NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: Bass Pro Shops Night Race
The Place: Bristol Motor Speedway
Track Length: 0.533 Mile Concrete Oval
The Date: Saturday, September 13
The Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $10,447,135
TV: USA, 7 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 266.5 miles (500 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 125),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 250), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 500)
Where To Watch NASCAR This Week:
Thursday, Sept. 11
NCTS Practice & Kennametal Pole Qualifying (FS2 at 3 p.m. ET)
ARCA Race: Bush’s Beans 200 (FS1 at 5:30 p.m. ET)
NCTS Race: UNOH 250 presented by Ohio Logistics (FS1, NRN, SiriusXM at 8 p.m. ET)
Friday, Sept. 12
NXS Practice & Kennametal Pole Qualifying (The CW App at 2 p.m. ET)
NCS Practice & Busch Light Pole Qualifying (truTV, PRN, SiriusXM at 4:30 p.m. ET)
NXS Race: Food City 300 (The CW, PRN, SiriusXM at 7:30 p.m. ET)
Saturday, Sept. 13
NCS Race: Bass Pro Shops Night Race (FS1, PRN, SiriusXM at 3 p.m. ET)
Bristol Storylines and Insights:
- This weekend marks the 127th running of a NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway, not including the three races held on the track’s dirt surface from 2021-2023.
- This is the sixth time Bristol hosted a Playoff race, each race being the elimination race for the Round of 16.
- Denny Hamlin (3) and Kyle Larson (3) combined have won six of the last nine Bristol races including each of the last four races with each winning twice.
- Denny Hamlin won four times at Bristol; three of his four wins came in the last nine races.
- Kyle Larson led 462 of the 500 laps led at Bristol last September, the most ever led by a Hendrick Motorsports driver in a Cup race.
- Kyle Larson won the last two races at Bristol after sweeping both stages in each and leading 87% of the laps (873 of 1000).
- Kyle Larson led 873 laps in the last two Bristol races, the most over a two-race spread on a short track since 1972 (Bobby Allison: Bristol – 903).
- Alex Bowman won the pole for each of the last two Bristol races, the last driver two win three straight poles there was Rusty Wallace between 1997 and 1998.
- The spring Bristol race this year had just four lead changes, the fewest for a Bristol race since August 2008.
- Last April’s Bristol race featured only three cautions, the fewest at Bristol since August 1982 (81 races between).
- No driver failed to finish due to an accident in two of the last three Bristol races, all of the previous 78 races at Bristol dating to August 1983 had at least one accident DNF.
- Last September’s Bristol race had 36 laps of caution, the fewest for a race here since April 1984 (19).
- None of the last 17 races at Bristol ended in overtime; the last Bristol overtime race was in April 2015.
- A driver swept the stages in each of the last four Bristol races; Kyle Larson was the only driver ever at Bristol to sweep both stages and win, doing so in each of the last two races.
- There were only two caution free stages in the stage era of racing at Bristol, one coming last April.
- The driver leading the most laps won six of the last seven Bristol races.
- The final green flag stretch was at least 121 laps in each of the last four Bristol races and at least 57 laps in each of the last seven.
- The final stage at Bristol in April was caution free with final green flag stretch going 235 laps, the 2nd longest in track history (291 laps – March 1980).
- Each of the last 23 races at Bristol was won by a driver with at least 200 Cup Series starts.
- Kyle Larson finished top-10 in 11 of his last 12 Bristol starts including top-fives in all six races there with Hendrick Motorsports.
- Three drivers finished top-10 in the five Bristol races in the Next Gen car: Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell.
- Hendrick Motorsports drivers led 1,027 of the 2,500 laps raced at Bristol in the Next Gen car (41%).
- 873 of Hendrick Motorsports’ 1,027 laps led at Bristol in the Next Gen car came in the last two races with Kyle Larson.
