BRISTOL, Tenn. (WJHL) — Christopher Bell held off Brad Keselowski in the final laps to win Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol.
Bell has earned his place in the next stage of the NASCAR Playoffs, whereas four drivers saw their hopes dashed. The competitors who were eliminated include Alex Bowman, Austin Dillon, Shane Van Gisbergen, and Josh Berry.
Those who advanced to the Round of 12 include:
- Chase Briscoe
- Ryan Blaney
- Denny Hamlin
- Christopher Bell
- William Byron
- Kyle Larson
- Bubba Wallace
- Tyler Reddick
- Joey Logano
- Ross Chastain
- Chase Elliott
- Austin Cindric
Hamlin and Briscoe had secured their places in the next round by winning the first two races of the Playoffs. The victory by Bell on Saturday meant that Joe Gibbs Racing dominated the initial round completely.
Playoff-contender Ryan Blaney edged Ty Gibbs to win Stage 1 of the race, but Gibbs later held off Blaney to win Stage 2.
Gibbs faced a setback with less than 70 laps remaining when he encountered difficulty entering pit road, resulting in him losing several positions. Despite leading for a total of 201 laps, Gibbs, who was in pursuit of his first Cup Series triumph, ended the race in 10th place.
Several other drivers had a challenging night as well. A.J. Allmendinger, who started from the pole position, hit the wall late in the race and ended up in 36th place. Chase Elliott, a contender in the Playoffs, spun into the wall after an encounter with John Hunter Nemechek with under 200 laps remaining, finishing 38th.
Hamlin, who was looking for his 60th Cup Series win, saw his right front wheel come off with under 150 laps to go. He finished 31st.
The race finished with 14 cautions and 36 lead changes.
During the race event, the speedway revealed the schedule for next year’s races at Bristol. The Food City 500 is set for April 12, and the Bass Pro Shops Night Race will occur on September 19.
