THE RACE: Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race
TRACK: Bristol Motor Speedway
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race #24 of 36
Date: Saturday, August 18, 2018 in Bristol, TN
Scheduled Green Flag (approx): 6:46 pm/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: 6:00pm/et on NBCSN
NASCAR Countdown to Green: 7:00pm/et on NBCSN
Television Race Coverage: NBCSN, 7:30pm/et
Practices:
Friday, August 17, 10:35-11:55am/et, TV-NBCSN;
Friday, August 17, 12:40-1:50pm/et, TV-NBCSN
Qualifying for positions 1-40, Friday, August 17 at 5:40 pm/et, TV-NBCSN;
re-air scheduled: None
In the Booth: Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Pre/Post-Race and Hosts: Krista Voda, Kyle Petty, Dale Jarrett
Pit Reporters: Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast, Dave Burns
Features Reporter: Rutledge Wood
Breaking News: Nate Ryan
Scheduled Race Re-Air Dates/Times:
TBA
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
Friday, August 17
5:30 AM-7:30 AM MENCS HAULERS ENTER (EQUIPMENT UNLOAD)
7:30 AM-7:00 PM MENCS GARAGE OPEN
9:30 AM MENCS ROOKIE MEETING, SPOTTER MEETING, & RANDOM DRAWING
10:35 AM-11:55 AM MENCS 1ST PRACTICE
12:40 PM-1:50 PM MENCS FINAL PRACTICE
5:40 PM MENCS QUALIFYING (MULTI-VEHICLE / THREE ROUNDS)
7:00 PM MENCS CAR IN HAULERS
UPDATED: Saturday, August 18
10:00 AM 6:30 PM NASCAR CREDENTIALS OPEN
10:00 AM MENCS GARAGE OPENS
4:30 PM MENCS DRIVER / CREW CHIEF MEETING (SOUTH BUILDING)
5:30 PM 10:30 PM MENCS ** HOT PASS IN EFFECT **
5:50 PM MENCS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS
6:30 PM MENCS RACE (500 LAPS, 266.5 MILES)
MENCS = Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Bristol Motor Speedway Track News, Stats & Links page
June 2017: see the Bristol Race Info page
August 2017: see the Bristol Race Info page
Race Festivities/Officials:
Grand Marshal: Johnny Morris, Founder & CEO of Bass Pro Shops, Bill Dance, Legendary Angler, Dale Hall, CEO, Ducks Unlimited, / Cabela's Store Managers
Command to start engines: Johnny Morris, Bill Dance and Dale Hall
Honorary Starter/Wave Green Flag: TBA
Honorary Pace Car Driver: TBA
Color Guard: Tennessee Army National Guard
Invocation: Oliver North, President of NRA
National Anthem: MRO Kids
Flyover: Fly-by TOT: 4 T-38's from 469th Flying Training Squadron, Shepherd AFB, Wichita, TX
Saturday Bristol Notebook: Kyle Larson sees a future full of "Kyle, Kyle and Chris" shows; Roush Fenway's No. 60 car trying to outlive apparent "curse"; Martin Truex Jr. expects to have 2019 plans in focus soon.[More](8-18-2018)
Friday Bristol Notebook: Austin Dillon's performance at Michigan was no fluke; Kasey Kahne discusses reasons for retirement from full-time racing; Christopher Bell is focusing on the present tense-for now [More](8-17-2018)
Bristol Motor Speedway Weekend Preview: Kyle Busch has dominated at Bristol; Trucks crown a regular season champion[More](8-16-2018)
A look at many news, notes and story lines for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol, see the stats on the NASCAR National Series News & Notes -- Bristol Motor Speedway
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 Motor Speedway page
Late restarts propel Kurt Busch to victory in wild Bristol race : "Old guys rule!" screamed 40-year-old Kurt Busch after he took the checkered flag in an action-filled Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race on Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway. Busch's first victory since the 2017 Daytona 500 overshadowed a miraculous drive by brother Kyle Busch, whose car came back to life after a Lap 2 wreck like a relentless horror movie villain. Starting on the inside lane, Busch grabbed the lead from Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Clint Bowyer on a Lap 478 restart, after Brad Keselowski's flat-tire-induced spin caused the sixth caution of the night.[More](8-18-2018)
Kurt Busch won the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway. The win is his1st win of 2018, 6th win at Bristol and 30th career win.
Pole winner, #42-Larson finished 2nd followed by #9-Elliott, #22-Logano, #20-Jones, #14-Bowyer, #12-Blaney, #88-Bowman, #48-Johnson, and #4-Harvick.
Stage 1 was won by #12-Blaney, finished 7th.
Stage 2 was won by #22-Logano, finished 4th.
There were 19 lead changes among 9 drivers and 9 cautions for 70 yellow flag laps.
The average speed of the race was: 89.538mph.
