The NASCAR Cup Series continues today with the 2021 Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Read on below to see my prediction for who will win the race, as well as my top 10, dark horse, and driver to fade predictions.
Winner: Kyle Larson- I know I sound like a broken record picking Larson for the third week in a row, but no one has been hotter during that time. Since his win at Las Vegas, Larson has finished 7th at Phoenix and led 269 laps at Atlanta before fading to 2nd. Larson is a heavy favorite coming into this race due to his vast experience racing on dirt in the World of Outlaws Series. With all that said, I expect Larson to wind up in victory lane today.
Top 10: Christopher Bell- Bell has had a great start to his season, with a win at the Daytona Road Course and 3 top 10 results so far. Like Larson, Bell also has a lot of dirt racing experience, having raced frequently in the World of Outlaws Series and in USAC. Bell is another heavy favorite to contend for the victory and is a lock to finish in the top 10 today.
Dark horse: Stewart Friesen- Friesen is a dirt track legend, having won over 300+ times on dirt across many different Series. Making his cup debut today driving the 77 for Spire Motorsports, Friesen will have to make up a lot ground, starting from outside the top 30. Friesen will be a threat to win, but a top 15 is certainly within reason.
Driver to fade: Kurt Busch- Busch is coming off a last place at Atlanta Motor Speedway and didn’t show much speed in practice, finishing outside the top 20 in both practice sessions. With so many dirt track ringers racing today, Busch will have a tall task ahead of him, as he begins the day outside the top 20. I expect Busch to struggle and to finish outside the top 20.