Posted on by Pat DeCola

Here’s what’s happening in NASCAR with the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway in the rearview and Saturday’s Bristol Night Race up next (7:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

HOW TO WATCH: NASCAR on NBC, USA | Driver Cams on HBO Max

1. Here comes Hendrick — Larson to lead charge back against Toyota

The start of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs has been all Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing so far, but that may be about to change in this weekend’s Round of 16 cutoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Toyota drivers enter this weekend’s Round of 16 cutoff race as the unquestioned frontrunners of the playoffs thus far, with Joe Gibbs Racing taking the air out of the room as Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin suffocated the field in the opening two races, and 23XI’s duo heads into Saturday with plenty of cushion to feel safe.

At the same time, Kyle Larson enters Bristol Motor Speedway as the undisputed king of the concrete colosseum in the Next Gen era, with numbers that are truly extraordinary. The 2021 champ owns three Bristol wins in his last seven starts, including two in a row with this race last year and again earlier this season. More impressive still, Larson led 873 laps in those two — nearly 90% of all possible laps — a feat that places him among the most dominant short-track performers in NASCAR history.

The 1,762 laps Larson has led at Bristol represent his highest total at any track by a margin of 712, and the 462 laps led in the most recent night race there marked the most ever by a Hendrick Motorsports driver in a single Cup race, cementing his status as the organization’s short-track ace. Though his summer didn’t quite go as planned, if it was all going to turn around for the California native on his quest for title No. 2, this is the spot.

RELATED: Bristol entry list | Full weekend schedule

As dominant as Toyota has looked through two races, it’s hard not to get the sense that No. 5 is about to wash all that away and position himself as the potential title favorite as the Round of 12 takes shape with another strong-arming of the field under the lights.

“Yeah, I mean, it would be great to have a day like the last two times there where we lead a bunch of laps and win the race,” Larson reflected after Gateway. “You can never expect that. Everybody is always getting better. We have to try to go up there and execute like we did … qualify up front. You just hope the race will play out better in our favor. We can just build on it.”

Also worth noting — Larson’s brilliance reflects a broader Hendrick resurgence at Bristol, as other powerhouse organizations like Team Penske have struggled to make it happen there in the past decade. Chase Elliott has registered top-10 finishes in more than half of his Bristol starts (nine of 16) and has led 444 laps of his own. Alex Bowman, desperately in need of the best possible finish he can muster this weekend, earned pole positions for each of the last two Bristol races, while William Byron has yet to lead a lap there but owns four top 10s in the last six.

Apart from any self-induced mishaps, Toyota does remain Hendrick’s biggest hurdle this weekend. The manufacturer has orchestrated a masterclass in postseason racing thus far, winning both races and leading 515 of 607 laps run, securing a landmark 200th victory over the weekend as Hamlin picked up his series-best fifth 2025 win. Briscoe’s display of dominance at Darlington also showcased Toyota’s depth beyond established veterans after Kyle Busch moved on a few years ago and Martin Truex Jr. retired after last year, as he and Bubba Wallace, who has a healthy cushion entering Bristol, look like realistic Championship 4 contenders for the first time in their careers.

Defending champion Joey Logano acknowledged the gap between manufacturers so far candidly after Gateway.

“They’re ridiculously fast. They’ve got a lot of grip, and they’ve got a lot of horsepower. We’ve got a lot of work to do to catch up.”

Bristol’s concrete surface and track treatment, courtesy of NASCAR — not to mention a new right-side tire — provide consistent grip and racing characteristics that reward both raw speed and strategic positioning. This could lead to Toyota further maximizing exactly what Logano mentioned, or it could open the door for Larson and others to catch up and make it look like anybody’s ballgame again.

If Toyota is able to maintain its pace at Bristol, the championship is clearly in its grasp. And tightening.

Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Express Oil Change Toyota, Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, Christopher Bell, driver of the #20 DEWALT Toyota, and Ty Gibbs, driver of the #54 SiriusXM Toyota, race during the NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 17, 2024 in Bristol, Tennessee.
Meg Oliphant | Getty Images

2. Is a major surprise elimination coming at Bristol?

Reigning champion Joey Logano’s title defense has not been a particularly strong one, and No. 22 faces the very realistic threat of elimination Saturday night at Bristol. Will he, or other big players facing the cut, rise to the occasion at “The Last Great Colosseum?”

As laid out above, there’s going to be plenty of warranted focus on Larson and Toyota (and in particular Hamlin) this weekend.

There is, however, one potential majorly dramatic subplot to focus on Saturday night — the defending champion may not make it out of the first round.

Joey Logano’s startling struggles this year are well past the point of “hey, they’ll get it together in time for the playoffs.” Here we are on the verge of the first cutoff race inside the playoffs, and No. 22 has just eight top 10s on the year, hasn’t felt close to winning a race since the spring, and now faces elimination, needing to maintain a scant 21-point cushion to the bubble at a mediocre-at-best track for him.

Sure, he’s a two-time Bristol winner, but both of those came a decade ago or more, and Logano arrives averaging a 27th-place finish in five Next Gen races, placing 22nd or worse each time. That skid contrasts sharply with his history of clutch performances and underscores Team Penske’s challenges adapting to Bristol with this car. Short of everything going perfectly, Logano faces the real threat of elimination. One ill-timed pit miscue or mechanical fault could end his championship bid, transforming what should have been another strong run (albeit in an odd year) into one of this season’s biggest upsets.

By contrast, Christopher Bell, also far off his early-season pace to the point the mild-mannered Oklahoman is calling out his team after seventh-place finishes, epitomizes reliability at Bristol and should be a lock to advance and continue his trek toward title No. 1. He has never finished outside the top 10 at this track in the Next Gen and ranks third among active drivers in laps led at the half-mile oval. Bell’s consistent stage results, with a top 10 in every stage over the last six races, reflect the precision that Bristol demands and few can master.

Below the cutline, however, desperation intensifies.

Alex Bowman, who has as many Bristol finishes over the past eight races inside the top 10 as finishes outside the top 30, sits 35 points short after pit-road penalties and mechanical failures have hampered his campaign. He needs to have the race of his life, as only a victory or a flawless points day will salvage his season.

Shane van Gisbergen, 15 points shy, confronts his first genuine short-track challenge; his road-course prowess offers little guidance on Bristol’s high banks, and his lone start here ended in a 38th-place DNF. Add the pressure of playoff elimination and we’ll get to really test SVG’s mettle this weekend.

Josh Berry, 45 points adrift, represents the ultimate underdog of the race, a long shot among long shots. Accidents in both playoff races have painted him into a corner, yet Wood Brothers Racing’s history of strong short-track showings provides a sliver of hope if he can avoid early wrecks.

Should Logano stumble, any one of these bubble drivers could vault into the Round of 12 without taking the checkered flag. Don’t be quick to rule out a pop-off win from Ross Chastain or Austin Dillon — the most recent short-track winner — if the in-race points situation gets jumbled and some of the sport’s most aggressive drivers need to muscle up at the end.

Bristol is an equalizer to a degree, and this playoff field for the Round of 12 is anything but solidified. Chris Buescher’s 2022 breakthrough to end a 223-race winless streak, for example, illustrates how precise timing and opportunism can sometimes override raw speed at one of the sport’s most unique venues.

The only question is who wants it the most?

BRISTOL, TENNESSEE - SEPTEMBER 20: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, enters his car during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 20, 2024 in Bristol, Tennessee.
Jonathan Bachman | Getty Images

3. Kyle Petty: Is Ryan Blaney too nice to drive a race car?

Kyle Petty breaks down whether Ryan Blaney is ‘too nice’ after his recent run-in with Kyle Larson at World Wide Technology Raceway.

