Johnson wins Food City 500

Jimmie Johnson scored his 50th career Cup victory at Bristol Motor Speedway, tying him for 10th on the all time winner's list with Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson. This was his first victory at Bristol—a track on which he has traditionally struggled.

Our View This could be the last piece of the puzzle for Johnson. Last year in this race he said a light switch flipped in his head and he finished third. He came back to finish eighth in the fall and with this victory, it would seem he was correct.

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Montoya wins Food City 500 Happy Hour

Juan Montoya posted the quickest average speed in Food City 500's Happy Hour with a speed of 119.399 mph in 57 laps.

Our View It's still too soon to draw conclusions about Montoya's short track racing skill based on his record, but he certainly has the right attitude to beat and bang with the best stockers in the world.

If he is already on your roster, there is very little incentive to remove him considering his top-10 starting position.

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Johnson fastest again in Happy Hour

Jimmie Johnson backed up his fastest single lap of 122.725 mph in the morning session for the Food City 500 with another fastest lap in Happy Hour. This time, his top speed was 122.287 mph.

Our View His average speed of 119.009 mph was third best compared to second best in the morning session. However, the most important stat is that Johnson ran 116 laps in this session and still maintained that speed. Johnson reports that a light switch has flipped on how to run this place. Perhaps it's time to dump the reservations surrounding his Bristol record and go ahead and recommend him.

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Almirola practically skips Food City 500 Happy Hour

Aric Almirola logged only eight laps in Bristol's Happy Hour and that would seem to suggest this unsponsored team will start and park.

Our View We are reporting this because he was fast enough in Happy Hour and did a long enough run to make us consider him as a dark horse. Running only eight laps, however, suggest this team is not serious about racing on Sunday.

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Logano notably fast in Sat. a.m. session

Joey Logano posted both the fifth fastest single lap (at 121.697 mph) and the fifth quickest average speed (119.717 mph during 55 laps) in the Saturday morning session for the Food City 500. This comes on the heels of winning his first career Cup pole on Friday and his fastest single lap in Friday's practice session.

Our View This certainly makes him a driver to watch closely in Happy Hour, although we are not yet ready to make him a favorite to win the race outright. If he can stay out of trouble, however, he could be headed for a top-five.

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Earnhardt wins Food City 500 Sat. a.m. practice

Dale Earnhardt Jr. had the fourth fastest single lap in the morning practice session for the Food City 500 (at 121.705 mph), but he was strongest on the long run. His speed of 120.039 mph during 55 laps made him the only driver to crack the 120 mark.

Our View Earnhardt has had some strong runs at Bristol in the past, but it's hard to recommend him considering the dismal luck he brings into this weekend. Diehard fans will want to start him, but it is safest to watch him from the sidelines until the crew begins to click.

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Almirola a dark horse?

Keep an eye on Aric Almirola during Happy Hour: he posted the 14th quickest average speed of 119.349 mph during 36 laps of practice and could be one of the most surprising dark horses of the weekend.

Keep an eye on Aric Almirola during Happy Hour: he posted the 14th quickest average speed of 119.349 mph during 36 laps of practice and could be one of the most surprising dark horses of the weekend.

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Johnson fastest in Food City 500 Sat. a.m. practice

Jimmie Johnson posted the single fastest lap of 122.725 mph in Saturday morning's practice session, which confirms his fourth-place qualification effort. In addition, his average speed of 120.039 during 55 laps was the second best on that chart.

Our View We stand by the fact that this is one of his weakest tracks. The issue at Bristol is not so much speed as it is attitude in heavy traffic.

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Yahoo! Qualification Story – Bristol

An impressive 35 percent of Bristol winners have started on the first five rows, but only 18 percent of the top-fives have been earned by that same row. There are going to be some good values deep in the pack, so check out this week's Yahoo! qualification story to find out who they are.

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Logano wins Food City 500 pole

Joey Logano proved that his fastest lap in practice was not a fluke: he backed it up with his first career pole on one of NASCAR's toughest tracks. With a speed of 124.630, he'll lead the field to green on Sunday in the Food City 500.

Our View Starting up front hasn't helped him much at Bristol, but with only two Cup races, he's record can be discounted.

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Logano fastest in Food City 500 practice 1

Joey Logano posted the single fastest lap in the first practice session for the Food City 500 when drivers typically work on qualification trim. His top speed was 124.114 mph.

Our View Logano started eighth last fall and looked good in the early going, but he was slowed by crash damage and finished 16 laps off the pace.

That was not his best qualification effort, however. In 2006, he qualified fifth in a USAR Pro Cup race. That was also a bad omen as he crashed two-thirds of the way through the race.

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Joey Logano 2009 Pit Hat

Labonte crashes in Food City 500 practice 1

Bobby Labonte spun at the 20-minute mark in the first practice session for the Food City 500. He made significant contact with the wall and will almost certainly need to roll out a backup car.

Our View In addition, one of this week's favorites Kyle Busch also spun and a perennial favorite Jimmie Johnson looped down the frontstretch, but neither of these drivers made contact.

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Yahoo! Bristol Preview

NASCAR re-affirmed their "have at it, boys" policy by levying a light penalty against Carl Edwards for his retaliation against Brad Keselowski—just in time to head to back-to-back short tracks. If you thought Atlanta was wild, folks: you ain't seen nothing yet. Check out this week's Yahoo! Preview (.pdf).