Food City 500 Betting News and Notes

Bristol Driver Tale of the Tape

Greg Biffle (No. 16 ORTHO Ford)

· Six top fives, 13 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 11.9
· Average Running Position of 13.0, sixth-best
· Driver Rating of 93.5, fifth-best
· 333 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
· 893 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 115.537 mph, seventh-fastest
· 7,144 Laps in the Top 15 (71.3%), third-most
· 578 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), fourth-most

Kurt Busch (No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet)

· Five wins, eight top fives, 15 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 14.5
· Average Running Position of 14.0, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 91.6, eighth-best
· 377 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
· 973 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 115.524 mph, eighth-fastest
· 6,358 Laps in the Top 15 (63.5%), eighth-most
· 579 Quality Passes, third-most

Carl Edwards (No. 19 Comcast Business Toyota)

· Three wins, five top fives, nine top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 14.8
· Average Running Position of 14.4, 10th-best
· Driver Rating of 89.9, 11th-best
· 407 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 115.439 mph, 11th-fastest
· 6,519 Laps in the Top 15 (65.1%), sixth-most

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 3M Chevrolet)

· Five wins, 16 top fives, 24 top 10s; five poles
· Average finish of 12.3
· Series-best Average Running Position of 9.8
· Driver Rating of 99.9, third-best
· 426 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
· 882 Green Flag Passes, 10th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 115.685 mph, third-fastest
· 8,014 Laps in the Top 15 (80.0%), second-most
· 622 Quality Passes, second-most

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota)

· One win, four top fives, eight top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 16.9
· Driver Rating of 90.1, 10th-best
· 398 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
· 922 Green Flag Passes, seventh-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 115.514 mph, ninth-fastest
· 5,351 Laps in the Top 15 (59.4%), 12th-most

Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Jimmy John's/Budweiser Chevrolet)

· One win, nine top fives, 12 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 14.2
· Average Running Position of 12.9, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 91.6, seventh-best
· 386 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
· 1,013 Green Flag Passes, third-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 115.641 mph, fourth-fastest
· 6,433 Laps in the Top 15 (64.2%), seventh-most
· 512 Quality Passes, ninth-most

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet)

· One win, eight top fives, 14 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 15.0
· Average Running Position of 13.4, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 91.9, sixth-best
· 532 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
· 6,746 Laps in the Top 15 (67.4%), fourth-most
· 459 Quality Passes, 12th-most

Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet)

· One win, five top fives, 10 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 17.8
· Driver Rating of 88.4, 12th-best
· 460 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
· 1,005 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
· 5,467 Laps in the Top 15 (54.6%), 11th-most
· 563 Quality Passes, sixth-most

Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Dollar General Toyota)

· Three wins, 12 top fives, 19 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 12.2
· Average Running Position of 10.2, second-best
· Series-best Driver Rating of 103.4
· 546 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 115.744 mph, second-fastest
· Series-high 8,188 Laps in the Top 15 (81.7%)
· Series-high 657 Quality Passes

Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Ford)

· Two wins, four top fives, four top 10s
· Average finish of 13.1
· Average Running Position of 11.8, third-best
· Driver Rating of 98.6, fourth-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 115.636 mph, fifth-fastest

Kyle Larson (No. 42 Target Chevrolet)

· One top 10
· Average finish of 11.0
· Average Running Position of 12.2, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 91.6, ninth-best
· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 115.883 mph

Food City 500 Preview
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

It's time for some short track racing at Thunder Valley where tempers usually flare, and an assortment of winners can call themselves winners compared to the old days when the same group of drivers continually won. It might be a good idea this week to invest a little more in future wagers since Kevin Harvick's edge isn't so dramatic there.

Harvick will once gain be favored to win this week just because of finishing second or better in six of his seven starts this season, but Bristol Motor Speedway will be some tough competition. He captured his only Bristol win back in 2005, but hasn’t had a top-five finish there since 2008 -- a span of 12 races.

The half-mile high banked layout of Bristol should offer a few solid candidates to win this week, and while Harvick will still be very good, he’s not as intimidating there as he is on a down force track. He didn’t win at Texas last week, but he was second again and led 96 laps which now totals him at 766 laps led this season. There are only 2,150 laps run altogether so far, which shows just how intimidating Harvick has been.

Last season we had a couple surprise winners with Carl Edwards and Joey Logano grabing the checkers. In 2013, it was Kasey Kahne and Matt Kenseth and before that it was Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin, which shows quite a diverse amount of drivers having success.

