Posted on by Reid Spencer

In a battle of two of stock-car racing’s titans, Kevin Harvick swapped the lead with Kyle Busch and held off the defending NASCAR Cup Series champion over an intense string of closing laps to win Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Harvick picked up his ninth victory of the season, his second of the Round of 16 in the 2020 NASCAR Playoffs and his third at Bristol. The driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford finished .310 seconds ahead of Busch, who remained frustrated in a winless season.

RELATED: Official race results

Harvick won for the 58th time in his Cup career, ninth most all time. Busch has been stuck on 56 wins since his title-winning triumph in the last year’s season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Bristol sold tickets to a limited number fans who were socially distanced throughout the grandstand. But there were enough voices there to make a significant din, and Harvick noticed.

“Man, I just want to say thank you to all the fans,” Harvick said after taking the checkered flag. “I was so jacked up when we started this race because of you guys and Bristol Motor Speedway.”

It took all of Harvick’s consummate skill to hold off Busch during the final 82-lap green-flag run. Busch is the leader among active drivers with eight wins at Bristol.

“To beat Kyle Busch at Bristol, I kind of got myself in a little bit of a ringer there,” said Harvick, who already had secured a berth in the Round of 12 with his win at Darlington Raceway in the playoff opener. “I hit a lapped car and got a hole in the right-front nose, but just kept fighting. We don’t have anything else to lose.

“We were here to try to win a race. I know how much (crew chief) Rodney (Childers) really enjoys coming here and, hell, how can you not enjoy coming here with all this enthusiasm? Everybody is tired of being at home.”

The Bristol Night Race was the cutoff event for the Round of 16, and the four drivers who began the event below the cutline — William Byron, Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Cole Custer, Ryan Blaney and Matt DiBenedetto — remained there and were eliminated from the playoffs.

Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Erik Jones started in the rear of the field after multiple pre-race inspection failures, but Busch charged through the field to finish second in the first stage and won the second.

In the final run, Busch passed Harvick for the lead in traffic on Lap 459. Ten laps later, Harvick returned the favor when Busch was slowed behind the lapped car of Joey Logano. Harvick led the rest of the way, though Busch tried every racing line available to try to catch the race winner.

“I just didn’t have enough there at the end,” said Busch who advanced to the Round of 12 on points, joining Richmond Raceway winner Brad Keselowski, Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Logano, Kurt Busch, Aric Almirola, Clint Bowyer, Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott and Austin Dillon. “The lapped cars were definitely a problem.

“There was just no room for me to do what I need to do to get around him. Came up short — what can I say?”

Two drivers who didn’t make the playoffs — Jones and Tyler Reddick — ran third and fourth followed by Almirola, Bowyer and Elliott. Non-playoff drivers Chris Buescher, Ryan Preece and Michael McDowell completed the top 10 in order.

Byron’s race and playoff run ended suddenly and unexpectedly on Lap 232. The No. 51 Ford of Joey Gase slowed on the backstretch, starting a chain-reaction wreck in which Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet slammed into the rear of Christopher Bell’s No. 95 Toyota.

Unable to continue, Byron exited the race, his playoff run finished.

“I think the No. 51 car checked up in the middle of the straightaway,” a frustrated Byron said after exiting his car. “As fast as we were running the top, I was right behind the No. 95, and I had literally nowhere to go. You can’t stop in the middle of the straightaway when everybody is so committed to the top like that.

“Just ridiculous that that’s what takes us out. I thought, honestly, we had a shot to run top five or seven. The car was really, really good. We just needed a couple good pit stops. We were running probably ninth or 10th there. Just super disappointing — I’ve got to go back and watch that, because that was kind of ridiculous.”

Blaney and DiBenedetto, who needed to win the race to advance to the Round of 12, finished 13th and 19th, respectively. Custer was eliminated after a 23rd-place run.

NOTE: The No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford of Kevin Harvick passed NASCAR’s post-race inspection. There were no issues.

