Food City 500 Picks
After a week off, NASCAR returns to action as it heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City 500.
After Bristol was repaved in 2007, things have calmed down tremendously compared to the old days when drivers who didn’t get out of the way often received one or two taps on their backside. In years past, the only way around Bristol was to hug the bottom but since it was repaved drivers can now pass on the top, which has toned down the aggression that made Bristol famous.
While most people miss the good ol’ days that Bristol was known for, it still provides some of the best racing we will see all year.
Kurt Busch 12/1
At one time, Kurt Busch was the king of Bristol while reeling off four wins in five races and is tied for the most wins (five) among active drivers. Though he has been off the pace at Bristol the last few years, we like how this team has looked all year and with last weeks win, they have the momentum to pull off back to back wins at a nice price.
Carl Edwards 15/1
No driver will be watched more closely this week than Carl Edwards, who is on probation for the next three races. But we don’t think it should hinder him because every week he races to win. Edwards really seemed to take to the new surface at Bristol by winning two out of the first three races after the track was repaved. While he’ll be on his best behavior, we still think he will be aggressive enough to contend for the win.
Live Longshot
Ryan Newman 20/1
In five races since Bristol was repaved, Ryan Newman has four top 10 finishes in those five races and though he still doesn’t have a win here, Newman has always shown he can be competitive on this track. Ever since joining Stewart – Hass Racing, he has had some very good cars but always seems to run into problems or bad luck. But this could be the week he gets back to victory lane.
Posted: 3/19/10 1:59AM ET