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
- Kurt Busch (Stewart-Haas): snaps 58-race winless streak; was the 4th-longest all-time by a driver immediately following a Daytona 500 victory
- Busch: 30th career NASCAR Cup Series win; 26th driver in series history to reach mark
- Busch: 6th career Bristol win; snaps 24-race winless streak at track after winning 5 of 9 races there from 2002-06
- Kyle Larson (Ganassi): finishes 2nd; 5th runner-up finishes this season (0 wins); tied for the 3rd-most runner-up finishes in a season without a victory (12 races remaining this season)
- Chase Elliott (Hendrick): finishes 3rd; 5th straight top-10 finish is 1 shy of career high (6 straight in 2016 season)
- Elliott: led 112 laps; winless in 5 career races when leading at least 100 laps
- Joey Logano (Penske): finished 4th and won Stage 2; 8 playoff bonus points is tied for 5th-most this season
- Ryan Blaney (Penske): finished 7th and won Stage 1; tied with Kyle Busch for the 3rd-most stage wins this season (5) behind Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr.
- Jimmie Johnson (Hendrick): finished 9th; top-5 drought extended to 11 races (3rd-longest of his career, 3 longest such streaks have all taken place since the start of last season)
- Kyle Busch (Gibbs): finished 20th; was 3 laps down after early wreck, got back on lead lap, and finished 3 laps down
(ESPN Stats & Info)
Race Fast Facts - Bristol
Kurt Busch won the 58th Annual Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race, his 30th victory in 636 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series races.
This is his first victory and 15th top-10 finish in 2018.
This is his sixth victory and 18th top-10 finish in 36 races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Kyle Larson (second) posted his sixth top-10 finish in ten races at Bristol Motor Speedway. It is his 13th top-10 finish in 2018.
Chase Elliott (third) posted his third top-10 finish in six races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
William Byron (23rd) was the highest finishing rookie.
Kyle Busch leads the point standings by 43 points over Kevin Harvick.
(NASCAR Integrated Sports Marketing)(8-18-2018)
2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Driver Playoff Standings:
[after Bristol, race 24 of 36] - 2 races left until the playoffs.
The following drivers have clinched a playoff spot:
#18-Kyle Busch [6 wins], 1003
#4-Kevin Harvick [7 wins - 6 can be used for playoffs], 960
#78-Martin Truex Jr. [4 wins], 849
#41-Kurt Busch [1 win], 796
#14-Clint Bowyer [2 wins], 776
#22-Joey Logano [1 win], 768
#9-Chase Elliott [1 win], 697
#20-Erik Jones [1 win], 635
#3-Austin Dillon [1 win], 475
#12-Ryan Blaney, 733, -270
#2-Brad Keselowski, 730, -273
#42-Kyle Larson, 729, -274
The following drivers have not clinched a playoff spot:
#11-Denny Hamlin, 707, -296, +214 pts ahead of 17th
#10-Aric Almirola, 658, -345, +135
#48-Jimmie Johnson, 604, -399, +111
#88-Alex Bowman, 573, -341, +79
Outside the top 16:
#17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 493, -510, -79 pts behind 16th
#31-Ryan Newman, 481, -522, -91
#19-Daniel Suarez, 479, -524, -93
#21-Paul Menard, 473, -530, -99
See 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).
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):
#22-Logano, 10pts, 1 playoff point
#9-Elliott, 9pts
#42-Larson, 8pts
#10-Almirola, 7pts
#12-Blaney, 6pts
#14-Bowyer, 5pts
#20-Jones, 4pts
#48-Johnson, 3pts
#41-Busch, 2pts
#88-Bowman, 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):
#12-Blaney, 10pts, 1 playoff point
#4-Harvick, 9pts
#14-Bowyer, 8pts
#9-Elliott, 7pts
#10-Almirola, 6pts
#42-Larson, 5pts
#41-Busch, 4pts
#20-Jones, 3pts
#22-Logano, 2pts
#8-Bayne, 1pt
Lucky Dogs, drivers that got a lap back during the cautions (and their finish):
Caution 1: None, no one a lap or more down.
Caution 2: #31-Newman,12th
Caution 3: #78-Truex, Jr., 30th
Caution 4: None. #38-Ragan caused the caution.
Caution 5: #18-Busch, 20th
Caution 6: #2-Keselowski, 16th
Caution 7: #2-Keselowski (2), 16th
Caution 8: #88-Bowman, 8th
Caution 9: #95-Kahne, 15th
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 rear: #3-Dillon (failed inspection 3 times)
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 40 cars running, pit stalls 21,22,43 are not in use.
Pole winner #42-Kyle Larson chose pit stall 1, the first stall available [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole winner #9-Chase Elliott took pit stall 23 with an opening in front of it.
#18-Kyle Busch, who starts 3rd, took the 32 stal.
The final pit stall was taken by #4-Kevin Harvick, who starts 4th.
