Phoenix answered some questions and created more, but nonetheless we move forward to the border of Tennessee and Virginia and the small city of Bristol.
Weather Guard Truck Race
Saturday, March 16 @ 8:00PM EST – FS1
Bristol, Tennessee
250 Laps/133.25 Miles
Rajah Caruth is set to defend his historic Vegas win on Saturday Night in The Last Great Coliseum in the series’ return to the hallowed concrete.
Most Recent Winner
This is a unique situation where there are technically two answers because the last three seasons, this race has been run on dirt. With that said, Joey Logano won last year in the final Dirt Race for the Trucks, for the time being. Also, for what it’s worth, the last driver to win on the concrete in a Truck was Sam Mayer in September of 2020.
Names To Watch
William Sawalich: On the topic of Sam Mayer winning the 2020 Truck Race at Bristol, I present to you William Sawalich, who happens to be 17-years old (The same age Mayer was when he won) and will be making his 7th career start on Saturday (Mayer won in his 7th start). Parallels aside, Sawalich is a highly touted prospect within the Toyota pipeline, and for good reason. In just 14 starts Sawalich has 5 wins in the National ARCA Menards Series tour and is the defending ARCA Menards Series East Champion.
Kyle Busch: For the third race in a row, Kyle Busch is back in the Spire Motorsports #7. Busch is one of the greatest of all time at Bristol. He has 8 Cup Series Wins on the concrete and a 9th win on the dirt, as well as another 9 in the Xfinity Series, and a further 5 in the Truck Series, totaling 23 Wins at Bristol Motor Speedway across the top three series. Long story short, Kyle Busch will be a contender.
My Pick To Win: Kyle Busch
Food City 500
Sunday, March 17 @ 3:30PM EST – FOX
Bristol, Tennessee
500 Laps/266.5 Miles
Christopher Bell got Toyota their first Cup win of the season at Phoenix in decisive fashion and became the fourth different driver to win a race so far this year. Bell came on strong with fresh tires in the final run and passed 20 cars on his way to the lead and drove off to a 5-plus second lead which he would not relinquish.
Most Recent Winner
Last Fall, Denny Hamlin beat all of our favorite drivers to win for a 3rd time in the Night Race at Bristol.
Names To Watch
Kyle Larson: Yung Money, despite only having one win at the track, is one of the best at Bristol and should never be overlooked, period, but especially in Northeast Tennessee. Larson’s Dirt Racing prowess gives him the ability to effectively search around and find where the grip and speed is over the course of a run, and at a track like Bristol, that can be an important skill to have.
Kyle Busch: Now the other Kyle. Kyle Busch. Simply put, Kyle Busch is one of the greatest to ever set rubber to concrete at Bristol Motor Speedway, with 8 wins on the concrete and 1 on the dirt (as mentioned above).
Ty Gibbs: From Kyle Busch to his replacement, Ty Gibbs seems set to win in the near future. Being mentored by the aforementioned Kyle Busch, it’s no surprise that GIbbs has a knack for short tracks. Gibbs could get it done this weekend.
My Pick To Win: Tyler Reddick
Betting Odds
(All Odds Provided by Draft Kings Sportsbook)
Favorites
Kyle Larson +450
Denny Hamlin +500
Christopher Bell +550
Chris Buescher +1100
William Byron +1100
Longshots
Erik Jones +4000
Noah Gragson +6500
Carson Hocevar +8000
Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images
