NASCAR podcast: On Denny Hamlin’s playoff bandwagon after Gateway win?
The guys talk Denny Hamlin’s bandwagon, analyze which NASCAR drivers are trapped in the playoff bubble and preview potential punting at Bristol.
- Christopher Bell won the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, his first victory since March.
- The victory concluded the Round of 16, with Joe Gibbs drivers winning all three races.
- Josh Berry, Shane van Gisbergen, Austin Dillon and Alex Bowman were eliminated from the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
Yes, it’s you, Christopher Bell.
The driver of Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 Toyota hadn’t found Victory Lane since winning three races in a row in February and March. But that drought concluded Saturday, Sept. 13, when Bell steered to the top of the Bass Pro Shops Night Race standings at Bristol Motor Speedway.
His win closed the first round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. JGR claimed each of the three Round of 16 events, with Chase Briscoe taking the opener, Denny Hamlin prevailing last week and now Bell’s triumph.
“We just know any given week it could be us,” Bell said of his team on the USA Network broadcast. “It hadn’t been us for a long time. But Bristol, baby, tonight, it’s us!”
It wasn’t Josh Berry, Shane van Gisbergen, Austin Dillon or Alex Bowman. Those four drivers were eliminated from championship contention.
Here are three takeaways.
1. Christopher Bell capitalizes on late restart at Bristol
With 11 laps to go, Bubba Wallace suffered a bump from Cole Custer and veered hard into the wall. That produced a caution.
The proceedings restarted with four laps to go. Carson Hocevar and Zane Smith occupied the front row, but Bell quickly slipped in front of them.
He then held off Brad Keselowski, absorbing a rear bump in the final two laps, for his first win since March 9.
“I was nervous on the choose,” Bell said. “I didn’t know if I wanted to be on the bottom or the top. Whenever Brad picked the top, it really didn’t give me an option. Had to pick the bottom.
“All night long, old tires just really, really pushed up in the middle of the corners. So I was hoping that those guys on old tires would push up, and they did. I was able to get underneath of them.”
Keselowski finished second with Smith third, Ryan Blaney fourth and Joey Logano fifth.
Bell led 12 laps. Ty Gibbs, who placed 10th, compiled a race-high 201 laps in front.
Afterward, Bell dedicated his victory to Charlie Kirk, the political activist killed Wednesday in Utah.
“Most importantly, this week obviously has been a very tough week,” he said. “There’s a lot on our mind. This one is for Charlie.”
2. NASCAR playoffs shed 4 drivers, including Alex Bowman
The same four drivers who entered Bristol on the wrong side of the cutline left Bristol on the wrong side of the cutline.
Bowman got the closest to sneaking into the next round.
With 41 laps to go, Austin Cindric caught fire. He sat a dozen points to the good when he was forced to pit. By the time he made it back onto the track, his lead over Bowman for the final Round of 12 spot shrunk to just three points. It dropped all the way to one point with about 32 laps to go, as Bowman rode among the top 10.
Cindric ended up 30th, and Bowman ranked eighth. It wasn’t enough to erase the gap.
Van Gisbergen was 26th. Dillon followed in 28th.
And in 39th, Berry was consistent. He finished last in all three Round of 16 races, wrecking early in each.
Here are the 12 drivers who advanced:
- Denny Hamlin
- Kyle Larson
- William Byron
- Christopher Bell
- Ryan Blaney
- Chase Briscoe
- Chase Elliott
- Bubba Wallace
- Austin Cindric
- Ross Chastain
- Joey Logano
- Tyler Reddick
3. NASCAR schedule update: Round of 12 begins at New Hampshire
The 12 drivers left in the playoffs get a new lease on life next week. There won’t be any more eliminations for three weeks. The first of those three races will occur at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
The one-mile track in Loudon will host the Mobil 1 301 — 301 laps and 318.46 miles. It will receive the green flag shortly after 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 21.
Bell is the defending champion, having claimed the last New Hampshire race in June 2024.
This iteration will be the first playoff weekend at New Hampshire since 2017 when the venue had two races per season. Kyle Busch was the last driver to win a Cup Series playoff race in Loudon.
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