By David Morgan, Associate Editor
BRISTOL, Tenn. – Elimination weekend is upon us.
The NASCAR Cup Series rolls into Bristol Motor Speedway for a Saturday night under the lights in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race which will see the current 16-driver Playoff field cut to 12 when the checkered flag falls on the night.
Racing at Bristol is always intense, but when the lights go down for the night race, the intensity gets cranked to 11. The aggressiveness that the drivers will show on the high-banked bullring that is called “The Last Great Colosseum” to take home the coveted Bristol trophy and the chance to wield the gladiator sword in Victory Lane illustrates why this race is on every fan’s bucket list, because it is a must-see event from start to finish.
Bristol is a track that makes it easy to get caught up in someone else’s mess and if that were to happen to any of the drivers on the bubble, their chances to continue on in the race for the championship could go right down the drain.
Courtesy of his win at Atlanta to start the Playoffs, Joey Logano is the only driver that is truly safe Saturday night, with 11 others hoping to be on the right side of the cut-off line when the checkered flag falls.
The first two races of the first round of the Playoffs have shaken up the standings, with some drivers that hoped to make a deep run in the postseason now teetering on the edge of elimination, including the winner of the last two races at Bristol – Denny Hamlin.
Former Cup champions Martin Truex, Jr. and Brad Keselowski also sit on the outside looking in coming into Saturday night as they look to keep their Playoff hopes alive.
By the Numbers
What: Bass Pro Shops Night Race, NASCAR Cup Series race No. 29 of 36
Where: Bristol Motor Speedway – Bristol, Tennessee (Opened: 1960)
When: Saturday, September 21
TV/Radio: USA Network, 7:30 pm ET/ PRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Channel 90
Track Size: 0.533-mile concrete oval
Banking: Turns: 30 to 34 degrees; Straights: 4 to 9 degrees
Race Length: 500 laps, 266.5 miles
Stage Lengths: First two stages – 125 laps each, Final stage – 250 laps
April 2024 Race Winner: Denny Hamlin – No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (Started third, 163 laps led)
September 2023 Race Winner: Denny Hamlin – No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (Started second, 142 laps led)
Track Qualifying Record: Chase Elliott – No. 9 Chevrolet (14.568 seconds, 131.713 mph –…
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