Thirteen drivers will fight for nine spots in the next round of the NASCAR Cup Series on Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. advanced out of the round of 16 through victories in the first two playoff races. Kyle Larson got into the round of 12 off his points total.
Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and Kevin Harvick sit in the best positions possible to move on to the next three-race postseason round.
If any of the 13 drivers from fourth to 16th place win at Bristol, they will automatically qualify for the round of 12.
All of the clinching scenarios to reach the round of 12 can be found here on NASCAR.com.
Bass Pro Shops Night Race Info
Date: Saturday, September 18
Start Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: NBCSN
Live Stream: NBCSports.com and NBC Sports app
Odds
Kyle Busch (+400; bet $100 to win $400)
Kyle Larson (+450)
Denny Hamlin (+600)
Chase Elliott (+800)
Joey Logano (+1000)
Kevin Harvick (+1100)
Ryan Blaney (+1500)
Kurt Busch (+1500)
Starting Lineup
Preview
Kyle Busch is listed as the pre-race favorite because of his stellar history at Bristol.
The No. 18 car driver won three of the last seven races at the Tennessee track. He finished inside the top five for both of the races on the Bristol concrete in 2020.
The Cup Series visited Bristol earlier in the season, but that event took place on dirt.
Busch comes into Bristol in 10th place in the playoff standings with an eight-point edge over Alex Bowman in 13th place.
The other Busch brother, Kurt, had a pair of top-15 finishes at Bristol in 2020. He needs points more than Kyle Busch since he is in 12th in a tie with Bowman.
Bowman, Tyler Reddick, William Byron and Michael McDowell suffered setbacks in the first two playoff races that forced them beneath the cut line.
McDowell, who won the Daytona 500, is in the most trouble of being eliminated. He is 38 points adrift of Kurt Busch. Byron is within 18 points of Busch, while Reddick sits five points behind the No. 1 car driver.
The best-case scenario for any of those four drivers is to win the race, but that will be difficult among a field of drivers with past success at Bristol.
Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski, who both won in 2020, reside in the top 10 in points, and they have some comfort with their respective places in the standings.
Chase Elliott, Aric Almirola and Christopher Bell are among the drivers inside the top 12 who placed in the top 10 at Bristol last season.
Larson, Hamlin and Truex are already into the round of 12, but they could win the race and take away the automatic advancement spot.
Each of those three drivers are in strong form, and they could use the Bristol race to fine-tune things ahead of the next leg of races.
Truex and Hamlin begin the race on the front row. The last three winners on the Bristol concrete came from the first four starting positions.
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