Category: NASCAR Cup News

NASCAR Cup Series News

  • Christopher Bell scores Cup Series pole at Las Vegas in Playoffs Round of 8 opener

    Christopher Bell scores Cup Series pole at Las Vegas in Playoffs Round of 8 opener

    Christopher Bell earned the NASCAR Cup Series pole at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Saturday afternoon with a qualifying lap of 186.355 mph in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. It was his sixth pole this season and his 10th series career pole.

    “I was running flatline and never lifted all the way around; he (Larson) didn’t either. So comes down horsepower, I guess,” Bell said.

    “It’s going to be about who can keep the most in their car and move around and find (grip) on the race track,” he continued. “Las Vegas is a fun race track because you can pretty much run from the wall to the white line and everywhere in between. If you’re faster than a guy you can make your way to the front and if you struggle you can move around and it helps you out.”

    His lap was 0.010 seconds quicker than Hendrick Motorsports driver, Kyle Larson, who will join Bell on the front row to lead the field to green for Sunday’s South Point 400.

    “My car feels really good. Happy to get on the front row, obviously would like to get the pole but Bell and their team, they have a lot of speed in qualifying,” Larson said after qualifying. “Our HendrickCars.com Chevy felt good in practice so we’ll see what we’ve got for tomorrow.”

    Playoff drivers dominated during qualifying, capturing the top five spots. William Byron was third quickest in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with a 186.181 mph lap, followed by Martin Truex Jr. in his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (185.759 mph) and Chris Buescher (185.669 mph) in the No. 17 RFK Racing Ford.

    Kyle Busch, Bubba Wallace, Playoff contender Tyler Reddick, Joey Logano and Ross Chastain rounded out the top 10. Ryan Blaney (12th) and Denny Hamlin (15th) were the only Playoff drivers to qualify outside the top 10.

    Sunday’s South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is set for 2:30 p.m. ET on USA with radio coverage provided by MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The race will also be available on the NBC Sports App.

    Cup Series Round of 8 Playoff Drivers:

    William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, 4,041 points
    Martin Truex Jr., Joe Gibbs Racing, 4,036 points
    Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, 4,032 points
    Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports, 4,024 points
    Chris Buescher, RFK Racing, 4,021 points
    Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing, 4,016 points
    Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing, 4,016 points
    Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, 4,014 points

  • Tyler Reddick captures Cup Series Pole Award for playoff race at Charlotte

    Tyler Reddick captures Cup Series Pole Award for playoff race at Charlotte

    Tyler Reddick outpaced the qualifying field to capture the Busch Light Pole Award for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series  Bank of America ROVAL 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course with a 102.839 mph lap in the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota. It was his second pole this season, and his sixth Cup Series career pole.

    The race is the final event in the series Playoffs Round of 12 with only eight drivers advancing to compete for the 2023 championship. The significance of starting on the pole cannot be overstated as Reddick is currently ranked ninth in the driver standings.

    “This is what we needed to do,” Reddick said. “We had hoped and put a lot of effort into this, as all the playoff teams do for this race. For the most part, this is as good of an outcome as possible for the No. 45 team today.”

    Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell, currently fourth in the driver standings, will join Reddick on the front row after qualifying second with a 102.695 mph lap in the No. 20 Toyota as Daniel Suárez starts in third place. Playoff contenders Bubba Wallace (currently 10th in the driver standings) will start fourth and Kyle Busch (currently 12th in the driver standings) will start in fifth place.

    AJ Allmendinger, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, and Ty Gibbs rounded out the top 10 in qualifying.

    Playoff contenders William Byron, with a win at Texas and Ryan Blaney, who won last week at Talladega, are safe from elimination. Playoff drivers starting outside the top 10 include Martin Truex Jr. (11th), Ross Chastain (12th), Brad Keselowski (19th) and Chris Buescher (20th). Kyle Larson crashed during practice and will start 36th as he will go to a backup car for Sunday’s race.

