NASCAR Cup Series teams are scheduled for the final organizational test of the year this week, getting track time Tuesday and Wednesday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The two-day open session is in advance of the Dixie Vodka 400, scheduled Oct. 23 (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM) at the 1.5-mile South Florida track. The event is the middle race in Cup Series Playoffs’ Round of 8, which will determine the four drivers who will compete for the championship in the Nov. 6 finale at Phoenix Raceway.
One car from each manufacturer will also participate in wheel-force testing this week at Homestead-Miami. Those test runs will overlap with the organizational test and will take place Wednesday and Thursday.
A full list of participating teams and drivers will be released later.
The Homestead-Miami track was the site of the Next Gen car’s third-ever test during its development. Erik Jones drove the prototype in two days of on-track sessions Jan. 15-16, 2020.
Joe Gibbs Racing indicated Monday that its Nos. 11 and 18 teams will swap pit crews, starting with Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.
Driver Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 Toyota team remain alive in the Cup Series Playoffs, which continue with Sunday’s AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 (3:30 p.m. ET, USA, NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM) at the 1.5-mile Fort Worth track. Kyle Busch, driver of Coach Joe Gibbs’ No. 18 Camry, was eliminated from title contention after last weekend’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The NASCAR Cup Series season is 29 races old, but there’s already reason to celebrate before this season comes to an end.
Chris Buescher’s Bristol breakthrough on Saturday night produced the 19th different driver in Victory Lane this year, a record through 29 events and tying 2001 for the most in the modern era. Some of the stunners stem from who have been victorious; some stem from those who haven’t been.
Austin Cindric, the fresh-faced rookie wheeling the No. 2 Ford for Team Penske, started the year with a bang, scoring the Daytona 500 triumph in his eighth career Cup start by mere inches over Bubba Wallace.
Defending series champion Kyle Larson and his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman followed up with respective wins at Auto Club and Las Vegas, perhaps lulling some into thinking this year would be routine. That was before Chase Briscoe, the sophomore Stewart-Haas Racing driver, made his maiden trip to Victory Lane by winning the spring race at Phoenix Raceway.
As the season rolled, Ross Chastain drove himself and Trackhouse Racing to their first wins at Circuit of The Americas, then proved himself again just four weeks later by winning at Talladega. His teammate, Daniel Suárez, wasn’t far behind, netting his inaugural triumph in June at Sonoma Raceway.
Another second-year team, 23XI Racing, has itself two wins this year courtesy of two different drivers — but via the same car number and at the same track. Kurt Busch drove the No. 45 Toyota to victory at Kansas Speedway in May. Five months later, with Busch recovering from a July injury, Wallace scored career win No. 2 at the same track piloting Busch’s number across the stripe.
Perhaps more eye-opening was that Wallace’s win came during a sweep by non-playoff drivers in the Round of 16, a shocker unseen during the elimination era of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs since it began in 2014. His victory was sandwiched between two storybook triumphs themselves.
Erik Jones earned his second Southern 500 checkered flag on Labor Day Weekend behind the wheel of Richard Petty’s famed No. 43 Chevrolet for Petty GMS Motorsports — the team’s first win despite the number and co-owner’s prior history. Two weeks later, Buescher scored the inaugural win for the rebranded RFK Racing at Bristol Motor Speedway, his first win in 222 races.
And let’s not forget the first career win for Tyler Reddick at Road America on Fourth of July weekend — a feat he backed up four weeks later at the Indianapolis Road Course. His Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Dillon ended the regular season with a clutch win at Daytona to advance into the postseason as well.
Yes, the regular contenders have scored their wins — 2020 series champion Chase Elliott leads with four victories; two-time title winner Kyle Busch was victorious on Bristol’s dirt; Kevin Harvick went back-to-back in August; Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin each have two wins — but the parity has perhaps never been stronger in the NASCAR Cup Series.
While Hendrick Motorsports has statistically separated itself with nine wins — Joe Gibbs Racing trails with four — nine different teams have won in 2022. That means only six organizations that field full-time Cup efforts are winless.
And yet there remain surprises on the list of those with goose eggs in the win column.
