Food City 500: Winners, Losers from the NASCAR Race Today at Bristol

Randy Sartin-Imagn Images We got a great Food City 500 this afternoon at Bristol Motor Speedway, with Ty Gibbs recording his first-ever Cup Series win. It came in overtime, beating out Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney, which was just the icing on the cake for an eventful race at Bristol. Let’s dive into our winners and losers from the NASCAR race today.

Winner: Tyler Reddick Overcomes Short Track Demons Randy Sartin-Imagn Images Four wins early in a season is great, but Tyler Reddick is only going to become a NASCAR Cup Series champion if he can improve on short tracks. He and the No. 45 team knew that two weeks ago at Martinsville, but starting eighth just ended with a 15th-place finish.

The signs of Reddick exorcising his demons first appeared Saturday, when he posted the second-best time in qualifying. He carried that over into on-track success when it mattered, even overcoming a speeding penalty on Sunday to snag a fourth-place finish. If this can carry over into other short tracks, 23XI Racing has a legitimate championship contender.

Related: NASCAR Standings Today after Food City 500 Loser: William Byron and No. 24 Team’s Rough Bristol Weekend Scott Kinser-Imagn Images The trouble for William Byron and the No. 24 team became evident immediately this weekend.