    You can tune into Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 at 2 p.m. ET on NBC with radio coverage provided by PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    Starting Lineup:

  • Aric Almirola tops qualifying to claim the Busch Light Pole at Talladega

    Aric Almirola tops qualifying to claim the Busch Light Pole at Talladega

    Aric Almirola qualified on the pole in the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford at Talladega Superspeedway and will lead the field to green for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500. It was his sixth Cup Series career pole and his first this season.

    As he reflected on the importance of winning the pole, Almirola said, “I think it’s something you care about probably when you get older, I guess – when you look back and tell your grandkids you were somebody. You’re like, ‘Look here. Here are my stats,’ I guess. But, for me in my spot with where I’m at in my life and my career, I chalk it up as mission accomplished. 

    “We show up at the racetrack every week and your goal is to be fastest in practice and then after that, it’s to be fastest in qualifying and then after that, it’s to win the race and if you don’t achieve any of those things, it’s mission not accomplished. 

    “I am of course appreciative and get excited, but I get more excited for the team than I do for my stat total. It’s rewarding for Drew and all the guys on my team. It’s rewarding for the men and women back at the shop. It is a morale boost when you show up and you have a fast race car and you qualify on the pole.”

    Team Penske’s Joey Logano will join Almirola on the front row as Ford dominated the final qualifying round with seven entries in the top 10. Chase Briscoe (Ford) will start third, as Kyle Larson (Chevrolet) and Brad Keselowski (Ford) round out the top five.

    Completing the top 10 were Ford drivers Riley Herbst (sixth) and Austin Cindric (seventh) followed by William Byron (Chevrolet) in eighth, Bubba Wallace (Toyota) in ninth and Ryan Blaney in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford.

    As the Cup Series heads into the second race of the Round of 12, seven of the Playoff drivers will start outside the top 10 including Denny Hamlin (12th) Tyler Reddick (13th), Christopher Bell (15th), Martin Truex Jr. (16th), Chris Buescher (24th), Kyle Busch (25th) and Ross Chastain (32nd).

    Sunday’s YellaWood 500 is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET on NBC with radio coverage by MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

  • Bubba Wallace collects his first pole of the season at Texas

    Bubba Wallace collects his first pole of the season at Texas

    Bubba Wallace earned his first pole of the season Saturday afternoon at Texas Motor Speedway with a qualifying lap of 188.337 mph. It was his first pole of the season and the second career pole for the driver of the 23XI Racing No. 23 Toyota.  

    Wallace called it a “good start” but is focused on the bigger prize as the team heads into the first race in the Playoffs Round of 16.

    “We have the best track position right now, but we know with strategy, everything is going to change and evolve,” Wallace said. “We are going to get behind at some point, so it is just a matter of making the most of every situation that we are in. Right now, we start on the pole, if we lead all the laps – some people may pit and cut it. You are going to get behind at some point, so we’ve got to figure out how to get back up there, but you can’t get complacent on the small victories. It takes a lot of them to get to a big victory, but it’s a good start.”

    Chris Buescher laid down the second fastest lap in the No. 17 RFK Racing Ford with a 188.081 mph lap while his teammate and team-owner, Brad Keselowski, qualified third with a lap of 187.891 mph.

    Though Buescher was disappointed to miss out on the pole, when asked how important it is to start on the front row, he said, ‘It is huge. This is a very track-position-sensitive race track and with the heat this weekend I think it will be even more. With that in mind, I guess this probably puts us in the non-preferred lane for the start but we will be watching this Xfinity race very closely and try to pull what we can out of it and see what we can learn for tomorrow.”

    Joe Gibbs Racing driver, Ty Gibbs, qualified fourth (187.761 mph lap) in his No. 54 Toyota as Ross Chastain rounded out the top five in the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet.   

    AJ Allmendinger, Kyle Busch, Daniel Suárez, Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin completed the top-10 qualifiers.

    Playoff drivers who will start outside the top 10 include Kyle Larson (11th), Tyler Reddick (15th), Martin Truex Jr. (16th), William Byron (18th) and Ryan Blaney (23rd).

