Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, TN — September 19, 2026
It’s Bristol Baby! The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Bristol Motor Speedway for the annual Bass Pro Shops Night Race. Tonight’s event is the third installment in “The Chase.” NASCAR’s Postseason 10-race series for the Cup Championship.
Known as The Last Great Colosseum, Bristol Motor Speedway’s stadium-like structure serves as a versatile multi-use venue that hosts major auto races, football and baseball games, concerts and many other captivating events. Bristol Motor Speedway is home to a unique viewing experience courtesy of the Colossus TV, the world’s largest outdoor center-hung four-sided video screen with a 540,000-watt audio system.
If you are a stock-car racing fan, this place and this event needs to be on your bucket list.
Last week in St. Louis, the Chase competitors had a rough weekend. All except Kyle Larson, who broke a 51-race winless streak with his victory in the Enjoy Illinois 300 from World Wide Technology Raceway.
- 14 of the 16 Chase drivers were involved in a total of 18 incidents at St. Louis
- 29 of 36 drivers were involved in incidents at St. Louis
- St. Louis had 18 cautions, tied for the most in a race in the NextGen era (2022 Coca-Cola 600)
What to Expect Tonight at Bristol
- Bristol in April ended in overtime, the first overtime race there since April 2015
- A driver swept stages in five of the last six Bristol races;
- Kyle Larson, in fall 2024 and spring 2025, is the only driver at Bristol to sweep both stages and win
- The driver leading the most laps won six of the last nine Bristol races
- The April Bristol race had the closest margin of victory at the track since April 1991 ( 0.055 seconds)
- Six drivers ended winless streaks of 50+ races at Bristol, more than any other short track in Cup Series history
Tonight’s Race
The Speedway has gone all out to celebrate the lives of Dolly Parton and Kyle Busch at “The Last Great Colosseum.” Dolly’s signature “Pink Butterfly” has been seen everywhere for this race. Her iconic songs have played over the audio system every day the track has been open. Ty Gibbs’s car is painted with Kyle Busch’s iconic M&M’s paint scheme and includes images of Kyle at key points in his NASCAR career.
Kyle Busch’s son Brexton joined Ty Gibbs for the walkout during driver introductions.
Qualifying was rained out, and the matrix in the NASCAR rule book set the lineup. Kyle Larson starts on the pole, Joey Logano lines up beside him on the front row.
The 500 laps around the 0.533-mile concrete oval, “The World’s Fastest Half-Mile,” equals a race distance of 266.5 miles. Stages are set for 125/125/250 laps.
Stage One
Kyle Larson(5) used the pole position to jump out at the drop of the green flag and led the pack of 39 cars into turn one. Just 25 laps in, Larson had caught the end of the field and began lapping slower cars.
As race fans entered the track, they were given a yellow towel with Kyle Busch’s autograph and Samantha and Kyle’s “Bundle of Joy Fund Charity. Fans were asked to stand and wave the towel on lap 18 (Kyle’s car number when he raced for Joe Gibbs Racing).
NASCAR has scheduled a competition caution for around lap 40. Qualifying and practice were rained out, the break will give teams a chance to check tire wear and make necessary adjustments on the cars. By that point of the race, Josh Berry(21) and Tyler Reddick(45) had gone a lap down.
Joey Logano (22) stayed on the track and took the lead as the race restarted. His teammate Austin Cindric(2) employed the same strategy and pushed Logano’s car clear of the pack.
Out front, Logano, Cindric, Ryan Blaney(12), Chris Buescher(17), and Kyle Larson were the top five in the running order.
Erik Jones spun off turn four on lap 93. Fortunately, the field avoided the incident. But NASCAR was forced to wave the caution flag. Most of the lead pack stayed out, preserving their track position in the hopes of gaining Stage points at lap 125.
The restart came with 24 laps to go in the Stage. Logano and Larson pulled away and put on a classic battle for the top spot. Ross Chastain(1) moved up to third. Cindric and Denny Hamlin(11) fought for the fourth position. Logano held on for the Stage win.
Result of Stage One
| Car | Driver | Behind | Points |
|
22 |
Joey Logano (C) |
— | 10 |
|
5 |
Kyle Larson (C) |
0.827 | 9 |
|
11 |
Denny Hamlin (C) |
0.894 | 8 |
|
1 |
Ross Chastain |
2.671 | 7 |
|
54 |
Ty Gibbs (C) |
2.720 | 6 |
|
12 |
Ryan Blaney (C) |
3.411 | 5 |
|
2 |
Austin Cindric (C) |
4.065 | 4 |
|
77 |
Carson Hocevar (C) |
4.174 | 3 |
|
6 |
Brad Keselowski |
4.497 | 2 |
|
23 |
Bubba Wallace (C) |
4.510 | 1 |
Stage Two
Several cars that pitted earlier in the First Stage stayed out and took the wave around to get back on the lead lap. Blaney and Bubba Wallace(23) led the field back to the green flag for the restart. Buescher, Christopher Bell(20), and Berry followed.
