NASCAR at Bristol 2015: Start Time, Lineup, TV Schedule and More
NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series returns to Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday for the famed Irwin Tools Night Race, one of just three races left on the Race to the Chase.
As of late, the dynamic in NASCAR has shifted away from Kyle Busch's epic form and Chase pursuit to focus on Matt Kenseth, one of the hottest drivers around after last week's triumph in Michigan.
As is the case each year at Bristol this time of year, expect nothing but aggressive driving from those near the top of the leaderboard and especially from those near the Chase cutoff line. Remember too to watch for wild cards—a win for a driver outside of the Chase bumps out a winless driver in it.
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Below, here's a look at everything to know about the event.
Viewing Details
Where: Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee
When: Saturday, Aug. 22, at 7:30 p.m. ET
Watch: NBCSN
Live Stream: NBC Live Extra
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Sprint Cup Standings
| 1 | Kevin Harvick | 866 |
| 2 | Joey Logano | 818 |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 784 |
| 4 | Martin Truex Jr. | 755 |
| 5 | Brad Keselowski | 754 |
| 6 | Jimmie Johnson | 752 |
| 7 | Matt Kenseth | 751 |
| 8 | Kurt Busch | 683 |
| 9 | Denny Hamlin | 670 |
| 10 | Jamie McMurray | 663 |
NASCAR at Bristol Lineup
| 1 | Jamie McMurray |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski |
| 3 | Austin Dillon |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne |
| 6 | Trevor Bayne |
| 7 | Alex Bowman |
| 9 | Sam Hornish Jr. |
| 10 | Danica Patrick |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin |
| 13 | Casey Mears |
| 14 | Tony Stewart |
| 15 | Clint Bowyer |
| 16 | Greg Biffle |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 18 | Kyle Busch |
| 19 | Carl Edwards |
| 20 | Matt Kenseth |
| 21 | Ryan Blaney |
| 22 | Joey Logano |
| 23 | J.J. Yeley |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon |
| 26 | Jeb Burton |
| 27 | Paul Menard |
| 30 | Travis Kvapil |
| 31 | Ryan Newman |
| 32 | Josh Wise |
| 33 | Mike Bliss |
| 34 | Brett Moffitt |
| 35 | Cole Whitt |
| 38 | David Gilliland |
| 40 | Landon Cassill |
| 41 | Kurt Busch |
| 42 | Kyle Larson |
| 43 | Aric Almirola |
| 46 | Michael Annett |
| 47 | AJ Allmendinger |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson |
| 51 | Justin Allgaier |
| 55 | David Ragan |
| 62 | Reed Sorenson |
| 78 | Martin Truex Jr. |
| 83 | Matt DiBenedetto |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
| 95 | Michael McDowell |
| 98 | Timmy Hill |
Drivers to Watch
Clint Bowyer
Things don't look so hot for Clint Bowyer, one of the most notable names sitting right on the Chase bubble entering Saturday.
He's 15th when one sorts the leaderboard by points. Despite nine top-10 finishes this year, all it takes is one winless driver to steal a trip to Victory Lane, and it will be all for naught.
It was last week when Bowyer took an ugly spin and finished 41st. NASCAR captured the footage:
Bowyer spoke with the media this week and sounds in good spirits about a track he's had plenty of success at in the past, per MichaelWaltrip.com:
"Heck yes, but it can be a tough one. Someone usually loses their mind because someone tries to get through a hole that’s obviously not big enough. That’s why it’s one of the races I recommend to people. There’s always something happening on track and when that person loses their mind it usually means it’s entertaining for the fans.
"
The No. 15 Toyota handled Bristol well enough earlier this year, finishing 12th after starting 37th. It's interesting, though, because Bowyer finds himself in a similar situation Busch continued to face the last couple of weeks—gun for the win or maintain a top slot and secure points?
It's a difficult balance Bowyer will need to strike Saturday night.
The law of averages has to win out at some point, right?
Jeff Gordon remains on the hunt for the first win of his final season after a disappointing 17th place last week in Michigan. Considering he entered the defending winner, it was a tough pill to swallow.
Still, Gordon leads all active drivers with more than 2,300 laps led at BMS. He's hoping to catch some of his old magic at the track by going with a familiar color scheme too, as he revealed on Twitter:
It's never wise to give up on someone such as Gordon, who still has the talent to string off one win and create a bit of a snowball effect this late in the season.
Saturday, look for Gordon to put on a strong effort with the season winding down. Odds are his best chance of posting an epic win to complete a proper sendoff are over the course of the next three weeks.
Matt Kenseth
It's all about Kenseth right now, and it's not hard to see why thanks to his two wins over the past three weeks.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver won in Pocono, finished fourth at Watkins Glen International and then took home the checkered flag last week after leading a wow-worthy 146 laps. He knows how hot he is at the moment and doesn't sound ready to ease off the gas.
"We had a dominant car since we got here in practice and qualifying," Kenseth said, per Mike Brudenell of the Detroit Free Press. "The handling of the car was great. We had the speed to stay up there on restarts. The engine ran really good."
Kenseth has three wins this year, the first coming back in April—at BMS, where he led 47 laps.
In other words, the hottest driver around gears up for a potential season sweep at this weekend's track while striking a perfect set of momentum scenarios. If Kenseth can win again, he's liable to jump a few spots in the rankings as well as tie Busch and Jimmie Johnson in wins.
Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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