Posted on by Staff Report

Playoff pressure has ramped up in recent weeks, with drivers shuffling for position in the provisional 16-car postseason field. But as the hourglass sands start to trickle out with just three races left in the regular season, the tension and potential for sparks ratchet up.

Enter Bristol, cauldron of conflict.

Bristol Motor Speedway’s annual night race (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM) provides a prime setting for the crumpling of fenders and feelings. Old differences are often rekindled, and new disagreements frequently sprout during a 500-lap grinder on the .533-mile bullring.

Which will occur Saturday night? NASCAR.com staffers Zack Albert and Terrin Waack will be trackside to find out but offer their midweek predictions ahead of the Bristol build-up.

RELATED: Bristol’s best bump-and-runs

ZA: Here’s sensing a new argument that will burble up at Bristol, particularly between drivers with the most perilous playoff perch. The potential to settle old scores is there, but so many of Bristol’s best battles are situational. With so little running room available, the battles for real estate are often on edge.

We’re probably due for a good helmet throw, a finger wag or another overboard display of frustration. The hunch is it won’t be a Round 2 for a past transgression.

TW: Keep an eye on Jimmie Johnson. The seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion is on the verge of not making the playoffs for the first time since the postseason format was installed in 2004, and he’s surely feeling the pressure. Johnson went from barely safe – tied for the 16th and final spot with the tiebreaker leaning in his favor – to not safe, now in 18th.

Johnson snapped at Ryan Blaney two weeks ago in Watkins Glen and then apologized for his own aggression this past weekend at Michigan. The blame game is bound to continue at Bristol.

Posted on by Staff Report

It’s that time of the year again, time to keep watch on drivers who can clinch a spot in the NASCAR Playoffs. Of course, the easiest way to clinch is to win this weekend’s Bristol Night Race (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

But if that’s not possible, then here are the drivers who have a chance to clinch on points when all the beating and banging is done in Thunder Valley.

RELATED: Driver standings | Bristol schedule

A repeat winner from this season at Bristol and being 111 points ahead of 15th place on the playoff grid would clinch a spot for Ryan Blaney, Aric Almirola, William Byron and Kyle Larson. Some more detail on the scenarios:

— Ryan Blaney: Has already clinched a top-30 spot. With a win, he would clinch a playoff spot on wins. Could clinch on points with a repeat winner (or a win by Aric Almirola, William Byron, Kyle Larson or Erik Jones) and help.

— Aric Almirola: Has already clinched a top-30 spot. With a win, he would clinch a playoff spot on wins. Could clinch on points with a repeat winner (or a win by Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Kyle Larson or Erik Jones) and help.

— William Byron: Has already clinched a top-30 spot. With a win, he would clinch a playoff spot on wins. Could clinch on points with a repeat winner (or a win by Ryan Blaney, Aric Almirola, Kyle Larson or Erik Jones) and help.

— Kyle Larson: Has already clinched a top-30 spot. With a win, he would clinch a playoff spot on wins. Could clinch on points with a repeat winner (or a win by Ryan Blaney, Aric Almirola, William Byron or Erik Jones) and help.

All other drivers need to win to clinch at this point.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR announced L1-level penalties for the Nos. 3 and 8 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series following action at Michigan International Speedway last weekend. Both Richard Childress Racing Chevrolets were in violation of Section 20.7.4 of the NASCAR Rule Book, alternators were not functional.

NASCAR fined the respective crew chiefs, Danny Stockman Jr. and Luke Lambert, $25,000 apiece and subtracted 10 owner points and 10 driver points from each team.

RELATED: Michigan results | Bristol schedule

Austin Dillon, driver of the No. 3, is currently in 22nd place in the Monster Energy Series standings. Daniel Hemric, driver of the No. 8, is in 25th place and also outside the playoff field. There are three regular-season races remaining before the NASCAR Playoffs begin.

In the Xfinity Series, NASCAR cited the No. 19 team for one lug nut not properly installed after last weekend’s race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. NASCAR fined crew chief Jeff Meendering $5,000. Brandon Jones drove the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to a 10th-place finish last week.

Posted on by PJ Walsh

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 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) heads to the mountains of Tennessee for a showdown under the lights at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Bristol, a half-mile, highly-banked concrete oval, provides plenty of side-by-side racing that results in lots of beating and banging, wrecks and hot tempers.

To make this weekend’s NASCAR Props Challenge picks, I’ll look at recent races at Bristol Motor Speedway, as well as historical trends on how these races tend to play out.

1. Kyle and Kurt Busch have won the last four Bristol races. Which brother scores more race points?

Bristol is arguably Kurt Busch’s best track historically, but this is an easy answer for me.

