The Cup Series is ready to take their playoffs to Bristol Motor Speedway for the final race in the Round of 16. The night race at Bristol is always filled with chaos and I expect it to be even crazier with so much on the line for the 15 playoff drivers without a win in the bank. We are going to need a lot of luck in our Driver Group Game lineups Saturday night because we all know at least a few drivers are going to be put into the wall as these maniacs race for a spot in the Round of 12.
The Cup Series teams had 45-minutes to dial in their cars for the Bass Pro Night Race. Bristol is a .533-mile, high-banked, concrete track. It only takes 15-seconds to make a lap around this bull-ring. Most of the drivers were able to make some long runs in practice. This is important because Goodyear brought the same tire to the track that was used in March. This tire wore out quickly and the drivers who were able to maintain their speed over the long runs were the drivers who finished up front. I expect the same Saturday night. We need to focus our picks on the drivers with long-run speed for the Bass Pro Shop Night Race.
Here is my starting lineup for the Bass Pro Shop Night Race…
DENNY HAMLIN (3): Hamlin should be a lock for a top-five finish Saturday night. He has won the last two races at Bristol and he has led at least 142 laps in each race. The choice by Goodyear to bring the same tire that was used in March at Bristol will help Hamlin too. He was the best driver once the tires wore-out and it wasn’t even close. Hamlin sits six points below the cut-line to transfer to the next round of the playoffs. He needs a good race and maybe a win at Bristol. I think he will get it this weekend.
TY GIBBS (1): Gibbs had his best race of the season at Bristol in March. He led 137 laps, won both Stages and finished 9th. The No. 54 car was the fastest in practice Friday. This is the best race left on the schedule for Gibbs so I will burn my last allocation with Gibbs at Bristol Saturday night.
CHRIS BUESCHER (5): Bristol has been one of the best tracks for Buescher. He won the race in the Gen-7 car at Bristol in 2022, finished 4th in the Bristol Night Race last year and he finished 7th at Bristol in March. He also led laps and scored Stage Points in each of those races. Buescher got on a roll last year and won back-to-back races last year. He will have a decent chance to win his second consecutive race Saturday night. Buescher started 34th and finished 7th at Bristol in March. He can finish in the top-five from the 17th starting spot Saturday night.
CHASE BRISCOE (2): I want to use my allocations with Briscoe while he is still alive in the playoffs. Briscoe is six points above the cut line, so he needs to stack Stage Points or win the race. I expect the No. 14 team will be aggressive with their pit strategy to ensure Briscoe scores some Stage Points. That is good news for out Driver Group Game lineups. Briscoe starts 5th, so he has the track position to score some Stage Points and finish in the top-10 Saturday night.
* If you are out of allocations and need to know which driver to use Saturday night, simply look at the Driver Rankings for the Bass Pro Night Race
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