    You can tune into Sunday’s Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at 3:30 p.m. ET on the USA Network with radio coverage provided by PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    Starting Lineup:

    1. Bubba Wallace
    2. Chris Buescher
    3. Brad Keselowski
    4. Ty Gibbs (R)
    5. Ross Chastain
    6. AJ Allmendinger
    7. Kyle Busch
    8. Daniel Suárez
    9. Christopher Bell
    10. Denny Hamlin
    11. Kyle Larson
    12. Erik Jones
    13. Austin Dillon
    14. Alex Bowman
    15. Tyler Reddick
    16. Martin Truex Jr.
    17. Michael McDowell
    18. William Byron
    19. Carson Hocevar
    20. Joey Logano
    21. Aric Almirola
    22. Kevin Harvick
    23. Ryan Blaney
    24. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
    25. Ryan Preece
    26. Ty Dillon
    27. Corey LaJoie
    28. Justin Haley
    29. Chase Elliott
    30. Harrison Burton
    31. Chase Briscoe
    32. Austin Cindric
    33. Zane Smith
    34. BJ McLeod
    35. JJ Yeley
    36. Todd Gilliland
  • Kyle Larson wins Southern 500 Playoff race at Darlington and advances to next round

    Kyle Larson wins Southern 500 Playoff race at Darlington and advances to next round

    Kyle Larson held off a hard-charging Tyler Reddick in the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway to claim the checkered flag at the historic track and advance to the Round of 12 in the Playoffs.

    It was the third win of the season for the Hendrick Motorsports driver and 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion and the 22nd of his career. The victory was not without its struggles, however, including a brush with the wall and a transmission that was temporarily stuck in neutral.

    “This has been one of my favorite tracks my whole career, and I’ve been really, really fast here my whole career. I just usually get in the wall,” Larson said. “And finally we have the Next Gen car that’s tough enough to allow me to hit the wall. So I was able to make some mistakes and get a win. Adding this trophy to the collection is gonna be amazing.

    “I messed up once and it (the transmission) got hung in neutral, and I slid and hit the wall, and I think bent the toe link a little bit, so it was kind of a struggle from there. Definitely had to fight it more than I was earlier, but we kept our heads in the game. That was really important. This race is all about keeping your head in it.”

    Reddick, after leading 90 laps in his 23XI Racing Toyota, had to settle for second place.
    “Kyle and I were pretty close the majority of the day, honestly, and he just got ahead of us there on pit road,” Reddick said, “but all in all, this is the day that we needed to have.

    “Really just thankful for the hard work from my pit crew, from the team, everyone at the shop,” he continued. “Days like this, with a car like this, we haven’t been able to get a second-place finish out of it, so really glad we were able to do that, and it was a really good points day on top of that, as well.”

    It was a good day for half of the Playoff drivers as eight of them finished in the top 10 with Chris Buescher in third, followed by William Byron (fourth), Ross Chastain (fifth), Brad Keselowski (sixth), Bubba Wallace (seventh) and Ryan Blaney (ninth). Non-Playoff drivers, Chase Elliott and Erik Jones finished eighth and 10th, respectively.

    But several of the playoff drivers had disappointing finishes.

    Denny Hamlin was dominant early, leading 177 laps and sweeping Stages 1 and 2 but made a green flag pit stop on Lap 274, thinking he had a loose wheel. This caused him to lose a lap, and then, on Lap 331, he was collected in a five-car crash that also included Michael McDowell and Christopher Bell, and Hamlin finished the race one lap down.

    Kevin Harvick was another victim of circumstance. While heading to pit road a caution was brought out by Newman after he spun in Turn 4 just as Harvick was attempting to pit. But the red light came on, closing pit road and Harvick was assessed with a penalty and was sent to the back of the field for the restart, relegating him to a 19th-place finish.

    Martin Truex Jr. lost four spots after contact with the wall in Stage 1 and in Stage 2 his day went from bad to worse as he had to make an unscheduled pit stop due to a loose wheel, losing two laps.

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was caught speeding on pit road and had to serve a pass-through penalty on his first green-flag pit stop.