Posted on by Staff Report

Four drivers were eliminated from the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs after Saturday’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway, as the postseason field was trimmed from 16 drivers to 12.

Read on for a full update on the standings and results.

Eliminated drivers

• William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
• Cole Custer, No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
• Matt DiBenedetto, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
• Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford

Advancing to the Round of 12

* Note: This will be updated with the official points and standings.

1. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford: 3,067 points
2. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota: 3,048 points
3. Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Team Penske Ford: 3,035 points
4. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford: 3,022 points
5. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet: 3,021 points
6. Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota: 3,016 points
7. Alex Bowman, No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet: 3,009 points
8. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet: 3,005 points
9. Aric Almirola, No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford: 3,005 points
10. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota: 3,004 points
11. Clint Bowyer, No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford:  3,004 points
12. Kurt Busch, No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet: 3,001 points

MORE: Official race results

Grid02 R16 Ncs Grid Ro12 01

The ups

• Kyle Busch did not win — yet again — but the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota driver did finish runner-up to remain above the playoff cutline without a 2020 victory. Busch even led 159 laps and took Stage 2, second-best to race winner Kevin Harvick.

• Austin Dillon, who won one race in the regular season to swipe a playoff berth, advanced after a 12th-place finish.

The downs

• Damage to the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet ended William Byron’s day and playoff hopes early, prior to the end of Stage 2. Byron entered the Bass Pro Shops Night Race three points back of the postseason cutline. Read more on what happened here.

• Brad Keselowski’s No. 2 Team Penske Ford lost power steering in the final stage and ultimately got black-flagged by NASCAR due to not meeting minimum speed. He came to pit road, only to return to the track 86 laps down and finish 34th. Keselowski was already locked into the Round of 12 thanks to his win at Richmond Raceway last week.

Posted on by Staff Report

Which channels have NASCAR programming this week? We answer that and give the weekly NASCAR television listings here in the NASCAR TV schedule.

Note: All times are ET.

MORE: How to find NBCSN | Get the NBC Sports App | How to find FS1 | Get FOX Sports App

RELATED: How to follow races on NASCAR.com | NASCAR Live Stream

Monday, Sept. 21
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App

Tuesday, Sept. 22
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App

On MRN
7 p.m., NASCAR Live

Wednesday, Sept. 23
6 p.m. NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App
7 p.m., NASCAR Race Classic: 1998 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1/FOX Sports App

Thursday, Sept. 24
6 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FS1/FOX Sports App

Friday, Sept. 25
7 p.m., Classic NASCAR: 1997 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1/FOX Sports App
7:30 p.m., Refuse to Lose: Jeff Gordon and the 1997 Daytona 500 (re-air), FS1/FOX Sports App
8 p.m., Dale Jr. Download, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
8:30 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay: NGROTS, FS1/FOX Sports App
9 p.m., NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series World of Westgate 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, FS1/FOX Sports App 

On MRN
8:30 p.m., NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series World of Westgate 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway 

Saturday, September 26
8 a.m., NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series World of Westgate 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (re-air), FS2/FOX Sports App
10 a.m., NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series World of Westgate 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (re-air), FS1/FOX Sports App
Noon, NASCAR Race Classic: 1994 Coke 600 (re-air), FS1/FOX Sports App
1 p.m., Dale Jr. Download (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App
7 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Countdown to Green: Las Vegas, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Alsco 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN3)
10 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Post Race: Las Vegas, NBCSN/NBC Sports App 

On PRN
7 p.m., NASCAR Xfinity Series Alsco 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway 

Sunday, September 27
5 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub: Las Vegas, FS1/FOX Sports App
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Countdown to Green: Las Vegas, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
7 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, NBCSN/NBC Sports App (Canada: TSN)
10:30 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series Post Race: Las Vegas, NBCSN/NBC Sports App
11 p.m., IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship (re-air), NBCSN/NBC Sports App 

On PRN
6 p.m., NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Posted on by Staff Report

William Byron’s playoff hopes ended early Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway after contact damaged the nose of his No. 24 Chevrolet.

