
USA Today via Reuters
Sep 16, 2023; Bristol, Tennessee, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver William Byron (24) and driver Martin Truex Jr. (19) and driver Alex Bowman (48) during the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

USA Today via Reuters
Sep 16, 2023; Bristol, Tennessee, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver William Byron (24) and driver Martin Truex Jr. (19) and driver Alex Bowman (48) during the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Denny Hamlin has the chance to do something incredible. Fans will remember just a few races ago at Phoenix, when Christopher Bell marked his third consecutive victory of the season. Hamlin’s No. 11 had been in contention for the win, but coming so close and failing meant that there was a lot of frustration. “GOD DAMMIT! F—!!!” he yelled on the radio.
Well, after the Goodyear 400, Denny Hamlin has gone and picked up 2 wins for himself. You know what that means. He could match Christopher Bell’s record and prove the doubters wrong. And it’s Bristol, a track Hamlin is all too familiar with. As the weekend comes closer, here’s everything you need to know about the Food City 500 schedule.
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How the action-packed Bristol weekend will unfold
For the fans who were bummed about missing the Truck Series last weekend, there’s good news. With Bristol, the Truck Series is coming back! Friday will be filled with Truck racing, with the action beginning in the afternoon. Practice begins at 3.35 p.m. ET. Fans can catch up with all the racing on FS2. That’s not all for FS2. A little over an hour later, qualifying kicks off at 4.40 p.m. ET. Finally, the Weather Guard Truck Race will begin in the evening at 7.30 p.m. ET. Instead of FS2, FS1 will broadcast the race alongside SiriusXM.
Following this will be the Xfinity Series, which begins on Saturday. First up is practice that begins at 11.30 a.m. ET. This time, it will be CW taking charge of broadcasting duties. Similar to the Truck Series, just an hour later, qualifying will kick off at 12:35 p.m. ET, also on CW. And while the Cup Series action takes up the rest of the afternoon, fans can return to watch Xfinity unfold in the evening. The SciAps 300 will begin at 5 p.m. ET, with broadcast duties split between CW and SiriusXM.
As for the Cup Series, practice begins at 2 p.m. on Sunday, right after the Xfinity Series qualifying at Bristol. It won’t be FS1, FS2, or CW taking control of the broadcasting duties. This time, it will be Amazon Prime Video taking control. It will be the same for qualifying, which begins at 3.05 p.m. ET. The main Sunday event starts at 3 p.m. ET. FS1, Max, and SiriusXM will be taking charge of the broadcasting duties.

USA Today via Reuters
NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Bass Pro Shops Night Race, Sep 17, 2022 Bristol, Tennessee, USA General view during the NASCAR Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports, 17.09.2022 20:04:51, 19068110, NPStrans, Nascar, Bristol Motor Speedway PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xRandyxSartinx 19068110
In this hectic schedule, Kyle Larson will be going for a triple header this weekend. After failing at it during Homestead-Miami, Yung Money is going at it again. “To me, it’s the closest style to a dirt sprint car race, although it’s a lot longer. Just the intensity, the aggression, the fast-paced style of that race I’m comfortable with. I just love that track. I look forward to going there. I love having two races again on the concrete. So yeah, Bristol has been a place where I’ve led tons of laps at before and won a lot of stages but have kind of fallen off at the ends of the races. But since joining Hendrick (Motorsports), we’ve been good all race long and that was fun to dominate that race (last) year,” Larson explained.
But it won’t be easy. Last year’s winner, Denny Hamlin, is the current favorite to win at the race. Speaking about the race, Hamlin said, “You know that was an interesting tire conservation, a billion lead changes, a billion passes, cars running, you know, 60 mph on the apron and on the racetrack. We’re not going to see that, so temper your expectations, folks. I think we’re going to see very similar to what we had in the fall. Same tire, nothing’s really changed; I think the field’s going to be really close. It’s going to be track position, and can you qualify well, can you maneuver? That’s one of the big factors at Bristol.”
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Can Denny Hamlin silence his critics by matching Christopher Bell's record at Bristol this weekend?
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However, that’s not all that’s in store for drivers.
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Weather update for the Food City 500
Kicking things off for the Truck Series on Friday, it will be much cooler for drivers during the entire day. A high of 51°F and a low of 37°F is predicted. As for the rain, the forecast shows cloudy skies, with a 9 mph wind, and a 20% chance of rain. Not too bad, right? Sunday will also see something similar. The SciAps 300 will have a high of 51°F and a low of 37°F. Cloudy skies and the 9 mph wind will remain constant, along with a 20% chance of rain.
As for the Cup Series race, the Food City 500 will have a high of 65°F and a low of 47°F. Fans might be able to see some sun during the race, with the skies predicted to be partly cloudy with a 7 mph wind forecast. There will be a 0% chance of rain.
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This will be a welcome chance after last year. Although the temperature highs are similar this year, the track will begin to cool down eventually. Whether it affects the level of grip remains to be seen. What fans want is some action. The last time NASCAR visited the track, a certain HMS driver dominated 462 laps to be the undisputed winner. Can he repeat it this year, or will it be Denny Hamlin equalling his teammate’s tally?
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Can Denny Hamlin silence his critics by matching Christopher Bell's record at Bristol this weekend?