We’ve already reached the quarter pole of the season, a return to short track racing in The Last Great Colosseum. We’re “ready to rumble” in Thunder Valley, we’ll be rolling for 500 laps soon enough.
Here’s what to look for:
–Alex Bowman was fastest on Saturday, Pole position for him today in Bristol. His numbers aren’t too hot here, but ranks 10th over the last ten races in points earned and actually sat on the Pole last Fall, too. Just two Top 5s in his last ten attempts, though both of his finishes in ’24 were Top 10s.
–Denny Hamlin was the winner of this race last year, and also won the Fall race prior to that in ’23. He’s looking to make it three straight this season after winning in Martinsville and last week at Darlington. This is a very different type of track, but Hamlin definitely knows his way around here.
–Kyle Larson completely dominated yesterday’s Xfinity race, which is even greater news for him as the winner of the most recent Cup race here last fall. He also carries a 5.1 average finish over eight attempts here. Racing with heavy hearts this weekend, Larson and his Hendrick Motorsports teammates have even more fire under them for departed friend, Jon Edwards.
–Chase Elliott has more points than any driver here over the last ten races. That includes eight Top 10s, and a 2nd last Fall. Chase hasn’t quite been “Chase” yet this year, or last year for that matter, still looking to get back to how things used to be. He’s got his work cut out for him today, starting 20th.
–Christopher Bell beat the heck out of this thing when it was covered in dirt, and his record when it is void of dirt is pretty good, too. In his last four attempts he’s got three Top 5s, and the on in the middle of that was a 10th. He’s been tearing the cover off the ball early this year, too.
Coverage of the race starts on FOX at 3:00pm, green flag scheduled for 3:11pm.
Roc Sports NOW 