RELATED: Official race results

Byron entered Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race three points back of the postseason cutline and finished eighth in the first stage. But contact near the end of Stage 2 with the No. 95 Toyota of Christopher Bell ended his night as both cars tangled trying to avoid the drastically slowed No. 51 Ford of Joey Gase.

“I don’t know why he just stopped on the front straightaway,” Byron said over his team radio. “… What an idiot.”

Byron completed just 232 of the 500 laps at the .533-mile track and was scored 38th in the 40-car field. Crew chief Chad Knaus consoled the 22-year-old driver after he took the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet behind the wall.

“I think the No. 51 car (Gase) checked up in the middle of the straightaway. As fast as we were running the top, I was right behind the No. 95 (Bell) and I had literally nowhere to go,” Byron told NBC Sports. “You can’t stop in the middle of the straightaway when everybody is so committed to the top like that. Just ridiculous that that’s what takes us out. I thought honestly we had a shot to run top five or seven. The car was really, really good. We just needed a couple good pit stops. We were running probably ninth or 10th there. Just super disappointing – I’ve got to go back and watch that because that was kind of ridiculous.”

Though his championship eligibility ended before the halfway point at Bristol, Byron was able to find positives when asked to assess the No. 24 team’s season as a whole. His third year in the Cup Series produced his first victory — a clutch win in the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway.

“Yeah, I think it’s been a great season,” Byron said. “I think that we’ve performed well. I think we would have liked to perform better, based on how we ended last year. But we got a win and I feel like really the last five or six weeks, we’ve had all top-10 runs, besides Richmond, which is our worst track. I don’t know – hopefully continue being fast the next few weeks.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Three Joe Gibbs Racing cars will start from the rear for the start of Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Bristol Night Race (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: Bristol lineup | MRN: Who’s best at Bristol in last 10? | Who are the short-track aces?

The No. 11 of Denny Hamlin, the No. 18 of Kyle Busch and the No. 20 of Erik Jones all failed pre-race technical inspection twice and will start the 500-lapper at the tail of the field. Hamlin is the defending race winner and was slated to start seventh. Busch is an eight-time Bristol winner and was set to start ninth. Jones was scheduled to line up 20th.

Starting from the rear carries a potential impact to Busch — the reigning series champion — and his hopes of advancing on to the Round of 12. He enters the race +18 on the cutline and ninth in the standings. Busch did start from the rear at Richmond Raceway and finished sixth last weekend. Hamlin is already locked in to the Round of 12, while Jones is not part of this year’s playoff field.

Nearly an hour before the green flag, NASCAR competition officials announced three more cars will fall to the rear of the field during pace laps:

  • No. 15 Premium Motorsports Chevrolet for a driver change; JJ Yeley replaced Brennan Poole after the lineup was set
  • No. 32 Go Fas Racing Ford of Corey LaJoie (unapproved adjustments)
  • No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet of Bubba Wallace (unapproved adjustments)
Posted on by Nick Giffen

The Action Network specializes in providing sports betting insights/analytics and is a content partner with NASCAR. Check out more NASCAR betting analysis here.

The Bass Pro Shops Night Race (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) marks the final race of the first round of the playoffs. Usually races at Bristol are wild affairs, with an average of 11.2 cautions over the last five low-downforce races. That includes a 17-caution race earlier this year.

At a race with such volatility, we can take advantage of longer shots, especially in head-to-head matchups. Here are three props to bet for tonight’s race.

NASCAR at Bristol Odds, Betting Picks

Ryan Blaney (+250) over Chase Elliott

This one is a bit of a doozy. Blaney has actually led more laps than Elliott in terms of percentage of laps run in each of the last three low-downforce Bristol races. In addition, he’s had a higher percentage of fastest laps relative to laps run than Elliott in two of three races.

