Driver Averages | Laps Led Leaders | Driver Ratings | Past Winners
Detailed driver notes and statistics to help set your fantasy racing lineup for Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Who’s HOT at Bristol
- Defending race winner Kyle Busch is a seven-time winner and has combined to lead 802 laps in his last nine starts.
- Kyle Larson has posted a 4.8 average finish and has combined to lead 489 laps in the last four races.
- Kevin Harvick is the only driver that has finished in the top 10 in each of the last seven races, including a win in the 2016 August race.
- Joey Logano has finished in the top 10 in seven of his last nine starts, including wins in the August race in 2014 and 2015.
- Kurt Busch is coming off his sixth win.
Keep an Eye On at Bristol
- Denny Hamlin (2012 August winner), Clint Bowyer and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. each have finished in the top 10 in three of the last five races at Bristol.
- Alex Bowman finished in the top 10 in his first two Bristol starts with Hendrick Motorsports last season.
- Ryan Blaney, who led 100 laps in this event last year, has the second-best average finish (3.5) in the two races with the 750 horsepower rules package this season.
- Brad Keselowski, a two-time Bristol winner, won the first short-track race of the season with a dominating performance at Martinsville with the rules package that will be used this weekend.
- Martin Truex Jr., who is still seeking his first career short-track win, has posted a 6.7 average finish in the last six races this season. His last top 10 at Bristol came in this event in 2017.
- Chase Elliott, who finished second last month at Martinsville, has placed in the top 10 in two of his three starts in the spring Bristol race. He also led 112 laps last August en route to a third-place finish.
- Aric Almirola has finished in the top 10 in the last six races this season.
- Erik Jones and Ryan Newman each have two top 10s in the last three Bristol races. Jones is tied for second in stage points earned in the last four races at BMS.
Notes: This weekend’s race will mark the third of the season with the 750 horsepower rules package with no aero ducts following ISM Raceway and Martinsville Speedway…Teams will run a new tire combination this weekend with the left-side featuring a compound change…Like in recent years, the PJ1 traction compound will once again be laid down in the bottom lane in the turns…The pole position has produced the most winners (25) at Bristol with Kyle Busch the last driver to accomplish the feat in this event last year.
*Best Average Finish at Bristol
| Last # of Races | Driver | Average Finish |
| Two Races | Kyle Larson | 2.0 |
| Four Races | Kyle Larson | 4.8 |
| Six Races | Kevin Harvick | 6.0 |
| Eight Races | Jimmie Johnson | 7.5 |
| Ten Races | Jimmie Johnson | 8.3 |
*The best average finish is based off a driver entered in the race who has competed in every race during that time span.
Laps Led Leaders at Bristol
| Last # of Races | Driver | Laps Led |
| Two Races | Ryan Blaney | 221 |
| Four Races | Kyle Larson | 489 |
| Six Races | Kyle Busch | 529 |
| Eight Races | Kyle Busch* | 721 |
| Ten Races | Kyle Busch* | 802 |
*Missed the 2015 spring race due to an injury.
Click Here to view all laps led leaders at Bristol over the past 10 races.
Bristol Loop Data Stat Leaders (Last Six Races)
| Average Running Pos. | Laps in Top 15 |
| 1. Kevin Harvick – 8.3 | 1. Kevin Harvick – 2,541 |
| 2. Erik Jones – 8.7 | 2. Joey Logano – 2,424 |
| 3. Joey Logano – 9.8 | 3. Kyle Larson – 2,387 |
| 4. Kyle Larson – 9.9 | 4. Jimmie Johnson – 2,329 |
| 5. Denny Hamlin – 10.8 | 5. Denny Hamlin – 2,279 |
| Fastest Laps Run | Driver Rating |
| 1. Kyle Busch – 288 | 1. Kevin Harvick – 110.1 |
| 2. Kyle Larson – 275 | 2. Kyle Larson – 106.2 |
| 3. Kevin Harvick – 256 | 3. Erik Jones – 102.4 |
| 4. Martin Truex Jr. – 165 | 4. Kyle Busch – 101.3 |
| 5. Jimmie Johnson – 130 | 5. Joey Logano – 101.0 |
Top 10 Stage 1 & 2 Points Earned at Bristol
Four Races
| Driver | Points Earned |
| Kyle Larson | 52 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 40 |
| Erik Jones | 40 |
| Joey Logano | 31 |
| Chase Elliott | 28 |
| Kevin Harvick | 27 |
| Kyle Busch | 23 |
| Denny Hamlin | 22 |
| Clint Bowyer | 22 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 21 |
2018 Spring Bristol Stage Finishes
| Stage 1 | Stage 2 |
| 1. Brad Keselowski | 1. Brad Keselowski |
| 2. Ryan Newman | 2. Kyle Busch |
| 3. Clint Bowyer | 3. Jimmie Johnson |
| 4. AJ Allmendinger | 4. Denny Hamlin |
| 5. Kyle Larson | 5. Kyle Larson |
| 6. Erik Jones | 6. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 7. Jimmie Johnson | 7. Alex Bowman |
| 8. Aric Almirola | 8. Kevin Harvick |
| 9. Kurt Busch | 9. Austin Dillon |
| 10. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 10. Bubba Wallace |
Top Five in Stage Points Earned in 2019 (7 Races)
| Driver | Stage Points | Stage Wins |
| Joey Logano | 78 | 2 |
| Ryan Blaney | 78 | 2 |
| Kyle Busch | 69 | 4 |
| Kevin Harvick | 69 | 2 |
| Denny Hamlin | 68 | 1 |
MRN.com Staff Picks
Jeff Wackerlin: Kyle Larson
Pete Pistone: Kyle Busch
Tyler Burnett: Kyle Busch
Kenneth Lee: Brad Keselowski
Driver Notes – Ordered by Average Finish (Top 15) in the Last Five Races at Bristol
Kevin Harvick is the only driver that has finished in the top 10 in each of the last seven races at Bristol. His last of two wins at the .533-mile track came in the 2016 night race. This season, Harvick has finished in the top 10 in the two races with the 750 horsepower rules package.
