NASCAR: Bristol Preview

Drivers are scrambling for Round of 12 berths in Bristol Night Race

All three of NASCAR’s top touring series head for Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend with something momentous on the line.

In the NASCAR Cup and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, drivers at or near the bottom of the Playoff grid are trying to stave off elimination as the first round of the Playoffs comes to an end.

NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers, on the other hand, are trying to lock up the final three spots in the postseason in the final regular-season race of the 2021 campaign.

Volatility is the watchword for Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race, the final leg of the NASCAR Cup Series’ Round of 16 (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

A scant 30 points separate sixth-place Kevin Harvick from 14th-place Tyler Reddick, one of four drivers below the current cut line. Kurt Busch in 12th is tied with three-time race winner Alex Bowman in 13th, with Busch holding the tiebreaker based on the best finish in the Round of 16 (sixth at Darlington).

Given the unpredictability of racing at Bristol, where trouble can arise in the blink of an eye, there’s no absolute security below the three drivers who already have secured berths in the Round of 12—Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. via Round of 16 victories and Kyle Larson on points.

That said, Joey Logano should be able to advance if he stays out of early trouble. Logano enters the Night Race 40 points above the cut line, needing to score 16 points to clinch a Round of 12 berth, no matter what else happens.

That translates to a finish of 21st, assuming no stage points, a position that matches Logano’s worst result in the last 11 races at Thunder Valley. The driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford has two wins at the track and an average finish of 15.1 in 24 starts.

Michael McDowell, 16th in the Playoff standings and 38 points below the cut line, almost certainly needs a victory to advance to the Round of 12. The same may be true of William Byron, who trails Kurt Busch and Bowman by 18 points.

That margin isn’t insurmountable, but Byron would have to leap-frog above at least three drivers in the top 12 to advance on points.

“I think it’s going to be a race this weekend to see what we’re made of,” Byron says. “Regardless of the outcome, we’re going to learn a lot about ourselves and our abilities and ability to handle adversity.

“We’ve had the most adversity the last two weeks that we could possibly want. So I think we’re prepared for it. We’ve been through this, and we know what we’re doing. So, just go out there and do the best job we can and try to win.”

The tightest NASCAR Xfinity Series battle is for the regular-season title

There are three Playoff spots still up for grabs as the NASCAR Xfinity Series heads for Friday night’s Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Three drivers are in unassailable positions above the current cutline on points—Jeremy Clements, Riley Herbst and Brandon Jones. At least two of them—the two with the highest point totals among them after Bristol—are guaranteed to advance to the postseason.

Their only vulnerability lies in the prospect of a driver outside the top 12 winning Friday’s race, a circumstance that would eliminate the lowest driver in points among those three. Winning is the only path for Michael Annett, who has missed four races because of a stress fracture in his right femur but still sits 13th in the standings.

Currently 66 points below Herbst in the standings, Annett can’t score enough points to advance, but a victory would turn the trick.

The most intense battle on Friday involves the Regular Season Championship, with AJ Allmendinger leading reigning series champion Austin Cindric by five points. The regular-season winner gets a bonus of 15 Playoff points. Second place gets 10.

“I’m pumped, but, as always, a bit nervous to go to Bristol,” Allmendinger says. “It’s the place where I made my first Cup Series start, so that race track will always be special. It’s one of those races that you know from start to finish you’re going to be in a grind, and you’re going to be in traffic.

“It’s a difficult race, but I think we’ll be really fast there. The Regular Season Championship is on the line this week, so it will be fun battling with Austin going for that title. Hopefully, we can execute all day and have a shot to win.”

Sheldon Creed goes for Round of 10 sweep in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race

Drivers in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series face their first postseason elimination race in Thursday night’s UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics (9 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Only two drivers know they will advance to the Round of 8 — Sheldon Creed, winner of the first two races in the round of 10; and Regular Season Champion John Hunter Nemechek, who already has secured a spot on points.

That leaves eight drivers competing for the remaining six berths in the next round, and the two drivers currently below the cut line, Zane Smith and Chandler Smith, are just five and 12 points behind eighth-place Austin Hill, respectively.

Only 22 points separate fifth-place Ben Rhodes from Chandler Smith, leaving a lot of room for movement on Thursday night.

Creed, the reigning series champion, simply hopes he can sustain the momentum that carried him to dominating wins at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway and Darlington.

“My No. 2 (GMS Racing) team has been absolutely killing it since we started the Playoffs,” says Creed, who will drive for Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series next year.

“I’m ready to head to Bristol with another good starting position (on the pole). Hopefully, we can end this round on another high note and keep building our momentum heading into the Round of 8.”

NASCAR Cup Series

Next Race: Bass Pro Shops Night Race

The Place: Bristol Motor Speedway

The Date: Saturday, September 18

The Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

TV: NBCSN, 6:30 p.m. ET

Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)

Distance: 266.5 miles (500 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 125),

Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 250), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 500)

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Next Race: Food City 300

The Place: Bristol Motor Speedway

The Date: Friday, September 17

The Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

TV: NBCSN, 7 p.m. ET

Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)

Distance: 159.9 miles (300 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 85),

Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 170), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 300)

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

Next Race: UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics

The Place: Bristol Motor Speedway

The Date: Thursday, September 16

The Time: 9 p.m. ET

TV: FS1, 8:30 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)

Distance: 106.6 miles (200 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 55),

Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 110), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 200)

ARCA Menards Series East

Next Race: Bush’s Beans 200

The Place: Bristol Motor Speedway

The Date: Thursday, September 16

The Time: 6:30 p.m. ET

TV: FS1 / Fox Sports Go

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 106.6 miles (200 Laps)

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