4. Will a first-time short-track winner advance at Bristol?

Five of the six lowest-ranked drivers remaining in the playoffs have never won at a short track before, and none of them have won at Bristol, in particular. Will one of them change that on Saturday night? (Credit: Racing Insights)

DriverWinsLast
Kyle Busch16Bristol 4/19
Denny Hamlin15Martinsville 3/25
Brad Keselowski7Richmond 9/20
Kyle Larson6Bristol 4/25
Joey Logano5Martinsville 10/18
Ryan Blaney3Martinsville 11/24
William Byron3Iowa 8/25
Alex Bowman2Martinsville 10/21
Chris Buescher2Richmond 7/23
Austin Dillon2Richmond 9/25
Chase Elliott1Martinsville 11/20
Christopher Bell1Martinsville 10/22

5. Catch the pack — news and notes from around the garage

Paint Scheme Preview: 2025 Bristol Motor Speedway playoff weekend

Power Rankings: Bubba Wallace enters Championship 4 conversation after hot start

Gateway victory primes Hamlin for personal milestone of 60th Cup win

Kyle Petty: Denny Hamlin ‘may be the last driver that hits 60’ wins

Some smooth, others bumpy: Gateway nets mixed results for Hendrick Motorsports

Radioactive: Hear what Blaney said after getting spun out

‘Their heart goes to a different place’: Who’s rising in the playoffs

Playoff Pulse: Title contenders rise, fall through Gateway melee

Goodyear to debut new, softer right-side tires for Bristol Night Race

NASCAR official on Trackhouse post-race actions: ‘We’ll make it pretty clear to them moving forward’

Christopher Bell unsatisfied with Gateway top 10: ‘We are underperforming’

Larson tangles with Blaney at Gateway: ‘He should be upset’

Denny Hamlin’s late surge sews up fifth win of season, Round of 12 playoff spot

BRISTOL, TENNESSEE - SEPTEMBER 21: A general view of the grid prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 21, 2024 in Bristol, Tennessee.
Jonathan Bachman | Getty Images
Posted on by Reid Spencer

For a driver who finished 30th in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series playoff opener at Darlington Raceway and currently occupies next-to-last place in the standings, Chandler Smith has a surprisingly sanguine outlook entering Thursday night’s UNOH 250 Presented by Ohio Logistics at Bristol Motor Speedway (8 p.m. ET, FS1, NASCAR Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“Honestly, I’m not too worried about it,” said Smith, who crashed out of the Darlington race after 14 laps and is two points below the current elimination line for the Round of 8. “ … Going back to Bristol, we were really strong there earlier this year,” said Smith. “Then New Hampshire as well, so I’m not really worried about the point situation.”

In fact, Smith won the spring race at “Thunder Valley” from the third starting position. Both he and Front Row Motorsports teammate Layne Riggs have had consistently fast Fords of late.

RELATED: Bristol schedule | Truck Series playoff standings

“We’ve still got two races left going back to Bristol, where we won earlier this year and then New Hampshire for the last race of this round, where I’ve been really strong in the past as well,” Smith said.

“I’m not really discouraged or anything about that. I think our trucks here recently have been really good. Everybody at Front Row Motorsports has been giving me a truck capable of going out there and winning.”

The Sept. 20 EJP 175 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Noon ET, FS1, NASCAR Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) will trim the playoff field from 10 drivers to eight. Smith trails eighth-place Jake Garcia by two points and seventh-place Rajah Caruth by four. Kaden Honeycutt is 10th in the standings, seven points below the elimination line.

Already guaranteed a spot in the Round of 8, eight-race winner Corey Heim goes for his fourth straight Truck Series victory on Friday. Heim has taken the checkered flag in four of the last five races, three times from the pole position.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

 As Justin Allgaier begins the defense of the long-awaited NASCAR Xfinity Series title he won last year at Phoenix Raceway, the focus, appropriately enough, is on his rookie JR Motorsports teammate, Connor Zilisch.

The 19-year-old driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet has won seven of the last eight races, including the last four straight, tying Sam Ard (1983) and Noah Gragson (2022) for the Xfinity Series record for consecutive victories.

