The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers will attempt to beat and bang their way into the playoffs at Bristol Motor Speedway Saturday night in the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race.
There are three races left in the regular season and three spots on the Chase Grid not filled by drivers with a win in the 2017 NASCAR season. There are many drivers below the cutoff line of the 16 drivers to make The Chase that will need a win to get in. Among those names are some of the sports superstars like Joey Logano and Dale Earnhardt Jr. to name just a couple.
Saturday night (8/19) the drivers already in The Chase field and those hoping to get in will literally do battle around the 0.533-mile short track of Bristol for 500 laps (266.5 miles). When NASCAR goes “short trackin’” the drivers beat and bang on each other every lap to gain each spot in the race.
If a car is slower than another and impeding the advancement of the faster car, the driver of the faster car will often push the slower car out of the way by hitting the rear bumper of the slower car in front. Most of the time this happens with very little immediate incident. However, the driver that gets moved out of the way can often get angry and look for payback later in the race.
With the advent of stage racing this year there will be an even greater urgency for moving forward past slower cars. That could lead to more moving cars out of the way and potentially more on track incidents due to this maneuver or the payback that can follow. Stages one and two in Saturday night’s race will be 125 laps each while the third and final stage will be 250 laps in length.
The drivers that are able to avoid getting involved in accidents and keep control of their emotions will likely be the ones that will be around at the end of the race with a chance to win.
Let’s look at which active drivers have performed well over their NASCAR Cup Series careers at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Top 10 Active Driver Ratings at Bristol
- Matt Kenseth – 100.2
- Kyle Busch – 99.3
- Chase Elliott – 97.4
- Kevin Harvick – 96.3
- Erik Jones – 93.4
- Jimmie Johnson – 93.0
- Kyle Larson – 92.8
- Kurt Busch – 91.4
- Denny Hamlin – 90.5
- Brad Keselowski – 89.6
NOTE: Driver Ratings compiled form 2005-2017 races (25 total) among active drivers at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The active drivers that have the most career wins in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Bristol are Kurt and Kyle Busch. Both of them are already on the Chase Grid due to their previous 2017 win(s).
Matt Kenseth is above the cutoff line on the grid currently based on points. However, he is the driver that is just above that line. Matt already knows he will not be back in the #20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2018. The remainder of this season could help him or could hurt him get his next job in NASCAR. Matt has won four times in his career at Bristol and getting his fifth this weekend would not only solidify his spot on the Chase Grid, but it could also go a long way toward getting a ride for next season.
Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson are both already 2017 season winners and have each won at Bristol twice in their careers. In fact, Jimmie won the rain-delayed first race at Bristol this season when it was pushed back to a Monday and Kevin is the defending 2016 winner of this race. While neither of these drivers need the win to get in The Chase, the playoff points that come with the win would be an advantage that both drivers would love to have.
Joey Logano also has two Bristol wins in his career. He won a race earlier this season, but because of a part violation that win has been encumbered from getting him into NASCAR’s playoffs. While mathematically Joey could make the Chase Grid without winning a race in the next three, realistically he will need to win to get in and doing that this weekend would relieve a lot of pressure from himself and his team.
Denny Hamlin and Kasey Kahne both have a 2017 win to put them each in the playoffs this year. They both also have a single win previously in their careers at Bristol. Getting another win for momentum heading to The Chase would benefit them both. However, for Kasey there would be even greater benefit since it has been announced that he will not be retained to drive the #5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in 2018. Like previously mention Matt Kenseth, the more wins Kasey can get this year will help him fond a driver’s seat for next season.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is not worrying about having a seat in 2018. He is retiring from full-time racing after this season and his seat will be in the broadcast booth next season. However, Dale Jr. wants to walk away from driving with style. That means he wants to win at least one race in his final season. He has won a race in his career at Bristol and earning a final trip to Victory Lane at the track would also give him one last chance to race for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship that he has not been able to win yet. Dale Jr. is far enough below the cutoff line that a win is the only way he will get into The Chase.
These drivers mentioned are the ones that have won at Bristol previously. There are many other stories around drivers that have not won at the track yet in NASCAR’s top division. What story will be written with a victorious ending and which ones will be the “better luck next time” ending?
We will all find out when the green flag waives Saturday night, August 19th starting at 6:30 PM central time (7:30 PM eastern time) at Bristol Motor Speedway for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race.
By: Buck Stevens
