The first round of eliminations is just ahead in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoff fight. After 500 laps of racing at Bristol, 12 drivers will remain in contention for the championship.
Both Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin are locked into the next round after their victories at Darlington and Gateway, respectively. Kyle Larson, who has a comfortable points cushion, enters Bristol as the defending winner of the late-summer night race.
News of the week
NASCAR is bringing a softer right-side tire to Bristol, which could increase tire falloff, but there are other factors that leave many unknowns for the weekend ahead.
What is the NASCAR at Bristol weekend schedule?
(Schedule is tentative and subject to change)
Thursday, September 11th
1pm EST -- ARCA Menards Series practice -- N/A
2pm EST -- ARCA Menards Series qualifying - N/A
3:05pm EST -- NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series practice -- FOX SPORTS 2
4:10pm EST -- NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series qualifying -- FOX SPORTS 2
5:30pm EST -- ARCA Menards Series race (200 laps) -- FOX SPORTS 1
8pm EST -- NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race (250 laps)-- FOX SPORTS 1
Friday, September 12th
2pm EST -- NASCAR Xfinity Series practice -- THE CW APP
3:05pm ST -- NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying -- THE CW APP
4:30pm -- NASCAR Cup Series practice -- TRUTV
5:40pm -- NASCAR Cup Series qualifying -- TRUTV
7:30pm -- NASCAR Xfinity Series race (300 laps) -- The CW
Saturday, September 13th
7:30pm EST -- NASCAR Cup race at Bristol (500 laps) -- USA NETWORK
How can I watch the NASCAR Cup Series at Gateway?
- Date: Saturday, September 13th
- TV start time: 7p.m. ET
- Green flag: 7:35pm EST
- Laps/Miles: 500 laps / 266.5 miles with 10 sets of tires
- Stages: 125 / 125 / 250
- TV channel: USA NETWORK | TSN (Canada) | Other international viewing options
- Live stream: In-car cameras on HBO MAX
- Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Who is racing the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway
There are 39 teams entered for this weekend's race with three part-time entries. Richard Childress Racing has entered the No. 33 with Austin Hill, 23XI Racing has entered the No. 67 with Corey Heim, and Garage 66 has entered its No. 66 Ford with Chad Finchum as the driver.
*Playoff drivers in bold
| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Noah Gragson | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 7 | Justin Haley | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Ty Dillon | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 16 | AJ Allmendinger | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 19 | Chase Briscoe | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 21 | Josh Berry | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 33 | Austin Hill | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 34 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 35 | Riley Herbst | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 38 | Zane Smith | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 41 | Cole Custer | Haas Factory Team | Ford |
| 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Legacy Motor Club | Toyota |
| 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Toyota |
| 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Hyak Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 60 | Ryan Preece | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 66 | Chad Finchum | Garage 66 | Ford |
| 67 | Corey Heim | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 71 | Michael McDowell | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 77 | Carson Hocevar | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 88 | Shane van Gisbergen | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
| 99 | Daniel Suarez | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet |
