Four Playoff drivers eliminated after Bristol Night Race
BRISTOL, TENNESSEE – At the conclusion of the Bass Pro Shops NRA Bristol Night Race, four drivers were eliminated from the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
The drivers eliminated were as follows: Cole Custer, Ryan Blaney, William Byron and Matt DiBenedetto.
Blaney finished the highest of the four drivers, ending the race in 13th. However, Blaney finished two laps down and spent much of the night a lap or more down, with handling issues and no stage points scored. Blaney entered Saturday night 27 points behind the cutline and finished the night 37 points behind.
DiBenedetto finished 19th but was running seventh on the final restart after a caution fell during green flag pit stops. DiBenedetto received the wavearound, which put him in seventh, but he had to pit under green flag conditions when a caution did not fly. DiBenedetto entered Saturday night 25 points behind the cutline and finished the night 41 points behind.
Custer’s first Playoff appearance ended with a 23rd place finish at Bristol Saturday night. Custer was a non-factor for much of the night and failed to score stage points, much like DiBenedetto and Blaney. Custer entered the night eight points behind the cutline and finished the night 28 points behind.
The only driver eliminated from the Playoffs who scored stage points was William Byron. Byron finished eighth in stage one and ran well for much of the night, until a lap 234 wreck involving him and Christopher Bell took him out of the race and the Playoffs. Byron entered the night three points behind the cutline and finished 33 behind.
The eliminated drivers are still in contention for as high of a points finish as fifth place.
The remaining Playoff drivers will be seeded as follows for the Round of 12, starting at Las Vegas next Sunday (7:30 p.m. ET; TV: NBCSN, Radio: PRN):
Kevin Harvick 3,067
Denny Hamlin 3,048
Brad Keselowski 3,035
Joey Logano 3,022
Chase Elliott 3,021
Martin Truex Jr. 3,016
Alex Bowman 3,009
Austin Dillon 3,005
Aric Almirola 3,005
Kyle Busch 3,004
Clint Bowyer 3,004
Kurt Busch 3,001
SOURCES:
NASCAR
Racing-Reference.Info
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com