What’s Happening?

The Round of 16 is over. We started with 16 drivers and have cut it down to 12. Alex Bowman, Austin Dillon, Shane Van Gisbergen, and Josh Berry have seen their championship hopes come to a close. On the racing side, the 2024 Bristol Spring race made a return, as tires were falling apart left and right, turning an anticipated dull race, into one of the best of the year.

As for the Xfinity Series, Connor Zillisch didn’t win, but he did finish top five for the 14th consecutive race. Aric Almirola spoiled the playoff party by taking home his second win of the season, and Layne Riggs joined Corey Heim in the Round of 8 by taking home the checkered flag.

Now, how was the racing as a whole? Where do the races stack up against each other? Let’s take a look at my Race Weekend Rankings and see where the Bristol weekend ranks among the rest of the 2025 season!

Check out the latest episode of The Cutline, where Armany broke down the Round of 16 finale at Bristol.

UNOH 250 presented by Ohio Logistics: B-Tier

• Who doesn’t like seeing a spin and win? That’s what Riggs did, after spinning out early in the race, then coming back to nab his third win of the season. Many playoff drivers ran into issues, like Tyler Ankrum getting spun by Kaden Honeycutt, or Chandler Smith having mechanical problems early.

Food City 300: B-Tier

• Similar to the Craftsman Truck Series race, the Xfinity Series race was solid. The highlight of the race was at the end, when Sam Mayer held up his teammate Sheldon Creed and allowed Almirola to take the win (that should be a fun Monday morning meeting at Haas Factory Team). A solid start to the Xfinity Series playoffs.

Bass Pro Shops Night Race: S-Tier

• Welcome back, 2024 Bristol spring! Everyone was afraid this would be a repeat of the last 2 Bristol races, but it was anything but that. This race had everything. Tire wear, comers and goers, surprise runs, and Christopher Bell capitalizing at the end to take the checkered flag. Easily one of the best races of the season.

You can follow along with Armany by creating your own Race Weekend Rankings Tier List. Make sure to tag Armany and The Daily Downforce on X, and we’ll share your list with the rest of the NASCAR Community.