NASCAR: 5 Predictions For The Food City 500 At Bristol

Starting Order Isn’t as Impactful at Bristol

Qualifying for Bristol was rained out this weekend, but luckily for drivers in the Monster Energy Cup Series, qualifying isn’t a make-or-break at Bristol.

Of course it’s always better to start up front when the race goes green (hopefully) on Sunday, and getting to select your pit box first is always helpful when it comes to pit road strategy, but things like this don’t have the same impact that they do at bigger tracks.

Speed impact every race in NASCAR; you need a fast car to stay out in front, and starting on the pole gives a driver valuable access to clean air, but racing at tracks like Bristol always ends up being much more than just who has the fastest car.

Breaks play a huge role in a driver’s success at short tracks. Being able to maintain them can be what puts a driver out in front.

A veteran driver like Jimmie Johnson or Kyle Busch who understands the importance of breaks and how they play a major role at tracks like Bristol could start this race from the back, but with time and patients could be in the front looking to win as the final laps close.

Stage racing also helps lessen the impact of qualifying being rained out because it at least ensures that there will be two restarts during the race. Drivers and crew chiefs can decide to stay out after a stage is over to try and gain position. Since it can be harder for cars to move through the field at Bristol, this could be a major strategy used during the Food City 500.

When it comes to 1.5 mile tracks, qualifying can be the key to winning a race. Starting out in front at tracks like Texas and Las Vegas is a huge advantage. For short tracks like Martinsville and Bristol though where a driver starts has less of an impact.

By the time the Food City 500 is over, the Top 10 drivers will be completely different from the ones who started out the race.