The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway to close out the Round of 16 on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET on USA).
This is the last race before the field goes down to 12 drivers. Chris Buescher, who is 13 points above the cutline, is the defending winner.
Here is a look at the drivers to keep an eye on during the night race at Bristol.
FRONTRUNNERS
Chris Buescher
Points position: 9th
Best finish this season: 1st (Richmond, Michigan, Daytona II)
Past at Bristol: He has 13 starts with three top-10 finishes, two top fives and one win. He led 169 laps before winning the night race last year. Buescher won the last short track race this season – Richmond in July.
Kyle Larson
Points position: 1st
Best finish this season: 1st (Richmond I, Martinsville I, Darlington II)
Past at Bristol: He has nine top-10 finishes in 14 career starts at Bristol. He won the night race during the 2021 playoffs after leading 175 laps. He finished fifth last season after leading 34 laps. Larson only has one finish worse than 10th in his last eight starts (19th in 2019). He has two short track wins this season.
Kevin Harvick
Points position: 12th
Best finish this season: 2nd (Darlington I)
Past at Bristol: He has 42 starts with 22 top-10 finishes and three wins. He won the night race in 2020 and finished second in 2021. Harvick has led 1,209 laps at Bristol. He is the last driver above the elimination cutline with a seven-point advantage over Martin Truex Jr.
Somewhere in the middle
Kyle Busch
Points position: 7th
Best finish this season: 1st (Fontana, Talladega, Gateway)
Past at Bristol: He has eight wins in 33 starts and 2,593 laps led at Bristol. His 16 short track wins are the most among active Cup Series drivers. Busch’s last two finishes at Bristol Motor Speedway were 21st and 34th (engine failure). Richard Childress Racing has struggled as an organization this season with only one top-10 finish at a short track this season. Busch finished third at Richmond in July.
QUESTIONS TO ANSWER
Michael McDowell
Points position: 16th
Best finish this season: 1st (Indianapolis)
Past at Bristol: He has one top-10 finish (2020) in 23 career starts at Bristol with no laps led. He finished 11th last season. McDowell is 40 points below the cutline and likely needs a win to advance to the Round of 12.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Points position: 15th
Best finish this season: 1st (Daytona 500)
Past at Bristol: Two runner-up finishes in 18 career starts (2014, 2016) with no laps led. He has four DNFs in the last five Bristol races. Stenhouse has not finished better than 20th since the spring race in 2018. He is 22 points below the cutline.
Ryan Blaney
Points position: 6th
Best finish this season: 1st (Charlotte)
Past at Bristol: He has 13 starts at Bristol with five top-10 finishes. His best career finishes were fourth in 2019 and 2021. Blaney led nine laps during last season’s race but spun from fifth on Lap 92 after losing a wheel. Made pit stops on Laps 112 and 120 with continued issues. He finished 30th and was 162 laps behind the leaders.
Bubba Wallace
Points position: 14th
Best finish this season: 4th (Las Vegas I, Kansas I, Charlotte)
Past at Bristol: He has eight career starts at Bristol with one top-10 finish (2020). Finished 29th last season after a power steering malfunction knocked him out of the top five. Wallace is 19 points below the cutline after a blown tire and broken toe link led to a 32nd-place finish at Kansas.
