Nascar This Week
Bristol Motor Speedway provided the cleaver that hacked off 25% of the NASCAR Cup Series playoff field. The postseason said adios to four drivers as the field narrowed to an even dozen. The two drivers who had to win to advance did not while two other drivers, who were outside the cut line going in, were swallowed by the bubble. Now it’s on to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but save that roll of the dice for Talladega and Charlotte’s notorious Roval course. The spotter is yelling “Green! Green! Green!” on the radio … FIRST GEAR: The top 12 drivers going into Bristol in the NASCAR standings were the same names who had their papers processed for Round 2. Kevin Harvick literally led the postseason parade with his second win in Round 1. He opened the playoffs with a Southern 500 win at Darlington. He is followed in the standings by Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr. Clint Bowyer will start the next round at the back of the bus. He is already 82 points behind Harvick, his teammate at StewartHaas Racing, as Round 2 fires off the line. The new bubble fighters are Kurt Busch, Aric Almirola and 2019 Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, who has gone winless this season. When asked about his chances of advancing, Kyle was quick with an answer. “We’ll be eliminated in the next round,” he said. SECOND GEAR: The four guys left on the playoff chopping block were rookie Cole Custer, William Byron, Ryan Blaney and Matt DiBenedetto, who was hoping to advance for the sake of Wood Brothers Racing. “I can’t possibly explain to people the emotional roller coaster of doing this for a living,” DiBenedetto said. “I am very appreciative to do it and love it and I hope I’m driving for this team next year and hope to keep on doing it. We have a lot to build off of. We’re just barely getting started but, man, it is tough. I’m glad we made the playoffs. I’m proud of my team.” THIRD GEAR: The two drivers on a mission right now are Jimmie Johnson, who failed to make the playoffs, and Kyle Busch, who may make a quick postseason exit. Johnson, who is a seventime Cup champion, hopes to score his 84th career victory before leaving the sport for some IndyCar/sportscar action. Busch’s last win was the 2019 season finale, which took him to the title. Busch said he is more concerned about nabbing a win to keep his streak alive than the crown in 2020. He has won at least one race in each of the last 15 seasons. FOURTH GEAR: Brad Keselowski, who won at Richmond to earn a pass into Round 2, said the path forward in the Cup playoffs is simple enough, on paper. “Obviously we just can’t have mechanical failures, those are killers,” he said. “And I can’t make mistakes and run into the wall.”