Simply put, Blaney has been slightly better than Elliott at Bristol under low-downforce rules. Blaney also has the added element of needing to win to advance, while Elliott just needs to keep his nose clean. That allows Blaney to have more aggression.

Once again, this generous head-to-head matchup is available at BetMGM. I’d take Blaney down to +110.

[Bet Blaney over Elliott at BetMGM and get an INSTANT $500 deposit match.]

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (+275) for a Top-10 finish

If we stick with the lower-downforce races in 2017, 2018 and 2020, it looks even more promising since Stenhouse’s average green flag speed was no worse than 13th for an individual race. Three of those five races landed him inside the top 10 in average speed.

A driver who is consistently hugging the top 10 in average speed should not be this heavy of an underdog to finish there.

Stenhouse has six top-10 finishes in 15 starts at Thunder Valley for a 40% top-10 finish rate. If that was his long-term average, then +150 would be much more of a fair number. Of course, he’s not in Roush equipment, but the JTG Daugherty ride isn’t much of a drop off, especially at Bristol.

This +275 offering is available at BetMGM. I’d bet Stenhouse down to +210, which is where he’s priced at both DraftKings and FanDuel. It’s also where rookies Tyler Reddick and Christopher Bell are being priced.

I’d say his chances of a top-10 finish align with these two drivers.

[Bet Stenhouse at BetMGM and get an INSTANT $500 deposit match.]

Posted on by Terrin Waack

“You’re a superstar.”

Family members congratulated Brandon Brown on FaceTime as he waited inside the media center at Bristol Motor Speedway. In his second full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series season, the 27-year-old from Woodbridge, Virginia, qualified for the playoffs. Brown clinched the 12th and final spot with his 12th-place finish in Friday’s regular-season finale.

“They’re just over the moon,” Brown said on the post-race Zoom. “I’m ecstatic. It’s so great to make them happy and bring an opportunity like this to our family team. It’s a dream come true.”

RELATED: Official results

Brown drives the No. 68 Chevrolet for Brandonbilt Motorsports, whose shop is located in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Like Brown, Brandonbilt Motorsports is in its second full-time season. Brown drove for the team last year in its No. 86 entry to one top 10, an average finish of 19.7 and a 15th place in the final standings.

This year, in 26 starts, Brown has four top 10s and averages a 16.5 finish. He’ll already top last season’s ranking since he’s in the 12-driver postseason field.

“I mean, realistically, I think we’re really going to try and fight to get through this first round,” Brown said. “I want to see us get into the second round. I have full faith in all of our guys to be able to make that happen.”

The Round of 12 starts next Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with the Alsco 300 (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Brown came in 17th and 16th in last year’s spring and fall events, respectively. Then, the series will take on Talladega Superspeedway and the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course — two wild cards.

“The plan is now that we’ve secured a spot in the playoffs, we’re going try and pick select races for some lease motor programs to really get ourselves competitive, starting with Las Vegas,” Brown said. “I think this just gave a little emphasis to a couple of the partners that are going to come out to help us get a little better equipment. But we’re definitely going to try and give it our all for this playoff run.”

Brown entered the Bristol event one spot above the cutline, safe by 49 points. He is in that same 12th spot now, just two spots below the eventual 10-driver cutoff in three weeks.

Ross Chastain, the runner-up at Bristol, was the top driver without a win. He took the green flag in the eighth playoff spot with a large 523-point advantage. He remains the eighth seed for the postseason since a repeat winner (Chase Briscoe) took the checkered flag.

“Yeah, we thought we were going to make the playoffs three months ago,” Chastain said. “But I know what Brandon went through, trying to get here, grinding it out and just focusing on not wrecking, not having big points losses to his next guy. Just enjoy this week.”

That’s the plan. It was Brown who originally gave that enjoyment advice anyway.

Perspective is key, too.

