The 2019 Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on August 17, 2019 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. Contested over 500 laps on the short track, it was the 24th race of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
Report
Background
The Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Despite its short length, Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking, an all concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating. It has also been named one of the loudest NASCAR tracks.
During driver introductions, a unique tradition is held where drivers are allowed to introduce themselves with a song of their choosing.
Entry list (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points. (R) denotes rookie driver.
Driver Team Manufacturer 00 Landon Cassill (i) StarCom Racing Chevrolet 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford 8 Daniel Hemric (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 13 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 15 Ross Chastain (i) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 21 Paul Menard Wood Brothers Racing Ford 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 27 Quin Houff Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 32 Corey LaJoie Go Fas Racing Ford 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 36 Matt Tifft (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 37 Chris Buescher JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 38 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 41 Daniel Suárez Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 43 Bubba Wallace Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 47 Ryan Preece (R) JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 51 B. J. McLeod (i) Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet 52 Kyle Weatherman (i)† Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 53 Josh Bilicki (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 54 J. J. Yeley Rick Ware Racing Ford 77 Reed Sorenson Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 95 Matt DiBenedetto Leavine Family Racing ToyotaOfficial entry list
† - Bayley Currey was entered for the No. 52 but was suspended by NASCAR on Thursday before the race due to violating the substance abuse policy. Kyle Weatherman will replace Currey in the No. 52 as a result.
Practice
First practice Denny Hamlin was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 14.920 seconds and a speed of .
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 1 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 14.920 128.606 2 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 14.973 128.151 3 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 15.008 127.852Official first practice results
Final practice Matt DiBenedetto was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 14.892 seconds and a speed of .
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 1 95 Matt DiBenedetto Leavine Family Racing Toyota 14.892 128.848 2 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 14.962 128.245 3 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 14.964 128.228Official final practice results
Qualifying Denny Hamlin scored the pole for the race with a time of 14.848 and a speed of . It was the first pole for Toyota in the Cup Series in 2019.
Qualifying results Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 111 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 14.848 242 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 14.874 319 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 14.875 41 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 14.896 510 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 14.901 69 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 14.923 795 Matt DiBenedetto Leavine Family Racing Toyota 14.937 84 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 14.940 920 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 14.945 1088 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 14.963 1122 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 14.976 1212 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 14.981 132 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 14.997 146 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford 15.002 1517 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 15.028 1638 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 15.053 178 Daniel Hemric (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 15.084 1841 Daniel Suárez Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 15.088 193 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 15.116 2014 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 15.129 2124 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.166 2243 Bubba Wallace Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 15.188 2347 Ryan Preece (R) JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 15.192 2413 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet 15.225 2521 Paul Menard Wood Brothers Racing Ford 15.243 2632 Corey LaJoie Go Fas Racing Ford 15.273 2736 Matt Tifft (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 15.275 2834 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 15.311 2937 Chris Buescher JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 15.314 3048 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.331 3118 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 15.340 3200 Landon Cassill (i) StarCom Racing Chevrolet 15.366 3351 B. J. McLeod (i) Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet 15.468 3427 Quin Houff Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 15.579 3553 Josh Bilicki (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 15.631 3654 J. J. Yeley Rick Ware Racing Ford 15.732 3777 Reed Sorenson Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 15.733 3852 Kyle Weatherman (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 15.786 3915 Ross Chastain (i) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 15.840Official qualifying results
Race
Stage results
Stage One Laps: 125