This track allows drivers to comfortably run two wide and passing happens on both the inside and outside groove, which takes away some of the excitement we used to love about Bristol where everyone was fighting for that inside line. Despite the cosmetic changes to Bristol, it’s still good old fashioned short track racing on the fastest half-mile track. There should be an opportunity to find a driver at a nice price.

This is the eighth race of the season, but we can’t really use data from any of those races because nothing quite runs the same as Bristol, not even the flat half-mile layout of Martinsville. Perhaps the track that’s most similar is the one-mile layout at Dover, but we won’t see racing there until late May. So we’re kind of on our own for Sunday’s race with Friday and Saturday’s practices being extremely pivotal to the betting equation.

Here’s a look at the top candidates to beat Harvick this week:

Brad Keselowski: He’s a two-time winner and finished second in the fall Bristol race last season. He’s finished third or better in four of the past seven Bristol starts and should be considered the best candidate to win, especially since five-time Bristol winner Kyle Busch isn’t racing.

Matt Kenseth: He’s a three -time Bristol winner and has been outstanding there in every type of layout with two different teams. He finished third last fall and last won in 2013,

Dale Earnhardt Jr: His only win came in the fall of 2004, but he’s averaged an 11.9 finish in the 20 races since which is fourth best among all drivers over that span. He had a rough 2014 at Bristol, but his team has been dialed in for almost every race this season.

Jimmie Johnson: This isn’t his best track and his only win there came in 2010. He’s had a top-10 finish in eight of his last 12 starts there.

Kurt Busch: He used to be the King of Bristol until his brother took over. He’s a five-time winner, but the last one came in 2006. He should have a car as good Harvick’s and be contending for the win.

Joey Logano: He won the fall race last season and is getting really good on every track in the series. He has to be in conversation about winning.

Roush Fenway Racing: They’ve been absolute junk all season, but if last season is any indication, they should run well at Bristol. Ricky Stenhouse Jr finished second and sixth and Greg Biffle was 10th and 12th. Biffle has never won at Bristol, but always seem to be right in the mix of things with the leaders.

Top-5 Finish Prediction:

1) #2 Brad Keselowski (8/1)
2) #41 Kurt Busch (8/1)
3) #20 Matt Kenseth (10/1)
4) #20 Joey Logano (10/1)
5) #4 Kevin Harvick (5/1)

Driver-By-Driver Breakdown
By Micah Roberts
Sportingnews.com

The past six races held on Bristol's high banked and half-mile layout have been won by six different drivers, which is a diverse trend rarely seen out of Bristol over the years. If Kevin Harvick, who is the favorite at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, wins Sunday's Food City, he would be come the seventh straight and it would be his first victory there since 2005.

Harvick is the 5-to-1 favorite just because of his consistency finishing first or second. The one race he didn't was at Martinsville, a track that he hasn't had great success at in the past. Although Martinsville is a half-mile track like Bristol, the two tracks couldn't be further apart in how they drive. Martinsville is flat with the inside line being fought over, while Bristol is much faster with two different grooves that makes the drivers less aggressive when battling for position.

From a ratings perspective, there isn't much to go off that will help in getting any king of edge. We can't go back and look at Martinsville and say Denny Hamlin should run well this week. Bristol is in it's own category and results from the weekend will be of help when Dover comes around in late May.

Harvick figures to be less dominant that he would be on a down-force track, but his consistent speeds and leading 766 laps already this season suggest he'll be near the front again this week.

Let's take a look at all the Westgate odds and see who offers value:

KEVIN HARVICK 5/1: On the old Bristol layout, prior to 2007, Kevin Harvick was a threat to win every time out, but since the multiple alterations, he's been rather ordinary. He hasn't had a top-five finish there since 2008, a span of 12 races.

JOEY LOGANO 6/1: He's going to be just as good as his teammate Keselowski. Last fall he finished just ahead of Keselowski for his first Bristol win.

BRAD KESELOWSKI 6/1: He won back-to-back Bristol events in 2011-12 and was runner-up last fall. This is his perfect type of track. Expect a great practice session that will elevate him to being the driver to beat by the time the green flag drops.

JIMMIE JOHNSON 7/1: He's conquered Bristol only once (2010) in 26 career starts, but has four top-five finishes in his past eight starts. They should be very good on Sunday.

