Harrison Burton eliminated from NASCAR playoffs due to mechanical issue at Bristol
Harrison Burton will not advance to the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Playoffs. He was officially eliminated in Stage 2. Burton lost power steering and took his car behind the wall for repairs. It is too much for him to overcome.
Harrison Burton stole a spot in the NASCAR Playoffs with his massive win at Daytona a few weeks back. However, the Cinderella Story comes to an end for Burton and Wood Brothers Racing.
Three more drivers will be eliminated later tonight. Who will it be?
Having to race at Bristol without power steering is one of the hardest things you can do. In the old cars, it was a Herculean task. In the Next Gen? It would take the strongest driver to get that done for 250+ laps. These new cars are much heavier and harder to handle without power steering.
For Harrison Burton, it wasn’t meant to be. He came into the cutoff race only 20 points down to the line. Unlike last week at Watkins Glen, this week a majority of the playoff drivers are having strong days.
While Burton isn’t going to advance, there are some other underdogs that are likely to advance how things run currently. During the race, Chase Briscoe has been fantastic. There have been strong performances from Martin Truex Jr., as well as, Austin Cindric.
Harrison Burton out – Bell, Bowman advance
So, drivers are eliminated, drivers are advanced as well. Through two stages of the Bristol Night Race, Christopher Bell and Alex Bowman have locked themselves into the Round of 12. Whatever happens from here on out, they don’t have to worry about it.
Ty Gibbs is in serious danger of being eliminated. This is his first season in the playoffs. No shame in getting eliminated. But there is a little bit of disappointment after how well Gibbs raced here earlier in the season. Overall, the first half of the year was the best half for Gibbs.
Kyle Larson has been dominating the race tonight. It feels like it will take a special performance and a big adjustment from another team to take the win from him tonight. Larson swept the stages, something he has a knack for doing.
Harrison Burton is out, Bell and Bowman have advanced. Larson is going to advance. It appears that Daniel Suárez, Brad Keselowski, and Gibbs are headed the same direction as Burton. But there are single digits separating 10th and 13th with 14th place only 15 points out of the cutoff. So, it’s going to be intense as this race winds down.