This Weekend in NASCAR – Bristol Storylines

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series is at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend; storylines follow…

The Race: Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race
The Place: Bristol Motor Speedway
The Date: Saturday, Aug. 20
The Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: NBCSN, 7:30 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 266.5 miles (500 laps)

Four Races Remain Until Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup
Only four races remain until the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, and the march toward the playoffs begins with Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway (8 p.m. ET on NBCSN).

Eleven drivers have captured berths by winning a race and they will likely be joined by Pocono victor Chris Buescher, who sits just three points outside of the 30th position he needs to seize a spot.

Here’s how the Chase Grid looks today: Brad Keselowski (4 wins), Kyle Busch (4), Carl Edwards (2), Denny Hamlin (2), Matt Kenseth (2), Jimmie Johnson (2), Kevin Harvick (1), Kurt Busch (1), Joey Logano (1), Martin Truex Jr (1), Tony Stewart (1), Ryan Newman (50 points ahead of Trevor Bayne on the cutoff line), Chase Elliott (+49), Austin Dillon (+47), Jamie McMurray (+38), Kyle Larson (+8).

The first four out are Bayne (-8), Kasey Kahne (-11), Ryan Blaney (-18) and AJ Allmendinger (-34).

Buescher entering the top 30 would hurt the non-winners on the Chase Grid’s chances at making the playoffs, specifically Kyle Larson. In that scenario, four drivers would get in on points as of now: Newman (42 points ahead of Larson), Elliott (+41), Austin Dillon (+39) and McMurray (+30).

The first four out would be Larson (-30), Bayne (-38), Kahne (-41) and Blaney (-48).

Larson’s Chase hopes were damaged at Watkins Glen when a last-lap wreck with AJ Allmendinger while running in the top five landed him a 29th-place finish.

A win automatically gets a driver into the Chase as long as he/she has attempted to start every event and is in the top 30 in points following Richmond.

The winless drivers with victories at the remaining tracks:

Bristol: Dale Earnhardt Jr. (will not race at Bristol; Jeff Gordon will start in the No. 88), Kasey Kahne

Michigan: Greg Biffle, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne

Darlington: Greg Biffle, Regan Smith

Richmond: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman

Logano Looks To Win Third Straight Bristol Night Race
Joey Logano will attempt to win at Bristol for the third straight August in Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race.

The No. 22 Team Penske driver led the second-most laps in each of his previous two Bristol night race wins. Logano’s 76 laps led trailed Jamie McMurray’s 178 laps led in 2014, while his 176 laps led trailed Kyle Busch’s 192 last season. Coincidentally, McMurray and Busch both finished eighth.

In 15 career starts at Bristol, Logano claims two wins, three top fives and five top 10s. He leads active drivers with a 7.6 average start at the Tennessee track.

Logano has been on a tear lately with six top-five finishes in his last nine starts, including a runner-up finish in the last NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Watkins Glen.

The last driver to win three consecutive Bristol Night Races was Darrell Waltrip from 1981-83 (he won a record-tying seven straight Bristol races, overall, from 1981-84).

Edwards Eyes First Sweep Of Season
Carl Edwards will try to earn the first sweep of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season in Saturday’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway, the high-banked concrete oval.

Edwards led a race-high 276 laps from the pole on his way to victory in the April race at “The Last Great Colosseum.” He’s excelled at Bristol in the past with four wins (his most at any track), six top fives and 11 top 10s in 24 career starts there.

The No. 19 Toyota driver – sometimes nicknamed ‘Concrete Carl’ – enters Saturday’s race with just one top-10 finish in his last four starts (eighth at Pocono).

Busch Brothers Battle For Bristol Supremacy
Kyle and Kurt Busch can break their tie for the active Bristol Motor Speedway wins lead when they go for their sixth victory at the .533-mile track.

In 22 starts at Bristol, Kyle claims five wins, eight top fives and 13 tops 10s. He has the second-best driver rating (99.7) and third-best average finish (13.1) there.

Kurt owns five wins, nine top fives and 16 top 10s in 31 starts at Bristol.

Kyle’s last Bristol win came in spring of 2011, while Kurt’s took place in spring of 2006.

Joe Gibbs Racing Can Continue Winning Ways At Bristol
Joe Gibbs Racing drivers have won 20 of the last 41 races dating back to last season’s contest at Kentucky. Kyle Busch accounts for eight victories, followed by Matt Kenseth (6), Carl Edwards (3) and Denny Hamlin (3).

The organization will look to continue its winning ways in Saturday night’s race at Bristol. JGR’s four drivers have won 14 of the last 22 races at Bristol (six of the victories occurred when Kenseth, Busch and Edwards were on other teams).

A JGR driver has visited Victory Lane in three of the last four races: Kenseth (New Hampshire), Busch (Indianapolis) and Denny Hamlin (Watkins Glen).

The Race: Food City 300
The Place: Bristol Motor Speedway
The Date: Friday, Aug. 19
The Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: USA, 7 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 159.9 miles (300 laps)

Justin Marks Is The 20th First-Time NASCAR XFINITY Series Winner Since 2010
When trying to find the new faces of the sport, look no further than the NASCAR XFINITY Series. Since 2010, the series has seen 20 different first-time winners, including two that have won this season – Daniel Suárez (Michigan) and last weekend’s winner Justin Marks (Mid-Ohio).