KURT BUSCH 7/1: He's already been considered one of the Bristol greats, being one of the drivers that have won five times, but none of those wins came on the modern layout. It's been since 2006 that he last won there, but he might just grab No. 6 this week. Expect him to qualify well and lead a lot of laps early.

MATT KENSETH 8/1: He's mastered every type of layout at Bristol and he's done it with two different teams. He's a three-time winner with a 12.2 average. He last won in 2013 and finished third last fall.

JEFF GORDON 12/1: He's part of the five-timer club too, but his winless drought goes back to 2002. He's the perfect example of driver's skills at Martinsville meaning little at Bristol. He's only had two top-five finishes there in his past 11 starts.

DALE EARNHARDT JR 12/1: His only win in 30 career starts came in 2004 on the old layout. In 20 starts since his win, he has averaged an 11.9 finish with 10 top-10 finishes.

DENNY HAMLIN 12/1: He grabbed his first and only win in 2012, but he has more lows than highs over his past 10 starts with finishes of 19th, 34th, 33rd, 20th, 23rd, 28th and 40th. What makes him an attractive betting option this week in match-ups is the upward progression of Joe Gibbs Racing across the board.

CARL EDWARDS 12/1: He grabbed his first top-10 of 2015 last week at Texas, and ran most of the Martinsville race in the top-10 before settling for 17th. After a rocky start, the mood is positive with the first year team. Bristol is a good place for three-time winner Edwards, although 12-to-1 odds certainly aren't tempting enough to believe.
KASEY KAHNE 20/1: He's one of the drivers who have really excelled under the newest layout altered in 2012. He won in the spring of 2013 and then finished second in the fall. He was eighth in this race last year.

KYLE LARSON 20/1: He immediately found this track to his liking and was 10th and 12th in both 2015 races.

MARTIN TRUEX JR 25/1: He's 20th or worse in his past three Bristol starts, but you can throw those out the window. Seven top-five finishes in the first seven races say Truex Jr. is a contender this week. In 2011, he finished second behind Keselowski and third behind him in 2012.

RYAN NEWMAN 40/1: Only one top-five in 26 starts. He finished 16th and 13th in last years races.

JAMIE McMURRAY 50/1: Three top-five finishes in 24 starts, the last coming in 2011.

TONY STEWART 50/1: His only win came in 2001, which is kind of surprising. He's missed two of the past three events, but did finish fourth in this race last year.

DAVID RAGAN 60/1: He's got some Gibbs power and the Kyle Busch was a five-time at Bristol, but Ragan's 10th-place finish in 2008 remains his best in 16 starts.

CLINT BOWYER 75/1: He's always positive and upbeat and you know it's just killing him inside to know that his No. 15 Michael Waltrip Racing ride doesn't have much of a chance to win. Since a season-best seventh in the Daytona 500, it's been all down hill. He's averaged a 15th-place finish over his past three at Bristol, and it would be a nice accomplishment if they finished 15th on Sunday.

GREG BIFFLE 75/1: He's never won at Bristol, but he's been as tough as they come on this track with an 11.8 average over his past 20 starts. The Roush cars look junky, but we'll see if Bristol can wake the team up just like last year when Carl Edwards won and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. wowed.

PAUL MENARD 100/1: Career best fifth-place in 2011, and appears to have things figured at Bristol with finishes of ninth or better in three of his past four starts. He should be considered a good driver to play in match-ups.

AUSTIN DILLON 100/1: He was eighth in this race last year and then 28th in the fall.

RICKY STENHOUSE JR 200/1: Last season the Roush Fenway team had some things figured out when he finish second and sixth in the two races. Who knows if that will be the case this season, but you couldn't be faulted for taking a flyer on him in this race at such large odds.

AJ ALLMENDINGER 300/1: A 24.8 average finish in 13 starts may not sound too good, but expect a top-15 out of him anyway. He finished 14th last fall.

TREVOR BAYNE 300/1: The Knoxville native only has one Cup start on his home track,a 34th in 2011.

ARIC ALMIROLA 300/1: He is an interesting look this week just because he finished third in this race last spring. However, he was 41st in the fall.

DANICA PATRICK 500/1: In five starts, her best finish was 18th in this race last season.

BRETT MOFFITT 500/1: Finished 42nd last fall in his only Bristol Cup start.

SAM HORNISH JR 500/1: His last Cup start was in 2012 and he finished 34th. His career average finish is 31.9 in seven starts.