    The remaining Playoff drivers finished as follows:

    Kyle Busch-11
    Joey Logano -12
    Stenhouse -16
    Truex-18
    Harvick-19
    Bell-23
    Hamlin – 25
    McDowell-32

    William Byron currently leads the point standings by 1 point over Kyle Larson.

    The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs continue next week on Sunday, Sept. 10 at Kansas Speedway on USA with radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

  • Christopher Bell claims Darlington Cup Series pole as Playoffs commence

    Christopher Bell claims Darlington Cup Series pole as Playoffs commence

    Christopher Bell captured the pole position for the opening race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs at Darlington Raceway with a 169.193 mph qualifying lap Saturday afternoon. It’s his third pole of the season and his seventh career pole in the series.

    Bell was happy with the speed of his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota but also acknowledged the difficulty of keeping his car up front throughout the race.

    “It definitely feels good. Darlington is a place that’s notoriously hard to pass, so starting up front is a really big deal,” he said. “But, with that being said, it’s an extremely long race. The Southern 500 is, in my opinion, probably harder than the Coca-Cola 600 just because of the race track that we’re at. Very long time tomorrow so starting position has no indication of where we’re going to finish, but we certainly have the speed to compete and hopefully we can keep it up front all day.”

    Bell’s teammate, Denny Hamlin, will join him on the front row after posting a 169.042 mph lap. 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick was third fastest, placing three Toyotas at the top of the field. Ford drivers scored the following seven spots with Ryan Blaney and Brad Keselowski rounding out the top five followed by Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Chris Buescher, Michael McDowell and Aric Almirola to complete the top 10.

    Blaney, starting fourth, emphasized the importance of staying focused.

    “That’s not a bad starting spot,” he said. “It’s nice to start in the top five and starting fourth. That’s really good. I’m proud of the effort today and now it’s just a matter of staying in it. Five hundred miles is a long race. It’s a super long race and you can make mistakes real easy, so it’s just a matter of focusing in on tomorrow. It was a good effort today we just have to keep improving.”

    Playoff contender and Regular Season Champion, Martin Truex Jr., will start toward the back of the field in 31st after his car got loose during qualifying.

    The Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway is scheduled for Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on USA with radio coverage provided by MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    Playoff Drivers Starting Positions for The Cook Out Southern 500:
    Christopher Bell – 1st
    Denny Hamlin – 2nd
    Tyler Reddick – 3rd
    Ryan Blaney – 4th
    Brad Keselowski – 5th
    Joey Logano – 6th
    Kevin Harvick – 7th
    Chris Buescher – 8th
    Michael McDowell – 9th
    Kyle Busch – 11th
    Kyle Larson – 18th
    Bubba Wallace – 19th
    William Byron – 23rd
    Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – 25th
    Ross Chastain – 27th
    Martin Truex Jr. – 31st

  • Ryan Preece ready to return after scary crash at Daytona

    Ryan Preece ready to return after scary crash at Daytona

    Playoffs for the NASCAR Cup Series start Sunday at Darlington Raceway for the Cook Out Southern 500. One driver is ready for a bounce-back race, and that driver is Ryan Preece.

    He drives the 41 car for Stewart Haas Racing. This season is a return to full-time Cup Series racing for Ryan since he raced for JTG Daughtery Racing just two years ago.

    After last week’s scary crash at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona where Preece’s car flipped in the air and crashed to the ground several times. He was discharged and released from the hospital earlier this week.

    When NASCAR on Fox Sports Insider Bob Pockrass spoke with Preece earlier this week, Preece said,” ‘They aren’t bad,’ ‘What I want you all to know is [that] racing in general — whether you’re racing a sprint car, modified, anything — is dangerous.”

    Drivers like Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports came out and acknowledged that NASCAR was quick to work on safety improvements after Ryan’s dangerous crash at the race last weekend.

    Interview with Ryan Preece from Stewart Haas Racing’s YouTube Channel

    This is not the first time NASCAR has had safety issues with their 7th Generation Car. NASCAR leadership hopes that their will be fewer safety issues in the future.