“If you would have asked me at the beginning of the season if we are a playoff team, I would have said we’re going to be one that’s competitive for it; I wouldn’t have guaranteed you we’d be in,” Brown said. “In our five-year plan, we’ll call it, we’re definitely ahead of schedule being a playoff-contending team and one I feel can really fight to get to the second round of those playoffs. This was the mark we needed to hit so everything ahead of us is going to be above and beyond, which is really where we like to strive to be.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

It was a perfect rub-and-run.

In a race that filled the final position for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff, Chase Briscoe nudged close friend, fellow Ford driver and regular-season champion Austin Cindric out of the way with six laps left and pulled away to win Friday night’s Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Cindric didn’t have his full set of resources, having lost the power steering on his No. 22 Team Penske Ford during the final run. Cindric lost second place to Ross Chastain, who had led 117 laps. Chastain finished .651-seconds behind the race winner.

The victory was Briscoe’s seventh this season, his first at Bristol and the ninth of his career. Briscoe finished the regular season with 50 Playoff points, tied with Cindric, who won five of the first 26 races.

RELATED: Unofficial results

“The last 15 laps, our car came to life,” Briscoe said. “I figured something out. We had to root and gouge our way up there — that’s what Bristol is all about.

“If we could end up second in points and win the race, we’d have the same amount of Playoff points as (Cindric). Mission accomplished.”

Brandon Brown clinched the final berth in the 12-driver Xfinity Playoff with a 12th-place finish.

Harrison Burton ran fourth on Friday, followed by Justin Allgaier, who swept the first two stages and led 126 of the 300 laps before the handling of his No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet tightened up after the second stage break.

Anthony Alfredo, Noah Gragson, Brandon Jones, Jeb Burton and Riley Herbst completed the top 10.

Racing in close quarters, Cindric grabbed the lead from Chastain one circuit after the final restart on Lap 252. Cindric held the top spot until Briscoe’s No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford powered past him on Lap 295.

The victory was even more satisfying to Briscoe after 11th and 16th-place runs in last weekend’s doubleheader at Richmond Raceway.

“I was so mad after last week,” said Briscoe, who led 11 laps, including the final six. “I told all the guys there ain’t no way we’re getting beat today. I was so mad after how we ran last week, and I get on the internet all the time and see guys count us out after one bad race.

“I know what this team is capable of… I finished second here the last two races, and I wanted to win here so bad, and it’s awesome that I can actually celebrate it with all these race fans.”

Cindric struggled after his power steering began to fail 15 laps into the final green-flag run.

“I’ve never felt so helpless in all my life,” Cindric said. “I’ve never felt such pain in a race car. My body went numb for a while… I’ve never lost a race that way.”

The NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff begins next Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Behind Briscoe and Cindric, Allgaier is seeded third, followed by Gragson, Jones, Justin Haley, Harrison Burton, Chastain, Ryan Sieg, Michael Annett, Herbst and Brown.

Posted on by Staff Report

BECHTELSVILLE, Pa. — Craig Von Dohren wrapped up his 11th Hope Mortgage T.P.Trailers Modified Division championship at Grandview Speedway earlier this month, but he’s not done.

The Oley, Pennsylvania, driver only won one feature during the abbreviated season, but his consistency allowed him to finish 227 points ahead of defending track champion Duane Howard.

Now Von Dohren will set his sights on the big money postseason race at his home track this weekend.

Grandview, one of the premier dirt tracks in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, will host the 50th Annual Freedom 76 Modified Classic on Saturday. The winner will earn $35,550, plus the possibility of some lap money.

RELATED: Grandview Speedway Website

Von Dohren will be joined in pursuit of the top prize by 2014 winner Stewart Friesen, along with Billy Pauch Jr., Bobby Varin, Mike Maresca and others.

