Under normal circumstances, Bristol Motor Speedway can hold over 160,000 fans. But it will just be the roar of engines filling "The World's Fastest Half-Mile" on Sunday when the green flag drops at 3:30 p.m. ET for the 2020 NASCAR at Bristol spring race. Originally named the 2020 Food City 500, the title sponsor is now presenting the 2020 Supermarket Heroes 500, a name honoring grocery store workers who have kept shelves stocked during the coronavirus pandemic.
After breaking through with a win at Charlotte on Thursday, Chase Elliott will go for his second straight victory on Sunday. He's going off at 5-1 in the latest 2020 Supermarket Heroes 500 odds from William Hill, behind only eight-time Bristol winner Kyle Busch (7-2). With only five drivers going off with single-digit 2020 NASCAR at Bristol odds, there are plenty of intriguing long shots to choose from as well. Before making the call on where any driver finishes, be sure to see the 2020 NASCAR at Bristol predictions and projected leaderboard from SportsLine's proven model.
Developed by daily Fantasy pro and SportsLine predictive data engineer Mike McClure, this proprietary NASCAR prediction model simulates every race 10,000 times, taking into account factors such as track history and recent results.
The model began the 2020 NASCAR season by picking Denny Hamlin to win his second consecutive Daytona 500 at 10-1. It got off to a hot start on its NASCAR picks following the coronavirus hiatus as well, calling seven of the top 10 drivers at The Real Heroes 400 and the Toyota 500 at Darlington. It also identified six top-10 drivers at the Alsco Uniforms 500 at Charlotte. Using the model, McClure also recommended an outright play on winner Chase Elliott at 5-1 as one of his best bets at Charlotte. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model simulated the NASCAR at Bristol 2020 race on Sunday, May 31 10,000 times. Head here to see the complete projected leaderboard.
Top 2020 Food City 500 predictions
For Sunday, the model is high on Kurt Busch, even though he's a mammoth 20-1 long shot in the Bristol NASCAR odds. He's a target for anyone looking for a huge payday. While younger brother Kyle has dominated Bristol with eight career wins, Kurt Busch isn't far behind. The latter has six career wins at this short track, taking the checkered flag as recently as 2018.
The 20-year Cup Series veteran, now driving the No. 1 Chevrolet car for Chip Ganassi Racing, has four top-10 finishes in four of his last five races at Bristol. He's heating up this season as well. After disappointing finishes at Daytona (33rd) and Las Vegas (25th), he's now finished seventh or better in five of his last six races overall. With over 1,000 career laps led at Bristol and plenty of momentum coming into Sunday's race, Busch is one of the drivers you should be all over in your 2020 Supermarket Heroes 500 bets.
And a massive shocker: Denny Hamlin, one of the Vegas favorites at 7-1, stumbles and doesn't even crack the top five. There are far better values in this loaded field. Hamlin won at Bristol last fall and took fifth place in the Food City 500 last year. But he finished 14th in both Bristol races in 2018.
There are also concerns about how he'll perform with this weekend's race package. Hamlin finished 20th at Phoenix this year using it. While he's recorded wins at Daytona and Darlington in 2020, Hamlin hasn't been consistent overall, leading just 91 laps overall and coming into this race eighth in the 2020 Cup Series standings. The model indicates he's one of the 2020 NASCAR at Bristol favorites to fade on Sunday.
How to make 2020 Supermarket Heroes 500 picks
The model is also targeting another driver with NASCAR at Bristol odds of 20-1 or longer to make a serious run at the checkered flag. Anyone who backs this driver could hit it big.
So who wins Sunday's Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500? And which long shot stuns NASCAR? Check out the latest odds below and then visit SportsLine now to see the full projected 2020 NASCAR at Bristol leaderboard, all from the model that has crushed its NASCAR picks and nailed the Daytona 500.
2020 NASCAR at Bristol odds (via William Hill)
Kyle Busch 7-2
Chase Elliott 5-1
Denny Hamlin 7-1
Joey Logano 8-1
Kevin Harvick 17-2
Brad Keselowski 10-1
Ryan Blaney 10-1
Martin Truex Jr. 12-1
Erik Jones 18-1
Alex Bowman 20-1
Kurt Busch 20-1
Jimmie Johnson 25-1
Clint Bowyer 30-1
William Byron 40-1
Matt DiBenedetto 40-1
Matt Kenseth 50-1
Aric Almirola 50-1
Ricky Stenhouse 50-1
Tyler Reddick 60-1
Ryan Newman 75-1
Austin Dillon 150-1
Cole Custer 250-1
Christopher Bell 250-1
Chris Buescher 300-1
John Hunter Nemechek 500-1
Bubba Wallace 500-1
Ryan Preece 750-1
Michael McDowell 1000-1
Daniel Suarez 1500-1
Quin Houff 2500-1
Joey Gase 2500-1
Bayley Currey 2500-1
Garrett Smithley 2500-1
J.J. Yeley 2500-1
Timmy Hill 2500-1
Gray Gauldin 2500-1
B.J. McLeod 2500-1
Brennan Poole 2500-1
Corey Lajoie 2500-1
