Only three drivers managed to cut into Denny Hamlin’s point margin at the World Wide Technology Raceway. That race was an absolute free-for-all, a wild one at the 1.25-mile track, known to everyone as Gateway, where almost every single Chase driver ended up in some kind of incident. With just eight races left in The Chase, and the next one coming fast this Saturday night at the Bristol Motor Speedway night race, things are heating up big time.
On The Verge, Or About To Fall Off?
Let’s talk about the guys teetering on the edge. Chris Buescher, piloting the RFK Racing No. 17 Ford, is sitting 111 points behind Hamlin. He hit a real gut punch at St. Louis with a brake failure that cost him 23 crucial points. Yeah, he won at Bristol back in 2022, but the dude hasn’t cracked the top 10 in his last four starts there. That’s a rough stat line heading into a night race at Bristol. William Byron in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet is 114 points back. Finishing fourth at St. Louis sounds good, right? Well, he didn’t lose any points to Hamlin, but he didn’t gain any either. He’s been stuck 114 points behind, and he hasn’t snagged a top five at Bristol since 2022. Gotta find that extra gear, William!
Then there’s Austin Cindric, in the Team Penske No. 2 Ford, 108 points off the pace. He did move up a couple of spots to 12th in the standings with a 10th-place finish at St. Louis, but again, no ground gained on Hamlin. His average finish at Bristol is a whopping 22.7. Carson Hocevar, in the Spire Motorsports No. 77 Chevy, is closer at 88 points behind. He finished eighth at St. Louis, one spot ahead of Hamlin, but those battles he had with Brad Keselowski and other drivers? They could totally come back to haunt him. The source says it best: Bristol is a track where you need friends. He did pull off a 10th-place finish there in the spring, so maybe there’s hope. Ryan Preece, also from RFK Racing in the No. 60 Ford, is 111 points back. A 17th-place finish at St. Louis just wasn’t enough, and he’s never even led a lap in a Cup race at Bristol. And finally, Daniel Suárez, in the Spire Motorsports No. 7 Chevy, is 119 points behind. St. Louis was a nightmare for him, finishing 29th. Bristol is one of his absolute worst tracks, with an average finish of 19.7. His main hope is just climbing higher in points, forget challenging Hamlin for now.
Who Else Is In The Mix, And Can They Rally?
Wallace had a rough go at St. Louis, finishing 14th. The good news is some of his better tracks are coming up in these final eight races, but unfortunately, Bristol ain’t one of them. He’s only got two top 10s in 14 career starts there, even though he finished 11th in the spring. Joey Logano is seventh in the standings, but until his team shows some serious speed on those 1.5-mile tracks, it’s tough to feel confident about a big rally. He needed a win at St. Louis, but he did gain 21 points on Hamlin with a third-place finish. He’s also put together two back-to-back top 10s at Bristol, which is a huge turnaround after nine straight finishes outside the top 10 there.
Chase Elliott was showing more speed at St. Louis than he typically does, which was awesome to see, until a brake rotor failure ended his day way too early. He’s got two second-place finishes in the Next Gen era at Bristol, but he’s also finished 15th or worse in his last three starts at the track. And then there’s Gibbs, who finished 18th at St. Louis. Can he rally? It’s a big question mark. The source implies it usually takes a driver with way more Chase experience to navigate these final two months. The kid did win at Bristol, so that’s something to hold onto.
This Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway is going to be absolutely nuts. The Chase is officially on fire, and every single point matters as these drivers fight to stay alive!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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