NASCAR at Bristol 2016: Start Time, Ticket Info, Lineup, TV Schedule and More
After a Denny Hamlin win at Watkins Glen and a brief hiatus, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series continues the march toward the Chase Saturday with the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
It's a historic night race, and one dominated by Joey Logano in recent years. With Dale Earnhardt Jr. battling for a spot and underdog names such as Chris Buescher hunting for the Chase, though, anything can happen given the wild, unpredictable ride this season has been thus far.
All of four races separate the drivers from the Chase, so the pressure hasn't been higher. Bristol presents 500 laps of action Saturday night, laps that could permanently shape the Chase bids. Here's everything you need to know.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Viewing Details
Where: Bristol Motor Speedway
When: Saturday, Aug. 20, 8 p.m. ET
Watch: NBCSN
Live Stream: NBC Sports
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Sprint Cup Standings
| 1 | Brad Keselowski | 727 | 4 |
| 2 | Kyle Busch | 670 | 4 |
| 3 | Carl Edwards | 653 | 2 |
| 4 | Denny Hamlin | 620 | 2 |
| 5 | Matt Kenseth | 600 | 2 |
| 6 | Jimmie Johnson | 578 | 2 |
| 7 | Kevin Harvick | 718 | 1 |
| 8 | Kurt Busch | 689 | 1 |
| 9 | Joey Logano | 652 | 1 |
| 10 | Martin Truex Jr. | 612 | 1 |
| 11 | Tony Stewart | 389 | 1 |
| 12 | Ryan Newman | 562 | 0 |
| 13 | Chase Elliott | 561 | 0 |
| 14 | Austin Dillon | 559 | 0 |
| 15 | Jamie McMurray | 550 | 0 |
| 16 | Kyle Larson | 520 | 0 |
NASCAR at Bristol Lineup
| 1 | Jamie McMurray |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski |
| 3 | Austin Dillon |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne |
| 6 | Trevor Bayne |
| 7 | Regan Smith |
| 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 | David Ragan |
| 24 | Chase Elliott |
| 27 | Paul Menard |
| 30 | Josh Wise |
| 31 | Ryan Newman |
| 32 | Jeffrey Earnhardt |
| 34 | Chris Buescher |
| 38 | Landon Cassill |
| 41 | Kurt Busch |
| 42 | Kyle Larson |
| 43 | Aric Almirola |
| 44 | Brian Scott |
| 46 | Michael Annett |
| 47 | AJ Allmendinger |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson |
| 55 | Reed Sorenson |
| 78 | Martin Truex Jr. |
| 83 | Matt DiBenedetto |
| 88 | Jeff Gordon |
| 95 | Michael McDowell |
| 98 | Cole Whitt |
Drivers to Watch
Chris Buescher
Underdog Buescher is a big reason things are so wild as of late in the world of NASCAR.
The 23-year-old shocked the world on Aug. 1 by coming out of Xfinity fame and stealing the checkered flag at a delayed event in Pocono. Still, it didn't assure him a bid because of his place in the standings.
At Watkins Glen, Buescher had a chance to climb high enough to guarantee a spot in the Chase, but he finished 30th after an unfortunate wreck.
For a youngster with so much on the line, Buescher doesn't sound too worried going into the weekend.
“I feel like it’s a place where we can definitely get a top 15 or even a top 10 for our Love’s Ford Fusion and get some of those points we need," he told Ford.com.
Buescher might be new to the Chase scene, but he's a major reason the old guard isn't dominating this stretch of season and making for a rather drab affair. His efforts to claw up the standings and secure the bid is something to watch.
Carl Edwards
Carl Edwards has a sweep opportunity on his hands.
The 37-year-old took the first event at Bristol Motor Speedway this year, leading a borderline-silly 276 laps on the way to a checkered flag in April. He even rode the momentum into a checkered flag at Richmond the following week.
Toyota Racing flashed back to one of Edwards' recent Bristol escapades:
Edwards has cooled as of late. He's finished 15th or worse in three of his last four outings despite starting second or better in a different three of four. Last week in New York, he started on the pole, led 25 laps but only managed to finish 15th.
Still, it's hard to imagine a better launch pad for Edwards to get back to form ahead of the Chase. He's dominant at Bristol, and his performance Saturday night might act as a bit of foreshadowing about how he'll do in the Chase.
Joey Logano
If recent trends come into play this weekend, it might be an even older one than Edwards' dominance taking precedence.
Logano has won this race two years and running. Whatever it is, the 26-year-old has it down—he led 76 laps on the way to the 2014 win, leading another 176 before taking the checkered flag last season.
He has kept in relatively good form at the track, too, finishing 10th at the earlier event this year won by Edwards. He took to Twitter to give an inside look at his preparation for this weekend:
Surely he wouldn't mind a win Saturday. The novelty of winning a race three years in a row would be great, but just getting over the proverbial hump would be nice. He only has one win this year alongside a whopping nine top-five finishes.
Logano's ability to convert a strong performance into a win would bode quite well for his Chase form.
Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
