On Saturday, 37 NASCAR Cup Series drivers will do battle in another edition of the Bristol Night Race. Saturday’s race is also the third race of the 2024 Cup Series playoffs, and at the end of the night, four drivers will be eliminated from championship contention. Here’s what you need to know before another Bristol barnburner.
Two former champs, Hamlin in danger of elimination
Denny Hamlin, 2017 champion Martin Truex Jr. and 2012 champion Brad Keselowski all enter Saturday’s race below the cut line, and all three drivers will need big points days in order to advance to the Round of 12. Poor strategy at Atlanta and a crash at Watkins Glen have Hamlin six points below the cut line, while Keselowski and Truex Jr. sit 12 and 14 points back of 12th, respectively. Joining the future Hall of Famers below the cut line is Harrison Burton who needs to make up 30 points in order to advance to the second round. The good news for Truex Jr. and Hamlin? They qualified fourth and eighth, respectively, while Keselowski (23rd) and Burton (34th) will be mired in traffic when the green flag flies. Hamlin has won the last two races at Bristol, while Truex Jr. (second) and Keselowski (third) finished on the podium behind Hamlin in March.
Spire Motorsports is still on a roll
Fresh off of the best race in team history, Spire Motorsports came to play at Bristol. Even with bizarre circumstances taking place for the team off the track, Carson Hocevar (seventh) and Corey LaJoie (ninth) both managed to qualify inside the top 10. Look for Hocevar – who finished third at Watkins Glen — to potentially be in the mix for his first career win on Saturday night.
