Who Are Some of the Top Drivers to Watch in Bristol?
The NASCAR Cup Series rolls into the high-banked short track that is Bristol Motor Speedway for a Saturday night clash at 7:30 p.m. EST. One of the most iconic races on the calendar, the Bristol Night Race is no stranger to chaos, and that will likely be the case again this year. Bristol has been a part of the playoffs since 2020, and this year, it is the cutoff race in the Round of 16. Four drivers will be eliminated from the playoffs when all is said and done. Here are three drivers to watch in the race, each in a different points category: above the cutline, below the cutline, and a non-playoff driver.
Above: Kyle Larson
In the Next Gen car, Kyle Larson has far and away been the best at Bristol. Larson is tied with Denny Hamlin with two wins across the five Next Gen Bristol races. Larson has won the past two Bristol races and led over 400 laps in each. The thing that sets Larson apart from Hamlin is his consistency. Larson has an average finish of 2.8 in this car at this track, and has finished in the top-five all five times. In laps led, Larson blows everyone out of the water with 946. Second place is Christopher Bell, with 359 laps led. Though the season for Larson hit a slump after his attempt to run both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 fell short, he has started to find some momentum two races through the playoffs, and a win at Bristol could catapult him far.
Below: Josh Berry
If there’s anyone below the playoff cutline entering Bristol that can make it out, it might be Josh Berry. The short track ace has the best average finish in the Next Gen car at Bristol among the four drivers facing elimination, those being Alex Bowman, Austin Dillon, and Shane Van Gisbergen, who may not get the chance to win the Charlotte Roval race as a playoff driver. Berry’s average finish is 17.7, but that is with three races at Bristol with this car under his belt rather than five. At short tracks, Berry averages a finish of 15.1. Combine that all with the fact that he is 45 points below the cut, Berry will need to win to advance to the Round of 12.
Non-Playoff: Chris Buescher
Chris Buescher has quite the Bristol resume in the Next Gen car. He is the only driver not named Larson or Hamlin to win a Bristol Next Gen race, when he took the checkered flag in 2022. Similar to this season, Buescher was a non-playoff driver in 2022 when he won at Bristol. That wasn’t the only time Buescher won as a non-playoff driver, as in 2024, he passed Van Gisbergen on the final lap to win at Watkins Glen. With a win, two top-fives, three top-10s, and 187 laps led at Bristol in the five Next Gen races there, Buescher should be on everyone’s radar to spoil the playoff party again.
