By Toby Christie, NASCAR Editor
Kyle Busch has been great so far in 2016, and he’s in the midst of a hot streak. He also has a very good past at Bristol Motor Speedway, the site of this week’s Food City 500. Chances are Busch either wins again this weekend — for the third time in a row at the Sprint Cup level — or at the very least he contends.
But there are a number of drivers who haven’t won yet in 2016 who are also not too shabby at running around ‘The World’s Fastest Half-Mile.’
Carl Edwards has been knocking on the door to victory lane all season long. Edwards has finished inside the top-10 in all but one race so far this season, and he was just 0.010 second from victory at Phoenix. Edwards also started on the pole last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, and led 124 laps before settling for a seventh place finish.
Edwards may not settle for anything but a win this weekend. Edwards has three wins at Bristol, and over the last five races there, he has led at least 74 laps in four races. Edwards will be stout Sunday.
Another driver still searching for their first win of the season, is the driver who has the second-highest average finish at Bristol among active drivers, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Earnhardt is coming off of a second place run in Texas, and he has always had a knack for being in the top-10 at Bristol. Earnhardt won the night race at Bristol back in 2004, but has gone on to score 11 of his 15-career top-10 finishes at the track since that night.
Then there is five-time Bristol winner, Kurt Busch.
One person who doesn’t have a favorable record at Bristol is Martin Truex Jr. In the past five races at Bristol, Truex hasn’t been able to muster a finish better than 20th.
Truex, who suffered a heart breaking defeat last week, may have to keep waiting for that first trip to victory lane of the year for another week.
Image: Alan Marler/HHP and General Motors