- Kyle Busch’s eight Bristol wins rank fifth all-time but he finished 14th or worse in each of the last six races there.
- Ty Gibbs’ 239 laps led at Bristol are his most led at a track, he led over 100 laps in two of the last four races there.
- Six drivers ended winless streaks of 50+ races at Bristol, more than any other short track in Cup Series history.
- Ryan Blaney finished 11th or better in the last nine short-track races including two wins.
- Five drivers combined won the last 13 short-track races: Denny Hamlin-4, Ryan Blaney-3, William Byron-2, Kyle Larson-2, Austin Dillon-2.
- Christopher Bell doesn’t have a top-10 finish in a night race in 2025 (seven races) after a streak of nine straight night races with a finish of sixth or better prior.
- Four of Erik Jones’ five top-10 finishes in 2025 came in night races.
- Legacy Motor Club had the best finishing non-Playoff driver in both Playoff races.
- St. Louis was Toyota’s 200th Cup Series win. Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch are tied for the most wins with Toyota (56 each).
- Joe Gibbs Racing has won the opening two races of the Playoffs five times.
- Denny Hamlin became the fifth oldest driver to win from pole in Cup Series history, behind Mark Martin, Bill Elliott, Lee Petty, Geoff Bodine and Cale Yarborough.
- Denny Hamlin is the third oldest driver in Cup Series history to win back-to-back poles behind Mark Martin (2009) and Bill Elliott (2002).
- Six drivers won from the pole in 2025, more than the last two seasons combined.
- This is only the second time Kyle Larson finished outside the top 10 in the opening two races of the Playoffs in his career (2014-today), 2024 was the first.
- Toyota led 515 of the 607 laps in the Playoffs.
- Toyota had six of the top seven finishers at Darlington and five of the top eight at St. Louis.
- Bubba Wallace’s 343 laps led in 2025 are his most in a season.
- Chase Briscoe led 551 laps in the last 12 races; he led 617 in his career prior.
- In the stage era, the largest deficit overcome entering the final race of the round of 16 to move on to the next round is 19 points by Bubba Wallace in 2023 at Bristol.
- In the stage era, no playoff driver has won the Round of 16 finale from below the cutline.
- In the stage era, most points a driver has entered the final round of 16 race above the cutline and failed to advance was 14 points by Ryan Newman in 2019 at the Roval.
- At least one driver that was above the cutline entering the final round of 16 race failed to move on in each of the last four seasons.
- The current bubble, 11 points, is the largest ever entering the final round of 16 race. The previous record was 7 points in 2023.
- The final bubble to advance has been 5 or less points in 6 of 8 seasons in the stage era.
- Shane van Gisbergen entered the playoffs +16 to the cutline. If he does not advance, it would be the most points a driver has started above the cutline and failed to move on to the round of 12.
NCS Clinch Scenarios for Bristol Motor Speedway (Playoff Race #3):
Already Clinched
- The following two drivers have clinched a spot in the 12-driver field of the next round: Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe.
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, Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Ross Chastain or Austin Cindric.
- Kyle Larson: Would clinch regardless of finish
- Bubba Wallace: Would clinch with 7 points
- Ryan Blaney: Would clinch with 15 points
- William Byron: Would clinch with 18 points
- Tyler Reddick: Would clinch with 19 points
- Christopher Bell: Would clinch with 25 points
- Chase Elliott: Would clinch with 29 points
- Joey Logano: Would clinch with 36 points
- Ross Chastain: Would clinch with 38 points
- Austin Cindric: Would clinch with 46 points
- Austin Dillon, Shane van Gisbergen, Alex Bowman and Josh Berry: All could only clinch with help
- If there is a new winner from Austin Dillon or another winless driver lower in the standings but still eligible to advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being ahead of the 10th winless driver in the standings.