Ryan Blaney, a three-time winner in 2021, has failed to visit Victory Lane since the 2021 regular-season finale, yet the No. 12 Ford (which won this year’s exhibition All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway) is locked into the Round of 12, which begins Sunday at Texas (3:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Former Cup champions Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. have both been shut out of Victory Lane thus far and failed to make the playoffs for the first time in years. Keselowski last missed the postseason in 2013 while Truex was last out in 2014.
But there remain seven races on the schedule for breakout winners to find their way into the history books. Never has the Cup Series seen 20 different victors in the same season, particularly in the modern age dating back to 1972.
What once seemed impossible is certainly within reach. Truex has shown speed numerous times this season, including at 1.5-mile tracks like Texas and Las Vegas; Blaney, among other winless competitors, is especially capable of breaking through at the crapshoot that often is Talladega; and who’s to say the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval won’t produce an upset?
Regardless of what’s ahead over the next seven weeks, the season should be relished for its rare history. Years like this come around only so often — and if there is a new winner, it’ll be something never seen before.
“I was sitting in the grandstands watching them race going, ‘I can do that, no problem,'” Rotundo said.
Rotundo had done some motorcycle racing, but never in a car. He had grown up watching the sport, loving driving and cars, and his dad desert raced many years ago.
While at Irwindale, a NASCAR-sanctioned asphalt oval near Los Angeles, Rotundo found the track’s Tucker Tire Enduro Sport class, which he thought looked relatively affordable with good competition and a variety of cars and skill levels.
It also, most importantly, just looked really fun.
It turned out, “I had a lot to learn,” he added.
(Photo courtesy of Ian Rotundo)
The first two years were a steep learning curve for Rotundo. He’s had to learn how to save tires and not be so aggressive on the gas pedal.
“Get in, put the pedal to the floor and hold on. … It turns out that doesn’t work very well,” he said. “I’m learning how to go slower to go faster, if that makes any sense.”
He’s started finding much more success the last two years. In 2021, he finished second in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division III national championship standings, and this year he’s third.
“The last two years I’ve just been honing those skills and trying to be a little more precise, and a little less aggressive with the pedals, and a little smoother all around,” Rotundo said. “And it’s been amazing how much that’s changed, just learning how to drive a little more carefully. It’s not always push the pedal harder to go faster. It doesn’t always work all the time.”
Much of the learning for Rotundo has been alongside his family, especially his dad, Jim, who helps him work on the car every week.
“I couldn’t even begin to do it without him. There is no way that I would be as competitive as I am and consistent as I am without his help,” Rotundo said. “Doing stuff with my family has been awesome.”
Rotundo has found the competition and camaraderie among the drivers at Irwindale is his favorite aspect of racing. He’s built something of a rivalry with driver Bobby Ozman, who won the Enduro track championship at Irwindale in 2019 and 2020. Ozman is currently second to Rotundo in the track points this season.
“He’s been pushing me hard this year. He’s been doing a great job,” Rotundo said of Ozman. “It’s good to have. It’d be no fun if there were no competition.”
But it’s not all about just getting wins for the two drivers. It’s not worth it if they’re not pushing each other to victory.
“At the last race, during the autograph session, Bobby found a nail in his tire,” Rotundo said. “We had already gone through tech, and if he were to change that tire he was going to have to start at the back of the pack. So we ended up, I was able to run back to the pits and grab a plug kit and plug his tire for him, and he’s my biggest competition. But we’re still out there to help each other and make sure that we’re out there to race, and have fun racing and push each other on the track.
“I don’t want to beat him by some technicality that he was going to have to start further back than he was supposed to. I want to race him to race him. We’re out there to have fun and learning something, and push each other to the edge.
“I love the competition of it. The fact that on the track we can all be pushing the limits, and off the track be friends and help with each other.”
While Rotundo was hoping to try to win the NASCAR national championship this season, he may have to settle for another top-three finish. Irwindale finished its NASCAR season last week.
He’s fallen so in love with racing, though, that Rotundo will surely have more chances in the future.
Only three points separate the top three drivers in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standings heading into the final two races of the 2022 season.
After claiming his fourth win of the year at Riverhead Raceway on Saturday night, three-time Tour champion Justin Bonsignore has erased the deficit stemming from his poor start to put himself well within striking distance of adding another title to his prestigious resume.
