Tonight marks the final race in the Round of 16, Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick are the only drivers currently safe (though it looks really good for some others). It is go or go home for those on the outside looking in…at a place that is already filled with anxiety and tempers.
Here’s what to look for:
-Another week, another Pole for Christopher Bell. He’s yet to turn one of these into a Top 5, but he won our Dirt Race back in the Spring. He knows his way around Bristol, finishing 4th here last September.
–Chris Buescher was a surprise winner last year for this race, and hasn’t he been a breath of fresh air? So nice to see a new face in Victory Lane, and this guy has done it three times — recently! And now he’s come to a track where he won in 2022, that’s got to be a great feeling! Buescher starts 20th tonight.
–Kyle Busch has three wins over the last ten races here (only one at night), and has eight total Wins in Thunder Valley. He had a good effort in Qualifying, but didn’t make the final round after a slip. Rowdy will start 15th.
-Over the last eight races, Kyle Larson has seven Top 10s. That is pretty impressive, even more so he’s been towards the front of the pack in each of the last two weeks. Could Larson control the pace of this race, too?
–Kevin Harvick will make his final start at Bristol tonight, a track he has a lifetime 13.1 average finish at with three Wins and a streak of four straight finishes of 11th or better. Can Happy hoist the gladius one last time?
Coverage of the race starts on USA at 6:30pm, green flag scheduled for 6:35pm (moved up from 7:30 due to weather).
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