When the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to the “Last Great Colosseum” this weekend, they’ll have 45 gladiators ready for battle.
NASCAR released the entry list for the April 19 Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes and Stand Up To Cancer at Bristol Motor Speedway earlier today. The list includes 45 entrants, meaning that two drivers will fail to make the race.
NASCAR’s super subs will again return to their fill-in roles. David Ragan will continue to drive the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, this time sponsored by Snickers Extreme. Chris Buescher returns to Ragan’s normal ride, the No. 34 CSX/Play It Safe Ford for Front Row Motorsports. Brett Moffitt will also be back, competing in the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing while Brian Vickers sits out with blood clots.
Alex Kennedy returns to the No. 33 Chevrolet for the third straight week, as does Brendan Gaughan in the No. 62 Chevrolet for Premium Motorsports. Gaughan has failed to qualify for the previous two races, at Martinsville and Texas after making the four races before them.
The Motorsports Group is returning at Bristol with Ron Hornaday driving the No. 30 Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet. The team most recently failed to qualify at Martinsville. If this weekend’s qualifying session is cancelled for weather, Hornaday and Gaughan would miss Sunday’s race.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will return to action at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday (April 17), with an afternoon practice session followed by Coors Light Pole Qualifying at 4:45 p.m. ET. The teams will then get two morning practice sessions on Saturday in preparation for Sunday’s race. Coverage of the Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes and Stand Up To Cancer will begin on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on FOX.
2015 FOOD CITY 500 ENTRY LIST
| Car # | Driver | Manu | Sponsor | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chevy | McDonald's | Felix Sabates |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski (PC3) | Ford | Miller Lite | Roger Penske |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Chevy | Dow | Richard Childress |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick (PC1) | Chevy | Jimmy John's / Budweiser | Tony Stewart |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne | Chevy | Great Clips | Linda Hendrick |
| 6 | Trevor Bayne | Ford | AdvoCare | Jack Roush |
| 7 | Alex Bowman | Chevy | TBA | Tommy Baldwin |
| 9 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Ford | Nature Blast | Richard Petty |
| 10 | Danica Patrick | Chevy | GoDaddy.com | Tony Stewart |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | FedEx Freight | J D Gibbs |
| 13 | Casey Mears | Chevy | GEICO | Bob Germain |
| 14 | Tony Stewart (PC4) | Chevy | Bass Pro Shops / Mobil 1 | Margaret Haas |
| 15 | Clint Bowyer | Toyota | 5-Hour Energy | Rob Kauffman |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | Ortho | Jack Roush |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Ford | Zest | John Henry |
| 18 | David Ragan | Toyota | Snickers Extreme | Joe Gibbs |
| 19 | Carl Edwards | Toyota | Comcast Business | J D Gibbs |
| 20 | Matt Kenseth (PC6) | Toyota | Dollar General | Joe Gibbs |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Ford | AutoTrader | Walter Czarnecki |
| 23 | J.J. Yeley(i) | Toyota | Dr. Pepper "I'm a Pepper" | Ron Devine |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon (PC7) | Chevy | 3M | Rick Hendrick |
| 26 | Jeb Burton # | Toyota | MaxinFantasySports.com | Anthony Marlowe |
| 27 | Paul Menard | Chevy | Sylvania / Menards | Richard Childress |
| 30 | Ron Hornaday | Chevy | Curtis Key Plumbing | Curtis Key |
| 31 | Ryan Newman | Chevy | WIX | Richard Childress |
| 32 | Mike Bliss(i) | Ford | Texas Tech | Frank Stoddard Jr. |
| 33 | Alex Kennedy | Chevy | TBA | Joe Falk |
| 34 | Chris Buescher(i) | Ford | CSX / Play It Safe | Bob Jenkins |
| 35 | Cole Whitt | Ford | Tweaker Energy Shots | Jerry Freeze |
| 38 | David Gilliland | Ford | MDS Transport | Brad Jenkins |
| 40 | Landon Cassill(i) | Chevy | TBA | Mike Hillman |
| 41 | Kurt Busch (PC5) | Chevy | Haas Automation | Gene Haas |
| 42 | Kyle Larson | Chevy | Target | Chip Ganassi |
| 43 | Aric Almirola | Ford | Smithfield | Richard Petty |
| 46 | Michael Annett | Chevy | Pilot Flying J | Harry Scott Jr. |
| 47 | A.J. Allmendinger | Chevy | Bush's Beans | Tad Geschickter |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson (PC2) | Chevy | Lowe's | Jeff Gordon |
| 51 | Justin Allgaier | Chevy | Auto Owners Insurance | Harry Scott Jr. |
| 55 | Brett Moffitt # | Toyota | Aaron's Dream Machine | Michael Waltrip |
| 62 | Brendan Gaughan (i) | Chevy | TBA | Jay Robinson |
| 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Chevy | Furniture Row / Visser Precision | Barney Visser |
| 83 | Matt Dibenedetto | Toyota | Dustless Blasting | Ron Devine |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevy | Mountain Dew Dewshine | Rick Hendrick |
| 95 | Michael McDowell | Ford | Thrivent Financial | Bob Leavine |
| 98 | Josh Wise | Ford | Phil Parsons Racing | Mike Curb |
Aaron Bearden is a Frontstretch alumnus who’s come back home as the site’s Short Track Editor. When he isn’t working with our grassroots writers, he can be found talking about racing on his Morning Warmup newsletter, pestering his wife/dog or convincing himself the Indiana Pacers can win an NBA title.