Four Chevrolet drivers earned their entry into the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 12 following a high-stakes, tire-wear intense night at Bristol Motor Speedway. Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Chase Elliott, along with Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain, secured their places as they navigated the demanding high-banked half-mile track on September 13. Carson Hocevar and Alex Bowman also showed strong performances, finishing seventh and eighth, respectively, leading Chevrolet to solid results among the top ten.
Race Overview: Tire Wear and Strategy Shape Bristol Outcomes
The Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol began with AJ Allmendinger of Kaulig Racing taking the pole position and leading the pack early. However, the track quickly revealed itself as a tire-wear race, forcing many drivers, including Allmendinger, to pit earlier than expected and give up track position. The early stages saw significant tire degradation affecting the majority of the field. Kyle Larson managed to hold the runner-up spot for nearly half the first stage before pitting on Lap 59, aiming for a two-stop strategy. A caution on Lap 80 disrupted plans, requiring the Cliff Daniels-led No. 5 team to adapt rapidly.
William Byron emerged as a strong contender during the early part of the race, securing valuable points with a third-place finish for Stage One. His performance, combined with Larson’s points cushion, guaranteed both into the next playoff round.
Mid-Race Developments: Hocevar and Bowman Showcase Competitive Moves
As Stage Two unfolded, Carson Hocevar demonstrated remarkable progress, climbing twelve positions to reach second place and even leading briefly before pitting with 40 laps remaining in the stage. After pit stops cycled through, Hocevar quickly returned to the front. A late caution led to a short, four-lap sprint at the end of Stage Two, where Alex Bowman’s efficient pit stop helped him maintain third place to close the stage strong for Chevrolet.
Final Stage Challenges and Playoff Contention
In the final stage, Bowman prioritized track position by staying out during the break but struggled with older tires, falling to sixth before late-race cautions shuffled the field. Chase Elliott faced a setback when an accident ended his race prematurely while running in 10th place. Despite the early exit, his solid points buffer allowed him to advance to the Round of 12.
Chevrolet’s Strong Representation in the Round of 12
Ultimately, four Chevy drivers qualified for the third round of playoffs: Kyle Larson, William Byron, Chase Elliott, and Ross Chastain. At the conclusion of the race, Carson Hocevar and Alex Bowman finished within the top ten, with seventh and eighth-place results, respectively, solidifying a strong team showing at the challenging Bristol race.
Chevrolet’s Season Milestones and Upcoming Challenges
With 29 NASCAR Cup Series races complete, Chevrolet boasts an impressive 12 wins, 11 pole positions, 54 top-five finishes, 117 top-ten finishes, and 22 stage wins, reflecting its competitive presence throughout the season. The Round of 12 will resume at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with the Mobil 1 301 event on Sunday, September 21, at 2 p.m. ET, with live TV coverage on the USA Network and radio broadcasts via PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Insights From Team Chevy Drivers on a Difficult Bristol Race
“We survived. For tonight in our No. 1 Moose Chevy, to run those couple laps at the beginning of the race, we were just ripping and rolling along. I saw the No. 16 tank and realized it was a tire wear race. We just had no idea. I think the whole field was caught off guard, but we’ve got to understand when that’s coming. We’ve got some data points now from this track to see what was the same.”
—Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
“We just couldn’t go as far as the field on tires. Our setup just wasn’t conducive to that, and then no matter how easy I went, it was just chewing tires. It was just an unfortunate night for the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops / Winchester Chevrolet team. I just wish we would have had the ability to run as long as the other guys and I think we would have been OK. I tried a lot to save it, but it was just out of my hands.”
—Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
“The No. 8 Lucas Oil Chevrolet team battled the entire race tonight at Bristol Motor Speedway but we came up short. We struggled in qualifying and got a lap down early, but we gave it our all to the end. We battled some front end issues, and briefly drove our way inside the Top 10, as we worked strategically to manage our tires. We’re leaving Bristol with a 16th-place finish, and we’ll continue to chase the win next weekend in New Hampshire.”
—Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
“The No. 22 (Joey Logano) got position on me. I thought I was doing the smart thing just trying to get back to the bottom. I guess I thought I was clear back down in line. I visually saw the gap, so I just tried to get back in line and I got a huge shot from behind. I’m not sure if the No. 42 (John H. Nemechek) got pushed in there or he wasn’t expecting me to come back to the bottom or what the reasoning was, but nonetheless, it happened and it’s done.”
—Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
“It was super sketchy. It was hard to know how hard to push. Our No. 9 NAPA Chevy was really good for a few laps, and then I felt like we struggled. We had spent the majority of the night in the back of the pack, just trying to get ourselves back in position and back on the lead lap. Once we did and we got back up towards the front, I just felt like we needed some balance adjustments there once we started running the pace of the leaders. We were working on it and making it better.”
—Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
“I don’t know that it forced you to change your style as much as it was just where you were running and how much pace you were pushing. We were in such a terrible position getting trapped a lap down early. We were probably a little late to realize that we needed to stop. But on the same token, if it goes green, it probably would have worked out OK for us. Being in the back of the pack versus being upfront was certainly a big difference in how I was driving the car. We were working on our balance and it was slowly getting better.”
—Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
“We only had one run that I felt like was weird with the scuffs. Other than that, all the tires felt pretty normal. It was just so weird and hard to predict. It was just chaotic. From around 10th on back, there were just people running into each other, and then you had differences in tires. If they were four laps different, you just couldn’t make the corner and wrecks would happen everywhere.”
—William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
“Really proud of our United Rentals Chevrolet team. We had a top-18 or 20 car if we didn’t lose the laps at the beginning of the race, but no one expected the tires to wear like they did. It caught us all by surprise. From that first run, it was just managing the situation the best we could. Everyone worked extremely hard this week and I’m glad we were able to leave with a solid run. This No. 33 group should be proud and we have one more crack at it in Talladega.”
—Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
“When we had some green-flag runs, I thought our No. 48 Ally Chevy was really good. It just cycled really poorly on restarts. I would drive off into turn one and just hope to make the corner. For whatever reason, it just wouldn’t take off, and then after five laps or so, it would go again. I just couldn’t figure it out if it was something I was doing. I felt like I was cleaning the tires off too much sometimes, so I don’t really know what we lacked there. Just proud of everyone at Hendrick Motorsports for the fight. We obviously had a shot at it if we would have gone green to the end. We had a good Ally Chevy compared to yesterday. We made some gains on it and still have some gains we need to make.”
—Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
“It sucks, but we had a shot to win. We can only control what we can control. We don’t have a crystal ball up there with the yellows. I am just proud of this No. 77 Delaware Life Chevrolet team. We got caught out really early, and we were able to execute there with tire saving, managing and just executing at a top caliber. If things go green there, we would have had a huge tire advantage, but it just didn’t work out. I’m just super proud of this group. There were a lot of times where I felt like we had a shot to win races, and we were 30th. Man, obviously we really wanted that one to work out there or at least see if it would have, especially for a new pit crew. This team really wants to win, and you can only ask for shots.”
—Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
“It was a pretty wild night. I got run over once by a guy that was pretty average, but the rest of it, I just needed to put myself in better spots and understand what was going on earlier in the race. I just made it hard on myself early.”
—Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
“Guys have had experience with the tire wear before with last year’s race. I just didn’t understand how to manage the tire wear early enough. Our No. 88 Wendy’s Breakfast Baconator Chevrolet was decent at the end. We got the car handling better for what I needed. I was just too hard on the tires with the way I was driving the car.”
—Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