Von Dohren last won the Freedom 76 in 2015, his fifth victory in the event. Mike Gular is the defending race winner, while Grandview notables Duane Howard (six track titles, five Freedom 76 wins) and Jeff Strunk (10 track titles, seven Freedom 76 winners) will be in the mix to add to their legacies.

The action set to start at 7 p.m. Fans are invited to enter the speedway grounds between 9 a.m. to noon to reserve seats. Saturday action will include qualifying events, the $1,000 to win Kirsten Snyder Web Design & Photography Cash Dash, the Schaeffer Racing Minuteman 20 topped off with the 50th Annual Freedom 76.

The Freedom 76 was first run on Sept. 19, 1971, with Ed Mumford taking the victory.

RELATED: Grandview Past Champions | Freedom 76 Past Winners

The race weekend kicks off Friday evening with the Freedom 38 for Sportman, which pays $3,550 to win.

Brian Hirthler won the T.P. Truck Equipment Sportman Division at Grandview by five points over Brad Arnold. It was the second NASCAR title for Hirthler, who won the Sportsman title in 2017.

For details on all racing at Grandview check in at www.grandviewspeedway.com, Facebook or telephone (610) 754-7688.

Craig Von Dohren Car

Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

All 10 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series playoff drivers entered Thursday night’s kickoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway with high hopes. Few left with much to smile about.

A run at victory was derailed early for regular-season champion Austin Hill when he clipped the outside wall in the opening circuits of the 200-lap race, receiving significant damage to the rear bumper of the No. 16 Hattori Racing Toyota Tundra.

RELATED: Official results

Another incident on Lap 156 didn’t help matters after Austin Wayne Self tried to clear Hill on the straightaway, resulting in Hill spinning out the No. 22 truck. Hill wound up finishing 25th, five laps off the pace and the lowest finishing playoff driver.

Zane Smith, who came into Bristol as the second seed in the playoffs, fought an ill-handling No. 21 GMS Racing Chevrolet Silverado toward the end of the race. He managed to hang onto a 16th-place result, one lap down.

“I can’t give you an honest answer,” Smith said afterward. “All of a sudden with 15 to go, I just wasn’t able to turn at both ends. It was really bad in (Turns) 1 and 2. Same feeling as a right front (tire) going down or something. I was just waiting to knock down the fence.”

Sheldon Creed, the top-seeded driver, looked poised for a strong run until he was caught speeding on pit road during a caution period on Lap 88, sending him to the back of the field. Creed worked his way back up to 11th. He finished ahead of Christian Eckes, Ben Rhodes and Todd Gilliland, who walked away from Bristol with 12th-, 13th- and 14th-place finishes, respectively.

ThorSport Racing driver Grant Enfinger faced mechanical issues on pit road on Lap 62, but he was able to drive the No. 98 truck back through the field for a solid sixth-place recovery, while teammate Matt Crafton finished 10th.

On the other hand, it was a more positive night for GMS Racing drivers Brett Moffitt and Tyler Ankrum. Moffitt earned the Stage 1 victory after leading every lap, while Ankrum led the way from start to finish for the second-stage triumph – the first stage victory of Ankrum’s career.

While Ankrum finished seventh in the race, it was Moffitt who had the dominant truck all night but couldn’t hang on when it mattered the most. Moffitt was passed by 17-year-old driver and teammate Sam Mayer, who had fresher tires, with 30 laps remaining, forced to settle for a second-place finish despite leading a career-high 117 of 200 laps.

“I joked on pit road, the worst year of my life continues,” Moffitt said, who still remains winless this season and overcame two broken legs earlier in the year. “It sure does; it sucks. We’ve had a lot of fast trucks, but none of them worked out. It’s unfortunate because I felt like we had a truck so strong tonight that ultimately the guys that were racing against us had to play an alternate strategy. It just so happened that it worked out better for them than it did for us.”

Moffitt shouldn’t hang his head too low, though. Due to the misfortune of others mixed with his strong run, the 2018 series champion leaves Bristol with the points lead heading into the second race in the Round of 10 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.