Kyle has won three of the past four races in Thunder Valley, and opened as the heavy +250 favorite at the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas.

Pick: Kyle Busch

2. Does the Stage 1 winner lead O/U 85.5 laps in that stage?

It’s important to remember that Saturday’s race at Bristol consists of 500 laps (not miles) around the track’s half-mile circuit. As a result, a car out front can quickly hoard laps led under green flag conditions.

Considering that the first stage is 125 laps, I can easily see one driver getting out front for at least 86 laps before taking the Stage 1 victory.

Pick: Over

3. Does the Stage 2 winner earn stage points in both stages?

In each of the past three Bristol MENCS races, the Stage 2 winner earned points in Stage 1 as well.

Pick: Yes

4. The race winner leads O/U 225.5 laps?

Since stage racing was introduced before the 2017 season, no winning driver has eclipsed 225 laps led at Bristol.

In fact, the most laps an eventual winner has led over that span was 156 (Kyle Busch in August of 2017).

Pick: Under

Download the FREE Action Network app to finish reading this article and get the rest of PJ Walsh’s NASCAR Props Challenge Picks.

Posted on by
No. Driver Sponsor Make Organization
00 Landon Cassill Permatex Chevrolet StarCom Racing
1 Kurt Busch Monster Energy Chevrolet Chip Ganassi Racing
2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford Team Penske
3 Austin Dillon Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Off-Road Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
4 Kevin Harvick Busch Beer Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
6 Ryan Newman Acronis Ford Roush Fenway Racing
8 Daniel Hemric Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
9 Chase Elliott Hooters Spirits Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
10 Aric Almirola Smithfield Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Freight Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
12 Ryan Blaney Dent Wizard Ford Team Penske
13 Ty Dillon GEICO Military Chevrolet Germain Racing
14 Clint Bowyer Peak Lighting Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
15 Ross Chastain Chantz Auto Group Chevrolet Premium Motorsports
17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Fastenal Ford Roush Fenway Racing
18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
19 Martin Truex Jr. Bass Pro Shops Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
20 Erik Jones Stanley Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
21 Paul Menard Menards / Knauf Ford Wood Brothers Racing
22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford Team Penske
24 William Byron Liberty University Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
27 Quin Houff TBA Chevrolet Premium Motorsports
32 Corey LaJoie Coin Lotto Ford Go Fas Racing
34 Michael McDowell Love’s Travel Stops Ford Front Row Motorsports
36 Matt Tifft Surface Sunscreen Ford Front Row Motorsports
37 Chris Buescher Bush’s Beans Chevrolet JTG Daugherty Racing
38 David Ragan MDS Ford Front Row Motorsports
41 Daniel Suarez Haas Automation Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
42 Kyle Larson Credit One Bank Chevrolet Chip Ganassi Racing
43 Bubba Wallace United States Air Force Chevrolet Richard Petty Motorsports
47 Ryan Preece Kroger Chevrolet JTG Daugherty Racing
48 Jimmie Johnson Ally Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
51 BJ McLeod Pinnacle Sports and Entertainment Chevrolet Petty Ware Racing
52 Bayley Currey Belmont Classic Cars Chevrolet Rick Ware Racing
53 Josh Bilicki Chelle Corporation / AQRE Chevrolet Rick Ware Racing
77 Reed Sorenson Go-Parts.com Chevrolet Spire Motorsports
88 Alex Bowman Nationwide Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
95 Matt DiBenedetto Toyota Express Maintenance Toyota Leavine Family Racing
Posted on by Staff Report

Hailie Deegan will get her third taste of Bristol Motor Speedway in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East on Thursday. The grassroots racer will pilot the No. 54 Toyota for DGR-Crosley at the .533-mile track, the team announced Monday morning.

Deegan has two career starts at Bristol in the East, including a 16th-place run earlier this year.

RELATED: FansChoice.TV schedule

The 18-year-old currently is second in the K&N Pro Series West standing, where she is a regular, through eight of 14 races. She trails leader Derek Kraus by 16 points and has two wins to her credit so far this year.

The K&N West Series races at Evergreen Speedway on Aug. 17, so Deegan will fly from Tennessee to Washington state after the East race.

Both K&N races will be broadcast live on FansChoice.TV, so make your plans now. The K&N East Series race begins at 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, with the K&N West Series race at 9:30 p.m. ET Saturday.

MORE: East preview | West preview

Posted on by Data Skrive

Ray Ciccarelli placed ninth in the Corrigan Oil 200 at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday. It’s Ciccarelli’s first top-10 finish of the season.

Austin Hill earned the checkered flag in the race, with Sheldon Creed following in second, and Tyler Dippel placing third. Brett Moffitt took fourth place, followed by Austin Wayne Self to round out the top five.