Just past the halfway point of Stage Two, Josh Berry moved up to the third position, Bell ran fourth, and Joey Logano returned to the top five. Blaney had opened up a three-second advantage on Wallace for the top spot.
On Lap 247, Cody Ware(51) spun around, bringing out the caution. This resulted in the Stage being declared official.
Results of Stage Two
| Position | Car | Driver | Behind | Points |
|
1 |
12 |
Ryan Blaney (C) |
— | 10 |
|
2 |
54 |
Ty Gibbs (C) |
5.632 | 9 |
|
3 |
22 |
Joey Logano (C) |
9.089 | 8 |
|
4 |
21 |
Josh Berry |
10.869 | 7 |
|
5 |
20 |
Christopher Bell (C) |
11.287 | 6 |
|
6 |
23 |
Bubba Wallace (C) |
14.138 | 5 |
|
7 |
77 |
Carson Hocevar (C) |
15.159 | 4 |
|
8 |
24 |
William Byron (C) |
10.785 | 3 |
|
9 |
5 |
Kyle Larson (C) |
11.339 | 2 |
|
10 |
17 |
Chris Buescher (C) |
11.913 | 1 |
The Final Stage
Ryan Blaney won the race off pit road; Ty Gibbs(54), Bell, Logano, and Berry followed. The Final Stage is twice as long as the first two Stages; green-flag pit stops could be the determining factor on who wins the Night Race. With 200 laps to go Carson Hocevar had driven into the top five. What would the young gun charger be willing to do to grab a win at Bristol?
Gibbs appeared to have the fastest car on the track as he was able to run down Blaney and make the pass for the lead with 175 laps to go.
Only 13 cars remain on the lead lap at this point of the race. Ryan Preece(60), Chris Buescher(17), and Kyle Larson are the next three cars in danger of going a lap down as Gibbs sets a torrid pace at the front of the field. Of the lead lap cars, Josh Berry is the only non-Chase driver in that group. Berry runs in the sixth spot.
Blaney in second and Bell in third are the only drivers that are able to run with Gibbs. Both drivers are within one second of the leader—Logano in fourth trails by almost five seconds.
Berry was the first of the lead pack to come to pit road on lap 378. Drivers lose two laps to the field when they make a green flag pit stop. If a caution comes out in the middle of the pit cycle, it can be disastrous for a driver who pits early. Gibbs came in just before the 400-lap mark. Blaney headed to pit road on lap 397, just as the caution was displayed for an accident with Riley Herbst(35). Blaney returned to the track, and only he and Carson Hocevar are on the lead lap.
Blaney’s move was a big mistake, as he had already committed to pit road. His penalty for going back on the track will be to restart at the end of the longest line.
Hocevar, Gibbs, Bell, Logano, Berry, William Byron(24), Larson, Bubba Wallace(23), and Blaney are the only cars on the lead lap. On the drop of the green flag, Hocevar quickly opened up a two-second lead on Gibbs.
With 70 laps to go, Gibbs caught and passed Hocevar. In doing so, Gibbs got caught in the middle of a three-wide tangle with Cole Custer(41) and Alex Bowman(48). Bowman spun, and the caution waved. Gibbs stayed out in the top spot, as did Blaney and Larson, while the rest of the lead lap cars pitted.
Hocevar got a great jump from the third row and pulled even with Gibbs. However, on the second lap of green-flag racing, William Byron and Josh Berry got together, with Byron spinning down the backstretch.
Re-rack em and send them off again—this time with 51 laps to go. Gibbs and Hocevar line up on the outside; Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell choose the inside row.
Gibbs drives away. Blaney pulls up to join the fight and passes Hocevar for second. Hocevar makes the crossover move, and Blaney moves down to block him. The two make contact, and Blaney spins, backing his car into the inside wall. The #12 car will not restart and has to be towed behind the wall. Blaney is out of the race as a result of an incident that will have major implications on the Championship standings. Hocevar could have lifted and avoided contact with Blaney’s car. But that is not the way this young man races.
The race restarts with 36 laps to go. Gibbs and Hocevar rejoin the battle for the lead with Gibbs earning the top spot. Larson, Bell and Logano watch the fight in front of them.
Elliott spins with 24 laps to go, and the race is back under caution.
Gibbs and Hocevar line up on the outside with Larson and Logano on the inside. They restart with 17 laps to go. Gibbs pulls away but gets loose off turn four. Hocevar gets a great run and appears to pass for the lead. Just then, a spin by AJ Allmendinger(16) at the rear of the pack brings out the caution. When NASCAR checked the scoring loops, Gibbs was out front when the caution light was lit.
They line up the same way for the restart with nine laps to go. Hocevar is able to jump up and run side by side with Gibbs. Hocevar noses ahead at the start/finish line. They bang doors on the next lap, and it slows both cars. Joey Logano charges underneath both of them and takes the lead.
