2018 Food City 500 (Bristol) Odds
The Food City 500 will be the first time the NASCAR Monster Energy Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway in 2018, but early indications are that any racing will be difficult, at best. The reason for this is a massive storm that is currently making its way across the middle of the United States, bringing about massive downpours and blizzard conditions for others. If the weather hits as it is supposed to, there is a very strong chance that Sunday afternoon’s race will either be delayed or postponed altogether. Regardless of when the green flag flies, you can rest-assured knowing you will see some of the most intense racing of the year.
Unlike so many other NASCAR Monster Energy Series tracks, Bristol is a place where the checkered flag is well and truly up for grabs. Year after year we are shocked with unexpected winners gracing victory lane. We may be in for more of the same this year, as the experts are looking at a few unlikely drivers to possibly bring about breakthrough performances.
The Favorites
Kyle Busch (+400)
Bovada’s oddsmakers are listing Kyle Busch as the odds-on favorite, and this really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Though it took him a few weeks to get his footing, Busch has finished in the top three of each of the last five races, winning last week at Texas. He adds three second-place finishes at Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Martinsville, and his lone third-place result came at Auto Club Speedway in California. There isn’t much we can say about Busch that has not already been said; he and his Joe Gibbs Racing team have been fast all year and there is no reason to believe that will change this week.
Kevin Harvick (+500)
Kevin Harvick is a lot like Kyle Busch in that the early parts of the 2018 NASCAR season have seen him near the front of the pack consistently. He had lapses at Daytona and in California, but has been in the top five every other week, winning three races in a row at Atlanta, Las Vegas, and Phoenix. Having finished in the top 10 of both of 2017’s Bristol races, Harvick will want to get over the hump and into victory lane. He has the car and team to do it, but there will be plenty of other drivers standing in his way.
WCI Dark Horses
Ryan Blaney (+1500)
This may only be Ryan Blaney’s third full season at NASCAR’s highest level, and first season with Team Penske, but he seems to be making great strides with each passing week. We at World Casino Index are listing him as one of our dark horses because he has been knocking on the door almost every week this season. Of the 7 races that have already been run, Blaney has finished in the top 10 in five of them, and has recorded three total top five finishes. His best performance this season was at Martinsville, where he finished third. Being that Martinsville, like Bristol, is a smaller track, we have plenty of reason to believe that Blaney might finally make the breakthrough this weekend. If nothing else, he seems like a solid bet to finish in the top five.
Martin Truex Jr. (+650)
Truex is not a true dark horse seeing as he is being given the third-best odds by oddsmakers, but we are mentioning him because he may win some folks a lot of money. With how fast Truex has been both this year and all of last season, you would be hard-pressed to find even a single race where a Truex bet was not a smart one. After a fourth place finish at Martinsville about a month ago, Truex and his team will be hoping to turn the corner and get a small-track victory under their collective belt.
Betting Odds for Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway
Kyle Busch #18+400
Kevin Harvick #4+500
Martin Truex Jr. #78+650
Kyle Larson #42+700
Brad Keselowski #2+1200
Chase Elliott #9+1200
Denny Hamlin #11+1200
Erik Jones #20+1200
Joey Logano #22+1200
Ryan Blaney #12+1500
Jimmie Johnson #48+1600
Clint Bowyer #14+2200
Kurt Busch #41+2200
Aric Almirola #10+4000
Daniel Suarez #19+8500
Jamie McMurray #1+8500
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. #17+8500
Ryan Newman #31+8500
Alex Bowman #88+10000
Austin Dillon #3+10000
Paul Menard #21+10000
Trevor Bayne #6+10000
William Byron #24+20000
AJ Allmendinger #47+50000
Chris Buescher #37+50000
Darrell Wallace Jr. #43+50000
Kasey Kahne #95+50000
Ty Dillon #13+50000
Chad Finchum #66+100000
Corey Lajoie #72+100000
DJ Kennington #96+100000
David Ragan #38+100000
Gray Gaulding #23+100000
Harrison Rhodes #51+100000
Landon Cassill #00+100000
Matt DiBenedetto #32+100000
Michael McDowell #34+100000
Ross Chastain #15+100000