Zilisch, the Regular Season Champion, is 59 points above the current elimination line for the playoffs’ Round of 8 entering Friday night’s Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway (7:30 ET on The CW, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

MORE: Bristol entry list | Full weekend schedule

He plans to keep his remarkable streak going as the postseason begins.

“This No. 88 team has been on a run this year, and four wins in a row is a rare feat, but we aren’t going to take any of that for granted going into the playoffs,” Zilisch said. “(Crew chief) Mardy (Lindley), my whole team and my pit crew continue to execute every week, and we don’t plan on turning down the intensity anytime soon.

“It has been awesome to have the success we have had this season, and we plan to unload another fast WeatherTech Chevrolet this Friday.”

At 30 points above the current cutline, Allgaier is the only playoff driver besides Zilisch with any degree of comfort entering the playoffs.

The remaining 10 playoff drivers, from Sam Mayer in third to Austin Hill in 12th, are covered by a spread of 16 points. Mayer is 11 points to the good while Hill, who lost his regular-season playoff points under penalty for wrecking Aric Almirola at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, is five points below the elimination line.

The extraordinary closeness of the playoff field all but guarantees an intense scramble for position in Friday night’s playoff opener at Thunder Valley.

Posted on by Staff Report

Already clinched

The following two drivers have clinched a spot in the 12-driver field of the next round: Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe.

Can clinch via points

If there’s a repeat winner or a win by a driver who cannot advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being ahead of the 11th winless driver in the standings.

The same point requirements listed below would hold true if a new win comes from among Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Ross Chastain or Austin Cindric.

— Kyle Larson: Would clinch regardless of finish.

— Bubba Wallace: Would clinch with 7 points.

— Ryan Blaney: Would clinch with 15 points.

— William Byron: Would clinch with 18 points.

— Tyler Reddick: Would clinch with 19 points.

— Christopher Bell: Would clinch with 25 points.

— Chase Elliott: Would clinch with 29 points.

— Joey Logano: Would clinch with 36 points.

— Ross Chastain: Would clinch with 38 points.

— Austin Cindric: Would clinch with 46 points.

— Austin Dillon, Shane van Gisbergen, Alex Bowman and Josh Berry: All could only clinch with help.

RELATED: Cup Series standings 

If there is a new winner from Austin Dillon or another winless driver lower in the standings but still eligible to advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being ahead of the 10th winless driver in the standings.

— Kyle Larson: Would clinch with 8 points.

— Bubba Wallace: Would clinch with 18 points.

— Ryan Blaney: Would clinch with 26 points.

— William Byron: Would clinch with 29 points.

— Tyler Reddick: Would clinch with 31 points.

— Christopher Bell: Would clinch with 36 points.

— Chase Elliott: Would clinch with 40 points.

— Joey Logano: Would clinch with 47 points.

— Ross Chastain: Would clinch with 49 points.

— Austin Cindric, Austin Dillon, Shane van Gisbergen, Alex Bowman and Josh Berry: All could only clinch with help.

Posted on by Staff Report

Before heading to Bristol Motor Speedway for Saturday’s Round of 16 elimination race in the Cup Series Playoffs (7:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, NBC Sports App, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), Kyle Larson watched his 7-year-old daughter Audrey grab her first career victory on Tuesday at Millbridge Speedway.

The dirt track in Salisbury, North Carolina, plays host to the beginnings of many racing careers and has been the go-to venue for the children of retired and active NASCAR drivers.

RELATED: Bristol schedule | Cup playoff standings

“It was really cool,” Larson said Wednesday during a Zoom teleconference. “Obviously, you don’t ever forget a first win. I remember being at Millbridge for (son) Owen’s first win, and then lucky enough to be able to be there for Audrey’s first-ever win as well last night. It was really neat. She’s been doing a really good job. She’s only been racing for about a year and she’s really competitive, and she’s driven and works at it. It was a cool moment for sure. You could see she was happy and she was getting choked up a little bit in her interviews, so it was cool.”

