BRISTOL, Tenn. (WJHL) — The NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Craftsman Truck Series, along with the ARCA Menards Series, will hit the concrete banks of Bristol Motor Speedway this week.
Saturday's Bass Pro Shops Night Race will once again serve as an elimination race in the Cup Series Playoffs. At the end, four drivers will be eliminated and a dozen will advance to the Round of 12.
The twelve drivers who are above the cutline going into Bristol are leader Joey Logano, Christopher Bell, Austin Cindric, Alex Bowman, Daniel Suarez, Tyler Reddick, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson, William Byron, Chase Briscoe, and Ty Gibbs.
Denny Hamlin, who was involved in an opening lap crash at Watkins Glen last week, will look to secure his third-straight victory at Bristol after winning the spring race earlier this year and last year's night race. Hamlin dropped to 13th in the Playoff standings (six points below the cutline) after last weekend's crash and will need a strong finish to avoid elimination.
The other three drivers below the cutline are Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., and Harrison Burton.
Saturday will be Truex's final race at Bristol, at least as a full-time driver. He announced his retirement in June after 19 years in the Cup Series. Ranked 15th in the playoff standings, the 2017 Cup Series champion is still looking for his first victory of the season. In the spring race, he finished second behind teammate Hamlin.
Truex has yet to win a Cup Series race at Bristol, although he earned his first Xfinity Series win there in 2004.
Friday's Food City 300 will serve as the Xfinity Series' regular season and Thursday's UNOH 200 will be the second race in the first round of the Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will return to Bristol to again race in the Food City 300. Last year, he ran in the top 10 and led for 47 laps before an electrical fire resulted in a 30th-place finish.
TV Coverage and Other Info:
Cup Series
Race: Bass Pro Shops Night Race
Date: Saturday, Sept. 21
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: USA, 7 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 500 laps / 266.5 miles
Stage Lengths: 125 / 125 / 250
Xfinity Series
Race: Food City 300
Date: Friday, Sept. 20
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: CW, 7 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 300 laps / 159.9 miles
Stage Lengths: 85 / 85 / 130
Craftsman Truck Series
Race: UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics
Date: Thursday, Sept. 19
Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 8 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 200 laps / 106.6 miles
Stage Lengths: 55 / 55 / 90
ARCA Menards Series
Race: Bush's Beans 200
Date: Thursday, Sept. 19
Time: 5 p.m. ET
TV: FS1
Radio: MRN
Distance: 200 laps / 106.6 miles