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Points1 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 102 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 93 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 84 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 75 95 Matt DiBenedetto Leavine Family Racing Toyota 66 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 57 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 48 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 39 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 210 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 1Official stage one results
Stage Two Laps: 125
Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Points1 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 102 41 Daniel Suárez Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 93 6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford 84 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 75 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 66 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 57 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 48 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 39 8 Daniel Hemric (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 210 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 1Official stage two results
Final stage results
Stage Three Laps: 250
Pos Grid Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points1 1 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 500 402 7 95 Matt DiBenedetto Leavine Family Racing Toyota 500 413 13 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 500 404 31 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 500 405 6 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 500 466 2 42 Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 500 417 20 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 500 308 18 41 Daniel Suárez Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 499 389 4 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 499 4010 12 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 499 3211 14 6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford 499 3412 17 8 Daniel Hemric (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 499 2713 3 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 498 3314 22 43 Bubba Wallace Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 498 2315 10 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 497 2216 11 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 497 2117 29 37 Chris Buescher JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 497 2018 23 47 Ryan Preece (R) JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 497 1919 30 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 496 1820 24 13 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet 496 1721 21 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 496 2222 9 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 495 2323 25 21 Paul Menard Wood Brothers Racing Ford 495 1424 26 32 Corey LaJoie Go Fas Racing Ford 494 1325 32 00 Landon Cassill (i) StarCom Racing Chevrolet 490 026 39 15 Ross Chastain (i) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 490 027 27 36 Matt Tifft (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 487 1028 36 54 J. J. Yeley Rick Ware Racing Ford 485 929 5 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 482 930 34 27 Quin Houff Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 478 731 38 52 Kyle Weatherman (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 474 032 33 51 B. J. McLeod (i) Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet 410 033 15 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 391 434 19 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 387 335 35 53 Josh Bilicki (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 373 036 16 38 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 371 137 28 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 368 138 37 77 Reed Sorenson Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 269 139 8 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 244 8Official race results
Race statistics Lead changes: 23 among 10 different drivers Cautions/Laps: 8 for 61 Red flags: 0 Time of race: 2 hours, 49 minutes and 9 seconds Average speed:
Media
Television NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, 2008 Food City 500 winner Jeff Burton, and Steve Letarte called the race in the booth for the race. Dave Burns, Parker Kligerman, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast reported from pit lane during the race.
NBC Sports relieved Dale Earnhardt Jr. of duties for this race after an incident at Elizabethton Municipal Airport where a bounced landing led to the Earnhardts' private plane crashing. He, his wife Amy, daughter Isla, and dog Gus were not severely injured, but he was kept out as a precaution.
NBCSNBooth announcersPit reporters Lap-by-lap: Rick AllenColor-commentator: Jeff BurtonColor-commentator: Steve Letarte Dave BurnsParker KligermanMarty SniderKelli Stavast
Radio The Performance Racing Network had the radio call for the race, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Doug Rice and Mark Garrow called the race from the broadcast booth when the field raced down the front straightaway. Rob Albright called the race when the field raced down the backstretch. Brad Gillie, Brett McMillan, Jim Noble and Wendy Venturini handled the action on pit road for PRN.
PRNBooth announcersTurn announcersPit reporters Lead announcer: Doug RiceAnnouncer: Mark Garrow Backstretch: Rob Albright Brad GillieBrett McMillanJim NobleWendy Venturini
Standings after the race
Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Kyle Busch 932 2 Joey Logano 893 (–39) 1 3 Denny Hamlin 855 (–77) 1 4 Martin Truex Jr. 838 (–94) 2 5 Kevin Harvick 830 (–102) 6 Brad Keselowski 794 (–138) 7 Chase Elliott 757 (–175) 8 Kurt Busch 741 (–191) 9 Ryan Blaney 686 (–246) 10 Alex Bowman 675 (–257) 2 11 Kyle Larson 665 (–267) 12 William Byron 664 (–268) 2 13 Aric Almirola 654 (–278) 14 Erik Jones 646 (–286) 15 Ryan Newman 603 (–329) 1 16 Daniel Suárez 591 (–341)Official driver's standings
Manufacturers' Championship standings Pos Manufacturer Points 1 Toyota 877 2 Ford 850 (–27) 3 Chevrolet 814 (–63)
Note: Only the first 16 positions are included for the driver standings. . – Driver has clinched a position in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
References