CASEY MEARS 500/1: No top-five finishes in 24 career starts. His 27.75 average makes Bristol his second worst track after Darlington (29.15).

FIELD 300/1: This just isn't going to happen. However, the last major long shot to win at Bristol was in 2001 when Elliott Sadler had some super tires that allowed him to win and payout at 100-to-1 odds.

Drivers to Watch - Bristol
By Sportsbook.ag

The racers will take their skills to one of the largest sports venues in the country when they hit Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City 500 on Sunday. The oval, concrete track has hosted this event since way back in 1961 and has seen a ton of the legends of the sport dominate with Rusty Wallace (6), Darrell Waltrip (5), Dale Earnhardt (5), Jeff Gordon (4) and Kurt Busch (4) all having a ton of wins.

The 0.533 mile course features big 26-30-degree banking and had to deal with some rain in 2014, leading to a green-white-checker flag and yellow flag finish as Carl Edwards walked away with the trophy. It was the third consecutive season that a driver had earned their first career win in this particular race with Kasey Kahne and Brad Keselowski winning in the previous two installments.

With the Sprint Cup Series in full swing, let’s take a look through the entrants and find some racers who could dominate this week.

Drivers to Bet

Brad Keselowski (6/1) - Keselowski has been his usual impressive self this year and ranks fourth in the Sprint Cup standings due to top-10 finishes in six of his seven starts; including a win at the Auto Club 400 on March 22nd. He will now set his sights on Bristol following a fifth-place in Texas as he’s had the third best driver rating (98.6) among active drivers here. He also has two of his 17 career Sprint Cup Series wins when racing here and took the checkered flag in this specific race back in 2012 when he dominated the course in just 2:51:52; the fastest mark since 1999. He has led at some point in each of the races on the year and should once again be a pace-setter for the rest of the field.

Carl Edwards (12/1) - Edwards may be out of his prime, but he has looked solid in recent weeks with a finish of 17th or better in each of his past four races as he currently sits at 14th in the Sprint Cup Series standings. He should feel comfortable heading back to Bristol where he has earned three of his 23 career victories and has an average finish of 14.8 behind nine top-10s in 21 races. Edwards has spent 65.1% of his time on this track in the top-15 (6th most) and can get it done when needed as he has had the fastest lap 407 times (6th most). He still has a lot left in the tank so keep an eye out for Edwards to perform well on a track that is comfortable for him.

Kyle Larson (20/1) - The youngster hasn’t gotten off to a tremendous start this year, getting just two top-10s in his first six races, but will hope to get another one here after some solid performances in the past. In his two races on this track, Larson has earned a 10th and 12th-place finish, putting his driver rating at 91.6 (8th among active drivers). In those races he has had a series-best average green flag speed of 115.883 MPH and should be able to stay amongst the front of the pack for most of the race as he continues to look for his first Sprint Cup Series win.

Martin Truex Jr. (25/1) - It is amazing that Truex Jr.’s odds are still as high as they are since he has ranked in the top-10 at all but one race this year and has led 28 laps total in his past three times out. He’s improved his standing over his pole position in three of the past four races and it is just a matter of time before he breaks out for his third career win. Among the top drivers in the standings this week, Truex Jr. may not have the best track history in Bristol, with an average finish of 20.3, but sometimes you need to just ride the hot hand and he is one of the hottest in the series right now.

Aric Almirola (300/1) - Almirola has been steadily improving his standing in the Sprint Cup Series over the past five seasons and currently is on pace to have a career-best season as he sits in ninth. He has done this with consistency, ranking in the top-20 in all but one of his races, but failing to crack the top-10 just yet. As he sits just on the outside looking in, he’s just looking for his opportunity to grab a second career win, and he has two top-10s here in the past. With these odds it is worth taking a flier on the 31-year-old.

