THE RACE: Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race
TRACK: Bristol Motor Speedway
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race #24 of 36
Date: Saturday, August 19, 2017 in Bristol, TN
Title Sponsor: Bass Pro Shops
Scheduled Green Flag (approx): 7:48pm/et
Sections on this page:
Television | Radio/Streaming | Schedule | Track/Race Info | Race Rundown
Qualifying / Practice / Entry Info | Weather Links | Tire Notes | Odds
NASCAR America Pre-Race Show: at 5:00pm/et on NBCSN
NASCAR Countdown to Green Pre-Race Show: at 7:00pm/et on NBC
Television Race Coverage: NBC, 7:30pm/et
Practices:
Friday, August 18, 10:00 am - 11:25 am/et, TV-NBC Sports App;
Friday, August 18, 12:30 - 1:55 pm/et, TV-NBCSN
Qualifying for positions 1-40, Friday, August 18 at 5:45 pm/et, TV-NBCSN;
re-air scheduled: none
In the Booth: Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte
Pit Reporters: Dave Burns, Parker Kligerman, Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast
Pre/Post-Race and Hosts: Krista Voda, Kyle Petty, Dale Jarrett
Features Reporter: Rutledge Wood
Breaking News: Nate Ryan
Scheduled Race Re-Air Dates/Times:
Monday, August 21 at 2:00 pm/et on NBCSN
TV Listings, Links and Info:
see the TV Listings and Links page
Performance Racing Network (PRN)
SiriusXM Satellite NASCAR Channel 90
ONLINE STREAMING
NBC Sports - Live
Radio: PRN Live Streaming
SiriusXM Internet Radio (available via internet connected device, with subscription)
EVENT SCHEDULE
Event Schedule times are local to the track
Thursday, August 17
10:00 PM 11:55 PM MENCS HAULERS ENTER (EQUIPMENT UNLOAD)
Friday, August 18
7:30 AM- 7:00 PM MENCS GARAGE OPEN
10:00 AM-11:25 AM MENCS 1ST PRACTICE
12:30 PM-1:55 PM MENCS FINAL PRACTICE
5:45 PM MENCS QUALIFYING (MULTI-VEHICLE / THREE ROUNDS)
Saturday, August 19
11:00 AM MENCS GARAGE OPEN
5:30 PM DRIVER/CREW CHIEF MEETING
6:50 PM DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS
7:30 PM RACE (500 LAPS, 266.5 MILES)
MENCS = Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Bristol Motor Speedway Track News, Stats & Links page
April 2017: see the Bristol Race Info page
August 2016: see the Bristol Race Info page
Track Specifications:
0.533-mile concrete oval
Degree of banking in corners: 24 to 30 degrees
Degree of banking in straights: 4 to 9 degrees
Straightaways: 650 feet long.
Concrete racing surface: 43 feet wide.
Bristol has two pits roads: 22 pit stalls on the front stretch and 21 on the back stretch
Pit Stall Size: 25.5 feet long, 15.5 feet wide
Pit Road Speed: 30 mph
Pace Car Track Speed: 35mph
Track Opened: 1960
First Cup race: 1961
Seating capacity: 153,000 [was 158,000 and 160,000]
Race Festivities/Officials:
Grand Marshals: Johnny Morris, Founder & CEO, Bass Pro Shops, Dale Hall, CEO, Ducks Unlimited & Ed Carter, Executive Director, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
Command to start engines: Johnny Morris & Ed Carter
Honorary Starter/Wave Green Flag: Joe Gregory, former CEO King Pharmaceuticals
Honorary Pace Car Driver: TBA
Color Guard: Tennessee Army National Guard
Invocation: Trooper Aaron Perry, Virginian State Police
National Anthem:MRO Children
Flyover: TBA
Saturday Bristol Notebook: Yessir, Dale Earnhardt Jr., gets two bags full--of fluids, that is; Trevor Bayne can't wait for a peaceful week off; Jamie McMurray will use off week to train for a marathon[More](8-19-2017)
Friday Bristol Notebook: Earnhardt touched by annual scholarship in his name; Chase Elliott needs a victory to feel comfortable; Chris Buescher signs multiyear deal with JTG/Daugherty; Keselowski gives up truck series ownership for long-term plan.[More](8-18-2017)
What to Watch for: Bristol: Busch's Up-and-Down Road at Bristol; Eyes Weekend Triple; Chances for Logano to Win?; Playoff Picture With 3 to Go; Toyota Has Reigned Supreme; Crazy Things Happen at Bristol; Who's Hot and Who's Not .[More](8-17-2017)
Bristol Weekend Preview: Bowyer enjoying role as the 'hunter'; Annett hoping to stay on the right side of the bubble.[More](8-17-2017)
A look at many new, notes and story lines for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway, see the stats on the NASCAR National Series News & Notes -- Bristol
A look at some of the top statistical performers and top-10 driver ratings at Bristol, see the stats on the Statistical Advance - Analyzing Bristol page
Kyle Busch completes three-series sweep in thrilling race at Bristol: In a race fraught with tension, and with a pack of drivers with desperate agendas chasing him to the finish line, Kyle Busch held off Erik Jones to complete a sweep of all-three NASCAR touring series with Saturday night's keystone victory in the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. In winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series main event at the .533-mile concrete track, Busch capped a long weekend that saw him win Wednesday's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event and Friday's NASCAR XFINITY Series race.[More](8-19-2017)
Kyle Busch won the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway for his 2nd win of 2017, 5th win at Bristol, and 4th career win. He swept all three races at Bristol this weekend, also winning the Truck race on Wednesday and the XFINITY race on Friday. Busch also swept all three races at Bristol in the fall of 2010.
