Bass Pro Shops Night Race
Bristol, Tennessee – September 19, 2026
AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 MENARDS/RICHMOND FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 8TH STAGE 1: 7TH STAGE 2: 12TH FINISH: 11TH POINTS: 11TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric started Saturday night’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race from the eighth position in the No. 2 Menards/Richmond Ford Mustang Dark Horse after qualifying was canceled Friday due to inclement weather and ran around the top five for much of the opening stage. Cindric battled a free-handling condition throughout the early portion of the race and finished Stage 1 in the seventh position. Cindric restarted deeper in the field following service during the stage break and worked his way forward as the handling of the No. 2 Ford shifted toward the tight side firing off. He climbed back to 12th by the end of Stage 2 before the team made additional adjustments to help improve his ability to turn through the corners. A lap down in the final segment, Cindric remained in position for the free pass and returned to the lead lap with 70 laps remaining. Cindric restarted 10th following another trip to pit road and navigated several late-race cautions before taking the checkered flag in the 11th position. He leaves Bristol 11th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings as The Chase continues next weekend at Kansas Speedway.
CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: “We kind of hurt our own day, but got saved with staying out there with a long run, but we had a pretty decent Menards Ford Mustang, just not able to capitalize. A lot of those cautions at the end got us cycled around on tires and all that. It’s good to salvage some decent points, but I thought we had a bit more today.”
RYAN BLANEY No. 12 WABASH FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 29TH STAGE 1: 6TH STAGE 2: 1ST FINISH: 33RD POINTS: 6TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 Wabash Ford Dark Horse Mustang team led a race-high 202 laps in Saturday night’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway yet will leave with a 33rd-place finish following a late-race incident with Carson Hocevar. Blaney started the race from the 29th position after Friday’s qualifying session was rained out, but crew chief Jonathan Hassler began working his strategy for gain track position early at the Lap 40 competition caution as he kept Blaney on track to restart fourth. Hassler would call Blaney to pit lane on Lap 97 for four tires and fuel, setting the Wabash crew up for a sixth-place finish in the first stage. Blaney restarted from the top spot when the second stage began, the same position in which he would finish at the end of the stage to continue to rack up valuable points. With all of the other lead lap cars electing pit at the end of the stage, Blaney was able to hold the top spot on pit lane with all cars having reset their strategy for the final stage. After briefly losing the lead to Ty Gibbs on Lap 326, Blaney reclaimed the lead during the pit cycle before being called to pit lane on Lap 396. Unfortunately, a yellow flag came out after Blaney had passed the pit lane commitment line but before he actually entered pit lane and Blaney made a swift move back on the racing surface. Since he had committed to pit lane, he was forced to restart at the end of the lead lap cars after eventually making his pit stop. Blaney made his third pit stop of the day on Lap 400 and after restarting in the ninth position, he was able to maneuver his way to second in the running order. Blaney restarted fourth on Lap 50 following another caution period and on Lap 457 Hocevar made contact with the rear bumper of the No. 12 machine, resulting in significant damage that was deemed to much to continue. The finish drops Blaney to sixth in the standings, 52 points behind the leader.
BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “Really disappointing end to the night for everyone on the No. 12 Wabash team. I thought we had a really strong car and did a great job working our way through the field after starting toward the back. We led a lot of laps and put ourselves in position to have a good finish, so it’s frustrating not to be able to see it through. I’m proud of the effort from everyone on this team, and we’ll move on and get ready for Kansas.”
JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 2ND STAGE 1: 1ST STAGE 2: 3RD FINISH: 1ST POINTS: 3RD
RACE RUNDOWN: In Saturday night’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Joey Logano and the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Dark Horse Mustang team proved they are one of the best closers in the NASCAR Cup Series garage by charging from the fourth position with nine laps remaining to pick up their third win in the last 10 races. The victory marks Logano’s third win at BMS and the 40th of his championship career, tying him with Mark Martin for 20th on the all-time wins list. After qualifying and practice were rained out on Friday afternoon, Logano began the race from the second position as the lineup was set by the NCS rulebook. Crew chief Paul Wolfe made the call to leave Logano on track at the Lap 40 competition caution and Logano restarted from the lead as he cruised to the win in the first stage. Following his first pit stop of the day under the stage break, Logano took the green flag for the second stage in the 16th position. This was where the speed in the Shell-Pennzoil Ford became evident as he was able to carve his way through the field to finish third in the stage. Throughout the final stage, Logano was a fixture at the front of the field yet unfortunately fell to the fifth position with just 58 laps remaining. However, a final caution on Lap 477 set up a chaotic finish in which Logano was able to drive under the three entries fighting for the lead after they ran up the track with six laps remaining. By taking the checkered flag, Logano is now the winningest NCS driver in Team Penske history with his 38th victory and now sits just 16 points out of the championship lead.
LOGANO’S THOUGHTS: “I love NASCAR racing. This is so much fun and to be a part of it is electric. Being here at Bristol. Hearing the fans scream and yell. What else can you want? … Our cars have been good and have been getting better. Paul has been doing good. Joe’s been awesome. The pit crew has been good. I’ve got a great team. We’ve got a team that knows how to win championships. I thought there for a minute I was like, ‘OK, I might just finish third or fourth here tonight,’ and then they all kind of worked their way up and I was like, ‘Well, Merry Christmas to me.’ I got a gift there. There’s nothing like the Bristol Night Race. This is just the coolest experience as a race car driver being in front of all you fans down here, hearing everyone scream and cheer – sometimes boo, that’s alright. It’s pretty awesome.”
The NASCAR Cup Series Chase for the Championship continues next weekend at Kansas Speedway. Catch coverage of the Hollywood Casino 400 beginning at 3 p.m. ET on USA, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
