What’s Happening?

It’s a major Playoff weekend for all three NASCAR National Series at Bristol. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series hosts the second race of its Playoffs, while the NASCAR Xfinity Series hosts its Regular Season Finale, and the Cup Series hosts the cut-off race for the Round of 16. All three races will be under the lights, as is the yearly tradition with the fall Bristol Race.

• Bristol Motor Speedway is NASCAR iconic, high-banked, fast short track located in Bristol, Tennessee. The track is known for its history of rowdy crowds, bent fenders, and angry drivers.
• The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series first raced at BMS in 1995. Joe Ruttman won the first race, which was only 80 miles long. 2024 is the first season in which the Trucks race twice on the concrete at Bristol.
• The NASCAR Xfinity Series first raced at BMS in 1982. Fox Sports’ Phil Parsons won that race. From 1985 to 2020, the Xfinity Series traditionally raced twice yearly at Bristol.
• The NASCAR Cup Series first raced at BMS in 1961. Jack Smith won the first race, and Joe Weatherly won the first fall race at the track. The Night Race is Bristol’s most iconic race, and the night sky seemingly increased drivers’ aggression.
• Bristol has been a part of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs since 2020. The race was initially the 24th race of the year before bumping up to the 29th in 2020.

Weekend TV Schedule (All Times ET)

Thursday, September 19th – Truck Series Practice/Qualifying – Truck RACE

• 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. – Truck Series Practice/Qualifying on FS2
• 8:00 p.m. – Truck Series UNOH 200, presented by Ohio Logistics on FS1

Friday, September 20th – Cup and Xfinity Series Practice/Qualifying – Xfinity RACE

• 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. – Xfinity Series Practice/Qualifying on NBC Sports App
• 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. – Cup Series Practice/Qualifying on USA
• 3:00 p.m. – Food City 300 on the CW

Saturday, September 21st – Cup Series RACE

• 7:30 p.m. – Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race on USA

Race Facts

Bristol Motor Speedway – Track Facts

• Opened: 1961
• Length: 0.533-mile
• Shape: Oval
• Banking: Turns can range from 24° to 28°. The frontstretch ranges from 5° to 9°, and the backstretch ranges from 4° to 8°.
• Surface: Concrete
• Lights: Yes
• Rain Tires: Yes

Truck Series

• Race Length: 200 Laps (106.6 Miles)
• Stages: Laps 55 Laps (Stages 1 & 2), 90 Laps (Stage 3)
• Most-Recent Winner: Corey Heim (2023)

Xfinity Series

• Race Length: 300 Laps (159.9 Miles)
• Stages: Laps 85 Laps (Stages 1 & 2), 130 Laps (Stage 3)
• Most-Recent Winner: Justin Allgaier (2023)

Cup Series

• Race Length: 500 Laps (266.5 Miles)
• Stages: 125 Laps (Stages 1 & 2), 250 Laps (Stage 3)
• Most-Recent Winner: Denny Hamlin (2023)

Entry Lists

Truck Series

For the Truck Series, there are 38 entries for 36 spots, meaning two teams will be sent home.

Notable entries include:

• William Sawalich – No. 1 – Tricon Garage
• Justin Mondeik – No. 02 – Young’s Motorsports
• Marco Andretti – No. 04 – Roper Racing
• Connor Zilisch – No. 7 – Spire Motorsports
• Mason Maggio – No. 21 – Floridian Motorsports
• Keith McGee – No. 22 – Reaume Brothers Racing
• Connor Mosack – No. 41 – Niece Motorsports
• Kaden Honeycutt – No. 44 – Niece Motorsports
• Tyler Tomassi – No. 46 – Young’s Motorsports
• Conner Jones – No. 66 – ThorSport Racing
• Stefan Parsons – No. 75 – Henderson Motorsports
• TBA – No. 81 – McAnally Hilgemann Racing
• Justin Carroll – No. 90 – Terry Carroll Motorsports
• Jack Wood – No. 91 – McAnally Hilgemann Racing

Former Winners in The Field:

• Christian Eckes – Spring 2024
• Corey Heim – 2023
• Ty Majeski – 2022

Xfinity Series

For the Xfinity Series, there are 39 entries for 38 spots, meaning one team will be sent home.