- Kyle Larson: Would clinch with 8 points
- Bubba Wallace: Would clinch with 18 points
- Ryan Blaney: Would clinch with 26 points
- William Byron: Would clinch with 29 points
- Tyler Reddick: Would clinch with 31 points
- Christopher Bell: Would clinch with 36 points
- Chase Elliott: Would clinch with 40 points
- Joey Logano: Would clinch with 47 points
- Ross Chastain: Would clinch with 49 points
- Austin Cindric, Austin Dillon, Shane van Gisbergen, Alex Bowman and Josh Berry: All could only clinch with help
NASCAR & Bristol, Etc.
Historical & Significant Events at Bristol Motor Speedway:
- Groundbreaking for Bristol International Speedway, as Bristol Motor Speedway was originally known, took place in 1960.
- The track was built by Bowling operator Larry Carrier, Kingsport businessman Carl Moore and construction company owner R.G. Pope and the track measured an exact half-mile.
- The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway was on July 30, 1961, and the inaugural event was won by Jack Smith with relief from Johnny Allen. Smith had a three lap lead when Allen took over and Allen built the lead to as many as six laps.
- Also in 1961, the NFL’s Washington Redskins took on the Philadelphia Eagles in a pre-season game at Bristol Motor Speedway. The Eagles won, 17-10.
- In 1969 the track was dug up and reshaped and the banking significantly increased. Starting in July 1969 the track was measured at .533 miles.
- Financial problems led to sale of the track after the 1976 season to Nashville accountant and attorney Gary Baker and his partner Lanny Hester.
- All of the NASCAR Cup Series races at Bristol have been scheduled for 500 laps, except for both races in 1976 and the second in 1977, which were 400 laps each.
- The name changed to Bristol International Raceway in 1978.
- The first night race was held in the fall of 1978.
- In 1982 and in 1985 the track underwent ownership changes. In 1982 California businessman Warner Hodgdon began buying into teams and tracks. In 1982 he bought out Hester and in 1983 Baker’s half. In 1985 Hodgdon declared bankruptcy. Larry Carrier stepped in to run the track.
- The surface was changed from asphalt to concrete in 1992, becoming the first track on the schedule to be completely surfaced in concrete.
- Larry Carrier led the track for 10 years until he sold it to Speedway Motorsports for a reported $26 million in 1996. The track had a capacity of 71,000 and the Night Race was one of the Series premier events, called the ‘Toughest Ticket in Racing’.
- The track name changed again, this time to Bristol Motor Speedway in May of 1996.
- The track was resurfaced between races in 2007, and the turns were ground down in 2012 to eliminate part of the progressive banking.
- In 2016, Bristol enjoyed its “Biggest Year Yet” hosting the Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol, where border rivals Virginia Tech and the University of Tennessee played a college football game in front of an NCAA-record crowd of 156,990.
- In 2016, a special country music concert was held, featuring a trio of successful local acts. The Honda Ridgeline Bristol Tailgate featured Kenny Chesney, The Band Perry and Old Dominion in front of a crowd of more than 40,000.
- The week following the Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol, Bristol Motor Speedway held a second game in 2016, the Food City Bucs at Bristol presented by Food City. The local favorite East Tennessee State University Buccaneers upset rival Western Carolina University 34-31 in a thrilling come-from-behind victory.
- In 2020, Bristol Motor Speedway hosted the NASCAR Cup Series Open and All-Star Race for the first-time.
- In total, there have been 125 NASCAR Cup Series points-paying races at Bristol Motor Speedway since the first race in 1961, two races each season until 2021 when the track replaced their spring date with the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt track (2021-2023).
- The 2024 season is the first season since 2021 that both Bristol races will be run on the concrete surface. From 2021-2023 the spring Bristol race was run on a dirt surface.
- In 2025, Bristol Motor Speedway hosted the first Major League Baseball game in Tennessee history inside its infield. On Aug. 2, 2025, the Atlanta Braves played the Cincinnati Reds in an official regular season game during the MLB Speedway Classic.