Food City Dirt Race
Bristol Motor Speedway, April 9, 2023
Christopher Bell
Winner
250
Laps
37
Entries
5
Leaders
Christopher Bell won the 2023 Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 9, 2023, leading 100 of 250 laps. Tyler Reddick finished second; Austin Dillon rounded out the podium. The race featured 5 different leaders.
Race Details
Date
Sunday, April 9, 2023
Track
Season
2023
Winner
Leaders
5 drivers
| Pos | Start | +/- | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | +3 | Christopher Bell |
| 2 | 6 | +4 | Tyler Reddick |
| 3 | 2 | -1 | Austin Dillon |
| 4 | 22 | +18 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 5 | 14 | +9 | Chase Briscoe |
| 6 | 25 | +19 | Justin Haley |
| 7 | 27 | +20 | Martin Truex, Jr. |
| 8 | 15 | +7 | Todd Gilliland |
| 9 | 26 | +17 | Kevin Harvick |
| 10 | 23 | +13 | Ty Gibbs |
| 11 | 13 | +2 | Michael McDowell |
| 12 | 11 | -1 | Bubba Wallace |
| 13 | 10 | -3 | William Byron |
| 14 | 18 | +4 | Erik Jones |
| 15 | 20 | +5 | Harrison Burton |
| 16 | 29 | +13 | A.J. Allmendinger |
| 17 | 33 | +16 | Brad Keselowski |
| 18 | 28 | +10 | Chris Buescher |
| 19 | 7 | -12 | Austin Cindric |
| 20 | 3 | -17 | J.J. Yeley |
| 21 | 32 | +11 | Ty Dillon |
| 22 | 30 | +8 | Denny Hamlin |
| 23 | 9 | -14 | Ryan Blaney |
| 24 | 8 | -16 | Ryan Preece |
| 25 | 34 | +9 | Daniel Suarez |
| 26 | 37 | +11 | B.J. McLeod |
| 27 | 31 | +4 | Josh Berry |
| 28 | 16 | -12 | Ross Chastain |
| 29 | 17 | -12 | Alex Bowman |
| 30 | 35 | +5 | Corey LaJoie |
| 31 | 19 | -12 | Aric Almirola |
| 32 | 5 | -27 | Kyle Busch |
| 33 | 36 | +3 | Noah Gragson |
| 34 | 24 | -10 | Matt Crafton |
| 35 | 1 | -34 | Kyle Larson |
| 36 | 21 | -15 | Jonathan Davenport |
| 37 | 12 | -25 | Joey Logano |
Stage Results
| Driver | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Dillon | 2 | 2 | — | 18 |
| Kyle Larson | 1 | 3 | — | 18 |
| Kyle Busch | 3 | 5 | — | 14 |
| Tyler Reddick | 8 | 1 | — | 13 |
| Christopher Bell | 6 | 4 | — | 12 |
| Chase Briscoe | 7 | 6 | — | 9 |
| Ryan Blaney | 5 | 8 | — | 9 |
| Ryan Preece | 4 | — | — | 7 |
| Justin Haley | 9 | 9 | — | 4 |
| Martin Truex, Jr. | — | 7 | — | 4 |
| William Byron | 10 | — | — | 1 |
| Aric Almirola | — | 10 | — | 1 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | — | — | — | — |
| Todd Gilliland | — | — | — | — |
| Kevin Harvick | — | — | — | — |
| Ty Gibbs | — | — | — | — |
| Michael McDowell | — | — | — | — |
| Bubba Wallace | — | — | — | — |
| Erik Jones | — | — | — | — |
| Harrison Burton | — | — | — | — |
| A.J. Allmendinger | — | — | — | — |
| Brad Keselowski | — | — | — | — |
| Chris Buescher | — | — | — | — |
| Austin Cindric | — | — | — | — |
| J.J. Yeley | — | — | — | — |
| Ty Dillon | — | — | — | — |
| Denny Hamlin | — | — | — | — |
| Daniel Suarez | — | — | — | — |
| B.J. McLeod | — | — | — | — |
| Josh Berry | — | — | — | — |
| Ross Chastain | — | — | — | — |
| Alex Bowman | — | — | — | — |
| Corey LaJoie | — | — | — | — |
| Noah Gragson | — | — | — | — |
| Matt Crafton | — | — | — | — |
| Jonathan Davenport | — | — | — | — |
| Joey Logano | — | — | — | — |
Model Performance
How well did the NR-Rating model predict this race? Across 31 matched drivers, the model averaged 9.1 positions off — worse than the season average of 8.5. Below Average
| Pos | Driver | Predicted | Actual | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christopher Bell | 8.3 | 1 | +7.3 |
| 2 | Tyler Reddick | 12.0 | 2 | +10.0 |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | 17.7 | 3 | +14.7 |
| 4 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 20.4 | 4 | +16.4 |
| 5 | Chase Briscoe | 8.6 | 5 | +3.6 |
| 6 | Justin Haley | 21.2 | 6 | +15.2 |
| 7 | Martin Truex, Jr. | 14.0 | 7 | +7.0 |
| 8 | Todd Gilliland | 17.7 | 8 | +9.7 |
| 10 | Ty Gibbs | 8.6 | 10 | -1.4 |
| 11 | Michael McDowell | 15.6 | 11 | +4.6 |
| 12 | Bubba Wallace | 12.6 | 12 | +0.6 |
| 13 | William Byron | 10.8 | 13 | -2.2 |
| 14 | Erik Jones | 17.7 | 14 | +3.7 |
| 16 | A.J. Allmendinger | 20.1 | 16 | +4.1 |
| 17 | Brad Keselowski | 13.8 | 17 | -3.2 |
| 18 | Chris Buescher | 12.0 | 18 | -6.0 |
| 19 | Austin Cindric | 14.0 | 19 | -5.0 |
| 20 | J.J. Yeley | 27.3 | 20 | +7.3 |
| 21 | Ty Dillon | 23.1 | 21 | +2.1 |
| 22 | Denny Hamlin | 6.8 | 22 | -15.2 |
(showing top 20 finishers)
Predicted finish from NR-Rating model. Delta = predicted − actual (positive = driver beat prediction). Confidence: High Confidence = low variance (stdDev ≤ 9), Moderate = medium variance, Coinflip = high variance.
Historical Context
- Christopher Bell: has 21 career starts at Bristol Motor Speedway with a 12.1 avg finish (4 wins) — the model may have underweighted this track history.
- Denny Hamlin: was the model’s top pick based on 49 career starts at Bristol Motor Speedway with a 14.5 avg finish (4 wins), finishing P22 on the day.
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: was the biggest surprise, finishing P4 vs predicted P20. Track history: 30 starts, 17.6 avg finish.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 2023 Food City Dirt Race?
Christopher Bell won the 2023 Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway driving for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Where was the 2023 Food City Dirt Race held?
The 2023 Food City Dirt Race was held at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 9, 2023.