Jimmie Johnson has finished in the top 10 in seven of the last nine races at Bristol, including a win in this event in 2017. He is tied for second in stage points earned in the last four races. Johnson rebounded from tough outing at Martinsville with his first top five of the season from the pole at Texas. His Martinsville finish (24th) raised his average finish to 16.0 in the two races this year with the 750 horsepower rules package.
Joey Logano has finished in the top 10 in seven of the last nine races at Bristol, including a pair of wins in the August race in 2014 and 2015. This season, Logano has posted a 14.5 average finish in the two races with the 750 horsepower rules package.
Kyle Larson leads all drivers with a 4.8 average finish in the last four races at Bristol. He also leads all drivers in that span with a 2.5 average start, 52 stage points and 489 laps led. Larson’s best finish (sixth) of the season was at ISM Raceway last month with the 750 horsepower rules package.
Denny Hamlin has finished in the top 10 in four of the last seven races at Bristol, including a 10th-place finish in this event in 2017. He also has one win (2012 August race) and three poles. This season, Hamlin has finished fifth in the two races with the 750 horsepower rules package.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished fourth in this event for his third top 10 in the last five races at Bristol. The .533-mile track is Stenhouse’s second-best track on the circuit based on his 11.3 average finish. His best finish in the two races this season with the 750 horsepower rules package was 13th at ISM Raceway last month.
Erik Jones has posted a 12.5 average finish in his four starts at Bristol. His best finishes – and only top 10s – have come in the August race in second and fifth, respectively. He led 260 laps from the pole in 2017. His 40 stage points earned at Bristol is tied for second among all drivers. This season Jones has yet to finish in the top 25 in the two races with the 750 horsepower rules package at ISM (tire) and Martinsville (contact).
Clint Bowyer has finished eighth or better in three of his four starts at Bristol with Stewart-Haas Racing. He’s posted a 9.0 average finish in the two races with the 750 horsepower rules packages, including a seventh-place finish at Martinsville.
Ryan Newman has the seventh-best average finish (10.5) among drivers that have competed in each of the last four races at Bristol. This weekend Newman will make his first Bristol start with Roush Fenway Racing. He’s posted a 17.5 average finish with RFR in the two races this season with the 750 horsepower rules package.
Chase Elliott is coming off his best finish (third) and third top 10 in six starts at Bristol. Elliott, who led 112 laps last August, has 28 stage points at the .533-mile track. Elliott lowered his average finish in the two races this season with the 750 horsepower rules package to 8.0 with his second-place finish at Martinsville.
Daniel Suarez has posted a 15.5 average finish in his four starts at Bristol. Suarez is coming off his best finish (third at Texas) and second consecutive top 10 of the season. This weekend will mark Suarez’s first Bristol start with Stewart-Haas Racing. Suarez’s 10th-place finish at Martinsville lowered his average finish to 16.5 in the two races this season with the 750 horsepower rules package.
Austin Dillon has posted two top 10s and an average finish of 17.2 in 10 starts at Bristol. Dillon finished 11th at Martinsville two weeks ago to lower his average finish to 16.0 in the two races with the 750 horsepower rules package.
David Ragan has posted a 17.2 average finish in his last four starts at Bristol with Front Row Motorsports. Ragan has yet to finish inside the top 20 in the two races this season with the 750 horsepower rules package.
Kurt Busch scored his sixth win at Bristol last August. The win was his third top five in the last six races at the .533-mile track. Busch, who will make his first Bristol start with Chip Ganassi Racing, has posted a 9.5 average finish in the two races this season with the 750 horsepower rules package.
Kyle Busch recorded his seventh win at Bristol last year in this event after leading 117 laps. Busch’s only top 10s in the last six races at Bristol are wins, with the other in that span coming in the 2017 August race. This season, Busch leads all drivers with a 2.0 average finish in the two races with the 750 horsepower rules package.
