Two consecutive weeks of short track racing begins this weekend as the Sprint Cup Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for the first of two races this season.
There are 40 cars entered in the Food City 500 and all will compete on Sunday afternoon, barring entry list additions.
Ty Dillon returns to Stewart-Haas Racing this weekend and will replace Tony Stewart for third time this season. He previously competed at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway, where he finished 17th and 15th respectively in the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet.
Defending race winner Matt Kenseth will look to return to Victory Lane on Sunday after placing outside of the top 10 in six of the first seven races. His victory one year ago was the first of five in 2015
Action from Bristol begins on Friday with opening practice at 11 a.m. followed by qualifying at 4:15 p.m. (all times ET). Practice resumes on Saturday morning with the first session at 8:30 a.m. and the second taking place at 11 a.m. Coverage of the Food City 500 will be on FOX starting at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
| Car No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Sponsor | Owner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chevy | McDonald's | Chip Ganassi Racing | |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Ford | Miller Lite | Team Penske | |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Chevy | Bass Pro Shops / Ranger Boats | Richard Childress Racing | |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | Chevy | ditech | Stewart-Haas Racing | |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne | Chevy | Great Clips | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| 6 | Trevor Bayne | Ford | AdvoCare | Roush Fenway Racing | |
| 7 | Regan Smith | Chevy | TBA | Tommy Baldwin Racing | |
| 10 | Danica Patrick | Chevy | Nature's Bakery | Stewart-Haas Racing | |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | FedEx Freight | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| 13 | Casey Mears | Chevy | GEICO | Germain Racing | |
| 14 | Ty Dillon (i) | Chevy | Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats | Stewart-Haas Racing | |
| 15 | Clint Bowyer | Chevy | 5-Hour Energy | Hscott Motorsports | |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | Roush Performance | Roush Fenway Racing | |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Ford | Zest | Roush Fenway Racing | |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | M&Ms | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| 19 | Carl Edwards | Toyota | Comcast Business | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| 20 | Matt Kenseth | Toyota | Dollar General | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| 21* | Ryan Blaney # | Ford | Motorcraft / Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center | Wood Brothers Racing | |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Ford | Auto Trader | Team Penske | |
| 23 | David Ragan | Toyota | Dr Pepper | BK Racing | |
| 24 | Chase Elliott # | Chevy | Kelly Blue Book | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| 27 | Paul Menard | Chevy | Tarkett / Menards | Richard Childress Racing | |
| 30* | Josh Wise | Chevy | Curtis Key Plumbing | The Motorsports Group | |
| 31 | Ryan Newman | Chevy | WIX | Richard Childress Racing | |
| 32 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Ford | Keen Parts / Visone RV | GO FAS Racing | |
| 34 | Chris Buescher # | Ford | Love's Travel Stops | Front Row Motorsports | |
| 38 | Landon Cassill | Ford | Snap Fitness | Front Row Motorsports | |
| 41 | Kurt Busch | Chevy | Haas Automation / Monster Energy | Stewart-Haas Racing | |
| 42 | Kyle Larson | Chevy | Target | Chip Ganassi Racing | |
| 43 | Aric Almirola | Ford | Smithfield | Richard Petty Motorsports | |
| 44 | Brian Scott # | Ford | Shore Lodge | Richard Petty Motorsports | |
| 46 | Michael Annett | Chevy | Pilot Flying J | Hscott Motorsports | |
| 47 | A.J. Allmendinger | Chevy | Bush's Beans | JTG Daugherty Racing | |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevy | Lowe's | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| 55* | Reed Sorenson | Chevy | ChampionMachinery.com | Premium Motorsports | |
| 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Toyota | Furniture Row | Furniture Row Racing | |
| 83 | Matt Dibenedetto | Toyota | Cosmo Motors | BK Racing | |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevy | Nationwide | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| 95 | Michael McDowell | Chevy | K-Love Radio | Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing | |
| 98* | Cole Whitt | Chevy | TBA | Premium Motorsports |