Odds to win Food City 500

Kevin Harvick 5/1
Brad Keselowski 6/1
Joey Logano 6/1
Jimmie Johnson 7/1
Kurt Busch 7/1
Matt Kenseth 8/1
Carl Edwards 12/1
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 12/1
Denny Hamlin 12/1
Jeff Gordon 12/1
Kasey Kahne 20/1
Kyle Larson 20/1
Martin Truex Jr. 25/1
Ryan Newman 40/1
Jamie McMurray 50/1
Tony Stewart 50/1
David Ragan 60/1
Clint Bowyer 75/1
Austin Dillon 100/1
Greg Biffle 100/1
Paul Menard 100/1
Field (Any Other Driver) 100/1
Ricky Stenhouse 200/1
AJ Allmendinger 300/1
Aric Almirola 300/1
Trevor Bayne 300/1
Brett Moffitt 500/1
Casey Mears 500/1
Danica Patrick 500/1
Sam Hornish Jr. 500/1

Check out more NASCAR Odds and Props at Sportsbook.ag

Chassis Selections
Jayski.com

#3-Austin Dillon: will pilot Chassis No. 477 in the Bristol 500 in support of Steve Byrnes and Stand up to Cancer at Bristol Motor Speedway. This is the same Chevrolet SS that Dillon raced to a 20th-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March. In 2014, Dillon raced this Chevrolet SS to a 24th-place finish at Dover International Raceway in September, a 20th-place finish at Richmond International Raceway in September and a 14th-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July.
#4-Kevin Harvick: Chassis Information: Chassis No. 4-899: Kevin Harvick will pilot the No. 4 Jimmy John's/Budweiser Chevrolet SS built on Chassis No. 4-899 in the Food City 500 in support of Steve Byrnes and Stand Up To Cancer NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. Built in 2014, Chassis No. 4-899 made its debut last September at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, where it started sixth, led 79 laps and finished fifth. It also served as a backup at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth and Homestead-Miami Speedway at the end of 2014. This weekend will mark its first race action of 2015.
#5-Kasey Kahne: Crew chief Keith Rodden has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-820 for Sunday's race at Bristol. Kahne raced the car six times in 2014 with his most notable performance being a win at Atlanta Motor Speedway in August. Most recently, Kahne tested with the chassis at Charlotte Motor Speedway in March of this year.
#10-Danica Patrick: Chassis No. 727 debuted in May 2012 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway with former SHR driver Ryan Newman at the controls and Tony Gibson as crew chief. Newman started 16th and finished 14th at Charlotte, and then started fifth and finished 15th at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn in June. Newman and crew chief Matt Borland took the car to Homestead-Miami Speedway in November 2012 and started 19th, led three laps and finished third. Newman and Borland used it four times in 2013 and earned top-10 finishes at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth and Charlotte. In 2014, Kurt Busch and crew chief Daniel Knost raced it five times with three top-12 finishes. Patrick and Knost utilized it for the fall event at Phoenix International Raceway and earned a 22nd-place finish.
#14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-827: This car debuted in July 2014 during the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Stewart used it to qualify sixth, but in the race the car was persistently loose and it finished 17th. It was a reversal of fortune for the car, for in its lone test prior to Indianapolis it excelled, as Kevin Harvick drove it to the fastest speed of anyone participating in the Dec. 9, 2013 test session at Charlotte (N.C.)Motor Speedway. Chassis No. 14-827 next raced at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, where it had a quiet weekend, qualifying 22nd and finishing 18th. The car returned to Charlotte in October where it made its third career start, qualifying a strong fourth but finishing 21st, bedeviled by a tight-handling condition. Its last start of 2014 came in November at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, where in qualifying it set the fastest lap in a stock car at a 1.5-mile oval when Stewart drove it to a lap of 26.985 seconds at 200.111 mph. It was the first time a stock car surpassed the 200 mph mark on a 1.5-mile oval. The car performed admirably in the race, finishing 11th. The car hasn't raced since, but it has logged numerous hours in the wind tunnel with its new Chevrolet SS body. Its first start of 2015 comes this weekend at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, and it will be Chassis No. 14-827's fifth career start.
#15-Clint Bowyer: Primary - No. 815. Atlanta 24th. Back-Up - No. 816. Served as back-up at several races this year.
#24-Jeff Gordon: #24 team crew chief Alan Gustafson has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 24-869 for this Sunday's race. The chassis has been raced five times previously - all in 2014 - with finishes of first at Dover (September) and Kansas (May), sixth and eighth at Pocono and sixth at Kentucky.
#27-Paul Menard: will utilize chassis No. 454 during Sunday' 500-lap event at Bristol Motor Speedway. This Chevrolet SS will make its first laps of the 2015 season during Friday's practice sessions at 12 p.m. Eastern Time on Fox Sports 1.
#31-Ryan Newman: will drive chassis No. 486 on Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway. This Chevrolet SS was utilized earlier this season at Atlanta Motor Speedway where Newman qualified seventh and finished 10th.
#32-Mike Bliss: Crew Chief Clinton Cram will be bringing chassis GGR-742 to serve as the primary car. This chassis last raced at Las Vegas in March of 2015. Chassis GGR-289 will serve as the backup car.
#41-Kurt Busch: Chassis No. 838: Kurt Busch will pilot Chassis No. 838 in Sunday's Food City 500 In Support Of Steve Byrnes and Stand Up to Cancer at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. It was previously a No. 10 chassis for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) teammate Danica Patrick. It made its debut in April 2014 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, where Patrick started 24th and finished 27th. She was running in the top-15 with the car in June at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway but cut a tire, which led to an accident, and finished 37th. Chassis 838 then raced in August at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where Patrick started 27th but finished a career-best sixth. It was last used in October at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, where Patrick qualified 29th and, over the final 30 circuits, moved from 23rd to record an impressive 16th-place finish. Since then, Chassis No. 838 underwent updates and saw its first laps of the 2015 season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last month, where Regan Smith finished 16th.
#47-A.J. Allmendinger: "We are bringing chassis 386, which is one of our older cars," crew chief Brian Burns said. "We've made several modifications and have built this car to be more durable for places like Bristol Motor Speedway and Dover International Speedway."
#48-Jimmie Johnson: For this weekend's event, crew chief Chad Knaus has selected chassis No. 48-806, which was last raced at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last fall. The backup car is 48-749, which last raced in Martinsville in the spring of 2014.
#55-Brett Moffitt: Primary: 802 - Has not raced in 2015. Clint Bowyer raced this chassis in Las Vegas, Texas I, All-Star Race, and Chicago in 2014. Backup: 814 - finished eighth at Atlanta with Moffitt. In 2014 it finished 16th at Indianapolis with Bowyer, Vickers finished 13th at Richmond in September & 37th at Charlotte in October.
#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.: This weekend, crew chief Greg Ives and the No. 88 team will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-857. Earnhardt most recently raced the chassis to a 12th-place finish at Richmond International Raceway last September.

