
Denny HAMLIN 14/1
Erik JONES 14/1
Kurt BUSCH 14/1
Martin TRUEX JR 14/1
Clint BOWYER 14/1
Chase ELLIOTT 14/1
Aric ALMIROLA 20/1
Jimmie JOHNSON 25/1
Ricky STENHOUSE JR 25/1
Alex BOWMAN 60/1
Daniel SUAREZ 60/1
Austin DILLON 80/1
Ryan NEWMAN 100/1
Paul MENARD 100/1
William BYRON 100/1
Darrell WALLACE JR 200/1
Matt DIBENEDETTO 200/1
Chris BUESCHER 300/1
Daniel HEMRIC 300/1
Ryan PREECE 500/1
Ty DILLON 1000/1
Michael McDOWELL 1000/1
David RAGAN 5000/1
FIELD (others) 1000/1
Notable driver matchups at Bristol
Kyle BUSCH -180
Kyle LARSON +150
Brad KESELOWSKI -110
Joey LOGANO -110
Martin TRUEX JR -110
Kurt BUSCH -110
Brad KESELOWSKI -125
Kevin HARVICK +105
Chase ELLIOTT -110
Clint BOWYER -110
Denny HAMLIN -110
Martin TRUEX JR -110
Erik JONES -110
Kurt BUSCH -110
Win Group A
Kyle LARSON +220
Brad KESELOWSKI +250
Joey LOGANO +250
Kevin HARVICK +300
Win Group B
Ryan BLANEY +225
Denny HAMLIN +265
Erik JONES +260
Kurt BUSCH +265
NASCAR at Bristol bets Aric Almirola (+120) over Clint Bowyer
When Sunday’s rules bundle was last used at, Almirola finished fourth and led 26 laps in Phoenix. Bowyer had been 11th and had a slower car than Almirola in two of those three practice sessions, as well as qualifying. Through seven races at 2019, Almirola has six top 10s and is currently in fifth place in the points standings.
Ryan Blaney (-110) over Kevin Harvick
Blaney is among three drivers with top-fives at both Phoenix and Martinsville using this rules package. He headed a race-high 121 laps final fall at Bristol before completing seventh, and earlier that directed 100 laps past spring. Harvick simply is not up to speed with the principles package to begin the season. We also like Blaney in a matchup with Denny Hamlin.
Daniel Suarez (-110) over Austin Dillon
All these motorists are 1-1 straight up using this rules package this season, but the edge goes to Suarez, based on his career results at Bristol and Dover. Suarez has a 15.5 average finish at Bristol and a 6.8 average finish at Dover, compared to Dillon’s 17.2 at Bristol and 20.9 at Dover.
NASCAR at Bristol race data Time: 1 p.m. CT
TV: FS1, 12:30 p.m. CT
Radio: PRN NASCAR Radio
Distance: 266.5 kilometers (500 Laps); Period 1 (Ends on Lap 125),
Phase 2 (Ends on Lap 250), Closing Stage (Ends on Lap 500)
Track Size: 0.533-miles
Banking: 24-28 amounts 2018 Winner: Kyle Busch
Only 3 times in the past twenty years has a Bristol winner gone on to win that season’s Cup Series title. All 3 instances, the Bristol Victory Lane trip came in the spring race. And all three of those drivers are entered in this weekend’s Food City 500 — Brad Keselowski (2012), Jimmie Johnson (2010) and Kurt Busch (2004).
Read more: sportxmagazine.com