2019 Food City 500 at Bristol - Matchups, Predictions and Odds

The NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series visits the legendary Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City 500.

Round eight of the 2019 season features a number of interesting matchups. Here are the odds and predictions for the best matchups of the weekend.

How to Watch

What: Food City 500

Where: Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TN

When: Sunday, April 7th at 2:00 PM EST

How: Fox Sports 1 (TV) | Performance Racing Network (Web radio)

Kyle Larson (-150) vs Kevin Harvick (+110)

This is an interesting matchup.

Larson scored two second place finishes at Bristol last season.

Harvick, meanwhile, finished inside the top 10 twice, with the best result of 7th place.

Things are going much better for the #4 driver than his opponent seven races into the season.

Harvick has only missed the top 10 once, adding three top 5 finishes to the count.

Larson, on the other hand, only has two results inside the top 10.

Bristol offers a good chance for Larson’s turnaround, as the Chip Ganassi Racing driver always does well there.

Still, even though Harvick is listed as the underdog for this one, I like his chances.

Taking their recent form into account, go with the #4.

Pick: Kevin Harvick

Ryan Blaney (-130) vs Martin Truex Jr. (+100)

Bristol isn’t particularly kind to Blaney and Truex Jr.

Short tracks are the 2017 Cup Series champion’s weak point.

Blaney scored a solid top 10 finish at Bristol last summer but crashed out of the spring race.

The two drivers had decent starts to the season.

Blaney arrived at Texas last weekend riding a streak of three consecutive top 5 finishes.

The Penske driver led 45 laps and seemed to be on pace for another top 5 finish until an engine problem forced him out.

Considering Truex’s poor history at Bristol, with three top 10 finishes in 26 starts, Blaney is the best pick.

Pick: Ryan Blaney

Erik Jones (-150) vs. Jimmie Johnson (+100)

Johnson had his best race of the 2019 season at Texas.

Jones finished right ahead of him in fourth place.

A third place at last year’s Food City 500 was Jimmie Johnson’s best result of the 2018 season.

The seven-time champion is going through his longest winless streak, which now sits at 66 races.

However, if Texas is anything to go by, it looks like Hendrick Motorsports is headed in the right direction.

Joe Gibbs Racing is still too far ahead, though.

Even with the difference in equipment and Bristol being one of Erik Jones’ best tracks, I’m going to take the risk and say Johnson comes out on top.

Pick: Jimmie Johnson.

Austin Dillon (-140) vs. William Byron (+100)

Byron tied a career-best 6th place finish last weekend.

Confirming Hendrick’s improvement, the #24 locked out the front-row alongside teammate Jimmie Johnson.

Dillon has one top 10 finish this season, a 10th place at Fontana.

The Richard Childress driver does not have a particularly great record at Bristol.

Austin Dillon scored his best finish at the track in 2016, crossing the line in 4th place.

His best result at the bullring since then is a 13th place finish.

With Byron carrying the momentum from his best performance in the Cup Series, I like his chances here.

The sophomore racer does not have a great record at Bristol, but I’m still taking him over Dillon.

Pick: William Byron

If you reside in New Jersey you can now bet on 2019 Food City 500, here: