NASCAR at Bristol: Odds, how to watch, stream and listen to Cup Series race on concrete

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to concrete for its spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Both of this year’s races at Bristol’s 0.533-mile track will be held on pavement after its previous three spring races were run on dirt. Initially lauded as a throwback to NASCAR’s roots, the Bristol dirt race quickly became a prime-time event held on Easter Sunday.

Many drivers were clear before last year’s race that even those who appreciated dirt racing overwhelmingly preferred to race on Bristol’s concrete. NASCAR decided it had seen enough after three iterations of this experiment, and this year’s Food City 500 (3:30 p.m., FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR) is back on a paved surface.

“It is a very electric atmosphere, whether it was dirt or concrete,” said Tyler Reddick, the runner-up in the 2022 dirt race. “When we go to Bristol, it’s one of the more intense races that we have. It’s cool to be back running there on a Sunday afternoon — it’s been a long time since I remember doing that.”

Reddick currently sits fifth in the Cup Series standings with a pair of early Top 10 finishes, including nearly chasing down Kyle Larson late in his dominant Las Vegas win.

Defending series champion Ryan Blaney is currently pacing the Cup Series’ standings after three Top 10s in the four races, despite not yet taking a checkered flag. Larson sits second, Martin Truex Jr. third and William Byron fourth.

“I’m excited to get back to racing on the concrete track in the spring,” Byron said. “The dirt was cool, but I think it had its time. The concrete track always puts on a good race, and selfishly, we run better on the concrete.”

Four years ago, Brad Keselowski won the most recent spring race Bristol held on its pavement. Kyle Busch owns eight wins at Bristol, and another would make the two-time Cup Series champion one of nine drivers since 1949 to post nine victories at the same track.

The fifth race of the season, scheduled to go green at 3:47 p.m. Sunday on FOX, will be the first Bristol spring concrete race with the Next Gen car.

“I had never seen a dirt race much less raced in one until they made Bristol dirt a few years ago,” said Daniel Suarez, who likely clinched a spot in the 2024 Cup Series playoffs in the photo finish at Atlanta. “We did pretty good that first year, leading a bunch of laps and finishing fourth. We led even more the second year. It was fun and a new challenge.

“But racing again on the pavement will be fun as well. I think at Bristol, we will put on a good show no matter what we race on.”

Who are the favorites in the Food City 500, and how is NASCAR embracing sports betting?

Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin have the best odds to win Sunday’s race. Larson is the favorite on FanDuel Sportsbook at +450 odds as of Friday, with JGR teammates Bell and Hamlin behind him at +500. Hamlin is the favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook at +475.

Larson dominated in his win at Las Vegas, and no one could pass Bell’s Toyota last week at Phoenix as he pulled away from the field. Following the aforementioned trio, Tyler Reddick, Kyle Busch, William Byron and Ryan Blaney have between +1000 and +1200 odds to win Sunday’s race on most sportsbooks.

Sports betting has been live in North Carolina since Monday. NASCAR, which had already seen an uptick of fans betting on the sport, spoke to The Charlotte Observer about its plans, which include the ability to bet on drivers over five- and 10-lap intervals.

How to watch the NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol

Race: Food City 500

Place: Bristol Motor Speedway

Date: Sunday, March 17

Time: 3:30 p.m. ET (Green flag at 3:47 p.m.)

Purse: $8,182,531

TV: FOX, 3 p.m. ET

Streaming: Fox Sports

Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 266.5 miles (500 laps)

Stages: Stage 1 ends on Lap 125; Stage 2 ends on Lap 250; and the Final Stage ends on Lap 500