With all the momentum favoring Bonsignore as he pursues a third consecutive championship, points leader Jon McKennedy and 2011 champion Ron Silk will find themselves playing both offense and defense with two historic tracks in Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park and Martinsville Speedway ahead.
Below is a breakdown of how the top 10 drivers in the standings fared during the Eddie Partridge 256, along with a complete look at the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standings.
Drivers line up on pit road during the Eddie Partridge 256 at Riverhead Raceway. (Photo: Mike Lawrence/NASCAR)
Jon McKennedy: 526 points
The last thing McKennedy needed was a mediocre performance at Riverhead. Bonsignore winning the Eddie Partridge 256 and Silk finishing third only compounded the consequences of McKennedy’s 10th-place run, as his lead in the standings has been reduced to just three points.
Justin Bonsignore: 523 points
A couple months ago, Bonsignore was nowhere near the championship fight being settled between McKennedy and Silk. Two consecutive victories at Oswego Speedway and Riverhead, along with an average finish of 3.6 over the last five races, has allowed Bonsignore to emerge as the title favorite with two races remaining.
Ron Silk: 523 points
Despite putting together one of the most consistent seasons of his career, Silk has yet to take his car to Victory Lane in 2022. Silk put together another solid performance at Riverhead with a third, but he now finds himself in a tie for second with Bonsignore.
Eric Goodale: 504 points
Goodale remains a dark horse candidate for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour title, but time is running out for him to erase a 22-point deficit. A quiet night for Goodale in the Eddie Partridge 256 saw him come home in fifth for his fourth top five on the 2022 season.
Austin Beers: 479 points
The only rookie who has run every race of the Tour season, Beers is now fifth in the point standings heading into the penultimate race at Thompson. Beers just narrowly missed out on his second top five of the year with a sixth-place finish at Riverhead.
Tommy Catalano: 470 points
Catalano rebounded from a disappointing showing at Oswego but was still unable to crack the top 10 by the time the checkered flag was displayed. The 12th-place finish by Catalano at Riverhead dropped him outside the top five in the point standings.
Kyle Bonsignore: 469 points
A different pit strategy nearly resulted in the other member of the Bonsignore family visiting Riverhead’s Victory Lane. Unfortunately for Kyle, he would get swept up in a late-race accident with Silk, forcing him to settle for a disappointing, 21st-place finish.
Craig Lutz: 466 points
Lutz picked up another top 10 in the Eddie Partridge 256 on Saturday evening by finishing seventh. After scoring only one top 10 in the first 10 races, Lutz now has four in a row, which includes his victory at Thompson back in August.
Doug Coby: 408 points
A three-time winner at Riverhead, Coby could not quite match the pace set by Bonsignore in Saturday’s Eddie Partridge 256. Despite this, Coby still finished fourth and further padded out Tommy Baldwin’s advantage in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour owner points.
J.B. Fortin: 360 points
The Eddie Partridge 256 proved to be another rough evening for Fortin. An accident with Riverhead regular Dylan Slepian knocked Fortin out of the race after 85 laps, which relegated him to 23rd.
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Before Saturday night’s victory by Chris Buescher at Bristol Motor Speedway, it had been 191 races since RFK Racing last went to Victory Lane in the NASCAR Cup Series.
That victory came at Daytona International Speedway in 2017, when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. drove the No. 17 to victory.
A lot has changed since then. For one, when Stenhouse won in 2017 the team was known as Roush Fenway Racing. Secondly, Stenhouse has long since departed the team and now drives for JTG Daugherty Racing.
Perhaps most importantly, the biggest change since RFK Racing last visited Victory Lane in 2017 is the addition of Brad Keselowski as both a driver and co-owner of the team.
“I’ve had a lot of teammates through my Cup career that have been passionate and put in a lot of effort, but none like Brad,” said Buescher. “To see his passion and the amount of effort that he puts in each and every weekend, it just drives everybody to put in all the effort we possibly can to get to right here, right, to be sitting here after a race and celebrating.”
Keselowski brought with him a new mindset and the goal of turning RFK Racing back into the team that dominated the NASCAR Cup Series during the 1990s and 2000s with drivers like Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Burton, Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards.
While Buescher’s victory in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race Saturday evening doesn’t mean RFK Racing is back at that level, Keselowski believes it’s a major step forward for the entire program.
