NASCAR
Stratta’s Six: Who Can Summit the Mountaintop of the Bristol Night Race?
500 laps around The World’s Fastest Half-Mile separate the field of 16 from shrinking to 12. The famed Bristol Night Race holds the playoff futures for 15 drivers in the balance. Following the aggressive tire wear seen here in March, nobody quite knows what to expect under the lights on Saturday. The Last Great Colosseum has a few gladiators who stand out as potential victors. Here are a few drivers to keep a keen eye on in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race.
Denny Hamlin
Across Bristol’s 64-year history, four drivers have won three-straight races here. Denny Hamlin hopes to be number five, following an abysmal Playoff showing so far. Driver 11 has four-straight Tennessee top-10s entering Saturday night, and laps led in three of them. The last two trips here have seen Hamlin lead triple-digit laps, including the last 17 in March. Put simply, Bristol is one of Hamlin’s favorite tracks and he hopes to take home a third-straight sword.
“I feel like we can go to Bristol and win,” Hamlin said. “We can control our own destiny there. If we can run in the top two or three all day and score stage points and be there at the end like we are capable of doing, then I feel good about it.”
Even with his astounding Bristol résumé, Hamlin still enters this weekend in a points hole. The 11 falls six markers behind the Round of 12 cut line, meaning Hamlin needs to be on the offense for all 500 laps. Six points can easily be made up in both stages, but Hamlin must also finish well and possibly out-race a few Playoff rivals. Hamlin has a slight uphill battle ahead, but seemingly has the wind at his back for another banner night.
Brad Keselowski
Can RFK Racing end up in victory lane for two-straight weeks? Entering the Bristol elimination race 12 points below the cut line, Brad Keselowski just about needs to win to advance onward. BK is a three-time past Bristol conquerer, and has shown winning pace here recently. Kez was also third on the concrete in March, showing great poise and patience in tire conservation that day.
Chris Buescher’s Bristol Night Race win two years ago could have just as easily been another trophy for BK. That night the No. 6 cut a tire from the lead, having to settle for 13th. That unforced error was Keselowski’s only Next Gen Bristol race outside of the top-10. The veteran won on the demanding Darlington surface in May, and could knock down an equally-imposing Bristol.
Kyle Larson
Calling Bristol his favorite track on the circuit, Kyle Larson can never be counted out on the concrete. The 2021 Night Race winner has three-straight top-fives since then, including fifth in the spring. Larson did have to overcome a few hurdles to finish so well though in the heavy tire wear race.
“I’ll be interested to see how the tire wear is this weekend,” Larson said. “We had a pit road penalty, restarted from the rear and still managed tire wear to battle back for a top-five earlier this year. I really enjoy this track and this race under the lights, so I am looking forward to Saturday night.”
Very similar to Darlington, Kyle Larson’s Bristol stat line is indicative of a driver who should have multiple victories here. Driver 5 is gunning for Night Race sword number two, and trying to erase a streak of erratic results. In the six races since winning Indianapolis, Larson only has one top-five. It will be fun as always to watch the dirt track ace go high, wide, and handsome around the high banks.
Christopher Bell
The last winner on Bristol Dirt, Christopher Bell is surprisingly 0-6 on the pavement. Driver 20 does boast three-straight top-10s however, with laps led in all of these races. Two of those starts were top-fives, with triple-digit laps out front. Trying to reassert himself in championship talks, a big night may be ahead for the 20.
“The cutoff race in Bristol is guaranteed to be crazy,” Bell said. “We don’t know what we’re going to get as far as racing conditions. The spring Bristol threw us for a huge loop, and nobody knows what it’s going to be like this time.”
Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas are no strangers to finding Bristol success, with Bell eyeing a fourth-straight team win here. The current points leader hopes to restart another top-five streak, following a mediocre day at Watkins Glen.
Kyle Busch
Few drivers across NASCAR history have had more success at one track than Kyle Busch at Bristol. Nine career wins counting his 2022 dirt triumph are the most for any active driver at a venue. Despite missing the Playoffs for the first time in a dozen years, team 8 has shown speed capable of still finding victory lane. Busch hopes to be a second straight non-Playoff upset winner at Thunder Valley.
“Tire management will be the biggest key to the race at Bristol,” Busch said. “How much you can preserve the life of your tire by your driving style and the things that you do to not punish the tire will be critical.”
“I love Bristol. Bristol is always fun though it’s gotten a little more challenging over the years with the Next Gen car because it’s a little bit difficult to pass. I think the toughness at Bristol is the amount of banking, the load that you see throughout the entirety of the race. There’s no time to relax. You’re really on top of it for the entire time. That’s kind of what wears on you the most and being at those short tracks is the repetitious nature of down the straightway into the corner and it never seems to stop. It makes it fun for a lot of guys and challenging for others.”
Early Watkins Glen misfortunes ended a four-week stretch of top-10s for the RCR No. 8, including two runner-ups. If Busch is to continue his winning ways in 2024, Bristol is a prime opportunity for a breakout performance.
Ty Gibbs
Nearly 250 laps led and two top-10s are Ty Gibbs’ stats across a mere three Bristol starts. In short, Bristol may be Gibbs’ best remaining shot in 2024 at a first career victory. Driver 54 paced the field for much of March’s race here, sweeping both stages before falling back to fifth. The Bristol Night Race has only ever seen one first-time Cup Series winner (Ernie Irvan, 1990). Gibbs is gunning to join this elite list and extend his maiden Playoff run.
“We’ve run well at Bristol the last two times,” Gibbs said. “So hopefully we can lead laps and finish well so we can advance in the Playoffs. The night race is a big event and even more so since it’s a cutoff race. Hopefully we’ll have a good He Gets Us Toyota Camry and can finish strong.”
Bristol is quickly becoming one of the most consistent racetracks for the sophomore star. Nearly half of Gibbs’ career laps led are at Bristol, as well as one of his best oval average finishes. Should team 54 execute a clean race, unlike their first two postseason outings, Gibbs may grab his first Cup Series checkered flag this weekend.
Only one driver being safely onto the Round of 12 brings a nearly unparalleled level of drama and intrigue to the Bristol Night Race. Any early incident may derail a championship hopeful’s entire season, and leave them on the sidelines for the last seven weeks. The Bass Pro Shops Night Race goes green Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on USA, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Which four drivers will be left in the pits, and who will summit the Bristol mountaintop?
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credits to Johnathan Bachman/Getty Images
