This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Food City 500
Location: Bristol, Tenn.
Course: Bristol Motor Speedway
Format: 0.53-mile oval
Laps: 500
NASCAR Food City 500 Race Preview
The NASCAR Cup Series heads back east this week to the famed Bristol Motor Speedway. This year, the track returns to its concrete surface after several seasons experimenting running the spring visit on dirt. The short track is famous for its close racing and tendency to inflame tempers. Denny Hamlin won the lone race last season run on the concrete, and would be one of the favorites again this week after competitive showings early this season but without a victory to go along with them. This week's race will be the 124th race on the concrete surface in series history, but the first spring race since 2020. Each manufacturer has won one of the last three races, too. While Toyota was the dominant car to have in Phoenix, this week's venue presents a whole new challenge. To make things even more intriguing, defending series champion Ryan Blaney sits atop the points totals, leading the field into the Food City 500 race weekend at Bristol.
Key Stats at Bristol Motor Speedway
- Number of races: 123
- Winners from pole: 27
- Winners from top-5 starters: 71
- Winners from top-10 starters: 96
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 6
- Fastest race: 104.589 mph
Previous 10 Bristol Winners
2023 - Denny Hamlin
2022 - Chris Buescher
2021 - Kyle Larson
2020 fall - Kevin Harvick
2020 spring - Brad Keselowski
2019 fall - Denny Hamlin
2019 spring - Kyle Busch
2018 fall - Kurt Busch
2018 spring - Kyle Busch
2017 fall - Kyle Busch
The unique challenge of racing in traffic on dirt is replaced by a return to the high-banked rhythmic nuances of Bristol's traditional concrete surface. The sheer number of cars packed onto the short racetrack means drivers spend nearly the entire race working through traffic. Leaders have a distinct advantage of dictating the pace through the field, but they still face the same challenge of getting past a multitude of cars in the tight confines of the track without getting held up or caught up in someone else's accident. Due to the close racing, contact is almost a given. A crash can also collect several innocent bystanders. Except for catastrophic car damage, minor incidents don't always mean the end of a driver's day. Last fall, three different drivers led 100 laps or more. All three of those cars were Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, too. Practice and qualifying will be important barometers for fantasy players to watch before settling on roster selections this week, but it isn't unheard of for a winner to come from outside of the top 10. The biggest reason for this is late-race restarts. Aggression ramps up as the finish draws near, and at that point, being within striking distance of the lead is arguably the biggest determinant of success.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the Food City 500 (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Kyle Larson - $11,500
Denny Hamlin - $11,200
Christopher Bell - $11,000
Ryan Blaney - $10,500
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Chris Buescher - $9,800
Joey Logano - $9,500
Brad Keselowski - $9,200
Tyler Reddick - $9,000
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Martin Truex Jr. - $8,800
Ross Chastain - $8,500
Chase Elliott - $8,300
Ty Gibbs - $8,000
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Chase Briscoe - $7,300
Erik Jones - $7,200
Noah Gragson - $6,700
John Hunter Nemechek - $6,000
NASCAR DFS Picks for the Food City 500
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Denny Hamlin - $11,200
Joey Logano - $9,500
Chase Elliott - $8,300
Ty Gibbs - $8,000
Noah Gragson - $6,700
Austin Dillon - $6,300
Denny Hamlin (DK $11,200, FD $13,500) justly deserves to be one of the favorites to win the Food City 500. Hamlin is winless so far in 2024, but he has often been fast enough to win, and is the most recent winner at this week's track. Hamlin has three total series wins at Bristol and finished ninth or better in each of the last three visits. Another winless driver in 2024 is Joey Logano (DK $9,500, FD $8,200). Like Hamlin, the Team Penske driver isn't winless due to lack of pace, though. Logano has just one 2024 top-10 so far, but should be expected to improve upon that this week. The former champion is a two-time winner at Bristol. He did notch DNFs in the last two races here, but he finished 11th or better in each of his five Bristol starts prior to then. Chase Elliott (DK $8,300, FD $9,500) is another former champion anxious to get 2024 turned in the right direction. Elliott has never won at Bristol, but he did finish seventh or better in three of his last four races there. He has led more than 400 laps through his 13 series starts at the track and is seeking his first top-10 for 2024.
The Joe Gibbs Racing teammates dominated at Bristol last fall, and Ty Gibbs (DK $8,000, FD $10,500) helped lead that charge. He led 102 laps in that race and picked up a fifth-place finish for his effort. Gibbs also had a good race a week ago at Phoenix, starting on the front row and finishing third to score his third straight top-10 of the season. Noah Gragson (DK $6,700, FD $6,200) also had a good week at Phoenix. His 12th-place finish was his third top-15 of 2024 and his seventh-place starting spot was his best of the season so far. Gragson has two Bristol wins from his days in the Xfinity Series and should be able to score another impressive finish in the Cup Series this week given what he has accomplished with Stewart-Haas Racing already this season. Finally, veteran Austin Dillon (DK $6,300, FD $4,000) should be another driver worthy of consideration. While the current season hasn't started brightly for him, Bristol is a place he can turn things around. Dillon has three top-10s from 17 starts at the track and is a consistent top-20 finisher there with top-15 potential.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Kyle Larson - $11,500
Chris Buescher - $9,800
Brad Keselowski - $9,200
Daniel Suarez - $7,000
Josh Berry - $6,500
John Hunter Nemechek - $6,000
Kyle Larson (DK $11,500, FD $14,000) entered last race week as one of the favorites, only to be usurped by the Toyotas. The same could have been said of Bristol last season. Larson won at Bristol in 2021 and finished sixth or better in his last four. He has three runner-up finishes there from 15 series starts, but couldn't overcome Hamlin last fall. He should be one that can challenge the Toyotas this week, but that remains to be seen after he came home 14th last week. Like Larson, Chris Buescher (DK $9,800, FD $11,000) is also a former winner at Bristol. He captured the top spot in 2022 with 169 laps led. After following that up with a fourth-place finish in 2023, fantasy players should view him as a legitimate contender at the track. Buescher enters the weekend 16th in the playoff standings and on the back of a runner-up finish a week ago at Phoenix. There appears to be little reason not to consider starting him this week. Buescher's teammate, Brad Keselowski (DK $9,200, FD $11,500) also knows his way around this track. Keselowski won three Bristol races out of 25 tries and finished eighth last fall. He is another choice not to shy away from this week.
Daniel Suarez (DK $7,000, FD $6,000) has the luxury already of focusing on the championship playoffs. Bristol is a playoff track, too. While the team may experiment some, getting a top result is the ultimate aim regardless of what agenda the team has. Suarez has two top-10s from 11 Bristol starts and finished 21st last fall. He enters the weekend primed for a top-15, though. His three most recent results leading up to the week have been 13th or better. Rookie Josh Berry (DK $6,500, FD $5,800) may be a driver in the lower price range that is worth taking a shot on. His best finish this season was 14th at Atlanta. He started on the front row in the Xfinity Series twice at Bristol, which shows he knows how to be fast at the track. Another driver worthy of a look is John Hunter Nemechek (DK $6,000, FD $5,500). He started and finished third at Bristol in Xfinity last season. He is only six points out of the early playoff positions and should have top-20 minimum expectations this week.
