The NASCAR Cup Series has become more than familiar with Bristol Motor Speedway in 2020, but there is something new about Saturday night's trip to the short track in Tennessee.
The Bass Pro Shops Night Race marks the first time the Cup Series will use the short track as a playoff venue.
Typically, the final race of the season at Bristol takes place in August, but with the augmented schedule, the venue is being used for the third time in 2020. The track hosted a 500-mile race in May and was the All-Star Race venue in July.
The final trip to Bristol in 2020 serves as the last race in the three-event first phase of the postseason. The list of championship contenders will be trimmed from 16 to 12 following Saturday's race.
Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski secured spots in the round of 12 with victories in the last two races, while Denny Hamlin is through on points.
If one of the other 13 drivers win the Bristol night race, he will automatically qualify as well. The rest of the round-of-12 competitors will be determined by points.
Bass Pro Shops Night Race Information
Date: Saturday, September 19
Start Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: NBCSN
Live Stream: NBCSports.com and NBC Sports app
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Starting Grid
Odds
Denny Hamlin (+450; bet $100 to win $450)
Kyle Busch (+575)
Chase Elliott (+600)
Kevin Harvick (+600)
Brad Keselowski (+600)
Joey Logano (+900)
Ryan Blaney (+1400)
Kurt Busch (+1600)
Martin Truex Jr. (+1600)
Austin Dillon (+1800)
Clint Bowyer (+2000)
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Preview
Hamlin does not have to win to advance to the next round, but he seems like the most likely champion.
The No. 11 car driver is the defending champion of the season's second race at Bristol and he starts in a favorable spot in seventh.
Passing is difficult on the short track with high banking, which makes starting position a crucial part of the winning formula.
Three of the last five Bristol winners started from the pole position, including Hamlin a year ago. Only five champions have come from beneath the top 10 to finish in Victory Lane since 2012.
Hamlin also holds an advantage through his team's performance at short tracks. Joe Gibbs Racing won four of the last six Bristol races through Hamlin and Kyle Busch.
Martin Truex Jr. owns four wins at Martinsville Speedway and Richmond Raceway in the last two years, while Busch has three triumphs at the other two short tracks since 2017.
Of the three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers in the playoffs, Busch is in the most danger of missing the round of 12.
The No. 18 car has yet to find Victory Lane in 2020, but Busch owns more top-five finishes than 11 of his playoff competitors.
Truex may be the best bet to win off odds value. He typically is not as high as +1800, and his recent short-track history could finally result in a Bristol victory.
Keselowski is the biggest threat to the Joe Gibbs cars, as he won the May race at Bristol, starts on the pole and is coming off a short-track win at Richmond.
The No. 2 car won from the pole position back in May, and if Keselowski gets off to a fast start, he could leave the playoff competitors fighting for points to advance.
Clint Bowyer enters Bristol on the 12th-place bubble with a three-point advantage over William Byron. Cole Custer, Matt DiBenedetto and Ryan Blaney are also on the outside looking in.
Since the gap between Aric Almirola in 10th and Blaney is 34 points, the projected standings could shuffle throughout the night.
Blaney may have the toughest path to the top 12 since he finished in last place because of a crash in May at Bristol and has finished outside the top 10 in six of the previous seven races.
Byron could be in the best spot to leap into the top 12 since he only has to make up a three-point difference on Bowyer and finished eighth in the season's first Bristol race.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from Racing Reference.
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