Food City Dirt Race 2023 Odds, Predictions & Best Bet

NASCAR goes west to Bristol, Tennessee, for the eighth race of the 2023 season. Bristol Motor Speedway is a 0.533-mile short track with high-banked turns. The race distance totals almost 134 miles (250 laps). Will the short track slow down like last year’s version?

This weekend’s race is a week after the Toyota Owners 400 where Kyle Larson held off Josh Berry more than once. William Byron was the fastest car but Christopher Bell knocked him out of the race late.

The table below lists the complete slate of NASCAR Cup Series odds for the Food City Dirt Race (win, podium finish, and top-five finish). Under the table, find the Food City Dirt Race predictions and best bets for this weekend’s exciting NASCAR action.

Food City Dirt Race Odds

Kyle Larson enters this race as a +550 favorite to win, followed by Tyler Reddick (+600), and Christopher Bell  at +650.  This track features some considerable dirt craziness. However, Kyle Busch stole the victory last year after Tyler Reddick got hit from behind by Chase Briscoe on the final lap.

NASCAR drivers get those cars rolling and drifting on the 0.533-mile, 75-75-100 stage lap setup when the flag drops for the Sunday night race beginning again around 7:30 pm ET on FOX.

Odds as of April 5th at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Yes, the Hendrick Motorsports Racing driver is a contender even at Bristol. Now, Byron led the most laps at Richmond last week (117). Byron got bumped out of a top ten as Christopher Bell went on to a top five result. Chevy has won five of the first seven races including two by Byron.

Okay, the Caesars Sportsbook odds possess a few twists and turns. William Byron lengthens to +1200 and Kyle Larson shortens to +450. That illustrates merit as Larson has two top five’s on the dirt. Again, aside from Briscoe, Joey Logano at +1200 and Ryan Blaney (+1400) are nice, but Brad Keselowski at +2500 gets quicker as these races go on this year.

Food City Dirt Race Recent Winners

Can Toyota Steal One Again?

With the Hendrick cars dominating last week, people forgot how good the Totoya car was especially during the middle portion of the race.  Sadly, NASCAR Cup Series odds rides with Chevy (first four drivers). Now, the big question is can Toyota win lead by racers like Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, plus the old guard of Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr.?

Correlation does not exist much on the dirt but form from Richmond might carry some momentum. Kyle Busch benefitted from Tyler Reddick’s misfortune last year. Could the roles reverse this year?

Practice begins Friday evening with two practice sessions. Saturday evening has four qualifying races (15 laps). These will be fast!

Food City Dirt Race Predictions & Picks

So, cloudy and raw  conditions are likely on Sunday with temperatures in the 50’s to around 60 plus a chance of showers. Furthermore, rain may complicate things some on Friday night and Saturday night too.

Qualifying should prove to be something. With these 15-lap “races”, expect action to be fierce. Honestly, several cars almost expect to be starting from the rear.

Will someone come from outside the top 10? Kyle Busch did qualify 11th. Now, Tyler Reddick started third and was in the lead before Chase Briscoe’s mistake last year. Those top-three from each qualifying race should be on the radar.

Could last Spring’s top five come close? Of course, it is possible. Now, there were 14 cautions for 82 laps in 2022 but only a handful of lead changes among five drivers. A few more drivers should lead laps, but watch out for those Ford’s and Toyota’s late.

• Top Pick:  Tyler Reddick to Win (+700)
• Other Contenders: Kyle Larson (+550), William Byron (+1200 on Caesars), Denny Hamlin. (+1800)
• Longshots:  Brad Keselowski (+3000), Josh Berry (+4000), Ross Chastain (+2000)