Five drivers who could flip their 2026 season around at Bristol

For a handful of Cup Series drivers, the Easter bye week on the schedule was a much-needed chance to unwind and reflect on the first frame of 2026. 

While none of these drivers are necessarily having bad seasons, they are swinging below average for their standards and for this Sunday's Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway (3 p.m. ET, FS1, FOX One, PRN Radio, HBO Max, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). 

With stats provided by Racing Insights, here are five drivers likeliest to flip their seasons around and potentially score their first victory of 2026 at "The Last Great Colosseum."

RELATED: Bristol schedule | Power Rankings

KYLE LARSON

There are few drivers better than the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports driver at the concrete short track and sitting just ninth in points with one top-five result so far (Phoenix), Bristol can be the perfect swing to get Larson back up near his teammates in points with Chase Elliott (3rd) and William Byron (5th). 

Including three wins at Bristol, Larson has finished sixth or better in nine of the last 11 races at the track and is the defending Food City 500 winner. 

CHASE BRISCOE

2026 for the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team has been forgettable to say the least. Outside of a runner-up result at EchoPark Speedway, Briscoe has finished 36th or worse in three of the first seven races and only has one other top-10 result (eighth at Las Vegas). 

A significant points day could vault the Indiana native into the top 16 of the Cup standings, however. Briscoe owns an average finish of 12.6 at the Tennessee short track, which is his best among all active tracks. 

CHRISTOPHER BELL

Bell's season has been fine so far, but fine isn't the standard the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing driver has set for himself over the last few years. Despite top fives in three of the last five races, only Phoenix has truly felt like a race Bell could win and is coming off a humble seventh-place run at Martinsville. 

Bristol has been amazing for Bell, though. He's the most recent winner at the track and has scored a top-10 finish in all six Gen 7 events on the concrete surface. 

JOEY LOGANO

Sure, the Bristol numbers aren't the prettiest for the three-time series champion in the Gen 7 car. If you take away his fifth-place result in the Bristol Night Race last year, Logano had finished no better than 22nd on the concrete across the last six races. 

However, Logano has a knack for finding speed and after placing third at Martinsville two weeks ago, he can continue his streak of top 10s on short tracks, which currently stands at five. 

CARSON HOCEVAR

For all intents and purposes, Hocevar being inside the top 16 in points is a good sign for the No. 77 Spire Motorsports team. But the speed is there for weekly contention. It's just all about execution for the assertive driver and it's been inconsistent through seven races. 

Hocevar's only top 10s are a pair of fourth-place results at EchoPark Speedway and Darlington Raceway, but his next-best result is 17th at Martinsville. 

Hocevar was nearly in contention to win the Food City 500 last year before a slow stop on the final pit cycle plummeted Hocevar to an 11th-place result. Hocevar has finished 11th or better in three of his five Bristol Cup starts and two of his three short-track top 10s have come in the last five races (Iowa, Bristol Night Race).