After a wild race in Lexington, Ohio last week, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will join the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in Bristol, Tennessee for the Food City 300 this weekend. Sam Hornish Jr. stole the show in just his third start of the season last week as he led a race-high 61 of 75 laps en route to picking up his first Xfinity victory in his home state and the fifth Xfinity win of his career. Hornish will not compete in this week’s Food City 300 after being left out of the full field of 42 cars on the preliminary entry list for Friday’s race. It will undoubtedly be a much more competitive field this week as well with a number of MENCS regulars competing in the Food City 300. Let’s take a closer look at what to expect at this week’s NASCAR Xfinity race.
Details
Event: Food City 300
Category: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Date: Friday August 18th – 7:30 PM ET
Venue: Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tennessee
The MENCS drivers have dominated at Bristol in the past. Austin Dillon won here a year ago while Kyle Busch won this race the year before. Both drivers will compete in this year’s field along with five other MENCS regulars. Bristol will have a much different feel than the past two races after a couple weekends in a row turning both right and left. Experience will undoubtedly be a key factor as well this week as the veteran drivers that know what it takes to win here should have a significant edge over their competition.
Past Five Winners
2016: Austin Dillon
2015: Kyle Busch
2014: Ryan Blaney
2013: Kyle Busch
2012: Joey Logano
What To Know About The Track
The World’s Fastest Half-Mile promises high speeds and plenty of opportunities for dramatics. There will be more than enough room for passing but that will undoubtedly lead to more than enough contact in another exciting night race. The Bristol Motor Speedway recently underwent modifications to improve the tire traction at the bottom of the track. That should tempt drivers to test the limits of their vehicles even more with a chance to steal the show in front of a packed house on a Friday night.
The Field
There will be seven MENCS regulars in the field for this week’s Xfinity Series race. Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Aric Almirola, Daniel Suarez and both Austin and Ty Dillon will all compete. Meanwhile, there will be some notable changes among the Xfinity Series challengers with Harrison Rhodes back in the No. 1 car for JD Motorsports and B.J. McLeod back in the No. 8 car. Jeb Burton will drive the No. 24 car, Chad Finchum will be in the No. 40 and Tommy Joe Martins is in the No. 78 car for this week’s Food City 300.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Joey Logano over Austin Dillon
Logano has really struggled in the MENCS over the past couple of months so he will be racing with a sense of urgency this weekend. Friday’s Xfinity Series race will represent the perfect opportunity for him to gain some momentum and confidence heading in to the MENCS race so he will definitely be locked in. Logano has won the MENCS race here on two occasions and he has been a lock to finish in the top-10 at this track over the years. That will continue this week with Logano edging out the defending Food City 300 champion Austin Dillon on Friday night.
Top-Five Pick: Kyle Busch
Busch has really picked up his consistency at both levels throughout the season and he should be a strong pick to finish in the top-five for both the Xfinity Series and the MENCS races this weekend. Busch has five career victories at this track and he has finished as the runner-up on three other occasions so he knows what it takes to win here. Busch last won this race in 2013. He should be in line to repeat here this weekend. Even if he falls short of the outright victory, Busch should at the very least be able to record another top-five finish in the Food City 300 this weekend.
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