“It’s a big moment for him and a big moment for our company to be able to win races,” said Keselowski. “It’s really so important at this level. You’re really not relevant if you can’t win races. If you’re not relevant, you can’t have sponsors. You can’t have sponsors, you can’t go to the race track every weekend. We need to win.”
The victory by Buescher marked the 138th for the organization that entered the NASCAR Cup Series in 1988, when Mark Martin piloted the team’s flagship No. 6 for the first time.
That doesn’t take into account RFK Racing’s sweep of the of Bluegreen Vacations Duels in February at Daytona International Speedway, which were non-points events.
The victory was Buescher’s first for RFK Racing and his first since his maiden triumph in 2016 at Pocono Raceway when he drove for Front Row Motorsports. It also came at one of his favorite race tracks.
“This is the one, the one we’ve been looking forward to for a really long time, and it’s just a special place,” Buescher said of Bristol. “It’s unlike anywhere else we go.”
Chris Buescher, driver of the No. 17 Fastenal Ford, during the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 17, 2022. (Logan Riely | Getty Images)
Keselowski called Buescher’s victory a “legacy win,” noting that not just any driver can walk into Bristol Motor Speedway and win the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. He said that speaks to the growth Buescher has shown throughout the season.
“The Bristol Night Race is a race that champions win, and I think the growth that he’s shown this year shows that he can be just that,” Keselowski said.
Statistically, Buescher flexed his muscle Saturday night. He led a race-high 169 laps, a career-best for the for the 29-year-old from Prosper, Texas. On top of that, he outran five playoff contenders in Chase Elliott, William Byron, Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain, who finished second through sixth.
Buescher’s victory provided Keselowski with a bit of extra gratification since he made a point to sign Buescher to a contract extension immediately after he became a co-owner of RFK Racing.
“I kind of felt like he was a hidden free-agent gem that wasn’t being scouted properly and felt that way for a handful of years,” Keselowski said. “So yeah, the first thing — it was literally the first thing I did when I signed the papers at RFK (was to sign Buescher to an extension).
“I thought he was somebody we could build around and get results, and today clearly shows that that was the case.”
Keselowski made it clear that despite the impressive performance by RFK Racing Saturday night, which included Keselowski leading 109 laps before a flat tire took him out of the race lead late in the event, there is still a lot of work left to do to get the team back to where he believes it should to be.
“We want to get back to being at least a four-car team. That’s been our goal all along,” said Keselowski. “Before you can get to a four-car team, you’ve got to get to a three-car team. Before you can get to a three-car team, you have to be relevant as a two-car team.
“For us, again, relevancy is winning races, multiple races a year with both of your cars and competing for playoffs. Obviously, we’re not in the playoffs with either of our cars, so we have more work to do. But our stated goal internally is to get back to being a four-car team.
“That’s not going to happen if you’re not winning races and you’re not relevant as a two-car team. This is a good step forward for us. We’ve got a long way still to go.”
BRISTOL, Tenn. – The way Austin Cindric’s night started Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway, no one would have expected him to advance to the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
Cindric blew a right-front tire on Lap 85 of the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, which dropped him multiple laps down before the race even reached the 100-lap mark.
He entered the race only two points ahead of Kyle Busch for the final place in the Round of 12, making the flat tire, and a second one that came later in the race, exceptionally devastating. In the end, that same margin carried him forward into the next round of the postseason.
Cindric ended the first stage 35th in the 36-car field, but slowly, he began clawing his way back into the fight.
“For a while it was just drive as hard as I can,” Cindric said after racing his way into the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. “As they fell off likes flies, I tried not to force any issues, tried not to force any more right-front tire failures.”
The moment that eventually put Cindric into the Round of 12 came on Lap 269, when the engine in Kyle Busch’s No. 18 Toyota expired. Suddenly there was a glimmer of hope for Cindric, but it would take him nearly the rest of the race to overtake Busch in the standings.
“I think I was tied with the 18 for 100 laps,” Cindric said as he let out an exhausted laugh. “Just one hell of a night. I still don’t think this place loves me back, but it probably showed me a little mercy tonight.”
