It seems a majority of Joe Gibbs Racing’s NASCAR Cup Series drivers have found their groove as of late. With Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin winning five of the first eight races in the 2025 season, Ty Gibbs finally seeing solid runs in the last two races and Chase Briscoe with his Daytona 500 pole and two top fives and three top 10s, JGR is giving flashbacks of the dominance from Hendrick Motorsports when Jimmie Johnson was winning everything.
This weekend, NASCAR rolls into Thunder Valley for its second short track of the season, with all three national series taking to Bristol Motor Speedway. Two of the last three Cup races at Bristol have been won by Hamlin, a driver on a hot streak right now.
The action on the track never seems to disappoint, and there will also be some big names at the track this weekend.
Grand Marshal
The Food City 500 will feature baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Bench and the voice of the Tennessee Volunteers, Bob Kesling, as as co-grand marshals.
Bench is known as one of baseball’s greatest catchers, leading the Cincinnati Reds to two consecutive World Series titles. He was also named a 14-time National League All-Star, a two-time National League MVP and the 1976 World Series MVP.
Kesling has been the voice of the Vols for five decades, the longest-serving member of the Vol Network. He has been on the call for some historic moments in Tennessee athletics history, such as Pat Summitt’s six national championships and Tennessee football’s upset win over Alabama in 2022. Kesling announced his retirement as the voice of the Vols following the 2024-2025 men’s basketball season.
Honorary Starter
Steve Early, VP and GM of the Vol Network, Steve Early, will join newly retired broadcaster Kesling at the Food City 500. After a stint in sales and marketing, Early became the VP and GM of the Vol Network in 2004.
Pre-Race Concert
Country music artist Rodney Atkins, an East Tennessean, will perform the pre-race concert for the Food City 500. Atkins is a prominent figure in country music with eight top-five singles, over 14 million records sold and 4 billion global streams.
Autograph Sessions
Friday, April 11
Ross Chastain – Food City Store 6681 Bristol Hwy, Piney Flats, TN (Autographs will be given on a first come, first-serve basis to the first 100 people in line) 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 12
Tyler Reddick – Food City store 1921 Hwy 394 Blountville, TN 11 a.m.
Sunday, April 13
Ross Chastain – Tennessee Highway Safety Booth (wristband required and distribution begins on Saturday at the booth) 11 a.m.
John Hunter Nemechek – NASCAR Classics Merchandise Hauler 11 a.m.
Shane van Gisbergen – Trackhouse Racing Merchandise Hauler (wristband required) 11:30 a.m.
Ross Chastain – Trackhouse Racing Merchandise Hauler 11:35 a.m.
