Last week saw an absolutely wild race at Watkins Glen as multiple playoff drivers had trouble and Chris Buescher managed to sneak by Shane Van Gisbergen for the win on the white flag lap. Now NASCAR heads to Bristol for the 2024 Bass Pro Shops Night Race as the first round of the NASCAR playoffs reaches its conclusion.
Only Joey Logano sits locked in to the Round of 12 at the moment. Will another driver find Victory Lane to punch their ticket? Can the drivers below the cutline rally to advance? Let’s dive in.
Playoff Picture Heading Into the 2024 Bass Pro Shops Night Race
- Joey Logano – One Win
- Christopher Bell +46
- Austin Cindric +43
- Alex Bowman +41
- Daniel Suarez +36
- Tyler Reddick +30
- Chase Elliott +30
- Ryan Blaney +29
- Kyle Larson +26
- William Byron +25
- Chase Briscoe +6
- Ty Gibbs +6
- Denny Hamlin -6
- Brad Keselowski -12
- Martin Truex Jr. -14
- Harrison Burton -20
The first round of the playoffs was marketed on the potential for chaos. Through the first two races, the schedule has delivered for better or worse. Two of the favorites to advance, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr., currently sit below the cutline.
The roar in Thunder Valley returns this weekend. #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/xTPf9aJbBa
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 18, 2024
The top of the playoff standings has a few surprises of it’s own with Austin Cindric sitting just behind Christopher Bell and Alex Bowman and Daniel Suarez both within the top five.
Given the ability for Bristol to produce it’s own brand of chaos, no driver below Suarez feels 100% safe. As they currently stand and given Denny Hamlin’s spring success at Bristol, I do think the driver of the #11 staves off elimination.
For the rest of the group below the cutline, I think they’ll need a bit of help. I think Harrison Burton, Brad Keselowski, and MTJ will all be out after this week with Chase Briscoe being the driver currently above the cut line most likely to fall below.
2024 Bass Pro Shops Night Race Entry List
With NASCAR back on an oval we don’t have any surprises on the entry list this week. AJ Allmendinger will be back behind the wheel in the Cup Series for Kaulig Racing once more but this time he’ll be behind the wheel of the #16 instead of the #13.
Kaz Grala in the #15 for Rick Ware Racing and Josh Bilicki in the #66 are the other part time entries in the field for the week.
16 is about to become 12.
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 19, 2024
Join @KyleBusch and the rest of the NASCAR Inside the Playoffs crew as they preview @ItsBristolBaby tonight at 7 p.m. ET on @truTV and @StreamOnMax! pic.twitter.com/rhuZdcTOUy
In the spring, Bristol gave us a wild race with tire wear presenting a conundrum for teams to solve. I’d expect tire issues to play a big role once more under the lights. Drivers who don’t preserve their tires could find themselves in real trouble as we saw earlier this year.
2024 Bass Pro Shops Night Race Odds and Predictions
I’ve got a pretty straightforward prediction for the Bristol Night Race this week. Denny Hamlin is the favorite at +400. He looked incredible at the Spring race in his victory. I expect the same from him again as he wins and advances to the next round of the NASCAR playoffs.
Unsurprisingly, Kyle Larson comes in just behind Hamlin at +600. The two seem destined to have battles on track nearly every week though it was more prevalent at the start of the season. Hamlin’s JGR teammate comes in at +600 as well.
#TBT to Denny Hamlin winning the #BassProNightRace last September! Do you think he'll do it again?
— Bristol Motor Speedway (@ItsBristolBaby) September 19, 2024
Get Tix & Find Out: https://t.co/xCus25yUnN#ItsBristolBaby #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/GC8uoqU5Zb
If you’re looking for a dark horse of sorts, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Alex Bowman run well after having a solid race at Bristol earlier this year. The driver of the #48 finished 4th and will look to secure his points position at Bristol. His odds to win are +2800.
Be sure to check out the schedule below so you don’t miss any on-track action from the weekend. We’ve got a jam-packed calendar with ARCA, Trucks, Xfinity, and Cup all on the docket!
Thursday 09/19
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Qualifying – 2:35 p.m. CT on FS2
Bush’s Beans 200 (ARCA Menards Series) – 4:00 p.m. CT on FS1
UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics (NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series) – 7:00 p.m. CT on FS1
Friday 09/20
NASCAR Xfinity Series Qualifying – 1:40 p.m. CT on USA
NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying – 4:05 p.m. CT on USA
Food City 300 (NASCAR Xfinity Series) – 6:30 p.m. CT on The CW
Saturday 09/21
Bass Pro Shops Night Race (NASCAR Cup Series) – 6:30 p.m. CT on USA
Stay locked into Apollo for more NASCAR and F1 Coverage throughout the racing season! Follow @CoachJayArnold and @ApolloHOU on Twitter to stay up to date on the latest and check out our newly minted Instagram – Apollo NASCAR!
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