Pulling away over the final laps, Logano takes the improbable win. Kyle Larson nosed out Hocevar at the checkered flag. Bell finished fourth, and Gibbs ended up fifth. Ryan Blaney finished 33rd.
As Logano celebrated by burning down the front stretch, the rest of the field pulled into pit road on the backstretch. As Hocevar exited his car, Blaney came across the pit wall to confront him. They came together, and the fistfight was on. Neither combatant backed down as both threw punches that landed. Yep, “It’s Bristol Baby!”
The win for Logano moves him ahead of Rusty Wallace as the winningest driver by a Team Penske NASCAR driver (38 wins).
Kyle Larson’s second-place finish moved him to the top of The Chase standings, a single point ahead of Denny Hamlin, who was never a factor this evening. Joey Logano moved to third, just 16 points behind the leader. Christopher Bell is another point back in fourth.
Fifth through seventh need to get a win to move up the standings ladder. Gibbs, Blaney and Reddick are starting to see their chances beginning to slip away. Still, seven races remain, but the number of drivers you need to climb over to advance becomes as much of a challenge as accumulating points.
NASCAR Cup Series Standings of The Chase
| POS | Car # | DRIVER | POINTS | BEHIND |
| 1 | 5 | Kyle Larson | 2206 | – |
| 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | 2205 | -1 |
| 3 | 22 | Joey Logano | 2190 | -16 |
| 4 | 20 | Christopher Bell | 2189 | -17 |
| 5 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | 2164 | -42 |
| 6 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | 2154 | -52 |
| 7 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 2145 | -61 |
| 8 | 77 | Carson Hocevar | 2121 | -85 |
| 9 | 19 | Chase Briscoe | 2119 | -87 |
| 10 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 2114 | -92 |
| 11 | 2 | Austin Cindric | 2090 | -116 |
| 12 | 9 | Chase Elliott | 2089 | -117 |
| 13 | 24 | William Byron | 2085 | -121 |
| 14 | 60 | Ryan Preece | 2082 | -124 |
| 15 | 17 | Chris Buescher | 2082 | -124 |
| 16 | 7 | Daniel Suarez | 2072 | -134 |
Results of the Bass Pro Shops Night Race from Bristol Motor Speedway
| Position | Car | Driver | Laps | Behind |
|
1 |
22 |
Joey Logano (C) |
500 | — |
|
2 |
5 |
Kyle Larson (C) |
500 | 1.248 |
|
3 |
77 |
Carson Hocevar (C) |
500 | 1.253 |
|
4 |
20 |
Christopher Bell (C) |
500 | 1.494 |
|
5 |
54 |
Ty Gibbs (C) |
500 | 1.637 |
|
6 |
21 |
Josh Berry |
500 | 1.958 |
|
7 |
23 |
Bubba Wallace (C) |
500 | 2.658 |
|
8 |
11 |
Denny Hamlin (C) |
500 | 2.986 |
|
9 |
24 |
William Byron (C) |
500 | 3.249 |
|
10 |
60 |
Ryan Preece (C) |
500 | 3.705 |
|
11 |
2 |
Austin Cindric (C) |
500 | 3.849 |
|
12 |
1 |
Ross Chastain |
500 | 11.197 |
|
13 |
17 |
Chris Buescher (C) |
499 | 1 lap |
|
14 |
7 |
Daniel Suarez (C) |
498 | 2 laps |
|
15 |
6 |
Brad Keselowski |
498 | 2 laps |
|
16 |
4 |
Noah Gragson |
498 | 2 laps |
|
17 |
3 |
Austin Dillon |
498 | 2 laps |
|
18 |
45 |
Tyler Reddick (C) |
497 | 3 laps |
|
19 |
34 |
Todd Gilliland |
497 | 3 laps |
|
20 |
97 |
Shane Van Gisbergen |
497 | 3 laps |
|
21 |
71 |
Michael McDowell |
497 | 3 laps |
|
22 |
16 |
AJ Allmendinger |
497 | 3 laps |
|
23 |
9 |
Chase Elliott (C) |
497 | 3 laps |
|
24 |
88 |
Connor Zilisch |
496 | 4 laps |
|
25 |
42 |
John Hunter Nemechek |
495 | 5 laps |
|
26 |
41 |
Cole Custer |
495 | 5 laps |
|
27 |
19 |
Chase Briscoe (C) |
494 | OUT |
|
28 |
38 |
Zane Smith |
494 | 6 laps |
|
29 |
33 |
Austin Hill |
494 | 6 laps |
|
30 |
47 |
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
490 | 10 laps |
|
31 |
51 |
Cody Ware |
489 | 11 laps |
|
32 |
43 |
Erik Jones |
483 | 17 laps |
|
33 |
12 |
Ryan Blaney (C) |
457 | OUT |
|
34 |
35 |
Riley Herbst |
432 | OUT |
|
35 |
48 |
Alex Bowman |
428 | OUT |
|
36 |
10 |
Ty Dillon |
402 | 98 laps |
|
37 |
66 |
Josh Bilicki |
338 | OUT |