Stage 1 was won by Ross Chastain, while Moffitt took Stage 2.

Ciccarelli earned 28 points over the weekend, giving him 100 on the year. He ranks No. 29 in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series overall points standings.

The third-year driver did not pick up any playoff points this week and still is in search of his first playoff points of the season.

Ciccarelli qualified in 30th position at 174.914 mph.

After 14 career starts, the Ellicott City, Maryland product continues to search for his first win and top-10 finish.

There were 32 cars in the field and the race endured eight cautions and 35 caution laps. Prior to the checkered flag, there were 17 lead changes.

With Hill driving his Tundra to victory lane for Shigeaki Hattori, Toyota added 40 points to its season totals. Overall, Toyota ranks No. 1 with 600 points, followed by Chevrolet in the No. 2 spot with 581. Ford sits at No. 3 with 535 points on the season.

Ray Ciccarelli Driver Page | Get Ray Ciccarelli Gear | Race Center

Posted on by Data Skrive

Bayley Currey finished sixth in the Corrigan Oil 200 at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday. It’s Currey’s first top-10 finish of the season.

Austin Hill took the checkered flag in the race, with Sheldon Creed finishing second, and Tyler Dippel placing third. Brett Moffitt brought home fourth place, followed by Austin Wayne Self to round out the top five.

Stage 1 was won by Ross Chastain while Moffitt finished out front in Stage 2.

Currey earned 32 points over the weekend, giving him 54 on the year. He ranks No. 41 in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series overall points standings.

The third-year driver did not pick up any playoff points this week and still is in search of his first playoff points of the season.

Currey qualified in 11th position at 182.565 mph.

The Driftwood, Texas native has yet to secure his first NASCAR win but has placed in the top 10 in one race.

There were 32 cars in the field and the race saw eight cautions and 35 caution laps. Prior to the checkered flag, there were 17 lead changes.

With Hill driving his Tundra to victory lane for Shigeaki Hattori, Toyota added 40 points to its season totals. Overall, Toyota ranks No. 1 with 600 points, followed by Chevrolet in the No. 2 spot with 581. Ford sits at No. 3 with 535 points on the season.

Bayley Currey Driver Page | Get Bayley Currey Gear | Race Center

Posted on by Data Skrive

Austin Wayne Self finished fifth in the Corrigan Oil 200 at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday. It’s Self’s first top-five finish of the season.

Austin Hill took the checkered flag in the race, with Sheldon Creed finishing second, and Tyler Dippel crossing the finish line third.

Ross Chastain took Stage 1 and Moffitt finished out front in Stage 2.

Self earned 37 points over the weekend, increasing his total to 303 on the season. He ranks No. 14 in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series overall standings.

The fourth-year driver did not earn any playoff points this week and still is in search of his first playoff points of the season.

Self qualified in 23rd position at 180.900 mph.

Self still is looking for his first career win but owns one top-five finish and six finishes in the top 10.

There were 32 cars in the field and the race endured eight cautions and 35 caution laps. Prior to the checkered flag, there were 17 lead changes.

With Hill driving his Tundra to victory for Shigeaki Hattori, Toyota added 40 points to its season totals. Overall, Toyota ranks No. 1 with 600 points, followed by Chevrolet in the No. 2 spot with 581. Ford sits at No. 3 with 535 points on the season.

Austin Wayne Self Driver Page | Get Austin Wayne Self Gear | Race Center

Posted on by Data Skrive

Tyler Dippel finished third in the Corrigan Oil 200 at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday. It’s Dippel’s first top-five finish of the season.

Austin Hill secured the win in the race, with Sheldon Creed taking second. Brett Moffitt took fourth place, followed by Austin Wayne Self to round out the top five.

Stage 1 was won by Ross Chastain while Moffitt finished out front in Stage 2.

Dippel earned 34 points over the weekend, giving him 371 on the year. He ranks No. 13 in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series standings.

The second-year driver did not pick up any playoff points this week and still is in search of his first playoff points of the season.

Dippel qualified in 17th position at 181.832 mph.

The Wallkill, New York product has yet to secure his first NASCAR win but has placed in the top 10 in two races.

There were 32 cars in the field and the race saw eight cautions and 35 caution laps. Prior to the checkered flag, there were 17 lead changes.

With Hill driving his Tundra to glory for Shigeaki Hattori, Toyota added 40 points to its season totals. Overall, Toyota ranks No. 1 with 600 points, followed by Chevrolet in the No. 2 spot with 581. Ford sits at No. 3 with 535 points on the season.

Tyler Dippel Driver Page | Get Tyler Dippel Gear | Race Center