To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on Jayski.com's Pit Stall Selection chart.(8-17-2018)
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
Practice 2 Speeds
Starting Lineup
Qualifying Results
Qualifying Order
Happy Hour Practice Speeds
Practice 1 Speeds
Crew Rosters
Latest / Final Entry List
Preliminary Entry List
See the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race results page
QUALIFYING INFO, PRACTICE SPEED and ENTRIES
Kyle Larson prevails in closely contested Bristol qualifying: Kyle Larson, a close second to Kyle Busch in the 2018 spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway, took the first step toward avenging that loss-and a handful of others-with a pole-winning effort in Friday's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series knockout qualifying session at the .533-mile short track. In the final round, Larson covered the distance in 15.015 seconds (127.792 mph) to complete a sweep of the three rounds in the session. [More](8-17-2018)
#42-Larson won the Busch pole for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway with speed of 127.792mph for his third pole of 2018, first at Bristol and seventh of his career. Larson has won two times from the seven previous poles.
#9-Elliott will start 2nd followed by #18-Busch, #21-Menard, #24-Byron, #4-Harvick, #11-Hamlin, #10-Almirola, #41-Busch and #12-Blaney.
#42-Larson was fastest in the second round with a speed of 127.631 mph.
#42-Larson was quickest in the first round with a speed of 127.946 mph.
Driver(s) who will miss the race: #52-McLeod
See round-by-round qualifying results on the Qualifying results page (pdf) and the complete starting lineup on the Starting Lineup page (pdf).(8-17-2018)
Bristol Motor Speedway - Qualifying Fast Facts:
Kyle Larson won the Busch Pole Award Pole Award for the 58th Annual Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race with a lap of 15.015 seconds, 127.792 mph.
This is his seventh pole in 171 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series races.
This is his third pole and 12th top-10 start in 2018.
This is his first pole in ten races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Chase Elliott (second) posted his 13th top-10 start of 2018 and his fourth in six races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Kyle Busch (third) posted his 11th top-10 start at Bristol Motor Speedway. It is his 17th in 24 races this season.
William Byron (fifth) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
(NASCAR Statistics)(8-17-2018)
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.
#42-Larson 127.631
#21-Menard 127.123
#18-Busch 126.972
#2-Keselowski 126.863
#11-Hamlin 126.813
the rest of the top 12: 9 41 4 12 24 10 17
out of the top 12 and not advancing to round 3: 48 20 38 14 78 3 22 1 19 88 6 31
(8-17-2018)
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 15 scheduled minutes.
#42-Larson 127.946
#9-Elliott 127.098
#12-Blaney 126.955
#17-Stenhouse 126.854
#19-Suarez 126.821
the rest of the top 24: 48 20 1 11 6 10 41 24 18 4 88 22 14 38 78 21 2 31 3
out of the top 24 and not advancing to round 2: 47 95 43 37 32 72 34 13 96 7 15 51 66 99 00 23 52
Drivers who will miss the race: #52-McLeod
(8-17-2018)
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 17, 2018 at 5:40pm/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 15 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 #9-Chase Elliott.
The final driver lined up on pit road will be #15-Ross Chastain.
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).(8-17-2018)
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 70 scheduled minutes, the top five, slowest and notes:
#18 Busch 126.729
#78-Truex 126.312
#10-Almirola 126.287
#17-Stenhouse 126.154
#4-Harvick 125.914
best 10 consecutive lap avg (of 32 drivers): #42-Larson 123.684
slowest: #99-Gaulding 120.195
See the fastest speeds, best 10 consecutive lap average, laps run on the Happy Hour Practice speeds page (pdf) (8-17-2018)
First practice for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway is over, after 80 scheduled minutes, the top-five, slowest and notes:
#9-Elliott 126.645
#42-Larson 126.312
#88-Bowman 126.295
#20 Jones 126.187
#12-Blaney 126.146
most laps run: #96-Little 72
best 10 consecutive lap avg (of 25 drivers): #78-Truex 123.290
slowest: #51-Sorenson 119.843
notes: The opening 15 minutes the track was quiet with teams only practicing pit road runs.
See the fastest speeds, best 10 consecutive lap average, laps run on the Friday Practice speeds (pdf) (8-17-2018)
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.
Some of the drivers entered include: #6-Bayne, #7-Yeley, #15-Chastain, #23-Jones, #51-TBA, #52-McLeod, #66-Hill, #72-LaJoie, #96-Little, and #99-Gaulding.
Teams that must qualify on speed: #7-Yeley, #52-TBA, #66-Hill, #96-Little, #99-Gaulding.
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 Bristol(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
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Race Weather
Race Day Forecast
WeatherBug
Weather Underground
Brian Neudorff @NASCAR_WXMAN
Aaron Studwell @RaceWeather
Bristol Goodyear Tire Notes See complete tire information for the race weekend across all series on the [Goodyear Tire Notes - Bristol Motor Speedway page.(8-14-2018)
RACE & CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS
Vegas Insider
Race and Championship odds
NASCAR Top-Five Finish Prediction
Bovada Sportsbook:
Race and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Championship