  • Ryan Preece’s No. 41 car flips multiple times in crash at Daytona

    Ryan Preece’s No. 41 car flips multiple times in crash at Daytona

    Ryan Preece was involved in a frightening crash on Lap 156 of Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway after Erik Jones made contact with Preece’s No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford’s rear bumper sending him into teammate Chase Briscoe’s car. He then slid off the track and onto the grass as his car went airborne, barrel-rolling multiple times before it came to a stop.

    The AMR safety team responded quickly and helped Preece get out of his car, put him on a stretcher and took him to the infield care center. Per NASCAR, he was later transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.

    Preece later posted on social media, saying, “If you want to be a race car driver, you better be tough. Dammit. Fast @racechoice @FordPerformance Mustang. I’m coming back.”

    Early Sunday morning, Stewart-Haas Racing issued a statement on Preece’s condition.

    NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Preece will remain overnight at Halifax Health Medical Center for continued observation. The driver of the No. 41 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing is awake, alert and mobile and has been communicating with family and friends. Preece will undergo another evaluation by medical personnel later this morning. An update will be provided in the afternoon.

    NASCAR stated that it would take Preece’s car back to the R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina, for further inspection.

    Update from Stewart-Haas Racing Sunday morning:

    DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 27, 2023) – NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Preece was discharged from Halifax Health Medical Center earlier this morning following his accident last night in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway. The driver of the No. 41 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing is on his way home to North Carolina.

  • Kurt Busch announces retirement from NASCAR Cup Series competition

    Kurt Busch announces retirement from NASCAR Cup Series competition

    Kurt Busch announced his retirement from the NASCAR Cup Series completion in a media post on Saturday afternoon, titled, “Thank you to everyone who helped me accomplish my dream.”

    He later met with the media at Daytona International Speedway to discuss what led him to this decision and expressed his appreciation to everyone who has positively impacted his career.

    “As I transition out of the driver’s seat, I can’t help but feel incredibly blessed to have spent the amount of time I did as a driver in NASCAR, and I could never have imagined that growing up as a blue-collar kid from Las Vegas,” Busch said. “

    “So many people have been part of my journey. I want to thank the fans, my family, friends, sponsors and team members. Thanks to everyone who has taught me the different things around the motorsports world, and also for those who have had to put up with me. And I want to just thank again, everyone that continues to push me to strive for success in this sport. It’s time for a new journey, and I’m excited to get started.”

    Busch, who won the first series championship under the Playoff system in 2004, leaves the series with an impressive resume that includes 34 NASCAR Cup Series victories during a 23-year career.

    His first win came in 2004 with Roush Racing and he continued his winning ways with various organizations including Team Penske, Stewart-Haas Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing.

    In 2022 Busch moved to 23XI Racing as the driver of the No. 45 Toyota, winning at Kansas Speedway. His season would be cut short at Pocono Raceway when Busch crashed during qualifying and suffered a concussion. However, he remained with the organization as a consultant and a mentor to drivers, Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick. In May 2023, Busch was named to the list of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers.

    “Again, it’s not one moment that’s led to this,” Busch said. “It’s a few different factors, and my body is having a battle with Father Time. I’ve had arthritis ever since I can remember. My gout has flared up so much that I can barely walk on some days, just pushing to get through physical therapy and to continue the workouts. I remember last summer, I was trying to not show that emotion, and I barely could even walk to the car at Dover because I had to have some shots pre-race just so that I could move my knee and move my feet. Those are those moments where things were starting to add up before things happened at Pocono.

    “As I transition out of the driver’s seat, I can’t help but feel incredibly blessed to have spent the amount of time I did as a driver in NASCAR, and I could never have imagined that growing up as a blue-collar kid from Las Vegas,” Busch said. “So many people have been part of my journey. I want to thank the fans, my family, friends, sponsors and team members.

    “Thanks to everyone who has taught me the different things around the motorsports world, and also for those who have had to put up with me. And I want to just thank again, everyone that continues to push me to strive for success in this sport. It’s time for a new journey, and I’m excited to get started.”

    In summary, he said, “I’m 45 years old. I’m very happy, complacent, and there’s nothing that I look back on and regret about having this opportunity at the top level of NASCAR.”

