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Key information for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup race at Bristol

NASCAR began the 2024 season with the Busch Light Clash exhibition race at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. This weekend, the series heads to the venue nicknamed “The Last Great Colosseum.”

The NASCAR Cup Series speeds into Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday and will race on the track’s traditional concrete surface after using a dirt track for the past three spring races. Bristol in 2021 covered the high-banked, .0533-mile bullring in red Tennessee clay for its spring race, but as the novelty wore off, drivers grew tired of the gimmick and the sub-par racing.

So, NASCAR has returned to its roots, and teams will face their first true short-track test of the season with a Next Gen car that has disappointed both drivers and fans on its smaller tracks and was redesigned to improve performance – specifically on short tracks – for 2024.

Who will conquer the ‘Colosseum’ on Sunday? All the information you need to get ready for the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway:

What time does the Cup race at Bristol start?

The Food City 500 starts at 3:30 p.m. ET at Bristol Motor Speedway.

What TV channel is the Cup race at Bristol on?

Fox is broadcasting the Food City 500 and has a pre-race show beginning at 3 p.m. ET. Fox Sports 1 (FS1) has an earlier pre-race show at 2 p.m. ET.

Will there be a live stream of the Cup race at Bristol?

The Food City 500 can be live streamed on the FoxSports website and on the FoxSports app.

How many laps is the Cup race at Bristol?

The Food City 500 is 500 laps around the .0533-mile track for a total of 266.5 miles. The race will feature three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 125 laps; Stage 2: 125 laps; Stage 3: 250 laps.

Who won the most recent races at Bristol?

Brad Keselowski, then driving the No. 2 Team Penske Ford, won the spring 2020 race, the last time a scheduled day race at Bristol was held on the traditional concrete. Keselowski led 115 laps and edged Clint Bowyer in the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford by 0.471 seconds.

Denny Hamlin won the Bristol Night Race on Sept. 16, 2023 after leading 142 laps, including the final 135, and pulled away from Kyle Larson by 2.437 seconds in last year’s playoff race.

What is the lineup for the Food City 500 at Bristol?

(Car number in parentheses)

1. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford

2. (4) Josh Berry, Ford

3. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota

4. (22) Joey Logano, Ford

5. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet

6. (14) Chase Briscoe, Ford

7. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford

8. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet

9. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota

10. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet

11. (19) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota

12. (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota

13. (21) Harrison Burton, Ford

14. (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet

15. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota

16. (71) Zane Smith, Chevrolet

17. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford

18. (7) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet

19. (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota

20. (31) Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet

21. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford

22. (10) Noah Gragson, Ford

23. (45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota

24. (38) Todd Gilliland, Ford

25. (41) Ryan Preece, Ford

26. (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota

27. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet

28. (99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet

29. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet

30. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet

31. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet

32. (51) Justin Haley, Ford

33. (15) Kaz Grala, Ford

34. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford

35. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet

36. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet

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