Bristol Motor Speedway is scheduled to host race number nine on the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series calendar this Sunday afternoon. The Food City 500 marks the one-quarter mark of the season, as well as the one-third mark of the regular season.
The four-turn, 0.533-mile (0.858-kilometer) high-banked Bristol, Tennessee oval is also scheduled to host a playoff race in September, so the drivers and teams with playoff aspirations will be especially keen on having strong outings in Sunday afternoon's 500-lap race.
Who are the favorites to win the Food City 500? Here are the top five.
All odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook.
Top 5 NASCAR drivers most likely to win at Bristol
T-1. Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports (+490)
After his worst race since joining Hendrick Motorsports at Darlington Raceway, Kyle Larson figures to bounce back strong at a track where he absolutely dominated in September. He has two career wins at Bristol, both in his five starts since joining Rick Hendrick's team. That five-race stretch does not include any finishes outside of the top five, and it includes 710 laps led.
T-1. Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing (+490)
Denny Hamlin is the hottest driver in the NASCAR Cup Series right now, and after watching teammate Christopher Bell win three races in a row earlier in the year, he is aiming to do the same at the track where he won last March. Hamlin is a four-time winner at the "Last Great Colosseum", and he has won two of the three most races there.
3. Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing (+600)
Christopher Bell has never finished higher than third place at Bristol Motor Speedway in seven starts, but he has just one finish outside of the top 10 in five starts since joining Joe Gibbs Racing. And for whatever it's worth, he won the dirt race at the track in 2023. His strong start to the 2025 season, which has already produced three wins, can also not be ignored.
4. Ryan Blaney, Team Penske (+750)
Ryan Blaney should have won at Darlington Raceway this past week, but "should have" means nothing in NASCAR. After scoring his first ever top five finish at the "Lady in Black", now he is set to head to another track where he hasn't historically been all that strong, with no wins in 16 starts and an average finish of 18.6. Will he show up with Darlingon-like pace for the second straight week?
5. Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports (+900)
Chase Elliott is statistically the strongest active driver at Bristol without a win, though he did technically win a non-points All-Star Race at the track back in 2020. His average finish of 11.0 in points races there is tied for the best in the series, and since he crashed while racing for the lead in May 2020, he has just one finish lower than eighth place.
Full odds can be found here. Odds and availability are subject to change.
Fox Sports 1 is set to provide live coverage of the Food City 500 from Bristol Motor Speedway starting at 3:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, April 13. Start a free trial of FuboTV now if you have not already had the chance to do so!