While Larson said he didn’t get emotional immediately after Audrey’s win, he said he had a moment with her that almost got the waterworks going.

“I had moments, and then when she told me that she was getting ready to cry afterwards in the trailer, that’s probably when I mostly got choked up,” Larson said. “I was the video-taping dad on my phone. So maybe if I’d had my phone down and I really was absorbing the moment, I probably would have cried. It was awesome. She’s my only daughter, so she’s got a soft spot in my heart.”

Larson said both Audrey and Owen race at a consistent level, but isn’t committed for now to putting in the time that fellow racing dads Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick are currently investing into their own children, but did note that Audrey has the more competitive edge compared to her older brother.

“We don’t take it quite yet as serious as Kyle or Kevin do,” Larson said. “I would say Owen’s pretty laid back with it, and I think racing is just kind of fun for him and a way to hang with his friends, and get a little competitive. Audrey, I would say, (has) more got the competitive mindset. (She) wants to watch video, run on the simulator, go to the go-kart track and practice, go testing at Millbridge, race as much as she can. I have fun with that because she’s more similar to me in that aspect. But I also want to just keep it fun for them, not burn them out at a young age, which is, I think, easy to do.

“I think Audrey is going to run like 30 races this year, and Owen’s like in the mid-50s. It sounds like a lot, but it’s not that crazy when you factor in Brexton’s probably running 400 races this year. But it’s fun and I just enjoy seeing them have a good time and building memories.”

Posted on by Nate Ryan

NASCAR will warn Cup Series teams of significant penalties — possibly up to a disqualification — awaiting cars that take off-road excursions after the checkered flag in the future.

During the latest episode of the “Hauler Talk” podcast, managing director of communications Mike Forde said NASCAR’s weekly competition update would address the Trackhouse Racing Chevrolets of Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen running through the infield grass during the cooldown lap of Sunday’s race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.

RELATED: Weekend schedule | Cup standings

“We did not care for it, not one bit,” Forde said. “We’re going to just remind teams this is something where we actually have a rule. I think we’re going to give (Trackhouse) a little bit of a warning. But there is a rule that says what they did — you could argue — broke a rule, and there could have been repercussions for it. But I think we’re going to allow the teams sort of a gimme here and say moving forward be aware that we are going to be looking at this.”

Per Rule 6421.b, cars are considered to be under impound conditions immediately after the checkered flag and must not be altered or adjusted in any manner during the cooldown lap or on pit road prior to reporting to the inspection areas.

“That is something that we’ll frown upon in a significant way,” Forde said. “Whether that is going to be an in-race penalty or a DQ, that is going to be determined after the event. It depends on how blatant the violation was. I don’t think we’re going to outline exactly what the repercussions would be because we’re going to take it on a case-by-case basis.”

With Chastain and van Gisbergen both in the playoffs and facing post-race inspection at Gateway, Forde said the Trackhouse drivers likely were trying to ensure their cars made minimum weight, adding NASCAR has noticed cars trying to run over debris after the race. Last year, Alex Bowman was disqualified and subsequently eliminated from the playoffs for failing to make minimum weight after the second-round cutoff race at the Charlotte Roval.

“These teams are pushing it so close to the line on weight,” Forde said. “They know exactly how to math it out where we give them a 17-pound tolerance after the race. In Darlington, we measured every single playoff car, and there were a couple of cars that were within a pound of almost failing and being DQ’d.”

Other topics covered by Forde and NASCAR senior director of racing communications Amanda Ellis during the 32nd episode of “Hauler Talk,” which explores competition issues:

— The backstory of how a brake marker sign fell on the track during the race at World Wide Technology Raceway.

— The continuing trend of drivers getting service from another team’s pit crew.

— How NASCAR decides on stage lengths.

— The new right-side tire for the Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

— Round 2 clinch scenarios for the Cup Series playoffs.

— The impact of Austin Hill’s loss of Xfinity Series playoff points.

— What’s ahead for the Cup Series Playoff Committee.

