How the 16 Playoff Drivers Historically Perform at Bristol

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It’s crunch time for drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

After the post-season began with events at Darlington Raceway and World Wide Technology Raceway, the first of three elimination races is on-deck at Bristol Motor Speedway, with Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Racing.

Affectionately known as “The World’s Fastest Half Mile”, Bristol Motor Speedway is one of the toughest tracks on the schedule. Plus, with a brand-new right-side tire developed for this weekend’s 500-lap gauntlet, there are even more unknows at play.

Of the 16 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, there are only three that have previously been to Victory Lane at Bristol Motor Speedway – Denny Hamlin (four times), Kyle Larson (three times), and Joey Logano (twice). While Hamlin and Larson have combined to win the last four races at the racetrack, Logano, the defending series champion, hasn’t won on the racetrack since 2015.

When it comes to Bristol, Kyle Larson and Hendrick Motorsports have been otherworldly as of late. The driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet has won the last two events at the historic racetrack, both of which included a curb-stomping of the field with more than 400 laps led. In total, the Elk Grove, California-native has led 873 of the last 1,000 laps at BMS.

Denny Hamlin is the most experienced driver in the Playoffs, when it comes to Bristol Motor Speedway, making a total of 36 starts in the NASCAR Cup Series – a statline that also includes four wins, 13 top-fives, 20 top-10s, and 1,199 laps led. The driver of the No. 11 Toyota Camry XSE locked himself into the ‘Round of 12’ with a win last weekend at WWT Raceway.

Ryan Blaney (17 starts), Chase Elliott (16 starts), and Christopher Bell (eight starts) have also found moderate success at Bristol Motor Speedway, and while it hasn’t translated into a victory, just yet, these three heavy-hitters have led more than 350 laps around the Bristol, Tennessee-based short track.

There are six drivers – Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, Austin Dillon, Chase Briscoe, Shane Van Gisbergen, and surprisingly William Byron – who have never led a lap at Bristol Motor Speedway, despite many having their various successes at the racetracks with multiple top-five and top-10 finishes.

Only Austin Cindric (five starts), Josh Berry (three starts), and Shane Van Gisbergen (one start) have never secured a top-five result at the high-banked half-mile. Two of those three drivers listed, enter Saturday’s 500-lapper sitting below the cutline and in need of a strong run.

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Breaking Down The Bubble Battle:

The cutline will be a prevalent storyline throughout the entirety of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Bristol, as well, with the bottom four drivers on the Playoff Grid being eliminated from championship contention when the checkered flag drops.

Ross Chastain enters Bristol sitting 11th in NASCAR Cup Series points, with a 19-point buffer on the bubble. In 10 starts at the half-mile racetrack, Chastain has never finished inside the top-five, but scored three top-10s and an average finish of 19.5.

Austin Cindric sits 12th in NASCAR Cup Series point standings heading to Bristol, with 11 points over the bubble. However, the Team Penske driver has never finished inside the top-10 at the racetrack, and has a dismal average finish of 22.6 (the worst of post-season drivers with more than one start).

Austin Dillon enters Bristol, the final race of the 'Round of 16' on the wrong side of the cutline. The Richard Childress Racing driver is 11 points below the cutline, and in 20 starts at Bristol Motor Speedway has recorded a single top-five (2016), four top-10s, and an average finish of 17.8.

Shane Van Gisbergen is in trouble. The Auckland, New Zealand-native entered the post-season with a significant buffer when it came to Playoff Points, but after poor results at Darlington Raceway and WWT Raceway, finds himself 15 points below the cutline. The story of the season for the No. 88 is a lack of experience on the ovals, which will hinder SVG's shots at advancing. In one start at Bristol in the Cup Series, Van Gisbergen finished 38th after retiring 300 laps before the checkered flag.

RELATED: Below The Cutline: Bowman, Berry Likely in Must-Win Situation

Alex Bowman has had a terrible post-season. The Hendrick Motorsports team has just missed it in back-to-back weeks and that's left the No. 48 pretty much in a must-win situation heading to Bristol Motor Speedway. The bad news? Bowman has never won at Bristol, but has secured three top-five and five top-10 finishes at the track. Saturday wouldn't be a bad time to break out a trip to Victory Lane for the No. 48.

Josh Berry is in a must-win situation after two last-place finishes in the first two events of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Luckily, Berry comes to a short track to try and win his way into the 'Round of 12' for Wood Brothers Racing. In three starts, Berry has no top-10s, but has led 25 laps at the half-mile racetrack.

The Bass Pro Shops Night Race will take place on Saturday, September 13 at 7:30 PM ET on USA Network, Performance Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

Stats for Playoff Drivers at Bristol Motor Speedway (Sorted by Number):

Driver	Starts	Wins	T5	T10	Avg. Fin	Laps Led
Ross Chastain	10	0	0	3	19.5	0
Austin Cindric	5	0	0	0	22.6	0
Austin Dillon	20	0	1	4	17.8	0
Kyle Larson	18	3	8	13	10.4	1762
Chase Elliott	16	0	5	9	11.3	444
Denny Hamlin	36	4	13	20	13.0	1199
Ryan Blaney	17	0	3	7	17.8	555
Chase Briscoe	6	0	1	2	13.2	0
Christopher Bell	8	0	3	6	12.0	360
Josh Berry	3	0	0	0	17.7	25
Joey Logano	30	2	6	10	17.0	771
Bubba Wallace	12	0	1	2	19.2	22
William Byron	12	0	2	5	16.4	0
Tyler Reddick	8	0	1	1	20.0	7
Alex Bowman	16	0	3	5	20.0	76
Shane Van Gisbergen	1	0	0	0	38.0	0