From a NASCAR Fan’s View
This is the third playoff race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup season, and there is probably no other track that deserves to have this race as much as Bristol. What better place to see the end of the first round of the playoffs and determine if the outcome is what we expect, or if there is a total surprise winner and an unexpected qualifier moving on to the next round? That’s what the Bass Pro Shops night race is all about tonight.
The biggest surprise to this fan was the driver who won the pole for this one, and that will be A.J. Allmendinger. Not that he isn’t capable or that Kaulig Racing hasn’t been making big improvements this season. It’s just that I didn’t expect someone other than one of the drivers in the playoffs not to take the pole.
Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. That’s a little bit short-sighted on my part, and you’re correct. I really didn’t see it happening. I mean, just look at eight of the rest of the top ten qualifiers. They are all round one playoff drivers, and they just missed it. All but one of the other nine drivers are the ones expected to be leading the field, even if one of them is below the cutline.
I guess that is one thing about the playoffs that never changes. Well, that is in these early rounds. As we all know, these playoff races are definitely two races in one. The important one is for advancing into the next round of the playoffs, no matter which of the entire field wins. The playoff drivers are competing with the playoff drivers, and the rest of the field is basically trying to win a race and play the spoiler.
Sure, I know there is more to it than that, but you do get the idea, right? There are four drivers that will be cut from the playoffs after this race is over, and a couple of the sixteen playoff drivers only have one chance to move on to the next round, and that is by winning. A quick glance at the playoff picture shows those two to be Josh Berry and Alex Bowman. The last thing they need is for a non-playoff driver to win and completely kill their chances of moving on. In fact, if anyone other than one of them wins, their chances are done anyway. (Honestly, I think they’re done anyway, at least for this season.)
The other two presently below the cutline are Austin Dillon and Shane Van Gisbergen. Depending on what happens to the other playoff drivers, they still have a chance to point their way in, even if it is a slim one. Austin is closer by four points than SVG, but both their fates are pretty much sealed by whether they can have better nights than those just above them in points. Whether or not they can score enough points without winning is the question. They do have their work cut out for themselves, and they might need a little help from those running ahead of them in the points. Not impossible, especially at a track like Bristol, but still a tall order.
A.J. and Ty Gibbs are starting in the top five, and both are hungry for a win. It would be Ty’s first win in the cup series if he can pull it off, and for A.J., it would just be another step in a positive direction for him and Kaulig Racing. If either of these two wins tonight, it will definitely spell the end of the playoffs for the four below the cutline right now. Neither of them will move on because they’re not in the playoff picture, but they will gain a win to their credit.
Well, there is a caveat to how the next round of the playoffs will look, also. It depends on how the race goes for those in the top twelve in points. At any rate, the top twelve drivers at the end of the night will move on to round two of the playoffs.
Sounds complicated, doesn’t it. That’s because it can really get that way before the night is over. That is also why this race will be a pressure-packed one, and the emotions and tension will be evident throughout the race. There are two things about that high emotion stuff. too. First, it means the racing will probably be very aggressive. Second, well, that usually means those emotions will surface, and things could happen that could really shake things up. More than one could have their night ruined, depending on how some of them handle their emotions. Disaster has struck in the past, although cooler heads generally prevail.
No matter what, this will definitely be a race worth watching…
Hey, this is Russ and that’s my view… See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
© September 13, 2025 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman, Nascarfansview.com and Justafansview.com
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