Food City 500 at Bristol: 2026 Fantasy NASCAR Preview
Jason Karlavige
Chase Elliott heads to Bristol with momentum on his side. At Martinsville, the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports driver earned his first win of 2026, and now heads to a track where he has visited victory lane before.
We are just days away from an action packed fantasy NASCAR weekend of the short-track racing. Bristol Motor Speedway kicks off the action Friday night with the Craftsman Truck Series, O'Reilly Auto Parts Series on Saturday, and closes out Sunday afternoon with the Food City 500.
Building Your Fantasy NASCAR Lineup
Bristol separates the field fast. Five hundred laps on a steep concrete oval, with a Goodyear compound redesigned specifically for this track, rewards consistent car control, track position, and drivers who can manage tire wear deep into a run. Races with heavy tire wear have historically seen the experienced drivers with best tire management rise to the top, which means your top fantasy drivers are worth starting this week.
Before locking in your roster, check the 2025 Bristol spring race results to see who ran well at this track a year ago. ifantasyrace.com has front-runner rankings and average running position charts worth reviewing, and their short track heat charts are a good starting point. Fantasy Racing Tips shared their Bristol fantasy preview. driveraverages.com has track-specific averages if you want to dig deeper before making your picks.
Cup Series — Food City 500 Fantasy NASCAR Outlook
Tyler Reddick
Reddick has been the story of 2026. Four wins through seven races, a commanding points lead, and no signs of slowing down. He also has two Bristol wins in the Nextgen era and the tire management skills that suit late-race Bristol perfectly. Imagine if Bristol was still on dirt…
Tyler Reddick cruises to his 4th win of the season at DarlingtonKyle Larson
Nobody has owned Bristol the way Larson has recently. He is the defending Food City 500 champion, and last year he set a record 687 combined laps led in a single Bristol weekend across the Cup and O'Reilly races. Three wins at this track over the past few seasons. He sits eighth in the 2026 standings without a win yet, which makes Bristol exactly the opportunity he has been waiting for.
Chase Elliott
It is safe to say Elliott is feeling good about where his team is right now. Fresh off the Cook Out 400 win at Martinsville, he arrives at another short track with momentum and a Chevy team starting to find their groove.
Other Cup Drivers to Consider
Denny Hamlin sits third in points and brings consistent speed from a JGR camp that has run well all season. Ryan Blaney, second in points, is a reliable short-track performer. Christopher Bell has been part of Toyota's strong collective push early in 2026.
You can view the full 2026 Cup Series stats for additional context before finalizing your lineup.
O'Reilly Auto Parts Series — Suburban Propane 300 Fantasy NASCAR Outlook
Saturday night's Suburban Propane 300 has a subplot worth paying attention to. This race opens the Dash 4 Cash series, putting a $100,000 bonus in play for one of four eligible drivers: William Sawalich, Brandon Jones, Justin Allgaier, or Rajah Caruth.
Sawalich earned his first career O'Reilly Auto Parts Series win last weekend at Rockingham in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. He comes to Bristol with real momentum behind him.
Keep an eye out for Connor Zilisch. In the fall 2025 Bristol race, Zilisch led 98 laps and posted the best average running position of anyone in the field. He knows this track. JR Motorsports as an organization has four wins, 30 top-fives, and 65 top-10s at Bristol — and Zilisch in the No. 1 car is their best shot at adding to that total Saturday night.
Justin Allgaier is always a strong option at a short track, and the Dash 4 Cash eligibility adds extra motivation. Brandon Jones is worth a look in the same vein.
Craftsman Truck Series — Tennessee Army National Guard 250 Fantasy NASCAR Outlook
The headline Friday night belongs to Corey Heim. The defending series champion needs a third consecutive Triple Truck Challenge win to claim the full $500,000 bonus. He returns in the No. 1 TRICON Garage Toyota Tundra after winning at Rockingham Speedway last week, and leads the Craftsman Truck Series championship standings, even after missing two races.
Kyle Busch is also in the field, and his Truck Series record at Bristol is worth taking seriously: five wins, nine top-10s, and 649 laps led across 12 starts.
Cup Series regulars Carson Hocevar, Ross Chastain, Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell, and Daniel Suarez round out the notable entries. Hocevar owns the strongest Bristol result of that group — a fourth-place finish in September 2023 — and his Truck Series experience gives him a clear edge over the other Cup ringers in the field.
Bristol Motor Speedway NASCAR Start Times
Craftsman Truck Series — Tennessee Army National Guard 250
Friday, April 10
- Practice: 3:30 PM ET
- Qualifying: 4:35 PM ET
- Race: 7:30 PM ET | FS1
O'Reilly Auto Parts Series — Suburban Propane 300
Saturday, April 11
- Practice: 2:00 PM ET
- Qualifying: 3:05 PM ET
- Race: 7:30 PM ET | The CW, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
NASCAR Cup Series — Food City 500
Saturday, April 11
- Practice: 4:30 PM ET
- Qualifying: 5:40 PM ET
Sunday, April 12
- Race: 3:00 PM ET | FS1, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Join A Fantasy NASCAR League
Get started today by signing up and joining a Cup Series, O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, or Craftsman Truck Series fantasy NASCAR league here on Speedway Collective. Set your lineup before the green flag and track the live results throughout the weekend. If you have any questions about the format, class assignments, or starts remaining, always feel free to reach out. Good luck with your lineups this weekend. 🏁
