In less than 20 days the NASCAR Chase for the Championship invades Bristol Motor Speedway during the Bass Pro Shops Night Race weekend, Sept. 17-19. Chase races in all three NASCAR divisions will be taking place including the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Chase opener on Thursday as part of a doubleheader with the Bush’s Beans 200 ARCA Menards Series race. On Friday, the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series goes under the lights for race three of its nine-race Chase during the Food City 300. And finally, on Saturday night, the crown jewel America’s Night Race is Chase race three of 10. What follows is a breakout preview of each series and the Chase drivers in each division identified following the NASCAR regular season ending racing race at Daytona this past Saturday.

Cup Series Chase

Ryan Preece pulled off an amazing regular season ending victory at Daytona to grab a spot in the Chase for the Championship at the very last second. Preece and 15 others in the Cup Series will battle over the 10-race Chase to determine a season champion. The Chase includes a round – No. 3 -- at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night, Sept. 19.

While all 36 Cup drivers are eligible to win the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol, the 16 drivers who are championship eligible in The Chase for the Championship, their trip to Eastern Tennessee means just a little more.

Denny Hamlin earned the top seed and all three of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates are qualified for The Chase. Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney took the second spot and 23XI’s Tyler Reddick, who won five times to open the season in his No. 45 machine, sits third in the Chase order.

The drivers who are in the Cup Series Chase at Bristol include, in order of points standing:

  1. Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing                         11 Toyota                 2100 points
  2. Ryan Blaney, Team Penske                                   12 Ford                     2075
  3. Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing                                   45 Toyota                 2065
  4. Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing                                  54 Toyota                 2060
  5. Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing                         19 Toyota                 2055
  6. Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing                      20 Toyota                 2050
  7. Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports                     5 Chevy                     2045
  8. Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports                   9 Chevy                     2040
  9. Joey Logano, Team Penske                                 22 Ford                      2035
  10. Chris Buescher, RFK Racing                                17 Ford                      2030
  11. Daniel Suarez, Spire Motorsports                        7 Chevy                     2025
  12. Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports                    77 Chevy                   2020
  13. William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports                 24 Chevy                   2015
  14. Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing                                23 Toyota                  2010
  15. Austin Cindric, Team Penske                               2 Ford                        2005
  16. Ryan Preece, RFK Racing                                     60 Ford                      2000

O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Chase

Rajah Caruth saw his Chase chances literally flash before his eyes when his No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevy was caught up in a late-race incident at Daytona Friday night. He went from looking to win to inching into the Chase thanks to his 18 stage points when the final points were being counted.

Joe Gibbs Racing saw some shuffling, as they faced a tough situation where three of their O’Reilly team drivers were battling for the same spots in the Chase. When the dust settled, Taylor Gray and Brandon Jones took the spots and William Sawalich and Brent Crews were left on the outside looking in.

JR Motorsports Justin Allgaier took the top seed in his red No. 7 Chevy. With Caruth getting in, it meant all four of the JRM cars will be going for the title, also including Carson Kvapil, and Sammy Smith in addition to Caruth.

Drivers to watch in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Chase that aren’t either aligned with JRM or Joe Gibbs, are Shelon Creed and Sam Mayer from Haas Factory, RCR’s duo of Jesse Love and Austin Hill and Hendrick Motorsports’ Corey Day.

The drivers who are in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Chase for the Championship, in order of points:

  1. Justin Allgaier, JR Motorsports                              7 Chevy                     2100 points
  2. Carson Kvapil, JR Motorsports                               1 Chevy                     2075
  3. Sheldon Creed, Haas Factory                                  00 Chevy                  2065
  4. Jesse Love, RCR                                                       2 Chevy                     2060
  5. Austin Hill, RCR                                                        21 Chevy                   2055   
  6. Brandon Jones, Joe Gibbs Racing                         20 Toyota                  2050
  7. Corey Day, Hendrick Motorsports                          17 Chevy                  2045
  8. Sammy Smith, JR Motorsports                              8 Chevy                     2040
  9. Parker Retzlaff, Viking Motorsports                     99 Chevy                   2035
  10. Sam Mayer, Haas Factory                                      41 Chevy                   2030
  11. Taylor Gray, Joe Gibbs Racing                              54 Toyota                  2025
  12. Rajah Caruth, JR Motorsports                               88 Chevy                   2020

CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Chase

In recent seasons The Front Row Motorsports team of two-time UNOH 250 winner Layne Riggs, driver of the No. 35 Love’s Truck Stops Chevy, and other two-time Bristol winner Chandler Smith, who won the UNOH 250 in 2021 and the spring Truck race in 2025, have been a pair of dominant forces at Bristol.

This season Layne is the top seed with a really stout six victories and Chandler starts the Chase as the third seed with two victories. Both could get a huge boost with a Bristol victory at the UNOH 250.

TRICON Garage has had a strong year with Kayden Honeycutt in the 11 truck that Corey Heim drove to the series crown one year ago. Heim is not in the picture this season as he didn’t run a full season in any class, rather just bounced around from vehicle to vehicle and scored wins in Cup and Truck.

There is lot of talent in the Truck Series and a host of hungry drivers ready to claim the championship starting with fifth-seed Gio Ruggiero, who drives the No. 17 Toyota, Tyler Ankrum in the No. 18 Chevy, Daniel Hemric in the No. 19 Chevy and Christian Eckes in the No. 91 Chevy all will be formidable challengers.

Finally, past Truck champs and veterans Ben Rhodes and Ty Majeski are both highly capable and if either one gets on a hot streak during the Chase, everyone else better watch out.

The drivers who are eligible for the seven-race Chase in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series include:

  1. Layne Riggs, Front Row Motorsports                           34 Ford                      2100 points
  2. Kayden Honeycutt, TRICON Garage                              11 Toyota                  2075
  3. Chandler Smith, Front Row Motorsports                      38 Ford                      2065
  4. Christian Eckes, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing             91 Chevy                   2060
  5. Gio Ruggiero, TRICON Garage                                       17 Toyota                  2055
  6. Ty Majeski, ThorSport Racing                                        88 Ford                      2050
  7. Grant Enfinger, CR7 Motorsports                                   9 Chevy                     2045
  8. Daniel Hemric, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing                19 Chevy                   2040
  9. Ben Rhodes, ThorSport Racing                                      99 Ford                      2035
  10. Tyler Ankrum, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing                  18 Chevy                   2030

For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit the Bristol Motor Speedway website or call the BMS Tickets Sales Center at (866) 415-4158.