10:10 pm09
For a second week in a row NASCAR is going to be “Short Trackin’ Saturday Night.” This week it is a Playoff elimination race at Bristol Motor Speedway for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race.
Two drivers in the 16 driver post-season field have won a race to lock themselves in the next round. Those two drivers are Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski.
One driver has clinched his spot in the Round of 12 based on points accumulated through the first two races. That driver is Denny Hamlin.
Four of the remaining 13 drivers in the NASCAR Playoffs will be eliminated from the post-season following this weekend’s race at Bristol. The four drivers without a win and lowest in the point total will be eliminated from championship contention at the end of the race Saturday night.
Some of those drivers only need to score a handful of points to advance. Some of those drivers need to score a lot of points to advance. A couple of those drivers may have to win to have a chance to advance. Below is a look at the NASCAR Playoff standings heading to the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol.
Last week’s short track race was on a track that was 3/4 of a mile in length. It allowed a little more room than will be available on this weekend’s race on a 1/2 mile track. Beatin’, bangin’, bent fenders and lost tempers are very normal when NASCAR races at Bristol. Here is a look at the data for the track and the race.
Bristol Motor Speedway Data
Track Size: 0.533-miles
Banking/Turns 1 & 2: 24-28 degrees
Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 24-28 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 4-8 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 4-8 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 650 feet
Backstretch Length: 650 feet
Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Data
Season Race #: 29 of 36 (09-19-20)
Playoff Race #: 3 of 10
Race Length: 500 laps / 266.5 miles
Stages 1 & 2 Length: 125 laps (each)
Final Stage Length: 250 laps
Now we’ll take a look at the top active drivers in overall performance at Bristol Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Top 10 Active Driver Ratings at Bristol
Kyle Busch…………………..…102.2
Matt Kenseth………………….…99.8
Chase Elliott…………..…..……96.7
Kevin Harvick…………..………95.3
Erik Jones………………..………94.5
Jimmie Johnson……….…………93.1
Denny Hamlin…………..………92.4
Kurt Busch…………..……..……91.1
Joey Logano……..…..…………90.5
Ryan Blaney………………..……90.2
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-Present among active drivers at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Note: Driver names in red are currently in championship contention in Playoffs.
Here is a look at the active drivers that have won points paying races at Bristol in NASCAR’s top division.
Active Drivers with Bristol Win(s)
Kyle Busch – 8 Wins
Kurt Busch – 6 Wins
Matt Kenseth – 4 Wins
Brad Keselowski – 3 Wins
Jimmie Johnson – 2 Wins
Kevin Harvick – 2 Wins
Joey Logano – 2 Wins
Denny Hamlin – 2 Win
Note: Driver names in red are currently in championship contention in Playoffs.
Kyle Busch is the defending NASCAR Cup Series champion. However, he has yet to win a race in 2020. He sits just 18 points above the cut line heading to this weekend’s elimination race. Kyle has the highest driver rating and most wins among active drivers. Will this weekend be the week Kyle finally gets his first win of the season?
Jimmie Johnson is not in the hunt for the championship this year. However, he is in the hunt for a win for the first time in a very long time before the end of his final full-time season in the Cup Series.
Perhaps one of the four drivers currently below the cut line will find a win to shake up the look of the Playoffs heading to the next round.
We will all find out what does happen when the NASCAR Playoffs go “Short Trackin’ Saturday Night” under the lights of Bristol Motor Speedway for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race September 19th starting at 6:30 p.m. CT (7:30 p.m. ET).
By: Buck Stevens
