The Cup Series heats up tonight as it returns to Bristol Motor Speedway for the 2024 Bass Pro Shops Night Race. Bristol Motor Speedway is a 0.533 mile concrete track sporting 24-28 degrees of banking in the turns that is truly a test of a driver and their equipment. Hosting NASCAR annually since 1961, Bristol is one of the races that is looked forward to the most by both drivers and fans alike. Following tonight’s race, the bottom four drivers in the playoff standings will be eliminated, with the remaining 12 moving on to continue to fight for a championship.
To win tonight, the focus is going to be on tires. As you may recall, Bristol was an absolutely chaotic mess back in the spring that featured a track-record 54 lead changes due to the extreme fall off and wear on tires. The veterans of the sport made their presence known and proved just how important it is to manage your car and equipment. With the same tire compound to be in use again, drivers will hopefully be more prepared and ready to get the most out of their equipment without overdoing it. Ultimately, four fresh Goodyear titles are a must at every possible chance for drivers. Also, it’s a short track, so track position is king. The Gen 7 car has made passing much more difficult, testing the drivers and their patience. Passing is possible, but it may take 10-20 laps to pull off a pass at times, especially if you are trying to pass on the bottom in the unpreferred line. Finding a way to get your car to the front will be key to giving yourself a chance to the win and will undoubtedly give you the edge on your competition given those difficulties. The speed is found around the top, but if you get too high, you’ll scrape the wall and damage your car. So maximizing your speed is definitely going to leave you right on the edge of risk vs. reward. Finally, just stay patient. 500 laps is a very long time to make up ground, but it’s also just as long of a time to mess up and ruin your day. Manage your tires, manage your car, manage your emotions and you very well may have that extra edge needed to take home the victory.
The Bass Pro Shops Night Race was first held in 1961 and has produced an incredible list of winners over the years, including Jack Smith, Bobby Johns, Fred Lorenzen, Ned Jarrett, Paul Goldsmith, Richard Petty, David Pearson, Bobby Allison, Charlie Glotzbach, Benny Parsons, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Terry Labonte, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Ernie Irvan, Alan Kulwicki, Mark Martin, Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher, just to name a few.
Darrell Waltrip has won this race the most times, finding victory lane seven times here in his career. Cale Yarborough won this race five times, while Dale Earnhardt Sr. took the checkered flag four times. Rusty Wallace, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin each have three wins in this race, while Fred Lorenzen, David Pearson, Bobby Allison, Richard Petty, Terry Labonte, Mark Martin, Carl Edwards, Joey Logano, Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick each have a pair of victories in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race.
Last year’s edition was won by Denny Hamlin, who took the lead late and led 142 laps on his way to the victory. Kyle Larson finished second, while Christopher Bell finished third after leading a race-high 187 laps. Chris Buescher and Tyler Gibbs rounded out the top five, while Corey LaJoie finished 25th after leading a career-high 48 laps.
Coverage of the Bass Pro Shops Night Race can be seen on the USA Network, with pre-race beginning at 7 PM EST and green flag coverage beginning at 7:30 PM EST.
Alright, let’s be honest. 99 times out of 100, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is rarely the man to beat at any Cup Series race. Primarily a superspeedway ringer, Stenhouse is mostly just a field filler at the remaining track types. That being said, his 2024 results aren’t very impressive, with just two top 5’s and five top 10 finishes on the campaign. But Bristol, for whatever reason, is a puzzling labyrinth for Stenhouse. Stenhouse has had great showings here (four top 5’s and seven top 10’s), but equally bad showings (eight finished outside the top 20). Lately, it’s been an absolute struggle for Stenhouse, with six finishes of 30th or worse in his last eight Bristol starts, including four DNF’s over that stretch. Stenhouse starts 31st tonight, so expect more of the status quo, as I predict that Stenhouse will finish outside the top 25 tonight.
I cannot say enough great things about this kid. Carson Hocevar is going to be a major player in the sport for many years to come. Despite being a rookie racing in mid-tier equipment for Spire Motorsports, Hocevar has continued to improve each and every week and has proven that consistent results pay dividends. Since the All-Star Race, Hocevar has shifted into another gear, with one top 5, four top 10’s, seven top 15’s and 12 top 20 finishes over the last 15 races, capped off by a career-best third place finish this past Sunday at Watkins Glen. Hocevar seems to bring great pace with him at every track he visits, and this week is no different. Hocevar clocked the 10th fastest lap of Practice yesterday and ranked inside the top 10 on 5, 10, 15 and 20 Lap Average Speed. Hocevar has already found success in his career at Bristol, finishing 11th in this race last fall while driving part-time for Legacy Motor Club. He may not be able to drive the #77 to victory lane tonight, but Hocevar’s presence will be felt as he logs another top 12 finish at Bristol.
No surprise here. Kyle Larson is once again having a pretty good season. Four wins, 10 top 5’s and 13 top 10 finishes. Seems like par for the course most weeks. Larson’s results are elevated though on short tracks. He hasn’t won on a short track this season, but Larson’s results are still stellar, finishing 5th at Bristol, 3rd at Richmond, 2nd at Martinsville, 2nd at Dover, 4th at North Wilkesboro and 7th at Richmond. His Bristol stats overall are for the most part, flawless. One win, six top 5’s, 11 top 10’s and 889 laps led in 16 career starts, including four straight top 5 finishes and eight finishes of 6th or better in his last 10 starts at the track. Larson showed great speed throughout Practice, will start on the front row tonight and will be a heavy favorite to win the race. I predict that Larson will lead some laps and ultimately bring home another top 10 finish to comfortably move on to the next round of the playoffs.
Whether you like it or not, Denny Hamlin is a threat to win pretty much every week. 2024 has been an up and down season for him, with 9 top 5’s and 12 top 10 finishes. Things have cooled off a bit for Hamlin as the summer has progressed, with eight finishes of 23rd or worse in his last 13 starts, including lackluster finishes of 24th and 23rd in the first two playoff races. Bristol, and short tracks in general, have been a playground for Hamlin in his career. This season, Hamlin has finished 1st at Bristol, 1st at Richmond, 1st at Dover, 2nd at North Wilkesboro and 2nd at Richmond, as about as impressive as it gets. Hamlin is locked in on short tracks right now and Bristol has proven to be very kind to him during his career, with four wins, 11 top 5’s, 18 top 10’s and 1,199 laps led in 34 career starts. The defending winner of this race, Hamlin is starting tonight’s race below the cut line, sitting six points behind teammate Ty Gibbs for the final transfer spot into the Round of 12, and will roll out from the 8th position tonight. I predict that Hamlin is going to do what he has to do to advance and will go out and win his third straight race at Bristol Motor Speedway!
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