NASCAR News: Playoff Shakeup at Bristol as Bell Wins, Four Drivers Knocked Out
Bristol Motor Speedway’s half-mile, high-banked “bullring” lived up to its reputation on Saturday night, delivering a thrilling Bass Pro Shops Night Race packed with the emotion and intensity expected from one of NASCAR’s most iconic tracks. As the Round of 16 finale in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, the race determined which drivers would advance in their quest for the championship.
–by Mark Cipolloni–
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell seized the lead on a restart with four laps to go, clinching a dramatic victory that bolstered his championship standing and built momentum for the Round of 12, which begins next week at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where he’s the defending race winner.
The night was a high-stakes battle for drivers fighting to keep their Playoff hopes alive. Ultimately, four race winners this season—Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman, Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon, Trackhouse Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen, and Wood Brothers Racing’s Josh Berry—were eliminated from contention for the NASCAR Cup Series title.
Tire wear heavily influenced team strategies, but for the four drivers below the cut line, survival demanded aggressive racing over tire management. Josh Berry was the first to exit, retiring on Lap 75 after a fire in his car’s right-front wheel well. The 39th-place finish marked his third consecutive last-place result in the Playoffs, each due to different issues.
Austin Dillon battled an early pit road speeding penalty, playing catch-up all night and finishing 28th. Shane van Gisbergen, a four-time winner in his rookie season, struggled with three on-track incidents, including two spins, on Bristol’s demanding layout. He crossed the line in 26th, frustrated by the steep learning curve.
Alex Bowman came closest to a miracle save, running up front in the race’s second half during a chaotic event that saw 36 lead changes among 14 drivers. Leading twice—the only eliminated driver to do so—Bowman showed flashes of a storybook comeback. However, his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet struggled on restarts, a critical issue with 14 caution flags disrupting the race. Radio issues further complicated his efforts, leaving him unaware of the points situation at times.
A late twist nearly changed Bowman’s fate. With 42 laps remaining, Playoff contender Austin Cindric lost multiple laps during an extended pit stop to address a right-front issue, briefly dropping to 12th in the standings. At one point, Bowman closed to within a single point of the transfer spot. Despite a strong eighth-place finish, he fell 10 points short of overtaking Cindric, unable to overcome the 23-point deficit he faced at the start.
“Our car was great in green-flag runs but cycled poorly on restarts,” Bowman said. “I’d drive into Turn 1 hoping to make the corner. It just wouldn’t launch, but after five laps, it’d come alive. We couldn’t pinpoint it—maybe I wasn’t cleaning the tires enough. I’m proud of the Hendrick Motorsports team’s fight. If it had stayed green, we had a shot, but that last restart hurt us.”
The NASCAR Cup Series moves to the Round of 12 with the Mobil 1 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday (2 p.m. ET on USA Network, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), where Bell aims to repeat as race winner and continue his championship charge.