Click on the embed above to listen or search for “Hauler Talk” wherever you download podcasts to hear it on your phone, tablet or mobile device.

Nate Ryan has written about NASCAR since 1996 while working at the San Bernardino Sun, Richmond Times-Dispatch, USA TODAY and for the past 10 years at NBC Sports Digital. He is a contributor to the “Hauler Talk” show on the NASCAR Podcast Network. He also has covered various other motorsports, including the IndyCar and IMSA series.

Posted on by Staff Report

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for Thursday’s UNOH 250 presented by Ohio Logistics (8 p.m. ET, FS1, NASCAR Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). It marks the second event in the seven-race tilt for the championship. Truck Series qualifying will begin at 4:10 p.m. ET on Thursday after practice, which starts at 3:05 p.m. ET. Practice and qualifying will both air on FS2.

QUALIFYING ORDER: Cup Series | Xfinity Series | Truck Series

The qualifying order is determined via a metric that combines the previous race finish by owner (70%) and current owner points position (30%).

Thursday’s qualifying session will be one round and two laps.

MORE: Bristol schedule | How to watch the Truck Series on FS1, FS2

# denotes series rookie
(i) denotes ineligible for driver points
(P) denotes playoff driver

POS.CAR NO.DRIVERMETRIC SCOREPRACTICE GROUP
195Clay Greenfield43.41
235Greg Van Alst42.81
341Connor Jones42.21
462Cole Butcher40.41
56Norm Benning39.21
675Parker Kligerman38.61
774Caleb Costner31.61
822Josh Reaume31.41
92Clayton Green31.01
1002Treyton Lapcevich (i)27.61
1142Matt Mills27.21
1233Mason Maggio (i)26.61
135Toni Breidinger #24.91
1476Spencer Boyd23.91
1526Dawson Sutton #20.81
1645Bayley Currey20.81
1720Stefan Parsons20.71
1888Matt Crafton20.71
1917Giovanni Ruggiero #19.91
2077Corey LaJoie17.92
2191Jack Wood17.02
2244Andres Perez de Lara #16.32
2381Connor Mosack #14.82
2499Ben Rhodes11.92
2515Tanner Gray9.02
261Brent Crews8.92
2738Chandler Smith (P)23.72
2852Kaden Honeycutt (P)15.62
2934Layne Riggs (P)12.52
3071Rajah Caruth (P)10.82
3113Jake Garcia (P)10.62
327Corey Day (i) (P)8.42
3318Tyler Ankrum (P)6.42
3498Ty Majeski (P)4.62
359Grant Enfinger (P)3.32
3619Daniel Hemric (P)2.32
3711Corey Heim (P)1.02

Posted on by Staff Report

The NASCAR Cup Series completes the Round of 16 in the 2025 playoffs with the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Qualifying at the 0.533-miler begins at 5:40 p.m. ET on Friday (truTV, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). A 60-minute practice split into two 25-minute groups with a 10-minute break in between is at 4:30 p.m. ET on Friday, also on truTV.

QUALIFYING ORDER: Cup Series | Xfinity Series | Truck Series

The qualifying order below is determined via metric that combines the previous race finish by owner (70%) and current owner points position (30%).

Friday’s qualifying session will be one round and two laps.

The race itself will be on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

MORE: How to watch NASCAR on NBC, USA | Driver Cams on HBO Max | Weekend schedule

