NASCAR playoffs in Bristol: Hamlin wins; Truex, Wallace advance; Harvick, Logano eliminated

Denny Hamlin’s postrace victory interviews are becoming quite memorable for how he amusingly handles the haters.

“Man, everybody likes a winner,” Hamlin told NBC Sports’ Marty Snider with a smile after being greeted by boos from what seemed like most in a crowd of more than 100,000 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Then he delivered the swagger that makes him a target

“Can’t thank this whole team enough; they’ve really kicked ass this whole first round,” said Hamlin, who closed the Round of 16 with consecutive finishes of second and first. “Really amazing how our team has been. So happy about the way we’re running. Can’t wait to keep going.

“It’s our year. I just feel like we’ve got it all put together. We’ve got the speed every single type of racetrack. Nothing to stop us at this point.”

And is the fans’ negativity a motivator?

“Hey, I beat your favorite driver,” he said.

And who, asked Snider, would that be?

“All of them.”

It was reminiscent of Hamlin telling fans at Pocono Raceway that they could “boo my rock” after his record seventh victory at the 2.5-mile track that honors winners with a rock marker outside the garage.

Hamlin continued getting jabs in during his media center interview, jokingly warning that he’d use the sword awarded to Bristol winners to fend off any haters on his way out of the track.

Here’s where everybody finished at Bristol Motor Speedway and where things stand in the points standings after the Round of 16:

Click here for the results. Click here for the penalty report.

Click here for the driver points standings after Bristol.

Click here for the team points standings.

Click here for the reseeded points standings for the Round of 12.

Click here for the reseeded team points standings.

Kevin Harvick’s final shot at winning a Cup championship ended with a whimper.

The future Hall of Famer, who is retiring after the 2023 season for a job as a Fox analyst, finished five laps down in 29th without his No. 4 Ford being involved in an incident.

“We’ve been like that all year,” Harvick said. “We’ve been hit or miss. Tonight we just missed by a mile. I’ve had some good days and bad days (at Bristol), but that’s definitely the worst one I’ve had with fenders on it. I didn’t really have many expectations with as up and down as the year has been. It is what it is. It’s probably about what we deserve.”

The 2014 champion still has seven races left to make one last trip to victory lane.

On the flip side of Harvick’s night was Michael McDowell, who needed to win to advance and ran in the top five for much of the race.

“Tonight it wasn’t enough,” McDowell said. “We were in a must-win situation. Still proud of everyone at Front Row Motorsports. Not quite fast enough to run with the top two or three guys but pretty good. Those first two races just killed us, put us so far behind.

“This is a learning experience. It’s a young group. We didn’t do what we wanted to do here in these playoffs. I think we showed speed, showed that we could do it. We’ll learn from this, get ready for next year. Still have a lot to fight for this year, too. Really proud of everybody.”

The boos rained down on Bubba Wallace, but the 23XI Racing driver didn’t care.

“Good, I love that shit right there,” Wallace told NBC Sports’ Dave Burns. “Counting us out. Like (U.S. Open women’s champion) Coco Gauff said, all they’re doing is adding fuel to the fire. I love it.

“I love where I’m at with this team. Wish my mom, dad, sister were here to celebrate with me. I mean, a career year. Just got to keep it going.”

Wallace entered the race 19 points below the cutline but with the belief he could make the Round of 12 by finishing fifth in both stages and fifth overall.

He outdid himself with a third in Stage 1, but he then struggled with the handling of his No. 23 Toyota for most of the final 350 laps, overcoming some late contact with Kyle Larson.

“I’m mentally exhausted,” Wallace said. “I’m worn out. Gave it our all there. Battled hard and executed. That’s what you got to do. We know next week’s a reset. We just got to go out and have some fun, work our asses off. Thank you to the ones that believe in me. Keep it going. Yeah, on to next week.”

Denny Hamlin won at Bristol Motor Speedway, and his 23XI Racing got a big win, too.

Bubba Wallace, who drives the No. 23 Toyota co-owned by Hamlin and NBA legend Michael Jordan (who watched from Wallace’s pit box), earned the final spot in the Round of 12 with a 14th-place finish.

Joey Logano (34th), Kevin Harvick (29th), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (10th) and Michael McDowell (fifth) were eliminated from championship eligibility.

Martin Truex Jr., who started the race seven points below the cutline, also advanced with a 19th and avoided becoming the first regular-season champion to be eliminated in the playoffs.