Cindric eventually crossed the start/finish line 20th, seven laps behind winner Chris Buescher. However, combined with Busch’s 35th-place finish and Tyler Reddick’s 25th-place finish, it was enough for Cindric to squeak into the Round of 12 by a whopping two points.
Reddick and Busch ended the race tied with 2,067 points and were the first two drivers who missed advancing to the Round of 12. Reddick’s night was derailed when he was collected in a multi-car crash shortly after a restart on Lap 278.
Cindric’s attention immediately turns to the Round of 12, which begins next Sunday with the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway (3:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
The Round of 12 also includes events at Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 2 and the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL on Oct. 9.
“I feel like it’s a great chance for us to do something that most people don’t expect, and that’s make the Round of 8 and have a shot to go win a championship,” Cindric said. “I’m on offense from here on out.”
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. — Over the last decade, no driver in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour has been as dominant at Riverhead Raceway as three-time champion Justin Bonsignore.
On a Saturday night when Riverhead’s late owner in Eddie Partridge was being honored with a 256-lap feature, it was only fitting for Bonsignore to put together a typical, efficient performance that yielded him his ninth victory at the track, the most of any active driver.
Bonsignore said Partridge’s impact on the Modified community will be felt for years to come, but he is thrilled Riverhead general manager John Ellwood and his staff are doing everything possible to keep the track’s vibrant culture thriving.
“It’s a shame we lost Eddie last year, but it’s unbelievable what [Riverhead] does each and every week [to honor him],” Bonsignore said. “I’m so happy they keep the racing going for all of us. This is the best car we’ve ever had here, and I think we could have won it in 200 [laps].
“Momentum is a thing, and now I’ve knocked off two wins in a row.”
Bonsignore’s first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour victory at Riverhead came back on July 30, 2011, when he fended off Todd Szegedy after leading a race-high 158 laps. Since that inaugural win, Bonsignore has emerged as one of the most dominant drivers in Riverhead’s storied history. He has finished inside the top five in 20 of his 24 appearances at the track on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, all while leading more than 1,000 total laps.
On Saturday, the inclusion of live pit stops inside Riverhead’s infield and an extended race distance presented unique challenges for Bonsignore. He trusted his crew with the car but anticipated other competitors would try to overtake him on a different pit strategy.
Patrick Emerling would be the one to gamble on pit stops. After briefly taking the lead from Bonsignore on a restart, he elected to take two rear tires on Lap 139 and inherited the top spot after Bonsignore and the rest of the frontrunners came in for service of their own.
Despite the risk, Emerling with his older tires ultimately could not fend off Bonsignore, who made the race-winning pass with 25 laps remaining and withstood one last charge from Emerling to add another Riverhead victory on his resume.
Emerling was confident his car was strong enough to visit Victory Lane at Riverhead for the second time, but he admitted he needed circumstances to play out differently so he could be in a better position to fend off Bonsignore.
“The cautions just didn’t fall in our favor there,” Emerling said. “We are disappointed with a second, and I guess that’s a good thing. I could have ran [Bonsignore] a little bit rougher, but I guess we’re proud of running him clean there. We’ll look forward to the next time here.”
For Emerling, who was less than 24 hours removed from a 27th-place finish in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway, he believes the Eddie Partridge 256 was another positive sign that his Modified is continuing to make progress following a three-win season in 2021.
Although the Xfinity Series is his primary focus now, Emerling still enjoys competing against Bonsignore, Doug Coby and the rest of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour veterans, adding that his second place run Saturday only gives him more motivation to improve himself as a driver.
“We got two hours of sleep [between Bristol and Riverhead], so this was a long weekend for us,” Emerling said. “We struggled a little bit at Bristol yesterday, but it was a strong run for us [on Saturday]. I wish there was a little more I could have done there, but we’ll get [a win] next time.”
Bonsignore was expecting Emerling to race him aggressively after the two came together at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park earlier this year, but he was pleased that the two were able to engage in a clean-but-hard fight for the win.
Even with fresher tires, Bonsignore knew he could not rely solely on that advantage to overtake Emerling. He described the final laps as a stressful experience with Emerling in his rearview mirror but was relieved he could add another chapter to a legacy Partridge helped keep alive.
“The tires don’t really fall off,” Bonsignore said. “You have to have 80 or 90 laps on them [before the start to wear]. Our car with the rear tires was naturally tighter, but [Emerling] still hung in there until the end with us.”
