BRISTOL, T.N. (September 15, 2023) – It’s Bristol night race weekend! With the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular-season behind us, and the first round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs coming to a close, this weekend marks the beginning to the end of the 2023 season. What’s even more special is the fact that this is THE Bass Pro Shops Night Race that fan-goers look forward to all year long, especially fans of the No. 3 Chevrolet Driver Austin Dillon. Dillon will sport the Bass Pro Shops paint scheme in honor of their race entitlement.
“The Bristol Night Race is a grind and that’s what fans love to see. There’s action all over the track and I’m looking forward to the race. Having run well there in the past, I know that we have the chance to contend for the win in the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Ranger Boats Chevrolet this weekend,” said Dillon.
Austin Hill, driver of the No. 21 Bennett Transportations and Logistics Chevrolet and this years’ NASCAR regular season champion, has more momentum than ever as he enters the first chapter in the playoffs. After securing his first Xfinity-level championship last weekend at Kansas Speedway, Austin’s entering the weekend focused and determined. Teammate Sheldon Creed (driver of the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet) is right there alongside him and ready for the playoffs to begin, too. With the playoff standings officially set, Creed enters the weekend 8th in points, where Hill is 10 points short of the playoff lead.
With the playoff season upon us, each series gets a tricky to keep track of when it comes to the next round, driver standings, and the cut-off races. The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs began at Darlington Raceway over Labor Day Weekend and will end at Phoenix Raceway the first weekend in November. The NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs will begin at Bristol this weekend and also end in Phoenix. While this weekend is just the beginning for the Xfinity Series playoffs, four Cup Series drivers who fall below the elimination line will be removed from the running for championship contention.
Drivers can advance to each round one of two ways; by winning or by racking up points. Currently, driver of the No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet, Kyle Busch, is well above that elimination line standing in seventh position. To Busch’s favor, he is the active, most-winningest driver at Bristol Motor Speedway at eight wins at The Last Great Colosseum.
Since the start of the playoffs in Darlington, Busch has made an outstanding 336 green flag passes. He led all drivers with 184 in the opening race and made 152 passes last Sunday at Kansas Speedway, which is the second most passes overall.
The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs consists of 10 weeks and four rounds, whereas, the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs is only eight-weeks long and only has 12 drivers contending. Both series are set to conclude the round of 12 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval race, along with both round of eights concluding at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Hill and Busch have wins in the past based on what is left on the playoff schedule. Hill has won at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, one of the tracks that will conclude a round in the playoffs. Busch took home a checkered flag at Talladega back in the Spring. Creed also has a promising ending in the postseason if one were to look at previous results. Creed finished top-10 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway earlier this year and third at Phoenix Raceway.
All-in-all, you don’t want to miss a minute of the action under the lights once the sun goes down. Make sure to tune in beginning with practice and qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Friday, September 15, at 2:30 p.m. ET on USA Network. On-track action for the Cup Series will begin shortly after at 4:30 p.m. ET. Friday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race will begin at 4:30 p.m. ET and Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series race will be televised at 7:30 p.m., both on USA Network.
