It’s elimination night at Bristol Motor Speedway, where four drivers will be cut from championship contention after the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, the last event of the first round in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
Sixteen drivers entered the playoffs with aspirations of claiming the 2024 championship. However, by the conclusion of Saturday night’s race, that number will dwindle to 12 as the four drivers at the bottom of the playoff standings will be eliminated.
Joey Logano will not face the threat of elimination, having secured an automatic place in the second round by winning the opening playoff race at Atlanta Motor Speedway two weeks prior. Last weekend, non-playoff driver Chris Buescher prevented the other 15 contenders from reaching victory lane with a win at Watkins Glen International.
Denny Hamlin could find relief at Bristol following a challenging playoff start. Hamlin, who won at Bristol in March and was victorious at last year’s Bristol Night Race, currently sits 13th, six points below the cutline for advancement. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver enters the event with confidence, having won the night race three times throughout his career.
The anticipation builds as fans wonder who will emerge victorious Saturday night and who will see their championship aspirations come to an end. Here’s what you need to know for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race:
The race is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. Fans can watch the event on USA Network, which will air a pre-race show starting at 7 p.m. ET. For those looking to stream the race, it will be available on the NBC Sports website, the NBC Sports app, and Fubo.
The Bass Pro Shops Night Race consists of 500 laps on the 0.533-mile track, totaling 266.5 miles. The race is split into three segments: Stage 1 features 125 laps, Stage 2 also consists of 125 laps, and Stage 3 includes 250 laps.
In the most recent NASCAR Cup races at Bristol, Denny Hamlin started third, leading 163 laps, including the last 17, and winning the race against teammate Martin Truex Jr. on March 17, 2024. One year earlier, Hamlin started second, led 142 laps, and won the playoff elimination race on September 16, 2023.
As the playoff race approaches, the driver standings are as follows:
1. Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing – 2,089 points
2. Austin Cindric, Team Penske – 2,086 points
3. Joey Logano, Team Penske – 2,084 points
4. Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports – 2,084 points
5. Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Racing – 2,079 points
6. Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing – 2,073 points
7. Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports – 2,073 points
8. Ryan Blaney, Team Penske – 2,072 points
9. Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports – 2,069 points
10. William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports – 2,068 points
11. Chase Briscoe, Stewart-Haas Racing – 2,049 points
12. Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing – 2,049 points
13. Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing – 2,043 points
14. Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing – 2,037 points
15. Martin Truex Jr., Joe Gibbs Racing – 2,035 points
16. Harrison Burton, Wood Brothers Racing – 2,029 points
The lineup for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol is as follows:
1. Alex Bowman (P), Chevrolet
2. Kyle Larson (P), Chevrolet
3. William Byron (P), Chevrolet
4. Martin Truex Jr. (P), Toyota
5. Chase Briscoe (P), Ford
6. Christopher Bell (P), Toyota
7. Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
8. Denny Hamlin (P), Toyota
9. Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet
10. Chase Elliott (P), Chevrolet
11. Bubba Wallace, Toyota
12. Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
13. Ty Gibbs (P), Toyota
14. Ryan Preece, Ford
15. Tyler Reddick (P), Toyota
16. Noah Gragson, Ford
17. Chris Buescher, Ford
18. Michael McDowell, Ford
19. AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet
20. Joey Logano (P), Ford
21. Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet
22. Ryan Blaney (P), Ford
23. Brad Keselowski (P), Ford
24. Todd Gilliland, Ford
25. Josh Berry, Ford
26. Justin Haley, Ford
27. Austin Cindric (P), Ford
28. John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota
29. Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
30. Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
31. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet
32. Erik Jones, Toyota
33. Zane Smith, Chevrolet
34. Harrison Burton (P), Ford
35. Daniel Suarez (P), Chevrolet
36. Kaz Grala, Ford
37. Josh Bilicki, Ford