NCS: What to watch for in tonight’s Bass Pro Night Race at Bristol

No playoff winners: Two races in and two non-playoff drivers have been to victory lane to kick off the playoffs leaving 16 drivers, four of which below the cut line all scrambling for a win. Erik Jones kicked off the playoffs with a win in the Southern 500 and just last week Bubba Wallace at Kansas would visit victory lane for the first time this season.

Locked in and Cut: With the cut off tonight only Christopher Bell has locked himself into the next round. Meanwhile both Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch has just had nothing but bad luck. Harvick car would catch fire at Darlington to which he spent time talking about why this continues to happen and how to fix it the at Kansas is caught up in another wreck once again ending his day. Harvick only chance is a ninth-inning home run situation where he goes into tonight needing a win.

Kyle Busch is nearing in the same position just earlier this week it was made official he would leave Joe Gibbs and Toyota to join Richard Childress and Chevrolet in the 2023 season had JGR failed to come to an agreement and acquire the needed sponsorship for next year after M&Ms decided earlier this year they would also be leaving the sport.

Kyle however is in a much better position just two points behind the cut line giving him ample change to make it up in the race and even with some help from others should they get knocked out. Kyle also leads all active drivers with eight wins at Bristol.

Clinch stats per NASCAR:

Already Clinched

The following driver has clinched a spot in the 12-driver field of the next round: Christopher Bell.

 

Can Clinch Via Points

If there is a win by a driver who cannot advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being ahead of the 13th winless driver in the standings. The same point requirements listed below would hold true if a new win comes from among Christopher Bell, William Byron, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain or Daniel Suarez.

 

  • William Byron: Would clinch with 6 points
  • Denny Hamlin: Would clinch with 6 points
  • Joey Logano: Would clinch with 13 points (14 if Daniel Suarez Wins)
  • Ryan Blaney: Would clinch with 18 points
  • Alex Bowman: Would clinch with 23 points (24 if Daniel Suarez Wins)
  • Chase Elliott: Would clinch with 26 points
  • Kyle Larson: Would clinch with 27 points
  • Ross Chastain: Would clinch with 28 points
  • Daniel Suarez: Would clinch with 48 points
  • Tyler Reddick: Would clinch with 51 points (52 if Daniel Suarez Wins)
  • Austin Cindric: Would clinch with 52 points
  • Kyle Busch: Would clinch with 53 points (54 if Daniel Suarez Wins)
  • Austin Dillon: Would clinch with 54 points (55 if Daniel Suarez Wins)
  • Chase Briscoe: Could only clinch with help
  • Kevin Harvick: Could only clinch with help

 

The following drivers could clinch on points with a win by Tyler Reddick or Austin Cindric:

 

  • William Byron: Would clinch with 7 points
  • Denny Hamlin: Would clinch with 7 points
  • Joey Logano: Would clinch with 15 points
  • Ryan Blaney: Would clinch with 19 points
  • Alex Bowman: Would clinch with 25 points
  • Chase Elliott: Would clinch with 27 points
  • Kyle Larson: Would clinch with 28 points
  • Ross Chastain: Would clinch with 29 points
  • Daniel Suarez: Would clinch with 49 points
  • Tyler Reddick: Would clinch with 53 points
  • Austin Cindric: Would clinch with 53 points
  • Kyle Busch: Would clinch with 55 points
  • Austin Dillon: Would clinch with 55 points
  • Chase Briscoe: Could only clinch with help
  • Kevin Harvick: Could only clinch with help

 

If there is a new winner from Kyle Busch 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 12th winless driver in the standings.

 

  • William Byron: Would clinch with 8 points
  • Denny Hamlin: Would clinch with 8 points
  • Joey Logano: Would clinch with 16 points
  • Ryan Blaney: Would clinch with 20 points
  • Alex Bowman: Would clinch with 26 points
  • Chase Elliott: Would clinch with 28 points
  • Kyle Larson: Would clinch with 29 points
  • Ross Chastain: Would clinch with 30 points
  • Daniel Suarez: Would clinch with 50 points
  • Tyler Reddick: Would clinch with 54 points
  • Austin Cindric: Would clinch with 54 points
  • Kyle Busch: Would clinch with 55 points
  • Austin Dillon: Would clinch with 55 points
  • Chase Briscoe: Could only clinch with help
  • Kevin Harvick: Could only clinch with help

 

Can Clinch Via Win

The following drivers would clinch on their win alone: William Byron, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain, Daniel Suarez, Tyler Reddick, Austin Cindric, Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, Chase Briscoe and Kevin Harvick.