Who Will Shine Through in Bristol Night Race?

Photo Credit to Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images for NASCAR

NASCAR

Stratta’s Six: Who Can Win the Bristol Night Race?

For four drivers, their chances at the 2022 Bill France Cup will end Saturday. The Bass Pro Shops Night Race from Bristol marks Playoff race three for the NASCAR Cup Series. As the Round of 16 finale, the bottom four in points will be eliminated after 500 laps around the half-mile track. The points battle at the cut line is as tight as ever, with five drivers separated by just 15 points. Which of the 36 gladiators can conquer The Last Great Coliseum? Let’s break down a few favorites for the Bristol Night Race.

Kevin Harvick

Nobody has had worse luck so far in these Playoffs than Kevin Harvick. Two separate DNFs after top-five days have Harvick at 16th in points, 35 points shy of the cut line, all but needing to win Bristol now. While Harvick’s back is certainly against the wall, he has good chances at a walk-off win. Harvick won the Bristol Night Race just two years ago, and was a Chase Elliott block away from this win last year as well. Aside from poor Bristol outings in 2020, Harvick hasn’t placed worse than 11th here since 2015. It’ll take more than a top-10 this weekend though to keep the 4 team alive in the title hunt. Harvick seemingly thrives under this do-or-die pressure, with three past Playoff must-win victories. Just where is his mindset entering a fourth must-perform weekend?

“For me, just continue to be open-minded about how to drive the car, what to do with the car, give good feedback,” Harvick said. “From the team standpoint, being open-minded is what led us to having the setups evolve and the cars evolve from the guys at the shop, and that constant evolution is a part of the process of developing the car. It’s still very open for development and to find things and be able to hunt for speed. For us, just understanding what we’ve got as far as the car goes, and how do we maximize the potential of our car and not worry about what everybody else is doing. That’s something that we’ve always done a good job of, just to be narrow-minded, worry about our own problems, look at the outside world and take it with a grain of salt to be able to adapt some of the things that work for other people, but you still have to develop your own program and do the things that work for you.”

“I think experience goes a long way as you go down this road. Obviously, it’s different than the regular season because there’s so much on the line, but our guys have been through that battle. Plus, we don’t have anything to lose.”

Harvick caught on fire at Darlington while running fifth, and crashed out of Kansas from fifth as well. Speed-wise, few have shown more potential through both Playoff races than the 4. Should Harvick survive into the closing laps Saturday night, he could be facing a fourth career Bristol triumph.

Kyle Larson

The defending Bristol Night race winner, can Kyle Larson go back-to-back? On record saying that Bristol is his favorite track in NASCAR, Larson should be a heavy favorite for Saturday’s win. While driver 5 only has the one win from 2021, he also has 816 laps led here and a top-10 in all but one race dating back to 2017. Searching for a third win on this season, Larson is as excited as ever to hit the concrete again.

“I think Bristol is definitely higher paced, higher intensity and more chaotic than any other track we go to,” Larson said. “I’m used to high-intensity racing almost every week, so maybe the action ‘slows down’ a little bit for me at Bristol. I guarantee it doesn’t feel slow in the cockpit. It feels crazy and chaotic, and that’s why I love it.”

While he did get the win a year ago in the Bristol Night Race, Larson’s victory was not without a little assistance. Teammate Chase Elliott blocking Kevin Harvick allowed Larson to chase down and eventually pass the 4. 2021 required a lot of luck for Larson to earn this win, can he go out and singlehandedly pull off another stellar run?

Kyle Busch

With his future now known, can Kyle Busch return to the thick of the championship fight? Bristol Motor Speedway is Busch’s best venue on the circuit, with eight wins plus April’s Dirt race victory. Being two points under the cut line, can KB rally at his personal playground? The 18 is seemingly always a contender in Thunder Valley; there’s little standing between Busch and another great performance in Bristol.

