Dillon, Larson feeling optimistic at Bristol with NASCAR Cup playoff eliminations looming

Austin Dillon and Kyle Larson have the same goal – reaching the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs – but divergent paths to get there at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Entering Saturday night’s 500-lap cutoff race at the treacherous short track in Tennessee, Dillon is on the verge of being one of four drivers eliminated from a field of 16. He is 11 points behind 12th-ranked Austin Cindric in the last provisional transfer spot, but the Richard Childress Racing driver believes he’s within “striking distance” to force the drivers ahead of him into mistakes that help erase the gap.

“If we apply pressure, then we can transfer to the next round, and pressure is running up front and scoring stage points,” Dillon said. “With just a solid day, we can make it happen. But if you win, it also takes care of all this, and we’re going to be aggressive as we can be to put that pressure on.”

The scenario is simpler for Larson, who is 60 points above the cutline and the highest-ranked playoff driver behind the Joe Gibbs Racing duo of Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin (who already have advanced with wins at Darlingtonand Gateway to open the first of four rounds).

With in-race points awarded for finishing in the top 10 after Bristol’s first two stages of 125 laps apiece, Larson can lock into the next round by gaining eight points before the checkered flag.

That should be an easy task for the 2021 Cup Series champion, who has two consecutive victories at Bristol while leading 873 of the past 1,000 laps on the 0.533-mile oval.

“I just feel I’ve got a natural feel for the pace and rhythm that it takes to be good there,” Larson said. “When I go to Bristol, I always look at it as an opportunity to have a great weekend. So I hope our car is close again, and we can execute a good weekend like the last two times there.”

Though he finished 12th at Gateway, the Hendrick Motorsports star is coming off “the best race in months” for his No. 5 Chevrolet after qualifying second and leading 52 laps before a restart incident with Bubba Wallace.

It’s the first double-digit total led by Larson since May 25 when he led 34 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“We didn’t get the finish to show for the speed that we had, but I didn’t let that get me down at all,” said Larson, who is in a season-long drought of six consecutive races without a top five. “I was very, very happy after Gateway, leaving there way more confident about the rest of the playoffs. And just really excited.”

He is enthused just by racing at Bristol, which is his favorite track on the Cup circuit. Billed as “The Last Great Colosseum,” the high-banked concrete surface is ringed by 146,000 seats with overhead views of cars whizzing by on 15-second laps and sparks flying under the lights.

“It’s just a fun, fast place,” said Larson, whose March 16 win at Bristol kicked off a season-high streak of four consecutive top fives. “I think everybody in the sport really looks forward to Bristol, and it’s always fun, whether you’re a mechanic, a pit crew member, a driver or a spotter. It’s just a cool place.”

Dillon refers to Bristol as “the eighth wonder of the world,” but it’s been less kind to his No. 3 Chevrolet. His only top five there was fourth nine years ago, but he is encouraged by a win at Richmond Raceway last month and a 10th at Bristol in March.

His team plans to radio often with real-time updates on the points standings to help guide his approach Saturday night.

“I definitely feel like it’s going to be a fluid race,” said Dillon, who is below the first-round playoff cutline with Alex Bowman, Shane van Gisbergen and Josh Berry. “I just want a car that I can drive hard. If we can give me something I can work with, I feel like my heart, will and grit will take us as far as we need to go.”

After disastrous pit stops in each of the first two races of the playoffs, Bowman will have four new crew members changing tires Saturday night on his No. 48 Chevrolet.

Hendrick Motorsports vice president of competition Chad Knaus told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that the decision was made after some “tough conversations” about a pit crew that he still believes is one of the best in Cup. “We have to make something happen, and we all know it’s a momentum-based sport,” Knaus said. “It’s a good reset for everybody.”

Larson (+240) is the betting favorite for Bristol, per BetMGM Sportsbook. Denny Hamlin, who has a series-leading four wins at Bristol, is listed at +425 with Christopher Bell and Ryan Blaney at +800. … For the first time in four races at Bristol, a new right-side tire will be used in hopes of making it easier to pass. The last Bristol race featured only four lead changes, the track’s fewest since August 2008. … Experience matters at Bristol, where the past 23 races have been won by drivers with at least 200 starts in Cup.