NASCAR Cup Series at Bristol: Starting lineup, TV schedule for Saturday's race
The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs is on to Bristol and the cutoff race for the round of 16 on Saturday night.
Four drivers will be cut from the playoffs, and a very surprising name is under the cutline. Martin Truex Jr.'s last-place finish last Sunday at Kansas puts him seven points behind 12th-place Kevin Harvick in the playoff standings heading to Bristol. This is another historically good track for Harvick, who has 11 top-10s in the last 13 Bristol non-dirt races. In that span, Truex has only two top-10s.
But those two aren't the only two near the cutdown bubble. Christopher Bell, Chris Buescher and Joey Logano all are reasonably in need to have a good night on Saturday. On the other side, Bubba Wallace needs a win or to make up a 19-point deficit to advance.
Bristol night races are rarely boring and uneventful, so expect some twists in the tale. Here's what you need to know about Saturday's Bass Pro Shops Night Race:
NASCAR Cup Series at Bristol schedule
Green Flag Time: 5:35 p.m. CT Saturday, Sept. 16
Track: Bristol Motor Speedway (.533 mile oval) in Bristol, Tennessee
Qualifying: 4:20 p.m. CT qualifying on Friday (on USA Network)
Length: 500 laps, 266.5 miles
Stages: 90 laps, 95 laps, 115 laps
TV coverage: USA Network
Radio: PRN
Streaming: NBC Sports app (subscription required); GoPRN.com and SiriusXM for audio (subscription required)
Xfinity Series this week: Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway (300 laps, 159.9 miles), 6:30 p.m. CT Friday on USA Network
Bass Pro Shops Night Race starting lineup
Row 1
1. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
2. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Row 2
3. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
4. Michael McDowell, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
Row 3
5. Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
6. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
Row 4
7. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
8. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Row 5
9. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
10. Corey Lajoie, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Row 6
11. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
12. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
Row 7
13. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
14. Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Row 8
15. Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
16. Carson Hocevar, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
Row 9
17. Ryan Preece, No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
18. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Row 10
19. Justin Haley, No. 31 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
20. Chris Buescher, No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
Row 11
21. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
22. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Row 12
23. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
24. Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Row 13
25. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
26. Aric Almirola, No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Row 14
27. Ryan Newman, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford
28. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
Row 15
29. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
30. Todd Gilliland, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
Row 16
31. Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
32. Harrison Burton, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
Row 17
33. Ty Dillon, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
34. BJ McLeod, No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet
Row 18
35. JJ Yeley, No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford
36. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
NASCAR playoff standings heading into Bristol
1 race remain in the Round of 16; top 12 advance; a win by a playoff driver locks that driver into the next round
1: Kyle Larson — 2,117 (won at Darlington, locked into round of 12)
2. Tyler Reddick — 2,111 (won at Kansas, locked into round of 12)
3. Denny Hamlin — 2,105 (+49 ahead of 13th place)
4. William Byron — 2,097 (+41)
5. Brad Keselowski — 2,089 (+33)
6. Ryan Blaney — 2,081 (+25)
7. Kyle Busch — 2,080 (+24)
8. Ross Chastain — 2,074 (+18)
9. Chris Buescher — 2,069 (+13)
10. Christopher Bell — 2,069 (+13)
11. Joey Logano — 2,068 (+12)
12. Kevin Harvick — 2,063 (+7)
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13. Martin Truex Jr. — 2,056 (-7 points behind 12th place)
14. Bubba Wallace — 2,044 (-19)
15. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. — 2,041 (-22)
16. Michael McDowell — 2,023 (-40)
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: NASCAR Bristol: Starting lineup, TV schedule for Saturday's Cup Series race
