Austin Dillon managed to maintain a precarious hold on the NASCAR Playoffs as he prepares for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway Saturday night. Following an 18th-place finish at last Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Playoff event at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, Dillon remains just below the elimination cut line with the Playoff field set to shrink from 16 to 12 drivers on Saturday.
The No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet driver trails 12th-place Austin Cindric by 11 points and 11th-place Ross Chastain by 19 points. The result at Gateway represented a hard-fought effort by Dillon and his team, who overcame a difficult car setup to secure stage points and stay within striking distance of the next round.
Struggles and Strategy Define Dillon’s Gateway Performance
Dillon acknowledged the shortcomings of his car at the Greater St. Louis track but praised his team’s execution on race day. Despite the challenges, a focus on strategy and endurance helped their performance improve over the race.
“At the end of the race when we finished 18th, that was the best we were all day. We got stage points in Stage 2 and that was huge. It gives us a shot going into Bristol Motor Speedway. Hopefully, we bring the best car that we can so that we can make a run and advance into the next round of the Playoffs.”
—Austin Dillon, NASCAR driver
The team’s decision to run longer on certain pit cycles allowed Dillon to gather crucial points, compensating somewhat for the car’s general lack of speed throughout the event. This approach kept him close enough in the standings to maintain hope going into Saturday’s elimination race at Bristol.
Difficult Track Record and Playoff Competition Loom at Bristol
Bristol Motor Speedway, known for its demanding 0.533-mile concrete oval, has presented mixed results for Dillon in the past. In 20 starts there, he has recorded just one top-five finish and four top-10s, with a 17.8 average finish. However, he earned a 10th-place finish earlier this year during the spring race, proving he can compete well on the high-banked track.
His key playoff rivals, Austin Cindric and Ross Chastain, also carry modest Bristol histories. Cindric’s average finish is 22.6 in five starts with a best result of 13th, while Chastain has three top-10 finishes in 10 starts since joining Trackhouse Racing in 2022, including a seventh-place in spring 2023.
Drivers like Shane van Gisbergen, who is four points behind Dillon, face an uphill battle and likely will depend on others’ misfortunes to advance. Meanwhile, Alex Bowman and Josh Berry will be competing in near must-win scenarios as they sit well below the cut-line points.
Kyle Larson’s Dominance at Bristol Poised to Continue
Kyle Larson enters the race with considerable comfort, sitting 60 points above the elimination line after a dominant string of performances. The Hendrick Motorsports driver has won the past two races at Bristol, leading an extraordinary 873 of 1,000 laps combined across those events. His high-speed mastery on the track is well established.
Despite Goodyear introducing a softer right-side tire for Saturday’s race, Larson does not anticipate a significant change in his approach or mindset.
“I’m not really going into it with any different mind-set than what we typically would go to Bristol,”
Larson said during a recent Zoom conference.
“I’ve been to Bristol with many different packages and tire combinations, probably, and Bristol’s still Bristol.”
“It races amazing, and I’ve always been competitive there. I just feel like I’ve got a natural feel for the pace and rhythm that it takes to go good there. I hope our car’s close again and we can execute a good weekend like we have the last two times there.”
—Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports driver
Connor Zilisch’s Momentum Fuels Xfinity Playoffs Battle
The NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs also continue into Bristol with eyes on rookie sensation Connor Zilisch. The 19-year-old JR Motorsports driver enters the postseason after an extraordinary run, winning seven of the last eight races. Zilisch has tied the series record for consecutive victories with four in a row, matching feats set by Sam Ard in 1983 and Noah Gragson in 2022.
Leading the series as the Regular Season Champion, Zilisch positions himself 59 points above the elimination line entering Friday’s Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway, determined to maintain his hot streak.
“This No. 88 team has been on a run this year, and four wins in a row is a rare feat, but we aren’t going to take any of that for granted going into the Playoffs,”
Zilisch said.
(Crew chief) Mardy (Lindley), my whole team and my pit crew continue to execute every week, and we don’t plan on turning down the intensity anytime soon.”
“It has been awesome to have the success we have had this season, and we plan to unload another fast WeatherTech Chevrolet this Friday.”
—Connor Zilisch, JR Motorsports driver
Aside from Zilisch, Justin Allgaier remains comfortably above the elimination threshold, currently 30 points clear. However, the rest of the Xfinity Playoff field faces a narrow margin, with only 16 points separating third-place Sam Mayer and Austin Hill, who sits just below the cut line after losing regular-season points due to a penalty at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The tight points spread promises an intense competition for position in the upcoming Food City 300 race, raising the stakes for several drivers attempting to secure advancement.
Chandler Smith Optimistic Despite Tough Truck Series Start
Chandler Smith, competing in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Playoffs, remains hopeful ahead of Thursday night’s UNOH 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway despite a disappointing 30th-place finish at Darlington Raceway. Currently second-to-last in the standings and two points below the Round of 8 elimination line, Smith expresses confidence in his team and his recent performances on similar tracks.
“Honestly, I’m not too worried about it,”
Smith said.
“…Going back to Bristol, we were really strong there earlier this year,”
he added.
“Then New Hampshire as well, so I’m not really worried about the point situation.”
Smith won the spring race at Bristol and has shown consistent speed, aided by strong trucks from Front Row Motorsports along with teammate Layne Riggs.
“We’ve still got two races left going back to Bristol, where we won earlier this year and then New Hampshire for the last race of this round, where I’ve been really strong in the past as well,”
Smith said.
“I’m not really discouraged or anything about that. I think our trucks here recently have been really good. Everybody at Front Row Motorsports has been giving me a truck capable of going out there and winning.”
The next Truck Series Playoff elimination event is the Sept. 20 EJP 175 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, which will shrink the field from 10 to eight drivers. Smith trails the eighth-place driver, Jake Garcia, by just two points, while Kaden Honeycutt is seven points below the cut line in 10th place.
Corey Heim, with eight wins this season and already guaranteed a spot in the Round of 8, aims to continue his dominant run as he pursues a fourth straight victory in the Truck Series.
Implications for the Playoff Races at Bristol and Beyond
The upcoming playoff races at Bristol Motor Speedway across NASCAR’s top three series will be pivotal for drivers teetering on the edge of elimination. Austin Dillon’s ability to hold on to his Playoff spot despite car struggles at Gateway highlights the fine margins that define the postseason battle. With only a handful of points separating many competitors, every lap and strategy call will carry enormous weight.
Bristol’s challenging half-mile concrete surface and high banking have proven to be a track where experience, car control, and pit strategy all heavily influence outcomes. For Kyle Larson and others comfortably above the cutoff, the focus will be on maintaining momentum and avoiding costly mistakes. Meanwhile, drivers like Dillon, Zilisch, and Smith carry not only hope but urgency as they seek strong finishes to advance further.
As the NASCAR Playoffs continue to unfold, these races will showcase the blend of determination, skill, and teamwork needed to survive and thrive under the pressure of postseason racing.