“I would like to get back to victory lane at Bristol, no doubt,” Busch said. “We’ve had some decent runs there the last several years and hope we can do the same there this year. We were obviously there earlier this year but it was a completely different kind of race on the dirt surface, but never hurts to get a win there no matter what the surface looks like. There are a lot of unknowns going into this race since there hasn’t been a race with the Next Gen car on the concrete surface, so a lot of unknowns, for sure. It’s always a great racetrack to circle on the calendar and know it’s a time when we can shine. We also have M&M’s on board again this weekend, so hoping we can have a solid finish and get us through to the next round.”

So far in 2022, Busch’s lone win came on Easter Sunday at the Bristol Dirt race, when the leaders spun just shy of the checkered flag. Now returning to the traditional concrete, the 18 hopes for a much more productive night that will not require as much circumstantial luck to end triumphantly. In his last ride here with Joe Gibbs racing, Busch hopes to leave Bristol victorious again.

Chase Elliott

In the mix late last year at Bristol, can Chase Elliott rebound after two disappointing first Playoff races? While winless in points-paying races at Bristol, Elliott does have the 2020 All-Star Race win from the Tennessee track. After entering the Playoffs as the top seed, back-to-back poor runs have seen the 9 plummet to seventh in the standings, just 28 points ahead of the cut line. Regular season Champion or not, Elliott is well aware that Bristol is a must-perform weekend for any hope of another title run.

“No one is safe in this grid and this format,” Elliott explained. “You have to be willing to accept a hard challenge or accept a must-win situation. I’ve said that a lot over the last few years. Phoenix is a must win, so you are just preparing yourself to embrace moments like that more and be more comfortable in situations of that magnitude. We’ll see what it brings.”

“I’m excited to get to Bristol. It’s a really iconic event on our schedule. That fall night race is one that I always look forward to going to. I’m excited about that. Hopefully, you get it (the setup) right because it will be a bit of a guess for everyone.”

While not in jeopardy of being eliminated, Chase Elliott is in desperate need of something to go right in these Playoffs. After an early Darlington crash and mid-pack day in Kansas, the 9 has looked noticeably off from their dominant summer stretch. Elliott was a winning contender in last year’s Bristol Night Race before the cut tire from Kevin Harvick; expect the 9 to be up front again when the checkered flag nears.

Denny Hamlin

Always a threat at any short track, can Denny Hamlin earn a third Bristol trophy? The short track ace owns two past Bristol Night Race swords, most recently from 2019. Hamlin has laps led in the last five races on the Bristol concrete. Entering Playoff race three with two-straight runner-up results, the 11 aims to be one spot better with a very comfortable points position.

“We’re in a good spot and we definitely feel good about how we’ve started the Playoffs from a speed standpoint,” Hamlin said. “We still need to clean up a few things and execute better if we’re going to have a shot to continue advancing beyond this round, but I’m confident going to Bristol this weekend. It would be nice if we can qualify up front and stay there all night to give ourselves a chance to pick up some more Playoff points.”

Seemingly always in the mix on short tracks, Hamlin’s Bristol results have lacked compared to both Martinsville and Richmond. While the 11 has nine wins between the two Virginia venues, he only has two wins in Tennessee. Hamlin heads into this weekend as one of the favorites for Saturday’s victory.

Joey Logano

A two-time Bristol Night Race winner, Joey Logano should not be overlooked Saturday night. Entering Saturday’s elimination race at fourth in points, Logano looks to build upon momentum that saw him take the points lead after Darlington. Finishing fourth in race one, Logano looks to be knocking on victory lane’s door. Logano may do whatever it takes to score another short track win, as the 22 tries to position themselves for a deep postseason run.

After 500 laps of intense short track action Saturday night, the title hopes for four will end. Don’t miss a lap of this Bristol elimination race, as the list of potential winners is lengthy. Coverage of the Bass Pro Shops Night Race kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Written by Peter Stratta

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Photo Credit to Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images for NASCAR