With his victory in the Eddie Partridge 256 on Saturday, Bonsignore not only inches closer to Mike Ewanitsko’s series record of 11 wins at Riverhead, but now finds himself deep in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship hunt alongside Ron Silk and Jon McKennedy.
Silk came home in the third position while Coby and Eric Goodale completed the top five. Rounding out the top 10 were rookie Austin Beers, Craig Lutz, Timmy Solomito, Kyle Soper and McKennedy.
A replay of the Eddie Partridge 256 can be seen on the USA Network on Sunday, Sept. 25 starting at 2 p.m. ET.
The penultimate race on the 2022 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule will see the series head back to Thompson on Oct. 8. The race will be streamed live on FloRacing.
Four drivers were eliminated from title contention in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs elimination race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night, resetting the standings board and setting the Round of 12.
WINNER
Chris Buescher used excellent speed and marvelous strategy to earn his first win of the season and first for newly formed RFK Racing, continuing the trend of non-playoff drivers dominating throughout the Round of 16. Buescher’s win is his first since Pocono Raceway in 2016 and resulted in trouble for drivers below the elimination line needing to win.
Tyler Reddick, Richard Childress Racing
Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing
Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing
Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing
ADVANCING TO THE ROUND OF 12 (Ordered by points at end of Bristol)
Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing, 2160 points
William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, 2138 points
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, 2125 points
Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, 2120 points
Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports, 2117 points
Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing, 2116 points
Joey Logano, Team Penske, 2100 points
Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports, 2095 points
Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, 2093 points
Chase Briscoe, Stewart-Haas Racing, 2081 points
Daniel Suárez, Trackhouse Racing, 2074 points
Austin Cindric, Team Penske, 2069 points
WHO’S HOT?
Christopher Bell. Bell has arguably been the best driver in the playoffs. Three top-five results in the opening three races have the No. 20 team looking like a title favorite. Still, Bell hasn’t been to Victory Lane since New Hampshire Motor Speedway this summer, but he has been extremely consistent at the front of the field. Based on his consistency, which has eluded many of the other playoff drivers so far, he is arguably one of the favorites to make it to the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway in November.
Like Bell, Denny Hamlin has been a consistent threat to win races in nearly every race since Darlington Raceway. Two runner-up finishes in this round (Darlington and Kansas) and a ninth-place finish at Bristol have Hamlin focused and a serious contender to earn his first Cup Series championship. Hamlin and Bell have avoided the mishaps that have plagued their Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr., so if that can continue, Hamlin is certainly on the path to contend at Phoenix, as well.
WHO’S NOT?
Daniel Suárez. Suárez has not been terrible and has flashed solid speed during the Round of 16, but suffered a bit from poor starting positions at Darlington and Bristol and a few miscues have him just a step below the other title contenders. An unfortunate wreck collected the No. 99 and a few others at Bristol and Suárez finished in 19th, six laps down. Heading to the Round of 12, these types of mistakes and efforts in qualifying could be the difference in the few points needed to advance to the next round. It is just a tight race to the top.
NEXT RACE
The Round of 12 opens on Sunday, Sept. 25 at 3:30 p.m. ET with the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway (USA Network, NBC Sports App, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
WHO IT FAVORS
Ryan Blaney. Blaney has not finished outside of the top eight at Texas since 2019, rallying for a sixth-place result a season ago in the playoff race. Not to mention he also won the All-Star Race this year, showcasing his prowess around the 1.5-mile oval. Though he has never won at the Fort Worth-based track — his best finish is runner-up in summer 2018 (also a playoff race) — his speed this season has been unquestionable. If Blaney is going to get to Victory Lane before the end of the season, next Sunday’s race will be one of his best opportunities down the final stretch.
WHO IT HURTS
Alex Bowman. In 12 regular-season starts at Texas, Bowman has a shocking average finish of 24.5. It may not tell the whole story, but it is a worrying trend as Bowman hopes to keep up his serious momentum gained in the Round of 16. Bowman does have a fifth-place result in the 2020 playoff race (his first with the No. 48 team), but it is sandwiched between two finishes outside the top 30 in his last three outings in Fort Worth.
