NASCAR
Stratta’s Six: Who Will Conquer The Last Great Coliseum at Bristol?
Four driver’s championship paths will end after 500 laps around The World’s Fastest Half-Mile. The famed Bristol Night Race will leave its mark on the 2023 NASCAR Playoffs, by eliminating 25% of the contenders. Who are some favorites to hold the sword trophy high as the victorious gladiator in the concrete bowl? Here are some to watch out for in Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race.
Kyle Larson
So far in these Playoffs, the Hendrick No. 5 Chevrolet of Kyle Larson has been nearly unstoppable. Larson took Darlington in dominating fashion, and was fourth at Kansas after leading the most laps. Heading onto his favorite NASCAR track at Bristol, Larson eyes a second Night Race win in three years.
“The night race at Bristol is one of my favorites,” Larson said. “It’s such a prestigious track and race. The fans always show out there and it’s a great atmosphere. I’ve had some good runs on the concrete track, including a win in the Valvoline Chevy in 2021. Valvoline is back this weekend and it would be great to get another win before the Round of 12!”
Larson’s last three Bristol Night Race starts have seen a worst result of sixth, and laps led each time. If raw speed over the last two weeks is any sign, then the 5 should be out front again. Do not be surprised to see Larson contending for another victory. Larson has looked as strong as his championship season through the first two Playoff weeks. One of his 10 wins that year came at Bristol, so Larson is trying to repeat history.
Kevin Harvick
Dating back to his 2020 win here, Kevin Harvick has three-straight Bristol concrete top-10s. The three-time conquerer of The Last Great Coliseum will make his 43rd and final Tennessee foothills start Saturday night. Harvick has far more experience than the rest of the field on the high banks. The Closer hopes to end his Bristol career on top.
“Bristol, the night race, especially, is a place that just has a special feel,” Harvick said. “Being in the Playoffs now and being a part of that event for a long time just gets you jacked up as a driver. It’s just a very intense place to race. It’s an intense place to just make laps, honestly. As you get into that race and understand the magnitude of the situation, especially with Bristol being in the Playoffs, it’s something that I just think is very challenging and exciting to be a part of.”
“I think the thing that people kind of lose track of in these Playoffs. Especially in this particular instance with Bristol, is that a lot of your strategy is dictated off of what happened the first two weeks. Last year for us, going into Bristol we needed to win. That was because of what happened at Darlington when the car caught on fire. We were then behind right off the bat. The ‘just survive’ strategy at Bristol is great as long as you’re up or in the middle of the pack in the points. But if you’re in the bottom third of those points, you’ve got to make some stuff happen and try to get points in the Stages and try to win the race.”
Results are far from telling of the entire story for Kevin Harvick’s Playoffs so far. The 4 was in position to possibly win late at Darlington. Last week Harvick also faded outside of the top-10 late at Kansas. Harvick has shown more speed than almost every other Ford team in the title fight. Can the 4 close out a full race on one of their best tracks? Saturday should be a strong showing for Harvick, but late execution will determine his fate.
Brad Keselowski
If not for a cut tire, Brad Keselowski was on track to win last year’s Bristol Night Race. While Keselowski faded to 13th, his teammate Chris Buescher took the victory. A year removed from such a banner night for RFK Racing, the team’s co-owner is still winless. Now a part of the Playoffs, Keselowski seeks his fourth concrete triumph.
“It was super rewarding,” Keselowski said. “A lot of elation whenever you win. But, when you win a major race, which I think the Bristol Night Race is, and win in the fashion we did with both cars running up front, it’s really confidence-inspiring.”
