The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series hits Bristol Motor Speedway today, Sunday, April 12, and we've got all of the information you need ahead of the race.
The Food City 500 is set to see the Cup Series stars complete 500 laps of the 0.533-mile short track in Tennessee, with stage breaks on laps 125 and 250, before a 250-lap dash to the finish.
Tires were all the talk the last time the Cup Series raced at Bristol in the fall, with Goodyear introducing a softer compound that caused absolute chaos on that occasion, with teams having to be given an extra set of tires mid-race, just to be able to finish.
Christopher Bell went on to secure the victory on that September night, but last spring, reigning champion Kyle Larson was the man to put his car in Victory Lane.
Ryan Blaney is the man to beat on Sunday, though, putting his No. 12 Ford on pole in Saturday's qualifying session, beating Tyler Reddick by just 0.023 seconds. The top 10, in fact, were all separated by just one tenth, which should make for some exciting racing this afternoon.
READ MORE: Kyle Larson hit with NASCAR penalty at Bristol, five drivers punished in total
What time is the NASCAR Cup Series Bristol race today?
The NASCAR Cup Series race from Bristol Motor Speedway takes place today, Sunday, April 12, at 3 p.m. ET.
Here are the race start times converted to your local time zones.
| City (Time Zone) | Race Start Time |
|---|---|
| Charlotte, NC (ET) | 3 P.M. |
| New York, NY (ET) | 3 P.M. |
| Columbia, SC (ET) | 3 P.M. |
| Charleston, WV (ET) | 3 P.M. |
| Augusta, ME (ET) | 3 P.M. |
| Chicago, IL (CT) | 2 P.M. |
| Pierre, SD (CT) | 2 P.M. |
| Nashville, TN (CT) | 2 P.M. |
| Des Moines, IA (CT) | 2 P.M. |
| Montgomery, AL (CT) | 2 P.M. |
| Denver, CO (MT) | 1 P.M. |
| Salt Lake City, UT (MT) | 1 P.M. |
| Albuquerque, NM (MT) | 1 P.M. |
| El Paso, TX (MT) | 1 P.M. |
| Los Angeles, CA (PT) | 12 P.M. |
| Las Vegas, NV (PT) | 12 P.M. |
| Seattle, WA (PT) | 12 P.M. |
| Portland, OR (PT) | 12 P.M. |
| San Francisco, CA (PT) | 12 P.M. |
READ MORE: Bowman had "dizziness" and was "throwing up" on himself during Cup race
What TV channel is the NASCAR Cup Series Bristol race on today?
Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series action from Bristol will be broadcast live on FS1 in the United States.
For those wanting to tune in to the action on the radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and MRN have the call.
Live stream options
Some NASCAR fans may want to live stream today's NASCAR Cup Series action, and there are several options available.
With the race being broadcast on FS1, the FOX Sports App, FOX Sports website, and FOX One are among the places to watch.
As well as being available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, the FOX Sports App can also be downloaded in several other places, such as:
- Apple TV
- Roku
- Xbox
- Vizio
- Google Chromecast
- Fire TV
- Android TV
- Samsung Smart TV
Both the FOX Sports App and FOX One are free to download, but you will need to log in with your paid TV provider details to watch.
FS1 can also be streamed live on the following platforms:
- DIRECTV Stream
- Fubo
- Hulu + Live TV
- Sling
- YouTube TV
READ MORE: No approval, no problem: Cleetus McFarland NASCAR snub is a blessing in disguise
NASCAR Cup Series Bristol starting lineup
| Pos | Driver (Car) | Team (Manufacturer) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Blaney (12) | Team Penske (Ford) |
| 2 | Tyler Reddick (45) | 23XI Racing (Toyota) |
| 3 | Chase Briscoe (19) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) |
| 4 | Riley Herbst (35) | 23XI Racing (Toyota) |
| 5 | Ty Gibbs (54) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) |
| 6 | Ross Chastain (1) | Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 7 | Chris Buescher (17) | RFK Racing (Ford) |
| 8 | Kyle Larson (5) | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 9 | Austin Cindric (2) | Team Penske (Ford) |
| 10 | Carson Hocevar (77) | Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin (11) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) |
| 12 | Bubba Wallace (23) | 23XI Racing (Toyota) |
| 13 | Daniel Suárez (7) | Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 14 | Christopher Bell (20) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) |
| 15 | Zane Smith (38) | Front Row Motorsports (Ford) |
| 16 | Noah Gragson (4) | Front Row Motorsports (Ford) |
| 17 | Ryan Preece (60) | RFK Racing (Ford) |
| 18 | Chase Elliott (9) | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 19 | Michael McDowell (71) | Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 20 | Joey Logano (22) | Team Penske (Ford) |
| 21 | Brad Keselowski (6) | RFK Racing (Ford) |
| 22 | AJ Allmendinger (16) | Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 23 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr (47) | Hyak Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 24 | Austin Dillon (3) | Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 25 | Josh Berry (21) | Wood Brothers Racing (Ford) |
| 26 | Connor Zilisch (88) | Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 27 | Alex Bowman (48) | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 28 | Erik Jones (43) | Legacy Motor Club (Toyota) |
| 29 | Kyle Busch (8) | Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 30 | Cole Custer (41) | Haas Factory Team (Chevrolet) |
| 31 | John Hunter Nemechek (42) | Legacy Motor Club (Toyota) |
| 32 | Ty Dillon (10) | Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 33 | Shane van Gisbergen (97) | Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 34 | William Byron (24) | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 35 | Todd Gilliland (34) | Front Row Motorsports (Ford) |
| 36 | Cody Ware (51) | Rick Ware Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 37 | Chad Finchum (66) | Garage 66 (Ford) |
How many laps is the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway?
The Food City 500 runs for 500 laps, totaling 266.5 miles on the 0.533-mile oval at Bristol Motor Speedway.What are the stage lengths for the Food City 500?
Stage 1 ends on lap 125, Stage 2 ends on lap 250, and the final stage runs to lap 500. Points are awarded to the top 10 finishers in the first two stages and full points to the entire field after the black and white checkered flag.Who won last year’s Bristol race?
The most recent spring Bristol winner was Hendrick Motorsports star Kyle Larson. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell was the winner in the Bristol Motor Speedway playoff race in the fall.Who is on pole for the Food City 500?
Ryan Blaney is on pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race, having beaten Tyler Reddick to pole position by just 0.023 seconds in qualifying on Saturday.Where is Bristol Motor Speedway?
Bristol Motor Speedway is located in Bristol, Tennessee.What is the weather for the Food City 500?
Mostly sunny conditions are expected for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol, with a zero percent chance of rain currently forecast, and temperatures expected to reach 82.4°F.READ MORE: NASCAR Odds: Bristol favorites and long shots for Cup Series race this weekend
