NASCAR at Bristol 2018: Start Time, Ticket Info, Lineup, TV Schedule and More
The 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is back to featuring a new winner each week ahead of Sunday's Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
For now, at least.
Kyle Busch hit Victory Lane in Texas the week prior, meaning the series is now three victors removed from Kevin Harvick's trio of consecutive wins. While it has mostly been a usual-suspects affair so far, the course of the season is starting to somewhat mirror a year ago when it felt random weekly as to who would conquer the new stage-based format.
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Sunday shouldn't be any different, even if it's all familiar faces in contention of late. Here's everything to know about the event.
Viewing Details
Where: Bristol Motor Speedway
When: Sunday, 2 p.m. ET
Watch: Fox
Tickets: StubHub
Food City 500
1. Kyle Busch (14.895)
2. Kurt Busch (14.897)
3. Brad Keselowski (14.960)
4. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (14.961)
5. Ryan Blaney (14.969)
6. Kyle Larson (14.985)
7. Paul Menard (14.993)
8. Alex Bowman (15.010)
9. Michael McDowell (15.029)
10. Joey Logano (15.041)
Full starting lineup can be viewed on NASCAR's official website.
2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Standings
| 1. Kevin Harvick | 257 |
| 2. Kyle Busch | 316 |
| 3. Martin Truex Jr. | 250 |
| 4. Clint Bowyer | 249 |
| 5. Austin Dillon | 159 |
| 6. Joey Logano | 278 |
| 7. Ryan Blaney | 265 |
| 8. Brad Keselowski | 237 |
| 9. Kurt Busch | 224 |
| 10. Denny Hamlin | 222 |
| 11. Kyle Larson | 202 |
| 12. Erik Jones | 193 |
| 13. Aric Almirola | 177 |
| 14. Alex Bowman | 154 |
| 15. Chase Elliott | 148 |
| 16. Paul Menard | 146 |
Drivers to Watch
Another week, another conversation about Jimmie Johnson.
This time it's a mixed bag, at least. Johnson won this race a year ago, which is something he'll have to lean on Sunday to help balance the scales—or at least try to given his recent run. He's finished in the top 10 all of once this year and placed 35th in Texas.
Things didn't get much better in qualifying, as captured by Team Lowe's Racing:
Questions surrounded Johnson a year ago until Texas, where he hit Victory Lane before making it two in a row thanks to a strong showing in Bristol. He then followed up with a win in Dover at the start of June.
He hasn't clutched a checkered flag since.
For Johnson, Sunday is a chance to show a sign of life at a track he likes. It's never wise to count him out, but another poor finish wouldn't bode well, to say the least.
Kevin Harvick
For a guy with three wins, Harvick doesn't enter the weekend very happy.
Harvick landed second in Texas despite leading 87 laps in the early going of the race. He never looked right after an early pit, though, and failed to bounce back.
The problem? NASCAR-issued air guns used to change tires, according to ESPN.com's Bob Pockrass.
"The pathetic part about it is the fact you get handed something that doesn't work correctly, and those guys are just doing everything they can to try to make it right," Harvick said. "It's embarrassing for the sport."
Criticisms aside, little has stopped Harvick this year. He has a pair of sub-30 finishes, yet every other showing has been of the top-five variety, not to mention the three wins.
Which isn't to say Harvick will have it easy Sunday. He'll start last in a backup car after a practice wreck, stacking the entire deck against him at a time when he's clearly frustrated—meaning he's must-see television for fans.
Kyle Busch
Busch doesn't sound like a guy ready to secure one win and call it a season.
As usual, Busch was due heading into Texas. He's up to six top-10 finishes on the season, five of those in top-five territory and one of those a win. His only hiccup came at the Daytona 500, where he landed 25th.
Some fans would argue Busch should have posted a win earlier than April. Ask him though, things have never been this competitive.
He told Pockrass the following while talking about changes to the All-Star race: "People say about how great it was back in the day—you had two guys, three guys on the lead lap sometimes. ... Now you have 25 cars on the lead lap, competition is as close as it's ever been and we're complaining about it because there is a lack of competition."
If Busch is dropping quotes like this, it's safe to say rules changes over the years have created plenty of parity. Even so, he's now 15 wins shy of the 200-win mark, so it's safe to assume he's going all out in every event the rest of the season.
Busch won't have a problem being in contention once again Sunday, where he'll aim to make it a bit boring by becoming a repeat winner this season.
Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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