Driver Handicaps: Bristol
By: Jeff Wackerlin
Racingone.com

MRN.com's Jeff Wackerlin helps you set your fantasy racing lineup for Sunday's Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes with detailed driver notes and stats for Bristol Motor Speedway.

Who's HOT at Bristol

• Matt Kenseth has one win and has led the most laps (461) in the four races with the Gen-6 car.
• Joey Logano is coming off his first win and third top 10 in his last five starts.
• Kasey Kahne (2013 spring winner) and Paul Menard lead all drivers with three top 10s each in the last four races.
• Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch each have five wins. Gordon and Kurt Busch's wins have come on the old track surface/configuration.
• Defending event winner Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin, winner of the 2012 night race, have each led 242 laps in the last five races.
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who is seeking his first top 10 of the year, posted a 4.0 average finish in the two races last season.
• Brad Keselowski has finished third or better, including two wins, in four of the last seven races.

Who to Keep an Eye On at Bristol

• Jamie McMurray finished eighth and the most laps (148) in last year's August race with same combination of left- and right-side tires that will be used this weekend.
• The last eight Bristol races have been won from a top 12 starting position. Series point leader Kevin Harvick, who won the pole last August at Bristol, and Ryan Newman have respective starting averages of 7.6 and 8.4 in the seven races season.
• After finishing 19th or worse in his previous three Bristol starts, Jimmie Johnson got back on track with a fourth-place run last August. It was his fifth top five in the last 10 races, which includes a win in the 2010 spring race.
• Martin Truex Jr. will be looking to push his season top-10 streak to eight this weekend.
• Kyle Larson (11.0), Clint Bowyer (11.6) and Greg Biffle (12.2) each rank in the top 10 in average finish over the last five races at Bristol since the track was grinded down in top groove in the corners.

MRN.com Staff Picks

Jeff Wackerlin: Kasey Kahne
Pete Pistone: Brad Keselowski
John Singler: David Ragan

Driver Notes - Ordered by Top 20 in Average Finish in Last Five Races at Bristol
Stats are for Bristol unless noted

Joey Logano: Won last year's August race and led 76 laps with same combination of left- and right-side tires that will be used this weekend. The finish was Logano's third consecutive top 10 in the August race. He's yet to finish in the top 10 in the spring race, but has started inside the top 10 in the last seven races overall.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: Bristol is his best non-superspeedway on the circuit based on his average finish of 10.5. Stenhouse finished second in this event last year and sixth in the August race. He's coming off his third top-15 finish of the season at Texas and will look to land inside the top 10 for the first time this season on Sunday.

