Ryan Blaney doesn't believe tires will be unpredictable in Food City 500

Over the last four races at Bristol Motor Speedway, tires have been the main talking point.

In both the 2024 spring race and 2025 fall race, there was rapid tire wear and a plethora of tire failures. On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, the 2024 fall race and 2025 spring race, both dominated and won by Kyle Larson, featured little tire wear and very little passing. 

A new tire combination for Sunday's Food City 500 (3 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) brought another layer of unpredictability into the race weekend. 

But with a practice session under the belt of the Cup Series field, pole winner Ryan Blaney doesn't believe Sunday's race will feature tire-induced chaos as seen in the spring of 2024 and the fall of 2025. 

Ryan Blaney doesn't think tires will be unpredictable at Bristol

"I don't think it's going to be as unpredictable with the tire as you think," Blaney said Saturday after winning the pole. "I thought we got a pretty good read in practice with it. What I thought was interesting and good was the amount of rubber it laid down on the bottom."

The bottom lane at Bristol this weekend once again features a traction compound meant to encourage multi-groove racing that could happen once drivers work in the top side of the half-mile oval. 

"The top's going to come in tomorrow at some point for sure," Blaney said. "You get in the race, you get 100, 150 laps in, you start to move up."

Sunday's weather forecast for Bristol, Tennessee, calls for a warm day with a high of 80 degrees, which could lead to more tire wear, though expected overcast skies could play a role in making the groove less wide on Sunday afternoon. 

Quotes provided by NASCAR Media.