# denotes series rookie
(i) denotes ineligible for driver points
(P) denotes playoff driver

Pos.Car No.DriversMetric ScoreGroup
167* Corey Heim (i)41.61
266* Chad Finchum40.41
333* Austin Hill (i)40.11
410Ty Dillon33.41
599Daniel Suárez32.61
635* Riley Herbst #32.21
734* Todd Gilliland31.71
838* Zane Smith31.51
94* Noah Gragson31.21
1051Cody Ware31.11
1141Cole Custer28.81
127Justin Haley28.61
1347Ricky Stenhouse Jr.22.71
1416AJ Allmendinger22.41
1543Erik Jones21.61
168Kyle Busch21.41
176Brad Keselowski18.51
1877Carson Hocevar18.01
1971Michael McDowell17.61
2060Ryan Preece14.51
2154Ty Gibbs12.72
2242John Hunter Nemechek11.42
2317Chris Buescher11.42
2421Josh Berry (P)30.02
2548Alex Bowman (P)22.72
2688Shane van Gisbergen # (P)21.72
271Ross Chastain (P)20.12
282Austin Cindric (P)16.92
293Austin Dillon (P)16.52
3045* Tyler Reddick (P)13.32
3124William Byron (P)9.52
325Kyle Larson (P)9.32
3320Christopher Bell (P)7.32
3423* Bubba Wallace (P)6.82
3522Joey Logano (P)6.52
369Chase Elliott (P)4.82
3712Ryan Blaney (P)4.32
3819Chase Briscoe (P)2.02
3911Denny Hamlin (P)1.02

 

Posted on by Staff Report

The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Tennessee this week for Friday’s Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET, The CW, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The CW App will air Xfinity Series qualifying Friday at 3:05 p.m. ET. A 50-minute practice session is scheduled for Friday at 2 p.m. ET, also airing on The CW App.

QUALIFYING ORDER: Cup Series | Xfinity Series | Truck Series

The qualifying order below is determined via metric that combines the previous race finish by owner (70%) and current owner points position (30%).

Saturday’s qualifying session will be two laps and one round.

MORE: How to watch on The CW | Weekend schedule

# denotes series rookie
(i) denotes ineligible for driver points
(P) denotes playoff driver

Pos.Car No.DriversMetric ScoreGroup
124Jeffrey Earnhardt40.41
232Austin Green37.41
335Stefan Parsons (i)33.71
514Logan Bearden32.91
607Carson Ware29.91
727Jeb Burton29.41
853Joey Gase29.31
928Kyle Sieg25.21
1031Blaine Perkins24.21
1191Josh Bilicki23.71
1239Ryan Sieg23.71
1345Josh Williams23.51
1470Leland Honeyman23.31
1571Ryan Ellis21.31
1651Jeremy Clements17.41
1742Anthony Alfredo16.61
1826Dean Thompson #16.31
1944Brennan Poole15.81
2099Matt DiBenedetto14.91
214Parker Retzlaff13.42
2210Daniel Dye #12.72
2317Corey Day12.62
2411Brendan Queen (i)11.52
2518William Sawalich #6.82
2616Christian Eckes #6.62
271Carson Kvapil # (P)28.92
2841Sam Mayer (P)25.72
298Sammy Smith (P)25.22
3000Sheldon Creed (P)24.62
3148Nick Sanchez # (P)20.22
327Justin Allgaier (P)20.22
3325Harrison Burton (P)19.32
3454Taylor Gray # (P)15.22
3521Austin Hill (P)9.32
3619Aric Almirola (P)6.62
372Jesse Love (P)5.02
3820Brandon Jones (P)4.62
3988Connor Ziisch # (P)1.02

 

Posted on by Dustin Albino

By the numbers, Sammy Smith had an average regular season. But he doesn’t think that should sway you from believing that the No. 8 team is not a realistic threat for the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship.

Smith — who will return to JR Motorsports for a third year in 2026 — ended the regular season 10th in points, the lowest of the four full-time JRM entries. His guaranteed spot in the postseason came from an awarded victory after Jesse Love was disqualified at Rockingham Speedway in mid-April.

RELATED: 2025 Xfinity Series Playoffs field cemented | Bristol weekend schedule

“It’s been up and down; we haven’t been as consistent as we need to be,” Smith told NASCAR.com. “We’ve learned a lot about each other as a team. We’ve improved and made mistakes as a team as well. I feel like we’re in a really good place going into the playoffs.”

Speed hasn’t been an issue. To Smith, it was a lack of execution and failing post-race inspection at Charlotte Motor Speedway that cost the No. 8 bunch valuable points. The fourth-year driver is still on track to set new personal bests in top 10s and average finishes.