    “It’s time for a new journey, and I’m excited to get it started.”

  • Chase Briscoe wins the pole for NASCAR’s regular-season finale at Daytona

    Chase Briscoe wins the pole for NASCAR’s regular-season finale at Daytona

    Chase Briscoe captured the NASCAR Cup Series pole for Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway after posting a qualifying lap of 181.822 mph in the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. It marks Briscoe’s second Cup Series career pole.

    After qualifying, Briscoe admitted that he was not confident as he left pit road to qualify. “I was worried,” he said. “When I left pit road I did an absolutely terrible job. I spun the tires and I shifted way too early to second and then I had a double lift on the gas at third and fourth and I was like, ‘Man, I completely threw this away,’ so I knew it was gonna be extremely close getting back to the line and just barely was able to be there.

    “It’s cool for Stewart-Haas Racing. It’s no secret that it’s been a struggle for us this year and to bring two really fast Fords to Daytona and lock out the front row is a testament to everything the men and women back there are doing and this Roush Yates power under the hood.”

    His teammate, Aric Almirola, will join Briscoe on the front row, after laying down a 181.693 mph lap in the final round. Wood Brothers Racing’s Harrison Burton claimed the third spot in the No. 21 Ford, his career-best starting position. Toyota drivers Bubba Wallace (23XI Racing) and Ty Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing) rounded out the top five.

    Riley Herbst qualified sixth for Front Row Motorsports in only his third Cup Series start as Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson, the only Chevrolet driver in the top 10, was seventh. Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney was eighth quickest, as Stewart-Haas Racing teammates, Ryan Preece and Kevin Harvick, earned the final two spots in the top 10.

    There is more on the line than usual this weekend with only one spot remaining in the 16-driver Cup Series Playoffs which is set to begin next week at Darlington Raceway.

    All eyes will be on Chase Elliott as he attempts to keep the streak alive after having made the Playoffs for seven consecutive years. He is currently 19th in the driver playoff standings and nothing short of a win will advance him.

    After qualifying 23rd, Elliott will have his work cut out for him but he remains determined.

    “I still don’t think it matters a whole lot,” Elliott said of qualifying at Daytona. “I do think track position matters at some point during the day, and we saw that in the [Daytona] 500 here. I crashed there early on, but the part of the race I was in, I felt like everybody was stuck. We couldn’t go anywhere. I was looking around, and there were times during the race I was like, he’s trying to go forward and can’t.

    “I think the more the cars are the same as time has gone on, it’s hard to be different, then it puts all the emphasis on the little stuff. How fast are your pit stops? How much gas you got in it? How good’s your restart? All the itty-bitty little things become much larger pieces of the puzzle when the cars are just more and more the same, especially when you’re running around here wide open.”

    “There’s still a little bit of a difference,” he added. “Whether it’s the driver, the car or a combination of both, I still think a guy can make himself stand out.”

    Tune into the Coke Sugar Zero 400 Saturday evening at 7 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock for all the racing action as the Cup Series playoff field is set.

    Starting Lineup

    1. Chase Briscoe
    2. Aric Almirola
    3. Harrison Burton
    4. Bubba Wallace
    5. Ty Gibbs (R)
    6. Riley Herbst
    7. Kyle Larson
    8. Ryan Blaney
    9. Ryan Preece
    10. Kevin Harvick
    11. Chris Buescher
    12. Brad Keselowski
    13. Martin Truex Jr.
    14. Joey Logano
    15. Christopher Bell
    16. Austin Cindric
    17. AJ Allmendinger
    18. Kyle Busch
    19. Denny Hamlin
    20. Tyler Reddick
    21. Austin Dillon
    22. Daniel Suarez
    23. Chase Elliott
    24. Erik Jones
    25. Ross Chastain
    26. Austin Hill
    27. William Byron
    28. Justin Haley
    29. Josh Berry
    30. Ty Dillon
    31. Alex Bowman
    32. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
    33. JJ Yeley
    34. Brennan Poole
    35. Todd Gilliland
    36. Chandler Smith
    37. Corey LaJoie
    38. BJ McLeod
    39. Michael McDowell