Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams are ready to race the Food City 500, at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday, April 23rd at 2 pm ET on FOX with radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Teams will race 266.5 miles over 500 laps with Stage 1 ending on lap 125 and Stage 2 on lap 250.

What To Watch For: Kyle and Kurt Busch attempt to seize the active Bristol wins lead. Both have five victories at ‘The Last Great Colosseum.’

Last summer’s Bristol winner, Kevin Harvick, goes for his second straight win at the Tennessee track.

Matt Kenseth can vie for victory at Bristol where he boasts four career wins.

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points leader Kyle Larson looks to extend his 17-point advantage over Chase Elliott.

Short Strokes: Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Erik Jones was fastest in opening Monster Energy Cup Series practice with a lap at 127.843 mph.

Series leader Kyle Larson, who will start from the pole because of a qualifying rain out, ran 72 laps in the session, more than any other driver.

Both Kasey Kahne and Joey Logano scraped the outside wall during practice, but the damage to their respective cars was cosmetic.

Chase Elliott spun off turn four and slid sideways down the frontstretch but avoided contact with the walls.

Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Daniel Suarez posted the fastest speeds in Happy Hour, running laps at 128.563 mph and 128.262 mph, respectively.

The Hendrick Motorsports entries of Kasey Kahne, Chase Elliott and Jimmie Johnson were third, fourth and fifth. Kahne had the fastest ten-lap average at 127.482 mph.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. clipped the outside wall during Saturday’s first practice and did enough damage to the right rear that the team considered going to a backup car before opting to fix the primary No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. In the repaired car, Stenhouse was 30th fastest in last practice.

“I had just been really loose and just got down in the corner, and it took off,” Stenhouse said of the accident. “I thought I saved it and just got the right rear in the wall.”

Busch Bros at Bristol

The Busch brothers will battle at Bristol Motor Speedway for sole possession of the active track wins lead. Kyle and Kurt pace active drivers with five victories each at ‘The Last Great Colosseum.’

Despite their successes, Kyle hasn’t won at Bristol since spring of 2011 and Kurt hasn’t visited Victory Lane there since spring of 2006. In 23 starts at the 0.533-mile short track, Kyle claims eight top-fives, 13 top-tens and a 14.3 average finish. Kurt has nine top-fives and 16 top-tens in 32 Bristol starts.

Kyle has the second-best Bristol driver rating (100.5), while Kurt’s is fifth-best (93.1).

Harvick Hopes for Second Straight Bristol Win

Last August’s Bristol winner Kevin Harvick will go for his second consecutive victory at the Tennessee track Sunday. The No. 4 Ford driver led 128 laps last summer to beat Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to the finish line by 1.933 seconds. Denny Hamlin, Austin Dillon and Chris Buescher rounded out the top-five.

In 32 starts at Bristol, Harvick owns two wins, 11 top-fives, 15 top-tens and a 15.4 average finish. He boasts the second-best average running position (12.2) and third-best driver rating (95.7) at the 0.533-mile track.

Harvick ranks first in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with 419 laps led (19.6%) this season.

He is now tenth in the points standings (117 markers behind leader Kyle Larson) and holds three playoff points as a result of his three stage wins. 

Logano Looks to Continue Bristol Success

Joey Logano will attempt to continue his recent Bristol success. He has logged four top-ten finishes, including two wins, in his last five starts at the Tennessee short track.

Although he’s done well at Bristol lately, his only career top-ten finish in the spring race there was his tenth-place showing last year.

The 26-year-old Connecticut native has quietly wheeled his No. 22 Ford to a hot start this season. He has finished sixth or better in every race except for Phoenix, where he crashed after leading 82 laps and winning the first stage.

Logano is coming off a season-best third-place showing at Texas. He sits fifth in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings – 72 points behind leader Kyle Larson.

Kenseth Can Build Momentum at Bristol

Although, Matt Kenseth has three top-ten finishes, he’s dug himself into a hole to start the season with three finishes of 36 or worse. He now sits 22nd in the points standings, 189 markers behind first-place Kyle Larson.

Sunday’s Food City 500 could be a panacea for Kenseth. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has four wins, 13 top-fives, 20 top-tens and a 14.2 average finish at Bristol.

Kenseth boasts the best average running position (11.4) and driver rating (100.9) at ‘The Last Great Colosseum.’ He won the Bristol spring race in 2015.

Larson Heads to Bristol as Series Points Leader

Kyle Larson continued his breakout season at Texas with his fourth runner-up showing. The result marked his fifth top-two finish in the last six races.

Only four other drivers have logged as many top-two finishes as Larson’s five through the first seven races of a season: Kevin Harvick (6 top-fives; 2015), Dale Earnhardt (5; 1987), Bobby Allison (5; 1972, 1979), Cale Yarborough (5, 1974).

The No. 42 Chevrolet driver has the top average finish (5.4) in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, but more importantly, he leads the points standings by 17 markers over second-place Chase Elliott. Martin Truex Jr. (-40) sits third, followed by Brad Keselowski (-41) and Joey Logano (-72). Ryan Blaney (-91), Kyle Busch (-104), Jamie McMurray (-106), Clint Bowyer (-111) and Kevin Harvick (-117) round out the top-ten.

Larson will attempt to extend his points lead at Bristol, a track where he’s logged only two top-tens in six starts and has an average finish of 21.5.

Remember, the regular season points leader earns 15 playoff points.

Food City Celebrates 25th Year with Bristol Motor Speedway

Food City celebrates its 25th year of partnership for the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. The company claims the second longest race entitlement sponsorship in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and is Bristol Motor Speedway’s longest serving partner. 

Bayne Returns to Home State

Knoxville, Tennessee native Trevor Bayne returns to his home state to race in the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. In five starts at Bristol, Bayne has an average finish of 18.8 and a high showing of fifth.