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2025 Food City 500 Recap: Larson’s Bristol Domination and Fantasy Hits & Misses

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Hey there, race fans!
Bryan here, back with your weekly NASCAR fantasy recap. The 2025 Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway delivered high-octane action, and our fantasy picks had their share of triumphs and challenges.

Let’s dive into the race highlights and see how my lineup performed.

Race Recap: Larson's Commanding Victory

Kyle Larson dominated the race, leading 411 of 500 laps to secure his second win of the season and third at Bristol. Starting from third, he took the lead early and maintained it, finishing 2.25 seconds ahead of Denny Hamlin, who was aiming for his third consecutive victory. ​

The race featured only three cautions, with a notable incident involving Shane van Gisbergen and Cody Ware. Ty Gibbs achieved a career-best third-place finish, followed by Chase Briscoe and Ryan Blaney rounding out the top five.

Fantasy Lineup Performance: The Good, The Gritty & The Gut Punches

Alright folks, let’s talk fantasy. This Bristol race was a short-track chess match, and our roster had some bright spots and a few “meh” moments.

Here’s how each of my picks stacked up once the dust settled on Thunder Valley.

Main Driver: Tyler Reddick (#45 – 23XI Racing)

Tyler Reddick had a bit of an off day, landing in 18th place. He wasn’t ever really in the mix up front, but he ran clean, kept the fenders on it, and brought home a decent finish. Bristol’s a track that rewards track position and tire management, and while the No. 45 team had speed at times, they just never quite hit the setup.

Fantasy Verdict: Steady but unspectacular. Not the week I was hoping for, but I’ll always take a top-20 from my locked-in guy when chaos is on the menu.

Bryan’s Bonus Thought: I still believe in Reddick long-term—especially once we hit the road courses and high-speed intermediates.

Denny Hamlin (#11 – Joe Gibbs Racing)

Denny Hamlin was locked in from green flag to checkered. He didn’t lead laps like Larson did, but he ran in the top five all day and brought it home second—his third straight top-2 finish. The guy’s in rhythm, and it’s showing in fantasy points week after week.

Fantasy Verdict: Big payoff. Denny’s a must-start right now if you want to stay competitive in your pool.

Bryan’s Bonus Thought: When Hamlin gets hot, you don’t bench him. Period.

Kyle Larson (#5 – Hendrick Motorsports)

What a bounce-back. After a string of tough finishes, Kyle Larson absolutely dominated Bristol—leading 411 of 500 laps and taking the checkered flag in convincing fashion. He had the high line working early and never looked back.

Fantasy Verdict: Massive hit. Between laps led, the win, and stage points, Larson probably won you the week.

Bryan’s Bonus Thought: If you didn’t have Larson this week, you felt it. He’s back to being a weekly threat—and a fantasy goldmine.

Sleeper Picks Recap: Who Showed Up and Who Snoozed

Chase Briscoe (#19 – Joe Gibbs Racing)

Chase Briscoe was one of my favorite under-the-radar picks this week, and he delivered in a big way. He ran up front in the final stage and crossed the line in 4th, which was his best finish of the season so far. Quietly impressive.

Fantasy Verdict: Sleeper of the week! If you played him, you looked like a genius.

Bryan’s Bonus Thought: Don’t sleep on Briscoe going forward. He’s finding his stride and building momentum.

Ryan Preece (#60 – RFK Racing)

Ryan Preece was a bit of a mixed bag. He ran mid-pack for most of the race and came away with a 20th-place finish. Not a bad day, not a great one—but he stayed clean and picked up a respectable amount of points.

Fantasy Verdict: ➖ Neutral. He didn’t blow it, but he didn’t win you anything either.

Bryan’s Bonus Thought: Preece is still worth keeping an eye on for short tracks and superspeedways where chaos levels are high.

Kyle Busch (#8 – Richard Childress Racing)

Kyle Busch is usually money at Bristol, but this time around he just never had the car to contend. He hovered outside the top 10 and eventually settled into a 14th-place finish. He was decent on long runs, but that trademark Rowdy fire just didn’t spark this time.

Fantasy Verdict: Borderline win. Not flashy, but he delivered a clean top-15—always useful in deeper leagues.

Bryan’s Bonus Thought: Might be time to reevaluate Busch as a lock for Bristol, but he’s still got upside—especially once we hit tracks like Kansas and Gateway.

Final Thoughts: Big Wins, Bold Calls & Bristol Bumps

Bristol didn’t disappoint—unless your name was printed on the side of Kyle Busch’s car. This race gave us exactly what we expect from the half-mile bullring: speed, chaos, and that classic short-track edge-of-your-seat energy. From Larson’s total domination to Briscoe sneaking into the top five, it was a mix of the expected and the pleasantly surprising.

From a fantasy perspective, I’m walking away pretty happy. Hamlin and Larson did exactly what I needed them to do, Briscoe was the underdog MVP, and while guys like Reddick and Preece didn’t set the world on fire, they kept the lineup steady and points flowing. That’s the name of the game some weeks—survive the carnage, rack up what you can, and avoid the zeroes.

This race also reminded me why picking a balanced lineup matters. You can’t just stack superstars—you need the right mix of risk and reliability. Briscoe’s 4th-place finish was the kind of payoff you chase with those outside-the-top-12 picks. And honestly? That one felt good.

As we shift gears and look toward next weekend, I’ll be back with a full breakdown of the Top 12 heading into the race, plus my picks blog with the best bets and potential sleepers for your fantasy lineup. If you’ve been following along each week, you know this is where it gets fun—the season’s heating up, and the points are starting to really matter.

Until then, keep the tires warm, stay one lap ahead of your fantasy rivals, and hey—if your picks wrecked out early this week, just tell everyone they were “data gathering runs.”

Catch you soon,
– Bryan

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Bryan
"🏁 Cruising the fast lane for over a decade at DrivingOnMarbles.com! 🚗 Passionate about all things NASCAR and dedicated to connecting fellow fans. Gear up and join the race with me! 🏎️💨 #10YearsAndCounting"