Kyle Larson finished second in the race, followed by pole-sitter Christopher Bell, Chris Buescher and Ty Gibbs.

Hamlin, who led 142 of 500 laps, rebounded from an early penalty for speeding in the pits, scoring his third victory of the season, the 51st of his career and his third at Bristol (all in the night race, the first two in 2012 and ’19).

“It’s amazing how good our team has been,” Hamlin said. “It’s our year. I just feel we’ve got it all put together. We’re fast at every track. Nothing to stop us at this point.”

Though he has yet to be officially eliminated from the playoffs, Joey Logano gave a review of his disappointing 2023 season after being knocked out at Bristol by a midrace wreck.

“You don’t want to wish misfortune on people for your own good, but it’s kind of our only hope at the moment,” Logano told reporters. “It’s what happens. You don’t go fast enough, you’re in the back and they wreck in front of you at Bristol on a restart and you’re going so fast that you can’t whoa up or turn or do anything and you get kind of pile drove into the wreck. It’s our own fault.”

The defending Cup Series champion has only one victory in the first 29 races this year.

Did the race feel like the same uphill battle as his season?

“Yeah. I haven’t really felt like we’ve made any big gains that we need to, and unfortunately it seems like it’s at every track,” he said. “Typically you may say, ‘Oh, we’re off on a mile-and-a-half, but our short tracks are OK or your road courses are OK.’ It just seems like we’re off everywhere right now, so we’ll see what happens here the rest of the race and if we get knocked out it gives us a few races to swing big and try to figure it out for next year.

“That’s about where we’re at, so we’ll wait anxiously. I keep watching the TV behind you. I’m pretty distracted at the moment, but it is what it is. We just move forward from here.”

WIth 80 laps remaining, Logano currently would be the first driver to be eliminated, five points behind Bubba Wallace. Barring major trouble for Wallace or another playoff driver such as Martin Truex Jr. or Ross Chastain, he likely will be unable to defend his title.

With 100 laps remaining at Bristol Motor Speedway, Denny Hamlin leads Kyle Larson by 1.243 seconds in a battle of two of the season’s best teams.

Hamlin and Larson both have rebounded from adversity in the race. Each was given penalties on their first pit stop (Hamlin for speeding; Larson for running over equipment). Larson also started at the rear because of a bobble in qualifying.

The rest of the top five: Christopher Bell, Chris Buescher, Ty Gibbs.

Martin Truex Jr. picked up a major wiggle off Turn 4 but managed to save his car as the yellow flag flew.

Truex’s No. 19 Toyota was in 19th and the first car a lap down, but he won’t get the free pass back on the lead lap because he caused the caution.

Through he kept the car beneath him, Truex did appear to sustain slight right-rear damage in the incident. He remains 11th in the live points standings, five points ahead of the cutline for advancement to the Round of 12.

Here’s where things stand with 150 laps remaining at Bristol Motor Speedway:

Based on live points standings (which includes points from the first two stages), Currently out of the playoffs are Joey Logano (minus-4), Kevin Harvick (minus-4), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (minus-nine) and Michael McDowell (minus-17).

Above the cutline (and positioned to make the Round of 12) are: Bubba Wallace (plus-4), Martin Truex Jr. (plus-5), Ross Chastain (plus-20) and Ryan Blaney (plus-24).

Here are the running positions of drivers on the bubble:

Michael McDowell, seventh
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 13th
Bubba Wallace, 14th
Martin Truex Jr. 19th, last car on lead lap
Kyle Busch, 20th, one lap down
Ryan Blaney 23rd, one lap down
Ross Chastain 25th, one lap down
Kevin Harvick 29th, two laps down
Joey Logano 34th, out of the race

Rookie Ty Gibbs is bidding to become the second consecutive playoff driver to win the Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The 2022 Xfinity Series champion snatched the lead on a restart and has maintained a gap over Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin.

If Gibbs is able to score his first Cup victory, he would follow in the tracks of Chris Buescher, who delivered the first win for Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing a year ago at Bristol despite being outside the playoffs.

A crash by Corey LaJoie has defending Cup series champion Joey Logano on the ropes in the fight to advance in the playoffs.

LaJoie’s No. 7 Chevrolet spun down the backstretch, clipping the end of the pit wall in Turn 3. He spun up the banking into traffic that included Logano, whose No. 22 Ford took major left-side damage.