Kyle Larson: Posted an 11.0 average finish in his first two Sprint Cup starts last season. Larson does have two runner-up finishes in the XFINITY Series at Bristol, but will not run in that race on Saturday.

Paul Menard: Has finished in the top 10 in five of his last six starts. This weekend, Menard will debut a new car (No. 454) in the Food City 500 in support of Steve Byrnes.

Kasey Kahne: Won the 2013 spring race and has finished ninth or better in four of his last five starts. Kahne finished 12th in last year's August race and led 40 laps with same combination of left- and right-side tires that will be used this weekend. On Sunday, Kahne will drive the same car (chassis No. 820) he won with at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2014. This car was most recently tested at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Clint Bowyer: Last of eight top 10s in 18 starts came in this event in 2013, in fourth. This weekend Bowyer will return in the same car (chassis No. 815) that he finished 24th with at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Greg Biffle: Has posted a 10.5 average finish in the four races with the Gen-6 car. Biffle finished 12th and 10th, respectively, in his last two starts. His last of six top fives came in this event in 2010, in fourth.

Jeff Gordon: Has finished in the top 10 in three of his last four starts, including a seventh-place run in this event last year. Gordon posted a 4.0 average start and an 11.5 average finish in the two races last season. His last of five wins came in 2002. This weekend, Gordon will return in the same car (chassis No. 869) that he scored the win on another concrete track with, Dover in 2014.

Matt Kenseth: Has posted an average finish of 5.7 in his last three track starts with Joe Gibbs Racing, including a win in the 2013 August race. Kenseth finished third in last year's August race and led 62 laps with same combination of left- and right-side tires that will be used this weekend. He's combined to lead 641 laps in the last seven races and is a three-time winner in 30 overall starts.

Brad Keselowski: Has finished third or better in four of his last seven starts, including two wins. Keselowski finished second in last year's August race and led 46 laps with same combination of left- and right-side tires that will be used this weekend.

Jimmie Johnson: Is coming off his eighth top five in 26 starts, which includes a win in the 2010 spring race. This weekend, Johnson will return in the same car (chassis No. 806) that he finishes fifth with at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last fall.

AJ Allmendinger: Has yet to finish in the top 10 in 13 starts. Allmendinger is coming off his best finish in two starts with JTG Daugherty Racing, in 14th.

Carl Edwards: Is the in defending race winner. The win was Edwards third in 21 starts and he finished seventh last August for his ninth top 10. This weekend will mark Edwards' first track start with Joe Gibbs Racing. His crew chief Darian Grubb won with Denny Hamlin in the 2012 August race.

Justin Allgaier: Has posted an 18.0 average finish in two starts. Allgaier won his first XFINITY race at Bristol in 2010 with Team Penske.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Posted a 31.5 average finish in both races last season, which included a crash and a 39th-place finish last August. Earnhardt's last of 14 career top 10s came in 2013 when he finished in the top 10 in both races. This weekend, Earnhardt will return in the same car (chassis No. 857) that he finished 12th with at Richmond International Raceway last September.

Jamie McMurray: Finished eighth and the most laps (148) in last year's August race with same combination of left- and right-side tires that will be used this weekend. Finish was sixth top 10 in last 10 races.

Ryan Newman: Posted a 14.5 average finish in first two track starts with Richard Childress Racing last season. Last of 13 top 10s in 26 overall starts came in the 2014 spring race. This weekend, Newman will return in the same car (chassis No. 486) that he finished 10th with at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Austin Dillon: Finished 11th last spring in his first Sprint Cup track start. Dillon, who finished 28th last August, will return in the same car (chassis No. 477) that he finished 20th with at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March.

Denny Hamlin: Won the pole and finished sixth in this event last year for eighth top 10 in 18 starts. Hamlin has one win coming in the 2012 August race. Last August he led 28 laps before a crash relegated him to a 40th-place finish.

Kurt Busch: Finished fifth last August for best finish in two track starts with Stewart-Haas Racing. Busch is a five-time winner coming on the old track configuration. This weekend, Busch will be in the same car (chassis No. 838) that Regan Smith drove to a 16th-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last month.