Notable entries include:

• Greg Van Alst – No. 07 – SS-Green Light Racing
• Kyle Keller – No. 13 – MBM Motorsports
• Chad Finchum – No. 14 – SS-Green Light Racing
• Logan Bearden – No. 15 – AM Racing
• Joe Graf Jr. – No. 19 – Joe Gibbs Racing
• Ryan Truex – No. 20 – Joe Gibbs Racing
• Jeffery Earnhardt – No. 26 – Sam Hunt Racing
• Austin Green – No. 32 – Jordan Anderson Racing
• Carson Ware – No. 35 – Joey Gase Motorsports
• TBA – No. 45 – Alpha Prime Racing
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. – No. 88 – JR Motorsports
• Kyle Weatherman – No. 91 – DGM Racing
• Ross Chastain – No. 92 – DGM Racing

Former Winners in The Field:

• A.J. Allmendinger – 2021
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Fall 2004
• Justin Allgaier – Spring 2010, 2023

Cup Series

For the Cup Series, there are 37 entries for 40 spots, meaning no teams will be sent home.

Notable entries include:

• Kaz Grala – No. 15 – Rick Ware Racing
• A.J. Allmendinger – No. 16 – Kaulig Racing
• Josh Bilicki – No. 66 – MBM Motorsports

Former Winners in The Field:

• Brad Keselowski – Fall 2011, Spring 2012, 2020
• Chris Buescher – Fall 2022
• Denny Hamlin – Fall 2012, 2019, 2023, Spring 2024
• Joey Logano – Fall 2014, 2015
• Kyle Busch – Spring 2007, 2009, 2011, 2018, 2019, Fall 2009, 2010, 2017, 2019
• Kyle Larson – Fall 2021

Qualifying Order

Truck Series

Xfinity Series

Cup Series

What To Watch For

Truck Series

• The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series enters the second race of its Playoffs. After the first race at the Milwaukee Mile, Layne Riggs won his first race, and no Playoff drivers secured a spot in the Round of Eight. Tensions will be high as Ben Rhodes and Rajah Caruth are in hot competition with Grant Enfinger and Daniel Dye to see who will advance to the next round.
• Chevrolet and Toyota have dominated the Truck Series race at Bristol since 2016. The last Ford to win a race at Bristol in the Truck Series was Ryan Blaney for Brad Keselowski Racing. All three past winners of this race are in the Playoffs this year, with Christian Eckes dominating his way to a win this spring.

Xfinity Series

• It’s the cutoff race for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Regular Season. While usually a high-intensity spot, the field looks secure. Ryan Sieg is the closest driver to the cutoff at -43. While a playoff bubble battle seems unlikely, the Regular season championship is still in play with Cole Custer -43 on Justin Allgaier’s 901-point first-place position.
• Bristol is not known for its underdog wins. Names like Custer, Allgaier, and Allmendinger are among those that will run at the front of the field. However, look out for Dale Earnhardt Jr. making his traditional one-off start in what could be the final NASCAR race of his career.

Cup Series

• It’s cut-off time for the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 16, and many Playoff favorites found themselves in bad luck through races one and two. Joey Logano is the only driver locked into the Round of 12, with notable names like Keselowski, Hamlin, and Truex facing elimination entering Bristol. Hamlin, who won the spring race at Bristol, will be hungry and desperate for a win this weekend. However, if Denny wrecks, 2024 will be another year empty-handed.
• The Spring race at Bristol returned the Cup Series to the Concrete after three years on dirt. Luckily, this race was a stellar story of tire management, as the tire seemed to fall off at a rapid pace, leaving the track littered with spun-out cars and tire marbles. NASCAR and Goodyear are bringing the same tire to this race. While it may be different, the driver with the most skill-conserving tires could be the winner.

Note: This article will be updated as more information about the weekend comes out.