Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Starting Lineup and Stats for NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Race

The final NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race in the Round of 16 is scheduled for Saturday evening under the lights. The famed Bristol Motor Speedway is set to host the 60th annual running of the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race. Given that the spring race at the Tennessee track was run on dirt, this marks the first and only time that NASCAR will run on the concrete surface inside the “Last Great Colosseum” this season. With playoff points at a premium for many drivers and four cuts set to be made following Saturday’s race, fans can expect plenty of beating and banging. Track position is paramount at any short track, making the Bass Pros Shops NRA Night Race starting lineup all the more important.

The following article contains all kinds of vital information to get you set for Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Series action. Read on for the complete Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race starting lineup, start time, race facts and NASCAR stats.

NASCAR Cup Series at Bristol Motor Speedway

60th Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race
Date: Saturday, September 18, 2021
Start Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
Track: Bristol Motor Speedway — Bristol, TN
Coverage: NBCSN
Pole Sitter: Martin Truex Jr.
Defending Champion: Kevin Harvick

Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Race Details

Distance: 266.5 miles
Laps: 500
Lap Length: 0.533 miles
Stages: Three (Laps 1-125; 126-250; 251-500)
Surface: Concrete
Turns: 4

Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Starting Lineup

See below for a breakdown of the qualifying metrics formula.

Starting Position	Driver	Car Number	Team	Manufacturer
1	Cole Custer	41	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford
2	Christopher Bell	20	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota
3	Tyler Reddick	8	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet
4	Chase Briscoe	14	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford
5	Kyle Larson	5	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
6	Justin Haley	31	Kaulig Racing	Chevrolet
7	Ty Dillon	42	Petty GMS Motorsports	Chevrolet
8	Alex Bowman	48	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
9	Chase Elliott	9	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
10	Joey Logano	22	Team Penske	Ford
11	Kyle Busch	18	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota
12	Austin Dillon	3	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet
13	Kurt Busch	45	23XI Racing	Toyota
14	Erik Jones	43	Petty GMS Motorsports	Chevrolet
15	Chris Buescher	17	Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing	Ford
16	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	47	JTG Daugherty Racing	Chevrolet
17	Michael McDowell	34	Front Row Motorsports	Ford
18	Brad Keselowski	6	Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing	Ford
19	William Byron	24	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
20	Austin Cindric	2	Team Penske	Ford
21	Daniel Suarez	99	Trackhouse Racing	Chevrolet
22	Bubba Wallace	23	23XI Racing	Toyota
23	Todd Gilliland	38	Front Row Motorsports	Ford
24	Harrison Burton	21	Wood Brothers Racing	Ford
25	Ryan Blaney	12	Team Penske	Ford
26	Corey LaJoie	7	Spire Motorsports	Chevrolet
27	Justin Allgaier	77	Spire Motorsports	Chevrolet
28	Noah Gragson	16	Kaulig Racing	Chevrolet
29	J.J. Yeley	15	Rick Ware Racing	Ford
30	Martin Truex Jr.	19	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota
31	Aric Almirola	10	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford
32	Kevin Harvick	4	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford
33	Ross Chastain	1	Trackhouse Racing	Chevrolet
34	Denny Hamlin	11	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota
35	Cody Ware	51	Rick Ware Racing	Ford
36	Josh Williams	78	Live Fast Motorsports	Ford

NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying Overview

Following the interruption to racing last season, NASCAR did away with practice and qualifying runs at the majority of races. A combination of grouped draws and a performance-metrics formula was used to determine starting grids. That same formula remains in place for the majority of races on the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, including this Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race starting lineup.

So, what exactly is involved in the performance-metrics formula? Well, it draws on a number of factors including individual race performances and season-long results. The following breakdown illustrates the weighted grades associated with each component of NASCAR’s metrics formula:

NASCAR Cup Series Metrics Formula Breakdown

• 35 percent: Team owner points ranking
• 25 percent: Driver’s finishing position from the previous race
• 25 percent: Car owner’s finishing position from the previous race
• 15 percent: Fastest lap from the previous race

Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race History and NASCAR Stats

The following sections offer various NASCAR stats of note and interesting history of the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race.

Race History

• The Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race traces its history all the way back to 1961. Unlike many other NASCAR Cup Series races, this one has been the same 500-lap distance since its beginning.
• The total distance run in this event has increased slightly over the years as it was moved to longer courses at Bristol Motor Speedway. After originally being a 250-mile race, the race was first run at its current 266.5-mile distance in 1970.
• Many consider this race to be one of the biggest NASCAR Cup Series events on the annual calendar. With the removal of the Brickyard 400 this season, some have made it their de feacto fourth “Crown Jewel” race.
• Jack Smith won the very first edition of this race in 1961. However, in a unique twist that would never occur in NASCAR today, Smith actually did not take the checkered flag. Johnny Allen took over in relief of Smith during the race and finished off the eventual victory.

NASCAR Stats and Race Records

• Darrell Waltrip tops the all-time wins list among drivers in the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race. From 1979-92, Waltrip scored a whopping seven victories in the event. He sits two clear of Cale Yarborough on the all-time list.
• Kyle Busch leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers with three victories in this race. Busch won in back-to-back years in 2009-10 and scored his third victory in 2017.
• Four other acitve drivers have two career wins in this race. Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin and last year’s winner, Kevin Harvick, make up the list.
• The now-defunct Junior Johnson & Associates holds the all-time lead for wins by a race team in this event with nine. Perhaps even more impressive is that all nine victories came in a 13-year span from 1974-86.
• Among active race teams, Roush Fenway Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing sit tied atop the leaderboard with seven wins in the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race. Team Penske is a close second with six.
• It is a dead heat atop the manufacturer leaderboard when it comes to wins in this event. Chevrolet and Ford have each scored 21 wins in this presitgious race. Toyota is a distant third with just six total victories.