NCS: What to watch for at Bristol Motor Speedway

 

Cut off time: The first cuts are coming this weekend at Bristol following Hamlin win at Darlington Raceway and Truex win at Richmond Raceway moving them on to the next round Larson has also locked himself in by virtue of his points lead over both Hamlin and Truex.

Others aren’t as lucky with Bowman, Reddick, Byron, and McDowell all below the cut line and in need of victory this weekend except for Bowman who is tied with Kurt Busch at 2,035 point each.

Busch Bros at Bristol: Kurt and Kyle Busch have a combined 14 wins between the two at Bristol with Kurt winning as recently as 2018 in the fall event and Kyle winning the spring event that year while putting up another win in 2019. The two closets to them in active driver wins are Keselowski and Harvick that split the wins in 2020.

Kyle Busch heads into the weekend as +400 favorite to win the Bass Pro Shops Night race, according to Sports Betting Dime. Trailing just slightly behind him is Kyle Larson with odds listed at +450.

Clinch Scenarios per NASCAR Stats:

This weekend’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway will bring the first round of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs to a close and four drivers will be eliminated from the postseason. With three drivers locked-in and moving on, that leaves nine spots still up for grabs this weekend.

Already Clinched

The following three drivers have clinched a spot in the 12-driver Playoff field of the next round: Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr.

Can Clinch Via Points

If there is a repeat winner or a win by a driver who cannot advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being ahead of the 11th winless driver in the standings. The same point requirements listed below would hold true if a new win comes from among Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Kevin Harvick, Chase Elliott, Christopher Bell, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch or Aric Almirola.

  • Joey Logano: Would clinch with 14 points.
  • Ryan Blaney: Would clinch with 26 points.
  • Kevin Harvick: Would clinch with 29 points.
  • Chase Elliott: Would clinch with 35 points.
  • Christopher Bell: Would clinch with 36 points, 37 points if Aric Almirola wins.
  • Brad Keselowski: Would clinch with 41 points.
  • Kyle Busch: Would clinch with 46 points.
  • Aric Almirola: Would clinch with 51 points.
  • Kurt Busch: Would clinch with 54 points.
  • Alex Bowman: Would clinch with 54 points.
  • Tyler Reddick, William Byron and Michael McDowell: Could only clinch with help this weekend.

The following drivers could clinch on points with a win by Kurt Busch, Alex Bowman, Tyler Reddick, William Byron or Michael McDowell:

  • Joey Logano: Would clinch with 16 points.
  • Ryan Blaney: Would clinch with 28 points.
  • Kevin Harvick: Would clinch with 31 points.
  • Chase Elliott: Would clinch with 37 points.
  • Christopher Bell: Would clinch with 38 points, 39 points if Reddick, Byron or McDowell wins.
  • Brad Keselowski: Would clinch with 43 points.
  • Kyle Busch: Would clinch with 48 points.
  • Aric Almirola: Would clinch with 53 points.
  • Kurt Busch: Would clinch with 55 points.
  • Alex Bowman: Would clinch with 55 points.
  • Tyler Reddick, William Byron and Michael McDowell: Could only clinch with help.

Can Clinch Via Win

The following drivers would clinch on their win alone: Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Kevin Harvick, Chase Elliott, Christopher Bell, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Aric Almirola, Kurt Busch, Alex Bowman, Tyler Reddick, William Byron, Michael McDowell.

Bristol teams up to bring NFT to NASCAR Fans: Fans at home or in person can claim NFTs (non-fungible token) a digital asset that can be sold or traded.

10,000 commemorative Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race ticket NFTs, including 500 golden ticket NFTs will be available at the on-set of the program with the famous Gladiator Sword being sold for $20, and winner NFTs following the Bass Pro Shop NRA Night Race. To sign up and claim your NFTs from Bristol fans can go to racedaynft.com.