Who's ready for some short track racing at Bristol Motor Speedway? You best believe the 2025 NASCAR Food City 500 is shaping into a fun race. And, yes, I get it, short track racin' can sometimes be boring. However, in the 2025 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, drivers have been pushing the boundaries of what's acceptable in the "unwritten code" of racing.
Maybe the drivers don't like to see the aggressive tactics, but as a fan of chaos, I can't help but love it... as long as it doesn't hurt my NASCAR race picks.
Nevertheless, once the popcorn is ready and the green flag flies live in living color on FS1 this Sunday, April 13 at 3:00 p.m. ET, Chase Briscoe will make or break this week's free betting picks.
So, get your engines revving because we're about to shift into high gear at Bristol Motor Speedway!
NASCAR prop picks for Food City 500
- Top 5 Finish: Chase Briscoe (+300 at bet365)
- Winning Manufacturer: Chevrolet (+140 at bet365)
- William Byron over Ryan Blaney (+100 at bet365)
NASCAR Food City 500 props and best bets
Top 5 Finish: Chase Briscoe (+300 at bet365)
I was brought into the sports betting game by playing the horses. Although betting on sports and horses are two different things entirely, there are some similarities. For example, when you're tossing coin down on a horse to do well in a race, you want the horse to have enough form to beat the others in said race.
As you'll sometimes hear the horseplayers like Eddie Olczyk say during the Kentucky Derby prerace show, I'd rather bet on a horse to run a speed figure they've already have than bet on another horse to run the best race of their three-year-old life.
However, sometimes you can tell a horse is ready to take that "next step." Chase Briscoe has been knocking on the door for a while now.
In the 2024 playoffs, Briscoe earned a critical Top-10 finish at Bristol, which at the time I found to be surprising. (Up until that point, ignorantly, I always thought of Briscoe as a jobber).
His 2025 transition to Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 Toyota, a team with proven short-track success, makes me think he's geared up for this thing. Denny Hamlin’s recent Bristol dominance has been a feather in JGR's cap. And if I'm betting on someone inexperienced to do well, I wouldn't mind the fact he's racing on Hamlin's team. After all, you're only as good as the people around you.
Yes, Briscoe’s current average finish at Bristol sits at 15.0 in five starts, but his improved equipment and growing consistency — highlighted by a runner-up finish at New Hampshire in 2024 and a playoff-clinching win at Darlington — position him to capitalize on the track’s demanding conditions.
Factor in Briscoe's dirt-racing roots and calm aggression, and maybe this kid has a chance to shock us all.
Winning Manufacturer: Chevrolet (+140 at bet365)
Toyota drivers be damned, Bristol belongs to the Chevys. Let me explain why.
Since the dawn of the Next Gen era in 2022, Chevrolet hasn’t just raced at Bristol — they’ve dominated. Kyle Larson, the kingpin of Hendrick’s No. 5, led 462 laps en route to a demolition derby victory in 2024. Oh, and don't forget about his 3.25 average finish at Bristol since 2022.
Chase Elliott? Four straight top-10s, two runner-ups, and a 4.5 average. Who can touch this?
William Byron? Two Top-10s, a 7.5 average finish, and a points haul that crushes souls.
Hendrick Motorsports? Led 48% of laps here since 2022 — engineering dominance with every turn.
Chevrolet’s arsenal runs deep, too.
Ross Chastain in Trackhouse’s No. 1? Back-to-back Top-5s in 2023-24 — smashing expectations like a watermelon in Victory Lane.
Kyle Busch, RCR’s icon in the No. 8? 43 career wins, a 2023 Bristol Xfinity masterclass, and a veteran’s hunger to reclaim glory.
Daniel Suárez? Three Top-10s in his last five Bristol starts — silencing doubters in the No. 99.
From Larson’s lap-munching tyranny to Chastain’s chaotic brilliance, Chevrolet’s army doesn’t race… they raze. At Bristol, where history meets havoc, the Bowtie Brigade doesn’t compete… they conquer.
The stats scream it: three of the Top 5 average finishes in the Next Gen era belong to Chevrolet drivers. And the books are laying +140? I may as well say I'm robbing 'em at gunpoint.
William Byron over Ryan Blaney (+100 at bet365)
While researching this pick, I fell down one heck of a rabbit hole.
William Byron’s journey at Bristol Motor Speedway, shaped by his dominance in Legends cars from 2013 to 2015, stands in stark contrast to Ryan Blaney’s inconsistent performance. Byron has shown remarkable adaptability on abrasive surfaces — skills honed while competing against future stars like Daniel Hemric in Legends cars.
This experience has translated well into the Next Gen era, where he has secured two Top-3 finishes in 2022 and 2023, boasting an impressive average finish of 7.5, thanks to Hendrick’s expertly tuned setups.
On the other hand, Blaney, despite earning a pole position at Bristol in 2024 and clinching a victory in the Xfinity series back in 2014, has faced challenges with consistency at the Cup level. He notably hasn’t landed any Top-5 finishes in his last five Bristol starts and has had to rely heavily on stage points.
While his Penske team often shines on intermediate tracks, Byron’s unique blend of "Bristol muscle memory," combined with Hendrick’s notable 48% lap-led dominance at Bristol, and his proven ability to take advantage of tire wear, put him in a decent spot to upend Blaney.
Byron's +100 odds aren't going to knock your socks off, especially if Blaney qualifies well and he doesn't, but that said, I'm willing to roll the dice.
Not intended for use in MA.
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