Pole sitter #77-Jones led 258 laps on the night, but lost the lead with 55 laps remaining and finished 2nd. #11-Hamlin was third, followed by #20-Kenseth, #41-Busch, #31-Newman, #6-Bayne, #4-Harvick, #42-Larson, and #21-Blaney.
#20-Kenseth won the second stage. #18-Busch won the first stage.
#78-Truex Jr's. driver points lead decreases to 101 points over #18-Busch. Truex did not clinch the regular season championship yet.
There were 21 lead changes among 6 drivers and 8 cautions for 53 yellow flag laps.
The average speed of the race was: 95.969mph.
See unofficial race results, awards, laps led, cautions and more at:
Unofficial Race Results (pdf)
Cumulative Report (pdf)
Penalty Report (pdf)
See OFFICIAL race results & points standings on the Official Race & Points Report (pdf).
MENCS at Bristol Recap
- Now 2 races to go until playoffs (Darlington and Richmond)
- Kyle Busch: won CWTS, XFINITY and MENCS at Bristol this weekend
- Kyle Busch: only driver to sweep all three NASCAR National Series races in a weekend; now done it twice at Bristol (2010)
- Kyle Busch: 20th career win at Bristol across three NASCAR National Series, 7 more than any other driver
- Kyle Busch: 40th career Cup Series win; 4th youngest driver to reach 40 wins
- Kyle Busch: 1,120 laps led on short tracks last two season, more than twice as many as any other MENCS driver
- Erik Jones: 2nd (career-best); polesitter led 260 laps after leading 50 laps all season entering race
- Matt Kenseth: 4th; entered race as final driver in playoffs
- Jimmie Johnson: 11th; 11th straight race without finishing in top-5, longest streak in career
(ESPN Stats & Info)
Race Fast Facts - Bristol
Kyle Busch won the 57th Annual Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race, his 40th victory in 450 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series races.
This is his second victory and 14th top-10 finish in 2017.
This is his sixth victory and 14th top-10 finish in 25 races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Erik Jones (second) posted his first top-10 finish in two races at Bristol Motor Speedway. It is his ninth top-10 finish in 2017.
Denny Hamlin (third) posted his 12th top-10 finish in 24 races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Erik Jones (second) was the highest finishing rookie.
Martin Truex Jr. leads the point standings by 101 points overKyle Busch.
(NASCAR Integrated Sports Marketing)(8-19-2017)
2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Driver Standings:
[after Bristol, race 24 of 36]
1) #78-Martin Truex Jr [4 wins], 951
2) #18-Kyle Busch [2], 850, -101
3) #42-Kyle Larson [3], 845, -106
4) #4-Kevin Harvick [1], 824, -127
5) #11-Denny Hamlin [1], 753, -198
See full standings on the Unofficial Drivers Points Standings page (pdf) and
Unofficial Owners Points Standings page (pdf)
See OFFICIAL race results & points standings on the Official Race & Points Report (pdf).
