Another race, another new playoff winner.
Denny Hamlin made a statement at World Wide Technology Raceway last week with a win from the pole position to give him the points lead in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
Hamlin beat out Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe for the victory following the final restart with 24 laps to go. Hamlin made his way past Brad Keselowski and held on for the win by 1.620 seconds. He led a race-high 75 of the 240 total laps to earn his Cup Series-best fifth win of 2025.
That victory secures his spot in the Round of 12. Hamlin and Briscoe, who won the playoff opener at Darlington, are guaranteed to advance to the next round of the playoffs ahead of the first elimination race.
Bristol Motor Speedway host the final race of the first round in under the lights on Saturday, Sept. 12. Four drivers will be eliminated as the playoff field gets trimmed from 16 to 12 following the race.
Here’s everything you need to know to get ready for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race Saturday at Bristol:
What time does the NASCAR playoff race at Bristol start?
The Bass Pro Shops Night Race is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 13, at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee.
What TV channel is the NASCAR playoff race at Bristol on?
The Bass Pro Shops Night Race will be broadcast on USA Network. Pre-race coverage will start at 7 p.m. ET.
Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR Cup race at Bristol?
Yes, the Bass Pro Shops Night Race will be streamed on Peacock and the NBC Sports website.The race can also be streamed on Fubo, which is offering a free trial to new subscribers.
Watch NASCAR Cup races on Fubo
How many laps is the NASCAR Cup race at Bristol?
The Bass Pro Shops Night Race is 500 laps around the 0.533-mile track for a total of 266.5 miles. The race will have three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 125 laps; Stage 2: 125 laps; Stage 3: 250 laps.
Who won the most recent NASCAR races at Bristol?
Kyle Larson earned his second consecutive win at Bristol Motor Speedway, dominating the day race on April 13, 2025. Larson started third and led 411 of 500 laps before beating Denny Hamlin by 2.250 seconds. Ty Gibbs, Chase Briscoe and Ryan Blaney rounded out the top five.
And one year ago in the 2024 playoff race, Kyle Larson dominated the field again, leading 462 of 500 laps to take the checkered flag. He gapped Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott by more than seven seconds in one of his best drives of the year. Hamlin finished third, followed by Bubba Wallace and Christopher Bell.
NASCAR playoff standings
Here’s how the field stacks up with the gap to leader in parentheses. The bottom four drivers will be eliminated after Bristol.
- Denny Hamlin
- Chase Briscoe (-5)
- Kyle Larson -17)
- Bubba Wallace -27)
- Ryan Blaney (-35)
- William Byron (-38)
- Tyler Reddick (-40)
- Christopher Bell (-45)
- Chase Elliott (-49)
- Joey Logano (-56)
- Ross Chastain (-58)
- Austin Cindric (-66)
- Austin Dillon (-77)
- Shane van Gisbergen (-81)
- Alex Bowman (-101)
- Josh Berry (-111)
What is the lineup for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race?
(Car number in parentheses)
- (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet
- (12) Ryan Blaney (P), Ford
- (2) Austin Cindric (P), Ford
- (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota
- (5) Kyle Larson (P), Chevrolet
- (11) Denny Hamlin (P), Toyota
- (24) William Byron (P), Chevrolet
- (23) Bubba Wallace (P), Toyota
- (20) Christopher Bell (P), Toyota
- (21) Josh Berry (P), Ford
- (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet
- (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
- (1) Ross Chastain (P), Chevrolet
- (45) Tyler Reddick (P), Toyota
- (48) Alex Bowman (P), Chevrolet
- (9) Chase Elliott (P), Chevrolet
- (7) Justin Haley, Chevrolet
- (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford
- (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota
- (60) Ryan Preece, Ford
- (17) Chris Buescher, Ford
- (22) Joey Logano (P), Ford
- (3) Austin Dillon (P), Chevrolet
- (38) Zane Smith, Ford
- (71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet
- (41) Cole Custer, Ford
- (43) Erik Jones, Toyota
- (88) Shane Van Gisbergen (P), Chevrolet
- (35) Riley Herbst, Toyota
- (4) Noah Gragson, Ford
- (19) Chase Briscoe (P), Toyota
- (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
- (33) Austin Hill, Chevrolet
- (51) Cody Ware, Ford
- (99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet
- (34) Todd Gilliland, Ford
- (10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet
- (67) Corey Heim, Toyota
- (66) Chad Finchum, Ford
