After a weekend in Texas, NASCAR heads to Bristol Motor Speedway to the eighth race of the 2019 Cup Series season.
Sunday’s 500-lap Food City 500 marks the second race onto a half-mile track this season, but Bristol’s unique concrete design with steep banking is more similar to Dover’s one-mile track than Martinsville. Kevin Harvick, kyle Busch and Chase Elliott have graced victory lane the 3 races in Dover.
Busch is currently Sunday’s race favored in 5/2 chances in the Westgate SuperBook, with Harvick and Elliott priced at 12/1 and 14/1, respectively. Busch, who has finished in the top 10 in each of NASCAR’s seven races this year, leads active drivers with seven wins at Bristol. Busch has listed 10 top-five and 15 top-10 finishes in 27 starts at the monitor.
While Busch is hot this season, Harvick isn’t, especially by his lofty standards. He has led only 133 laps and he’s led laps in two races. He has led just 22 laps over the previous four races but has finished within the top 10 in every.
Thinking about the stiff gambling matchups oddsmakers have Harvick in –against Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Kyle Larson — it’s hard to trust Harvick together with the principles bundle used this week.
Rules bundle, recent results
At Bristol, the Cup Series will operate the 2019 rules bundle tailored for short tracks (less than 1.33 miles) and road classes. A 1.17-inch tapered spacer will be utilized, with motors expected to create roughly 750 horsepower. Unlike last week’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, no aero ducts will be used. This weekend’s configuration of the 2019 rules package will be used at 14 events in total this year. The 1.17-inch tapered spacer was first utilized this season at 1-mile ISM Raceway on March 10 in Phoenix at a race won by Kyle Busch.
Recent Bristol winners
2018 Fall: Kurt Busch
2018 Spring: Kyle Busch
2017 Fall: Kyle Busch
2017 Spring: Jimmie Johnson
Recent Dover winners
2018 Fall: Chase Elliott
2018 Spring: Kevin Harvick
2017 Fall: Kyle Busch
2017 Spring: Jimmie Johnson
MORE: Chances to win NASCAR Cup Series championship
Odds to win 2019 Food City 500 at Bristol
Odds provided by Westgate
Kyle BUSCH 5/2
Kyle LARSON 7/1
Brad KESELOWSKI 8/1
Joey LOGANO 8/1
Kevin HARVICK 12/1
Ryan BLANEY 12/1
Denny HAMLIN 14/1
Erik JONES 14/1
Kurt BUSCH 14/1
Martin TRUEX JR 14/1
Clint BOWYER 14/1
Chase ELLIOTT 14/1
Aric ALMIROLA 20/1
Jimmie JOHNSON 25/1
Ricky STENHOUSE JR 25/1
Alex BOWMAN 60/1
Daniel SUAREZ 60/1
Austin DILLON 80/1
Ryan NEWMAN 100/1
Paul MENARD 100/1
William BYRON 100/1
Darrell WALLACE JR 200/1
Matt DIBENEDETTO 200/1
Chris BUESCHER 300/1
Daniel HEMRIC 300/1
Ryan PREECE 500/1
Ty DILLON 1000/1
Michael McDOWELL 1000/1
David RAGAN 5000/1
FIELD (all others) 1000/1
Read more: centralsportsnews.com