The 20 first-time series winners since 2010 by season:

2016 – Two: Justin Marks (Mid-Ohio) and Daniel Suárez (Michigan)

2015 – Two: Erik Jones (Texas) and Ryan Reed (Daytona)

2014 – Five: Chris Buescher (Mid-Ohio), Ty Dillon (Indianapolis), Brendan Gaughan (Road America), Chase Elliott (Texas) and Kyle Larson (Auto Club Speedway)

2013 – Two: Ryan Blaney (Kentucky) and AJ Allmendinger (Road America)

2012 – Four: Nelson Piquet Jr. (Road America), Austin Dillon (Kentucky), James Buescher (Daytona) and Regan Smith (Homestead-Miami)

2011 – Three: Trevor Bayne (Texas), Sam Hornish Jr. (Phoenix) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Iowa)

2010 – Two: Justin Allgaier (Bristol) and Boris Said (Montreal)

Since 2010, Texas and Road America have seen the most first-time winners with three each.

Since the series inception in 1982, there has been at least one first-time winner in each season. Overall, 146 different drivers have won a NASCAR XFINITY Series race. The inaugural season (1982) saw the most first-time winners at 14, but since then the most first-time winners per season has been six, and it has happened on seven occasions (1987, 1989, 1991, 1996, 2002, 2004 and 2006).

Bristol Motor Speedway – the site of Friday’s Food City 300 (7:30 p.m. ET on USA) has been home to six NASCAR XFINITY Series first-time winners – Justin Allgaier (2010), Martin Truex Jr. (2004), Jeff Fuller (1996), Bobby Labonte (1991), Rick Wilson (1989) and Phil Parsons (1982).

Erik Jones Looks For The Bristol Sweep
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Erik Jones returns to Bristol Motor Speedway Friday night for the Food City 300 looking to win and become the third driver in series history to sweep both races in a single season, joining Steve Grissom (1995) and Kyle Busch (2011 and 2013).

Erik Jones, from Byron, Michigan, is currently fourth in series points. In 21 starts this season, he has posted three wins (Bristol, Dover and Iowa), 11 top fives, 13 top 10s and a series rookie-record six poles.

Jones has commanded the high banks at Bristol since the first time he rolled off Pit Road. In three starts at the famous half-mile, he has posted a win from the pole (spring 2016), two top fives, three top 10s and an average finish of 4.3.

Koch Trying To Hold Off Chastain And Armstrong For Final Chase Spot
With just five races remaining in the NASCAR XFINITY Series regular season, several drivers are trying to do all they can to lock up their spot in this season’s playoffs.

Blake Koch, driver of the No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, currently sits 12th in points – the final spot in the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase. But Koch’s only three points ahead of Ross Chastain, who is in 13th, the first spot outside the Chase. Plus, Dakoda Armstrong, driver of the No. 28 JGL Racing Toyota, is 14th, only 18 points behind Koch.

Koch joined Kaulig Racing this season and it seems to have been a good decision because he is having the best season of his NASCAR XFINITY Series career. In 21 starts, Koch has posted two top 10s and an average finish of 18.9 (career-best).

Koch will have to mount a good run in this final five-race regular season stretch. Last season, he had an average finish of 21.8 during this same five-race stretch, while his nearest competitors, Chastain (17.0) and Armstrong (22.4), had similar type performances.

Koch has made 10 starts at Bristol with a high finish of 21st last August. Armstrong has made five starts at Bristol with an average finish of 25.8. Chastain has made three Bristol starts with a best finish of 17th in this race last season.

Ty Dillon: The Best Yet To Win This Season
Hard work, determination and consistency have gotten Richard Childress Racing’s Ty Dillon to third in the standings with five races to go in the regular season, but one thing is missing – a win.

Four drivers within the top 12 in points have lengthy winless streaks, led by Dillon with 68 attempts since his last win. He is followed by Justin Allgaier (65 attempts), Brendan Gaughan (60 attempts) and Ryan Reed (53 attempts).

Dillon’s 2016 season has shown promise that a win is coming soon. In 21 starts this season, he has posted one pole, seven top fives and 13 top 10s, including three runner-up finishes (Richmond and both Iowa events).

This weekend at Bristol could be when Dillon breaks the winless streak and locks himself into the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase. Dillon has made six starts at Bristol, posting three top fives and six top 10s. His average finish at the famous half-mile is 5.5 – tied for the third-best track average of his series career.

Busch Looks To Get His Record Ninth Win At Bristol
Joe Gibbs Racing’s superstar Kyle Busch has the chance to win his ninth NASCAR XFINITY Series race this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway in the Food City 300. If Busch accomplishes the feat, he would tie his own record for the most series wins at an active track (nine at Phoenix).

The all-time record for the most series wins at a single track is 11, by Mark Martin at Rockingham Speedway (not active).

Busch leads the series in career wins with 83. He has seven wins this season, and set the record for the most wins in a single season with 13 in 2010.

Only four drivers in series history have won eight or more races at a single track – Mark Martin (11, Rockingham), Kyle Busch (9, Phoenix; 8, Bristol; 8, Charlotte; 8, Texas), Jack Ingram (8, Hickory) and Tommy Houston (8, Hickory).

In 23 starts at Bristol, Busch has posted eight wins, 16 top fives, 19 top 10s and an average finish of 7.7.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Etc.:

Bryan Clauson Decals – All three series will run a decal in memory of the former NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Bryan Clauson this weekend at Bristol.

Double Duty – This weekend, seven NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers are entered in the Food City 300 – Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, Austin Dillon, Matt DiBenedetto, Timmy Hill and Regan Smith. This is Regan Smith’s first series start this season. He will be driving the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.