2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs:
[after Bristol, race 24 of 36, 2 more races until the playoffs]
drivers in with at least one win
1) #78-Martin Truex Jr., 4 wins
2) #48-Jimmie Johnson, 3 wins
3) #42-Kyle Larson, 3 wins
4) #18-Kyle Busch, 2 wins
5) #2-Brad Keselowski, 2 wins
6) #17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 2 wins
7) #4-Kevin Harvick, 1 win
8) #11-Denny Hamlin, 1 win
9) #21-Ryan Blaney, 1 wins
10) #41-Kurt Busch, 1 win
11) #31-Ryan Newman, 1 win
12) #5-Kasey Kahne, 1 win
13) #3-Austin Dillon, 1 win
currently in on points
14) #24-Chase Elliott, 711, +69 ahead of 17th
15) #20-Matt Kenseth, 703, +61
16) #1-Jamie McMurray, 700, +58
currently outside the playoffs
17) #14-Clint Bowyer, 642, -58 behind 16th
18) #22-Joey Logano, [1 win but can't be used for playoffs], 583, -117
19) #77-Erik Jones, 574, -126
Top-Ten Stage 2 Results (lap 250) of the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway (lap 250/500):
#20-Kenseth, 10pts, 1 playoff point
#48-Johnson, 9pts
#4-Harvick, 8pts
#31-Newman, 7pts
#77-Jones, 6pts
#42-Larson, 5pts
#11-Hamlin, 4pts
#18-Busch, 3pts
#27-Menard, 2pts
#14-Bowyer, 1pt
Top-Ten Stage 1 Results (lap 125) of the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway (lap 125/500):
#18-Busch, 10 pts, 1 playoff point
#77-Jones, 9pts
#42-Larson, 8pts
#24-Elliott, 7pts
#20-Kenseth, 6pts
#11-Hamlin, 5pts
#21-Blaney, 4pts
#22-Logano, 3pts
#78-Truex, Jr., 2pts
#48-Johnson, 1pt
Lucky Dogs, drivers that got a lap during the cautions (and their finish):
Caution 1: #27-Menard, 16th
Caution 2: #95-McDowell, 20th
Caution 3: #27-Menard (2), 16th
Caution 4: #95-McDowell (2), 20th
Caution 5: #47-Allmendinger, 22nd
Caution 6: None, #6-Bayne caused the caution.
Caution 7: #22-Logano, 13th
Caution 8: #24-Elliott, 18th
(8-19-2017)
Bristol Saturday Pre-Race Schedule:
5:30pm: Driver/Crew Chief Meeting
6:50pm: Driver Introductions
7:30pm: Presentation of Colors by: TBD
7:30pm: Pledge of Allegiance by: TBD
7:31pm: Invocation by: TBD
7:31pm; National Anthem by: MRO Children
7:40pm: "Drivers, Start Your Engines": Johnny Morris, Founder & CEO, Bass Pro Shops, Dale Hall, CEO, Ducks Unlimited & Ed Carter, Executive Director, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
7:48pm: Start of the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race (500 LAPS, 266.5 MILES) NBC, PRN
See the starting lineup for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway on the Starting Lineup Page (pdf).
To the back: #5-Kahne (tire change)
NASCAR Overtime Race Procedure: Rule and notes on the NASCAR Overtime rules/news/stats page.
Wave Around: how the wave around rule works: All vehicles between the leader and the caution vehicle at the start/finish line when the "one to go" signal is given by the starter are considered "Wave Around" eligible. "Wave Around" vehicles will not be permitted to enter pit road at any time during this yellow flag/caution period. "Wave Around" vehicles must receive the green flag on the race track before being permitted to enter pit road without a penalty. Vehicles under a penalty and the "Free Pass" vehicle will not be eligible to receive a "Wave Around".
Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway have been made.
With the field downsized to 40 cars, three pit stalls (21,22,43) have been eliminated, are not in play and don't count towards driving through more than three pit boxes.
Pole sitter #77-Jones chose pit stall 1, the first stall available [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole sitter #42-Larson took pit stall 23, the final pitstall on the backstretch.
#5-Kahne, who starts 3rd, took the 20th stall, the last stall on the frontstretch.
#24-Elliott, why starts 4th, pits in stall 42, the first stall on the backstretch.
To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on Jayski.com's Pit Stall Selection chart.(8-12-2017)
Links to results, practices, qualifying PDF's: (will be added as available)
Official Race & Points Report
Race Results
Drivers Points
Owners Points
Cumlative Race Report
Penalty Report
Pitstalls
Starting Lineup
Qualifying Results
Qualifying Order
Happy Hour Practice Speeds
Practice 1 Speeds
Latest / Final Entry List
Preliminary Entry List
See the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race results page
QUALIFYING INFO, PRACTICE SPEED and ENTRIES
Erik Jones won the Coors Light pole for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway with speed of 128.082mph for his 1st career pole.
