Food City 500 Picks, Odds & Predictions 3/17/2024
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol, TN
We head back to the roots of NASCAR and short track racing after a fun, exciting trip to Phoenix. Bristol is considered the "World's Fastest Half Mile" and that is for good reason. Bristol Motor Speedway is one of the most unique tracks on the schedule as it features a half mile oval with 36 degrees of banking in the corners. This track is not only known for testing a driver's skill level, but it will also be a test of their patience. Short tempers and trading paint seem to be the common trend in Bristol, and we don't see it going any differently this time around. This is why patience is such a virtue while facing this track. Hard contact and flaring tempers are the result of putting the top NASCAR drivers on this half-mile chaotic track. An important note for the drivers to remember is that they need to have a good qualifying run because earning yourself a bad starting spot on this track doesn't bode well for most drivers. When you're racing this track, you don't want to be in the middle of the madness when something goes wrong because chances are that you'll be involved too. The teams that can set up their vehicles the best for this track in addition to qualifying towards the top, are going to be set up for success on this 500-lap race.
There are some unknowns heading into this track as it's the first time NASCAR has raced here in the spring on pavement in four years. It's also the first race in Bristol of the season so we're in for a treat when we watch it this weekend. If you're looking for drivers that might have an advantage this weekend, you need to look at the top short track drivers on the circuit. Over the last 34 races, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell and Kyle Busch all have a driver rating that breaks 100. These will be a few of the drivers that you'll want to keep an eye on this weekend.
Shriners Children's 500 Recap
When you look at all the factors that led to Christopher Bell earning his win on Sunday, it's hard to determine the one that had the biggest impact on his result. First off, Toyota came out with their new body style for the season of NASCAR. Next, the Toyota's unloaded for the 50-minute practice with constant speed that allowed them to test the cars for long runs. Finally, NASCAR debuted a new competition package for short track racing for the race. This combination of factors allowed for Christopher Bell to be dominant after Toyotas not have much luck since the new Next-Gen cars came out.
Bell finished having led 50 laps on the day while the second-place finisher, Chris Buescher, didn't lead any laps. The third-place finisher was Ty Gibbs and he led a total of 57 laps on the day.
NASCAR Playoff Standings
With the win, Christopher Bell pushed himself into the fourth spot in the Playoff Standings with 102 points and a win. Kyle Larson still sits on top with 141 points while William Byron and Daniel Suarez come next with 134 points and 114 points respectively.
Food City 500 Odds
Kyle Larson - +500
Tyler Reddick - +600
Christopher Bell - +700
Chase Briscoe - +900
Kyle Busch - +1000
Joey Logano - +1200
Ryan Blaney - +1600
Denny Hamlin - +1600
Daniel Suarez - +1800
William Byron - +2000
Martin Truex Jr - +2000
Ross Chastain - +2200
Alex Bowman - +2200
Ricky Stenhouse Jr - +2200
Brad Keselowski - +3300
Chris Buescher - +4000
Kevin Harvick - +5000
Bubba Wallace - +5000
Ty Gibbs - +5000
Austin Dillon - +5000
Josh Berry - +5000
Jonathan Davenport - +6600
Ryan Preece - +8000
Justin Haley - +8000
Ty Dillon - +8000
Michael McDowell - +8000
Ryan Preece - +8000
Todd Gilliland - +10000
AJ Allmendinger - +12500
It's really hard to pick against Kyle Larson, and while he was my pick last week, I'm going to have to choose him again. Since 2018, Larson has finished with three runner up finishes and a win. His average finish at this track in his career sits at 5.3, which is absolutely shocking. As much as I'd like to choose someone new, I'm going Larson again.
Guy's Pick: Take Kyle Larson (+500)
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