The fifth Sprint Cup race of the 2010 NASCAR season takes us to Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee for the Food City 500 this Sunday, March 21st starting at 1:30 P.M. (EST). This is the first of two races that will be run at Thunder Valley this season. There was no race scheduled last weekend, but the week before in Atlanta, Kurt Busch took the checkered flag in the Kobalt Tools 500. Denny Hamlin is the current favorite to win this Sunday, but there are a few drivers that might have something to say about that. The following is a preview of who to watch for in this week’s race along with their current odds to win.
Hamlin is favored to win this week, but given how he has done so far this season it is hard to understand why. He is currently is 22nd place, 235 points out of the lead. His best finish in this race was last year when he started from the 24th position and just missed taking the checkered flag, finishing second. He does have five top 10 finishes at this track and two in this race.
With two wins in the first four races, Johnson is currently in 4th place, 74 points out of the lead. Last year he had his best finish ever in this race when he started from the 3rd position and ended up in the same spot after 503 laps around this mile track. Johnson has seven top 10 finishes at Bristol and has finished in the top 10 four times in this race.
Martin is currently in 7th place overall, 123 points behind. The timeless one has enjoyed quite a bit of success at this track during his storied career. Last year he started from the pole position but ended up finishing 6th. He has three second place finishes in this race dating all the way back to 1988. He has won twice in his career at Bristol and has finished in the top 10 an amazing 23 times, 12 in this race alone.
Kevin Harvick 10-1
Harvick is the current Sprint Cup point leader, finishing in the top 10 in all four races. Last year in this race started way back in 30th and ended up in the same exact position finishing 30th only completing 499 laps out of 503. In 2005 he won this race after starting 13th. He also has 11 top ten finishes at this track, seven just in this race alone.
After four races, Bowyer is currently in 5th place, 86 points behind Harvick. Last year in this race he started in 31st position and worked his way up to a 13th place finish. The year before, he almost won after starting and finishing third. He has four top 10 finishes at this track, two of them in this race.
Burton is currently in 6th place in the Sprint Cup standings, 106 points back. Last year he started from the back of the pack in 40th position but managed to pull out a respectable 8th place finish. In 2008 he won this race after starting 8th. He also finished second in 2007 after starting 29th. He has 13 top ten finishes at this track and six in this race.
After four races Earnhardt finds himself in 13th place, 169 points out of the lead. Last year in this race he started 34th and ended up 14th. His best effort in this race is a pair of fourth place finishes; in 2002, after starting 24th and 2005 when he started 19th. He has 11 top ten finishes at this track and four in the Food City 500.
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