NASCAR insiders: 'Can't count anyone out' in Playoff race at Bristol
With the standings tight as ever going into the final race of the Round of 16 at Bristol Motor Speedway, NASCAR insiders Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi revealed they’re not counting out anyone on Saturday.
During the latest episode of The Teardown, the pair from The Athletic explained why some of the Cup Series’ top drivers aren’t as safe as they seem, and how a couple of the wheelmen on the outside looking in at the moment can change the narrative surrounding their championship hopes in Tennessee.
“Christopher Bell’s +46, even if he has some sort of disaster, I don’t know that he falls out, being +46. Austin Cindric, how about this dude? Another top 10 when he needed it, +43. Heck of a playoffs so far. Alex Bowman, +41. Another guy that really had pressure on him to perform, sitting in good shape. Daniel Suarez, despite his gravel excursion, he’s +36. Tyler Reddick, Chase Elliott, +30. Ryan Blaney, +29. [Kyle] Larson, +26. William Byron, +25. I don’t really assume that any of those people are safe,” Gluck stated.
“I mean, if there’s going to be a high tire-wear race at Bristol, and it’s going to be like the spring, where anything can happen, and suddenly, if you didn’t manage your stuff right, you go multiple laps down, or, you know, somebody blows a tire, and you know, are collateral damage, I don’t think that anybody’s incredibly safe. I also don’t even think that Harrison Burton’s 20 points is out of it. We just saw somebody go from -21 to +6. This is a very, very tight field, and I’m not counting anybody in or out, really, at this point.”
Even though Gluck believes all 16 drivers have a shot to advance, Bianchi believes the answer is actually 15 — he’s counting out Coke Zero Sugar 400 winner Harrison Burton from advancing beyond Bristol, due to the sheer volume of other playoff drivers near the cut-line, and how good they can be at the track.
“I’m going to count Harrison Burton now,” Bianchi added. “No offense, but they’re done. It’s not just the number of points you’re out, it’s the number of guys that are in that mix. Like, you need to have a great run, and then you also need other guys to have bad runs.
“You need a lot of help if you’re Harrison Burton. … I don’t expect Harrison Burton to have a great run of Bristol.”
Alas, Harrison Burton will be looking to prove Jordan Bianchi wrong, but the idea of all 16 drivers having a shot at advancing to the Round of 12 on Saturday night is more real than many would think. It’s bound to be an awesome event, as the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Bristol for what could be a chaotic race.