After tangling with Taylor Gray on the final lap at Martinsville Speedway in the spring, Smith felt he needed to reshape his image. He’s worked tirelessly to avoid any additional controversy, though it hasn’t hampered his performance.

“I think it made me grow better as a driver and as a person,” Smith said, reflecting on Martinsville. “In the moment, I thought it was the best thing to do to try and win the race. Obviously, after the fact, I didn’t win the race, and it wasn’t the best thing to do.”

Smith shies away from listening to outside noise. Unless he’s getting critiqued by NASCAR Hall of Famer/JRM co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. or someone with senior experience, he handles himself accordingly.

“We told him, everyone thinks [you’re] a punk, you’re giving them a good reason to think that, don’t give them the reason,” Earnhardt said on the Sept. 2 edition of the “Dale Jr Download.” “Go out there and figure it out. Go out there and rebuild, gain back your reputation. He’s worked hard to be solid, and he has. I’ve seen him get better as a driver.”

With the points reset, Smith jumped to the sixth seed on the playoff grid, four points above the cutline entering Friday’s Round of 12 opener at Bristol Motor Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET, The CW, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The playoff venues line up well for the No. 8 team, with past victories at Phoenix Raceway (2023) and Talladega Superspeedway (2024).

“It’s the best place that I’ve been in probably the past few years,” Smith said of entering the playoffs. “We have a stronger team. We’ve had a lot more speed this year than we had last year. The races that are in the playoffs suit our style, my style and what I like. I think that’s to our advantage.”

Smith has come up clutch in the playoffs in the last two years. His Talladega victory came in Hail Mary fashion; his only path to the Round of 8 in 2024 was by winning. As pilot of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, he was in position to win the penultimate race of the 2023 season at Martinsville, leading a career-high 147 laps from the pole until the race went haywire in the waning laps.

“It’s that mindset of being back on an even playing ground,” Smith said. “Momentum is a big thing in racing, and once you get it and are on it, you can keep riding that.”

Sammy Smith races in the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet during a NASCAR Xfinity Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.
Sean Gardner | Getty Images

The opening round in 2025 could be the most challenging round for Smith. He has a pair of top-10 finishes in four Bristol starts, including a fourth-place effort in the spring. He has an average finish of 21.7 in three attempts at Kansas Speedway. With an average finish of 10.5 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, he’s also respectable at the 17-turn layout.

The mindset, according to the No. 8 team, will be a straightforward one.

“You have to take it one stage at a time,” Phillip Bell, crew chief of No. 8 Chevy, said. “You can’t overthink it. You have to take it one race at a time.”

MORE: Xfinity Series standings | Xfinity Series schedule

According to Bell, no tracks in the opening two rounds of the playoffs scare the No. 8 team. Smith has been mediocre through five starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but he is a threat on superspeedways and is normally in the mix at Martinsville.

“I don’t want to look too far out, but there’s not a track in the Round of 12 or Round of 8 that is worrying me,” Bell said. “Last year, we struggled pretty bad at Bristol, and we hit on something in the spring with Sammy and fought for a win there and was solid top five all day. Kansas, JRM always runs well there. Roval, we’ve made gains on it. Round of 8: Vegas, Talladega, Martinsville, that’s three tracks that you go there and expect to win.”

Given Smith has only five top fives (tied for the second fewest among all playoff drivers) and led 62 laps this season (second fewest), he could be considered a sleeper. Just don’t tell that to the No. 8 crew.

“The people that are around me and the team know what we’re capable of,” Smith said. “We expect to be in the final four. I’m sure to a lot of people on paper, it probably looks like we’re not very good as a team and we struggle, but I think we can prove a lot of people wrong and prove to ourselves that we can do it.”

Bell’s goals are loftier, expecting to hoist the title come the championship race at Phoenix.

“The expectation is to win the championship,” Bell said. “The expectation is to be in the final four, and he’s won at Phoenix before. Anything less than that is failure.”