#42-Larson will start 2nd followed by #5-Kahne, #24-Elliott, #20-Kenseth, #78-Truex, Jr., #11-Hamlin, #22-Logano, #14-Bowyer, #21-Blaney, #1-McMurray, and #19-Suarez.
#11-Hamlin was fastest in the second round with a speed of 128.632mph, will start 7th.
#18-Busch was fastest in the first round with a speed of 129.921mph, will start 18th.
Driver(s) who will miss the race: #66-Hill.
See round-by-round qualifying results on the Qualifying results page (pdf) and the complete starting lineup on the Starting Lineup page (pdf).(8-18-2017)
Erik Jones wins first career pole at Bristol-by an eyelash: Needing a breakthrough victory to advance to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, Erik Jones took the first step in that direction on Friday, winning the Coors Light Pole Award for Saturday night's Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Running the bottom of the track in the strip of traction compound applied to the lower groove, Jones turned a lap at 128.082 mph (14.981 seconds) in the final round of knockout qualifying to edge last Sunday's Michigan winner, Kyle Larson (128.057 mph) by .003 seconds.[More](8-18-2017)
Bristol Motor Speedway - Qualifying Fast Facts:
Erik Jones won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 57th Annual Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race with a lap of 14.981 seconds, 128.082 mph.
This is his first pole in 27 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series races.
This is his first pole and 10th top-10 start in 2017.
This is his first pole in two races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Kyle Larson (second) posted his 14th top-10 start of 2017 and his second in eight races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Kasey Kahne (third) posted his 14th top-10 start at Bristol Motor Speedway. It is his fifth in 24 races this season.
Erik Jones (first) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
(NASCAR Statistics)(8-18-2017)
Second Round of Qualifying for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway is over, after 10 scheduled minutes.
#11-Hamlin 128.632
#20-Kenseth 128.434
#77-Jones 128.091
#22-Logano 128.047
#19-Suarez 127.911
the rest of the top 12: 24 21 14 42 1 5 78
out of the top 12 and not advancing to round 3: 31 17 37 3 2 38 6 48 18 13 47 10
(8-18-2017)
First Round of Qualifying for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway is over, after 20 scheduled minutes.
#18-Busch 129.921
#11-Hamlin 129.212
#24-Elliott 128.882
#1-McMurray 128.615
#78-Truex, Jr. 128.313
the rest of the top 24: 77 20 5 21 19 2 17 22 42 31 6 13 14 48 3 37 47 38 10;
out of the top 24 and not advancing to round 2: 41 95 27 43 4 7 88 72 34 32 83 51 55 33 15 66 23;
Drivers who will miss the race: #66-Hill.
(8-18-2017)
Coverage of Qualifying for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway is scheduled for Friday, August 18, 2017 at 5:45pm/et.
Television (TV): NBCSN, 5:30pm/et
Radio: Live online at Performance Racing Network (PRN)
Group qualifying under the three-round qualifying format:
• Round 1 -- All entries will have 20 minutes to post a qualifying time, after which the 24 registering the fastest laps will advance to the second round. Those failing to advance will be sorted based on first-round times in descending order (from fastest to slowest).
• Round 2 -- The 24 fastest from the first round will have 10 minutes to post a second-round qualifying time, with the 12 fastest advancing to a third round. Those not advancing will earn starting positions 13 through 24 based on time, again in descending order.
• Round 3 -- The final round will be five minutes in length. The fastest times from this session will determine the first (Coors Light Pole Award) through 12th starting positions.
There will be a seven-minute break between each round; teams may make adjustments to their entries only during the individual breaks. They will not be allowed to jack the vehicle or raise the hood, and once the car or truck enters the garage, it will no longer be permitted to return to the track for additional qualifying attempts.
Qualifying Order for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway is posted.
The first driver to be lined up on pit road will be #23-Gase.
The final driver lined up on pit road will be #2-Keselowski.
The order is set by a random draw, how cars park on pit road before they qualify, held about an hour before the first practice.
After the first round, the cars lined up by speed.
For the qualifying order, see the Qualifying Order page (pdf).(8-11-2017)
Happy Hour (final) practice for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway is over, after 85 scheduled minutes, the top five, slowest and notes:
#21-Blaney 128.554
#42-Larson 128.065
#31-Newman 127.784
#1-McMurray 127.487
#18-Busch 127.258
slowest: #15-Sorenson 121.046 & #66-Hill 119.768
best 10 consecutive lap avg (of 33 drivers): #20-Kenseth 125.930.
notes: Timmy Hill spun but did not hit anything. The session was briefly stopped once for light rain.
