NASCAR

NASCAR Cup Series’ Food City 500 Odds, Predictions & Best Bets At Bristol; Denny Hamlin Is Early Betting Favorite

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By
Jeff Hawkins
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Jeff Hawkins Sports Editor

Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry, in both print and digital media. He joined the Sportscasting team in 2021 following a decade of freelancing. He spent his early career as a reporter for various newspapers in Illinois, New York, Florida, North Carolina, and Michigan, with a particular emphasis as a beat reporter for the Chicago Blackhawks. Jeff earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from Oakland University. Over the course of his career he earned several sports writing awards, including two national awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors for column writing and news reporting. One of the five prized columns included a commentary on NASCAR's increasing corporate influences, particularly in northern racetracks — commentary which you might find Jeff building on as part of the Motorsports writing team at Sportscasting now.  

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Published09 Apr 2025

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cup series denny Hamlin winning at darlington spring (1)

Early in his NASCAR Cup Series career, Denny Hamlin, who has won back-to-back events, absorbed criticism surrounding his work ethic.  

As a 25-year-old rookie in 2006, Hamlin earned two wins in the opening 20 events, both coming from the pole at Pocono. In 36 starts, he registered eight top-five finishes and 20 top-10s. He ranked third in the drivers’ standings. 

Still, rumors persisted of his youthful playfulness. Starting in the Joe Gibbs Racing stable, Hamlin burst on the scene and took advantage of his growing celebrity. He developed a reputation for frequenting nightclubs.  

Times have changed. 

Now, at 44 years old, Hamlin’s lifestyle has changed. A family man and co-owner of 23XI Racing, he also toils for hours with early-week racing simulators. 

“I’ve been surprised at how hard he does work,” crew chief Chris Gayle told NASCR.com. “As he’s gotten older, he’s had to almost ramp up the amount of work he’s done, where he may have gotten by earlier without doing that. He probably doesn’t have to. Some of the other guys don’t.  

“He does it to be a part of the team.” 

Hamlin has matured into a future NASCAR Hall of Famer. His win Sunday at Darlington Raceway was the 56th of his career, moving past Rusty Wallace for 11th on the all-time win list. 

With a Cup championship still missing on his resume, Hamlin enters Sunday’s Food City 500 with a circuit-best 535 laps led an an average finish of 3.3 in his last four starts at Bristol Motor Speedway. 

BetOnline Sportsbook tabbed Hamlin (+400) as the pre-race favorite. 

Below, we’ll preview the top storylines heading into Sunday’s Food City 500, go over the odds, and give our best bets for the ninth race on the 2025 NASCAR schedule.  

Food City 500 Storylines

  • Is Joe Gibbs Racing the top garage on the Cup circuit? The Huntersville, North Carolina-based organization has won five of eight events this season. It certainly is answering its critics for failing to visit Victory Lane in any of the closing 18 races in 2024.
  • Is Ryan Blaney gaining momentum? His P5 at Darlington ended a five-race skid in which he placed outside the top 10. The 2023 Cup champion ranks seventh in the drivers’ standings, 79 points behind leader William Byron.
  • Speaking of Byron. The Hendrick Motorsports driver paced the field for the opening 243 laps last Sunday and ended up P2, placing in the top two for the third time this season.  

Food City 500 Driver Odds  

Here is an early look at the drivers’ odds for the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, according to BetOnline Sportsbook:  

 

Driver NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 Odds
Denny Hamlin +400
Kyle Larson +450
Christopher Bell +650
Ryan Blaney +675
Chase Elliott +850
William Byron +1200
Chase Briscoe +1600
Joey Logano +2000
 Kyle Busch +2000
Ty Gibbs +2000
Brad Keselowski +2000
Ross Chastain +2500
Tyler Reddick +2800
Alex Bowman +2800
Chris Buescher  +2800
Josh Berry  +3300
Bubba Wallace +3300
Ryan Preece +3300
Austin Cindric +8000
Michael McDowell  +10000
Noah Gragson +10000
Carson Hocevar +12500
Daniel Suarez +15000
Erik Jones +15000
Todd Gilliland +20000
Cole Custer +20000
Zane Smith +20000
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. +25000
John Hunter Nemechek +25000
Austin Dillon +25000
Justin Haley +25000
AJ Allmendinger  +25000
Ty Dillon +30000
Shane van Gisbergen +30000
Jesse Love +30000
Corey LaJoie +30000
Riley Herbst +50000
Josh Belicki +100000
Cody Ware +100000

*-Odds current at time of publication

Food City 500 Predictions and Picks  

Here are our best NASCAR Cup Series bets for the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway: 

Kyle Larson (+450) 

After two collisions, a stint in the garage area for more than 150 laps and P37 At Darlington, Larson should be eager to return to Bristol. Larson has one win, four top-fives and circuit-best 535 laps led in his past four starts at the short-track oval.

Christopher Bell (+650) 

With five top-three finishes in the season’s opening eight events, Bell has established himself as a consistent contender – on any type of track.

Chris Buescher (+2800) 

Known as a road course racer, Buescher could be an under-the-radar selection to win Sunday. He captured a playoff race at Bristol in 2022 and compiled three top 10s in his past four outings at the 0.533-mile oval.