After a pit stop to assess damage that was evaluated to be unrepairable, Logano drove to the garage and exited the trace.

The Team Penske driver will finish no higher than 34th and earn one point after entering the race only 12 points above the cutline in 11th place.

Logano now waits to learn his fate but is in serious danger of being eliminated by finishing the round outside the top 12 in the standings.

It’s been a steady night at the front for pole-sitter Christopher Bell, who won the first two stages as other playoff contenders struggled mightily.

Kevin Harvick (33rd), Joey Logano (32nd) and Ross Chastain (27th) were all a lap down at the halfway point of the 500-lap race.

Kyle Busch (23rd) and Martin Truex Jr. (22nd) narrowly avoided the same fate but hung onto the lead lap ahead of Bell.

With 250 laps remaining to determine which four drivers will be eliminated from the playoffs, Michael McDowell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Bubba Wallace probably will need to win to advance.

Harvick, Logano, Chastain, Truex and Busch could advance on points, but all remain in danger of possible elimination.

After starting shotgun on the 36-car field, Kyle Larson has found his groove at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Larson moved into first by pole-sitter Christopher Bell after briefly losing a few spots on the Lap 138 restart. The 2021 Cup champion swung his No. 5 Chevrolet into the upper groove and found a speed boost near the wall, passing Michael McDowell, William Byron, Ty Gibbs and then Bell.

Given his dirt-track prowess, few are better at hugging the wall than Larson, so he could be tough to beat if the high lane remains an option for the final 320 laps.

The defending Cup Series champion could be in danger of missing the Round of 12.

Joey Logano, who has struggled for speed much of the season, fell a lap down to pole-sitter Christopher Bell on Lap 169.

In 32nd of 36 cars, Logano’s chance of scoring stage points now is nil, and he might need a big second-half rebound to stay eligible to defend his championship.

A few laps later, fellow playoff driver Kevin Harvick also fell a lap down in 31st. Harvick entered the race only seven points above the cut line, trying to stay eligible in his final NASCAR season.

The Cup race has resumed at full speed at Bristol Motor Speedway with 110 laps remaining in Stage 2.

Christopher Bell is leading over Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Ty Gibbs, who maneuvered past William Byron and Kyle Larson on the restart.

The red flag has been replaced by the yellow as the rain has ebbed at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Cars began circling the track behind the pace car under caution after a 15-minute break for a passing shower.

When the race returns to green, pole-sitter Christopher Bell will be leading.

The action has been stopped at Bristol Motor Speedway for the first time since the race started because of a passing shower.

The race, which already was under yellow since the end of Stage 1, was halted on Lap 137 (12 laps into Stage 2).

The running order on Lap 137:

1. Christopher Bell; 2. Kyle Larson; 3. William Byron; 4. Ty Gibbs; 5. Chase Elliott; 6. Chris Buescher; 7. Michael McDowell; 8. Ryan Preece; 9. Alex Bowman; 10. Ryan Blaney.

Other playoff drivers: Denny Hamlin 11th; Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 12th; Kevin Harvick 18th; Ross Chastain 24th; Bubba Wallace 25th; Brad Keselowski 26th; Tyler Reddick 27th; Kyle Busch 28th; Martin Truex Jr. 29th; Joey Logano 30th.

Winners and losers from the first stage at Bristol Motor Speedway:

—Pole-sitter Christopher Bell picked up his third stage victory of the season.

—Bubba Wallace (eight points), William Byron (seven), Ross Chastain (five), Brad Keselowski (four) and Martin Truex Jr. (two) also picked up points with top-10 stage finishes as they try to advance to the Round of 12.

Playoff drivers who missed out on points: Kyle Busch, Chris Buescher, Michael McDowell, Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Joey Logano (who plummeted several spots to 24th in the closing laps of the stage) and Kevin Harvick.

The green flag is waving again after a brief delay for rain at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Corey LaJoie managed to fend off a challenge from Christopher Bell, who wants to win Stage 1 not just for the 10 points that will help secure his advancement to the Round of 12 but also for the playoff point that will carry through the rest of the season.

Bristol Motor Speedway is under caution for a second time, keeping Corey LaJoie in the lead.

LaJoie had led 36 laps since taking the lead by staying on track during the first caution. The Spire Motorsports driver was in danger of being passed for first by pole-sitter Christopher Bell when the yellow flew becase of preciptiation.

As the field starts to circle under caution, the rest of the top five are playoff drivers Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain and Tyler Reddick.

