The 2021 Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on September 18, 2021 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. Contested over 500 laps on the .533-mile (0.858 km) short track, it was the 29th race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, third race of the Playoffs and final race of the Round of 16.
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 29 of 36 in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | September 18, 2021 | ||
| Location | Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility .533 mi (.858 km) | ||
| Distance | 500 laps, 266.5 mi (429 km) | ||
| Average speed | 87.409 miles per hour (140.671 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Grid positions set by competition-based formula | |||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 175 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBCSN | ||
| Announcers | Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | PRN | ||
| Booth Announcers | Doug Rice and Mark Garrow | ||
| Turn Announcers | Rob Albright (Backstretch) | ||
The race was won by Kyle Larson. Tyler Reddick, Aric Almirola, Kurt Busch and Michael McDowell were eliminated from the round of 16.
Report
editBackground
edit
The Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Despite its short length, Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking, an all concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating. It has also been named one of the loudest NASCAR tracks.
Entry list
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
Qualifying
editMartin Truex Jr. was awarded the pole for the race as determined by competition-based formula.[4]
Starting Lineup
editRace
editMartin Truex Jr. earned the pole position for the start of the race, where he led the first five laps. Denny Hamlin won stage one after passing Kyle Larson on lap 90. A red flag occurred for nearly eight minutes following a turn 4 incident that involved four vehicles on lap 221. Larson led at the end of stage two. On lap 464, Chase Elliott was forced to pit from the lead when he had a flat tire from damage he received when Kevin Harvick got into his rear quarter panel. When back on the track, Elliott attempted to retaliate by getting into the side of then race leader Harvick and then running Harvick's preferred line, thus slowing him down. Larson was able to pass Harvick on lap 497, and secure his 12th overall Cup Series win. Following the race, Harvick and Elliott bumped cars on pit road and confronted each other when they eventually parked. Harvick said, "I just told him it was kind of a chicken shit move that he did there at the end you know. We're racing for the freaking win at Bristol. We're three-wide in the middle and he throws a temper tantrum like I was just trying to get the lead and racing hard, then he pulls up infront of me, and just sits there until I lose the whole lead." He ended by saying "God Damn. I'm about to rip somebody's freaking head off." Elliott said, "It's something [Harvick] does all the time. He runs into your left side constantly at other tracks and sometimes it does cut down your left side (tires), other times it doesn't." The argument continued for several minutes continuing inside Elliott's hauler. Michael McDowell, Kurt Busch, Tyler Reddick, and Aric Almirola were eliminated from the Playoffs.
Stage Results
editStage One Laps: 125
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage Two Laps: 125
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final Stage Results
editStage Three Laps: 250
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 59 |
| 2 | 8 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 500 | 45 |
| 3 | 14 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 42 |
| 4 | 7 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 500 | 43 |
| 5 | 11 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 32 |
| 6 | 10 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 500 | 46 |
| 7 | 1 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 500 | 32 |
| 8 | 22 | 43 | Erik Jones | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 29 |
| 9 | 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 500 | 47 |
| 10 | 19 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 500 | 27 |
| 11 | 3 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 500 | 26 |
| 12 | 13 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 27 |
| 13 | 20 | 14 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 500 | 24 |
| 14 | 17 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 23 |
| 15 | 18 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 22 |
| 16 | 28 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 500 | 21 |
| 17 | 27 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 20 |
| 18 | 12 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 500 | 19 |
| 19 | 15 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 18 |
| 20 | 23 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 499 | 17 |
| 21 | 9 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 499 | 21 |
| 22 | 21 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 498 | 15 |
| 23 | 25 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 498 | 14 |
| 24 | 16 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 498 | 13 |
| 25 | 4 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 497 | 26 |
| 26 | 31 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 497 | 11 |
| 27 | 35 | 51 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 495 | 0 |
| 28 | 26 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 494 | 9 |
| 29 | 6 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 493 | 14 |
| 30 | 36 | 53 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 487 | 0 |
| 31 | 33 | 52 | Josh Bilicki | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 482 | 6 |
| 32 | 38 | 66 | David Starr (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 482 | 0 |
| 33 | 37 | 15 | James Davison | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 474 | 4 |
| 34 | 34 | 00 | Quin Houff | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 375 | 3 |
| 35 | 30 | 38 | Anthony Alfredo (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 313 | 2 |
| 36 | 29 | 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 216 | 0 |
| 37 | 32 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford | 215 | 0 |
| 38 | 24 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 177 | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
edit- Lead changes: 23 among 7 different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 8 for 71
- Red flags: 1 for 7 minutes and 53 seconds
- Time of race: 3 hours, 2 minutes and 56 seconds
- Average speed: 87.409 miles per hour (140.671 km/h)
Media
editTelevision
editNBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, 2008 Food City 500 winner Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. called the race from the broadcast booth. Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Dillon Welch handled the pit road duties from pit lane. Rutledge Wood handled the features from the track.
| NBCSN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters | Features reporter |
| Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen Color-commentator: Jeff Burton Color-commentator: Steve Letarte Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
Dave Burns Marty Snider Dillon Welch |
Rutledge Wood |
Radio
editPRN had the radio call for the race, which was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Doug Rice and Mark Garrow called the race from the booth when the field races down the frontstretch. Rob Albright called the race when the field races down the backstretch. Brad Gillie, Brett McMillan, Alan Cavanna, and Wendy Venturini handled the duties on pit lane.
| PRN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Doug Rice Announcer: Mark Garrow |
Backstretch: Rob Albright | Brad Gillie Brett McMillan Alan Cavanna Wendy Venturini |
Standings after the race
edit
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References
edit- ^ "2021 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- ^ "Bristol Motor Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. Archived from the original on April 28, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- ^ "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. September 13, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
- ^ a b "Starting Lineup". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. September 15, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
- ^ "Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. September 18, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
- ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. September 18, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021.