“It’s good to have both cars in the black, and not in the red when it comes to points. Of course, the No. 6 car having a good 30-something point cushion, which is enough to feel pretty comfortable as long as we just don’t have a complete disaster of a race. The No. 17, still having a cushion somewhere over 10 points – I think he’s 12 or 13 up – that’s better than nothing. Certainly is better than them being in the red. But, not as much as we’d hoped – with Chris [Buescher] having the failure there with the tire at the end of the race in Kansas really shook things up. So that was unfortunate, but I’m pretty confident that we can have two strong cars and good runs this weekend. Looking forward to repeating our results from last fall at Bristol. A lot of energy, a lot of excitement for RFK with both teams. Certainly pumped to go to Bristol this week – it’s one of my favorite tracks.”
RFK Racing led a race-high 278 laps in the Bristol Night Race 12 months ago. Keselowski’s 6 was responsible for 109 circuits paced around the half-mile, only to lose in heartbreaking fashion. After such a strong showing, expect both RFK Fords to be rocket-fast again as they chase Round of 12 berths.
Denny Hamlin
Snakebitten in both of the first two Playoff races, Denny Hamlin can never be counted out at Bristol. Driver 11 has a pair of Bristol Night Race victories, most recently in 2019. Hamlin was the class of the field in Darlington and Kansas only to leave empty-handed. Team 11 envisions a big weekend ahead at Bristol.
“We have a lot of confidence going into this weekend,” Hamlin said. “We feel good about the position we’re in, so I don’t think our approach will change at all. There are seven Playoff points up for grabs. So our goal is to go there, qualify up front and put ourselves in position to win Stages and have a shot to win the race. If we can do that, the other stuff will take care of itself.”
Through two weeks of the Playoffs, the 11 was on track to two dominant wins. 240 laps led, Darlington Stages swept a Kansas runner-up are the results the 11 have put forth so far. Hamlin’s speed has been best of everyone across both weeks. There is little reason for that to change at one of his best tracks. Expect the 11 to be out front again. Bristol will come down to this team closing it out in the luck bank.
Kyle Busch
No conversation about Bristol winners is complete without mentioning Kyle Busch. The eight-time Tennessee winner has his sights set on a fourth checkered flag of 2023. Out of all tracks for an elimination race, Busch has the most confidence at Bristol.
“Bristol concrete is my favorite track just because I’ve always enjoyed that racetrack,” Busch said. “I’ve always enjoyed watching it as a kid on TV and seeing all the races there. And then it being a short track and high banked is cool and fun. It reminds me of some tracks that raced at as a kid coming up through the ranks. I look forward to going there. Bristol is a challenging track. You’ve got to be on top of your game all the time. You can really push the car and try to get the most out of it on the bottom or on the top. I’ve always loved being on the bottom there. I have found most of my wins from the bottom but still you’ve got to be agile and move around.”
The No. 8 crew are trying to advance with an 18-point cushion. Bristol tops the list of tracks where another driver’s issues can take out innocent bystanders though. With that in mind, Busch is far from safe. The RCR team has improved on short tracks throughout this season. A top-10 night if not better should be expected.
Chris Buescher
Defending Bristol Night Race winner Chris Buescher comes into this year’s event with loads of confidence and momentum. The No. 17 Ford won the most recent short track race in Richmond. This began a run of three victories over the last five weeks in the regular season. Last year Buescher played ultimate spoiler, this year he hopes to take a Tennessee two-step closer to Phoenix.
“I love that racetrack,” Buescher said. “We’re always really good there, and that makes it exciting. Just pulling up the ramp into Victory Lane was the big moment when it really sunk in. It’s a long race, and there was definitely a lot going on during the race. We knew we were fast but had to run with it there at the end. That first win for RFK as a company was huge. We’ve had a couple since then, and they’ve been no less special. But that first one was a good time which set us on the right track.”
A strong third-place effort at Darlington helped minimize damage Buescher had with a late tire failure at Kansas. If the 17 can literally keep the wheels on, then a second-straight Bristol win could be in the cards.
The Bristol Night Race is sure to leave feelings hurt and drama aplenty after 500 laps on Saturday. The fan-favorite event will go green at 7:30 p.m. ET on USA, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Can a driver below the cut line win, or will a favorite hold serve on the concrete?
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Logan Riely/Getty Images