See the fastest speeds, best 10 consecutive lap average, laps run on the Happy Hour Practice speeds page (pdf) (8-18-2017)
First practice for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway is over, after 85 scheduled minutes, the top-five and notes:
#11-Hamlin 129.230
#18-Busch 129.221
#5-Kahne 128.943
#21-Blaney 128.917
#14-Bowyer 128.382
slowest: #33-Earnhardt 123.435 & #15-Sorenson 118.650.
most laps run: #13-Dillon & #1-McMurray, 78 laps.
Top 10 consecutive laps average (of 27 drivers): #1-McMurray 126.604mph.
#42-Larson spun early but did not hit anything. There was a short delay for rain.
See fastest speeds, laps run on the Practice 1 Speeds page (pdf)(8-18-2017)
Entry List for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway is posted, 41 teams/drivers [for 40 spots] are listed.
36 teams with Charters are guaranteed to make the field. The rest need to make the field via qualifying / qualifying races / rules book (owners attempts/points).
Some of the drivers entered include #7-Yeley*, #15-Sorenson, #23-Gase, #33-JEarnhardt, #51-McLeod*, #55-Gaulding*, #66-Hill*, #83-LaJoie*
Drivers who currently to not drive for a team with a Charter and need to race into the field: #7-Yeley, #51-McLeod, #55-Gaulding, #66-Hill, #83-LaJoie
Drivers who would miss the race if qualifying is canceled (least race attempts): #66-Hill.
See the full entry list on the Entry List (pdf)
For qualifying rules and formats, see the Qualifying Rules page
How to Calculate Track Speeds: use the formula Speed = Distance divided by Time. Distance is Track Length, and Lap Time into Hours. Once hour is 3600 seconds, so the calculation for a 48 second lap at Daytona(2.5 miles) would be: Speed = 2.5 x (3600/48), = 2.5 x 75 = 187.500mph. For a 19 second lap at Bristol(.533 miles): Speed = .533 x (3600/19), = .533 x 189.474 = a speed of 100.990mph
WEATHER
Weather Channel
Accuweather
National Weather Service
Race Weather
Race Day Forecast
WeatherBug
Weather Underground
Tire: Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials
Set limits:
Cup: 4 sets for practice, 1 set for qualifying/start of race and 7 sets for the race;
Xfinity: 6 sets for the event;
Truck: 5 sets for the event
Tire Codes:
Left-side -- D-4416; Right-side -- D-4526
Tire Circumference:
Left-side -- 87.64 in. (2,226 mm); Right-side -- 88.43 in. (2,246 mm)
Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front -- 20 psi; Left Rear -- 18 psi;
Right Front -- 43 psi; Right Rear -- 40 psi
Storyline - Short Track that Races Like a Speedway: While Bristol Motor Speedway is considered a short track at just more than a half-mile in length, it truly falls more into the speedway category of tracks. With its steep banking, the loads and speeds generated at Bristol are closer to those of much bigger tracks. Because of that, the construction of Goodyear's left- and right-side tires are built to handle those loads and speeds, as well as optimizing handling. The other challenge at Bristol is the concrete surface. The tire set-up, and specifically the compounds for Bristol, match up well with the track surface and lay down rubber quickly, leading to the development of multiple racing grooves and competitive, side-by-side racing.
"Bristol provides several challenges when designing and building a tire set-up," said Greg Stucker, Goodyear's director of racing. "It's important to rubber-in the concrete surface, and the compounds we run do that both quickly and to the proper degree. Bristol is also very much like a speedway in that the high banks generate a lot of speed and a high amount of loading. The tire set-up that we bring takes that into account while enhancing the stability and handling of the cars through the corners."
Notes: Teams in all three NASCAR national series will run the same Goodyear tire set-up at Bristol this week . . . this is the same combination of left- and right-side tires that NASCAR teams have run at Bristol since August 2014 . . . Bristol is the only track at which NASCAR teams are scheduled to run either of these two tire codes . . . unlike on most NASCAR ovals one mile or less in length, on which teams generally do not run inner liners in their tires, teams are required to run liners in their right-side tires only at Bristol . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.
RACE & CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS
Vegas Insider
Race and Championship odds
NASCAR Top-Five Finish Prediction
Bristol Race Preview by Micah Roberts
Bovada Sportsbook:
Race and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Championship