Michael McDowell is in sixth, followed by Ty Gibbs, William Byron, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski.

The pits have opened, but with the stage ending in 17 laps, only a handful of cars (including McDowell) elected to stop.

With some cars staying on track during the race’s first yellow, the field was jumbled for the first restart.

Corey LaJoie took the lead by virtue of staying out ahead of playoff drivers Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain and Tyler Reddick.

Pole-sitter Christopher Bell, who led the first 70 laps, restarted seventh after emerging third from the pits among cars that stopped. But he climbed back up to fifth on Lap 80.

The yellow flag has flown for AJ Allmendinger, who clipped the wall in Turn 4 and then ran into Austin Cindric coming down the banking.

The accident occurred just behind Christophe Bell, who just had put Allmendinger a lap down.

Cindric seemed to get the worst of the incident as his No. 2 Ford caught air after an impact to its right front.

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The first caution brought Bell and the rest of the lead-lap drivers to the pits.

Denny Hamlin became the first playoff driver to incur a major mistake, getting penalized for speeding. Kyle Larson, who had started last on the field, also was penalized for running over equipment during his stop.

The pole-sitter has led the first 50 laps at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Christopher Bell has been in command through the first stint of the 500-lap race despite some fierce battles with lapped traffic. Bell had to work hard to put Daniel Suarez a lap down and later struggled to get by Austin Cindric.

Bell has maintained a lead of a few car lengths over Denny Hamlin, who seems content to allow his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate room to maneuver through the field without applying pressure.

The rest of the top five at Lap 50: Michael McDowell, William Byron and Ty Gibbs.

The positions of other playoff drivers after 50 laps:

Martin Truex Jr. sixth; Brad Keselowski seventh; Bubba Wallace ninth; Tyler Reddick 10th; Ryan Blaney 11th; Kyle Busch 13th; Kevin Harvick 18th; Ross Chastain 19th; Joey Logano 22nd; Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 23rd; Kyle Larson 26th.

After a 35-minute delay for inclement weather, the NASCAR Cup Series is under way at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The green flag waved at 7:10 p.m. ET with Christopher Bell in the lead. Michael McDowell, who is one of four drivers below the cut line and in need of a victory to advance, jumped past Denny Hamlin into second place on the first lap.

Hamlin quickly recovered to retake second from McDowell.

Through five laps, the top five are Bell, Hamlin, McDowell, William Byron and Ty Gibbs.

After circling for nearly 10 minutes, cars have pulled off the track to the pits at Bristol Motor Speedway, which remains under threat from intermittent rain.

NASCAR on NBC pit reporter Marty Snider reported that Brad Keselowski and other drivers expressed concern that the rain was making the track unsafe.

But in an interview with the booth, pole-sitter Christopher Bell said he was ready to go.

As of 7 p.m. ET, the field was in the frontstretch pit lane as three pickup trucks circled the concrete track, which seems to have remained largely dry.

After a brief delay, Cup cars are on track at Bristol Motor Speedway at 6:49 p.m. ET.

The 0.533-mile concrete oval seems ready to race after a few pace laps.

Christopher Bell will lead the field to the green for the third consecutive race. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver also won the pole position in the opening two races of the playoffs at Darlington Raceway and Kansas Speedway.

Click here for the starting lineup.

NASCAR is in a holding pattern at Bristol Motor Speedway.

After firing the engines shortly before 6:30 p.m. ET, NASCAR had teams cut the power to wait through some sprinkles on the 0.533-mile oval.

Teams were told to refire the engines at 6:35 (the original green flag time), but NASCAR cut them off again a few minutes later when the preciptiation lingered.

The good news: The track remains in raceable condition at 6:42 p.m. as three pickup trucks circled to ensure the concrete oval remains dry.

It’s just a matter of waiting for out the brief shower (the kind that are common in this mountainous area just off the Appalachian Trail).

Some offerings from NBC Sports writers to preview 500 laps at Bristol Motor Speedway:

—Martin Truex Jr. is known for being one of the cleanest drivers in the Cup Series. Will the 2017 Cup Series champion venture outside his comfort zone to advance? Dustin Long explores the aggression level.

—Last year’s night race at Bristol produced several steering failures and tire problems. Dr. Diandra Leslie-Pelecky takes a look at some potential solutions for this year.

—Truex and other past Cup champions are trying to avoid making some dubious history, Long writes.